Raydar Ellis may have taken a while to reach this point but, he is an
emcee who is worth the wait. The hip-hop nation was late in recognizing
his talent. Not only should he have been known by the underground
already, I should have conducted this interview a long time ago. I
should have known about him way before Traffic Entertainment (Karma and
Michael Quarterson) sent me his music and assisted in hooking up this
interview.
An album about an album, “Late
Pass” by Raydar Ellis is helping to bring creativity back into hip-hop
music. Released on Brick Records, the LP includes songs about
relationships, the struggles of Black actors through the past decades,
graffiti, hip-hop culture, fat women, and more. Production is mainly
handled by Raydar, but some songs are produced by Hezekiah, 7L,
Clokwork, Marty Macfly, The Fundamental, and The Beboy. Guests
performances include Edo.G, Esoteric, Project Move, and Shortbus.
Standout cuts include "And It Sounds Like...', "Whatchu Say Dat Deah",
"I 4 An I", "Pay Homage", and "3 Steps". The diverse styles and topics
give the album an intelligent depth for entertaining repeated listens.
The old school styles of “Whatchu Say Dat Deah” is complemented by the
scratched vocal samples on “And It Sounds Like”. Serious issues on the
concept tracks “Sambo Song” and “3 Steps” give the album a timeless
quality. Every hip-hop fan will need late pass because they should have
been bumping this album a while ago. Go ahead and listen, you are
already late....
TODD
E. JONES:
“What goes on?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I'm chilling, just
got my laptop back from the shop, so I'm hyped. I was on the desktop
earlier.”
TODD E. JONES: “Your new CD, ‘Late
Pass’ was just released. Tell us about it.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “‘Late Pass’ is something like an organized
confusion to me. Not the group, but the way it’s structured. It’s an
album about an album. The confusion comes from me popping tapes
randomly, in and out of the deck, which become the songs you hear. But,
the organization is the reason I'm doing that, to get my album into my
label on time.”
TODD E. JONES: “What song on ‘Late
Pass’ took the longest to complete? Why?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “‘3 Steps’, the second single, because of all the
places it had to travel. It went from Philly to NY, where I got the
beat from Hezekiah at Beat Society. Then, it went to NJ and to MA,
where I wrote and recorded my parts. Then, it went to Cali to get
Honeylungs on the hook. Then, back to me in Boston. Then, back to
Hezekiah in Philly. That song just took forever because of Fed Ex.”
TODD E. JONES: “What is the meaning
behind the title, ‘Late Pass’?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “It all comes from the label calling me at the
beginning of the album saying, ‘You're late on turning your album in’.
So, for the rest of the album, I'm trying to figure out what the album
should be. I called it ‘Late Pass’ because that’s basically what the
label gives me on the record, so I can hand the album in.”
TODD
E. JONES: “When creating a track, do you have a set theme and
pre-written lyrics, or do you start with an idea or the music first?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Usually, it is either a theme or the beat first. I
rarely write without a beat because I'm always making beats. Like, ‘3
Steps’ was done with the beat first. Then topic, then lyrics. ‘Paint
Your Picture’ was concept first. Then, the beat.”
TODD E. JONES: “How did you hook up
with Edo.G for ‘Shut Shit Down’? What was that collaboration like? Was
it done in the studio?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Karma at Brick hooked that up. I had been
listening to him for years. When Karma suggested it, I was like ‘Oh
Hell yeah! Great idea!’ We recorded at Beyonder’s studio and the
collaboration was dope! I felt like a kid on Christmas. He's a really
down to earth dude and very professional.”
TODD E. JONES: “What made you choose
the producers for ‘Late Pass’?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Most of the cats I got down with, I had known for
years, like The Beboy, Macfly, and Clokwork. Actually, Macfly was my
room mate. So, for ‘I 4 An I’, all I had to do was go across the
hallway to get a beat. Hezekiah came randomly, from when I went to Beat
Society. I ran into him at the door, copped his album, and asked if he
had a beat CD. He hooked me up and ‘3 Steps’ was born. 7L came on board
when we were thinking about a remix for the 1st single. But his remix
was so dope that we had to put it on the album.”
TODD E. JONES: “How did you hook up
with Brick Records?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I literally just showed up on their doorstep one
day.”
TODD
E. JONES: “What is the meaning behind the name, Raydar Ellis?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I'm a thinker and a researcher. I like to research
random topics when they cross my mind. As a result, my friends were
always like ‘You always looking for something. You're like a
radar.’ So, the name was born. I added Ellis because that is my
last name.”
TODD E. JONES: “On the song, ‘Power,
Money And Influence’ from Guru’s ‘Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures’
album, Talib Kweli remarks that Pro-Tools made producers lazy. Do you
agree?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “In some aspects, yes. In others, no. It's all
dependent on how someone uses it. You can't, currently at least, open
up Pro-Tools and ‘Poof!’ There's a radio hit, ready to go. It takes
time to learn the functions, to learn how to mix with it, to understand
how Pro-Tools effects your computer, and to get the best sound for your
music out of it. Sure, it's a lot easier that editing tape, but
technology isn't around to make usually difficult thing harder. That's
customer support's job. It's just a different education. I don't think
James Brown knows much about Fruity Loops. Or does he?”
TODD E. JONES: “What are some songs
you are most proud of?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I'm proud of the whole record. I know, I know.
Cliché response. My favorites, at this moment in life, are
‘Applause’, ‘Dickrider’, ‘3 Steps’, and ‘Paint Your Picture’.”
TODD E. JONES: “Who are some
producers you would like to collaborate with in the future?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Madlib. I got a specific song in mind, concept
first. D&S, Dawaun Parker, Ge-ology, Spinna, and everyone from this
album again. Why stop now?”
TODD E. JONES: “Who are some artists
you would like to collaborate with in the future?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I'm down to try stuff with damn near anybody.
Going to Berkley exposes you to so many different styles of artists.
I'm down to work with anyone from any genre. I love music too much to
just stay in hip-hop my whole life. I want to do some more work with my
homie Christian Scott, maybe a Bjork remix, and stuff like that. Anjuli
Stars! She's dope!”
TODD E. JONES: “What LPs have you been listening to during the last
couple of days?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Some Mandrill, Charlie Watts, Hank Mobley, with a
little Manu Dibango on the side.”
TODD E. JONES: “Some songs on ‘Late
Pass’ have live instrumentation. Creative-wise, how different is
creating a song with live instrumentation as opposed to the usual way?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “It's definitely different, as far as constructing
the instrumental, because I'm working with other people. So, before I
want to change something on a record, I have to check with six other
people, The Fundamental. As far as the writing and recording of the
lyrics though, it's pretty much the same. They just let me go off to
write and record the way I usually do it. But, neither side is more
difficult, just a different approach.”
TODD E. JONES: “The song, ‘3 Steps’
is about the full life-cycle of a romantic relationship. Do you still
speak to the woman in question? What is your relationship like now? Did
she ever hear the song?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Her and I still communicate every once in a while.
Mostly, a text message here and there on holidays. My relationship with
her is cool, but I haven't seen her in about a year. She still hasn't
heard the song though.”
TODD
E. JONES: “How much of ‘3 Steps’ is actually true?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “All of it, the whole shebang.” TODD E. JONES: “How have women
reacted to the song, ‘Fat Chicks’?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “A whole bunch! Most ladies I run into, who have my
album, say that it's their favorite song. The only complaint I've
gotten is from skinny girls because I didn't do a song for them.”
TODD E. JONES: “My favorite track on
‘Late Pass’ is ‘And It Sounds Like’. Tell us about the creative process
of this track.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I wanted to set that song as a marker for myself.
I try my best to be a student of the culture of Hip-Hop. Even though
I'm in this industry, there's always room for growth. ‘And it Sounds
Like...’ is like my starting point to hopefully making songs in the
same caliber as the records I scratched on the hook. The verses were to
let folks know exactly what it took to make this album because it
wasn't easy at all.”
TODD E. JONES: “What is the Short Bus
Alumni?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “The Short Bus Alumni is a group of over 30 of my
homies. Most of them make music, but some of them are just homies who
like to hang out. We started on the campus of NC A&T. The Short Bus
is comprised of 4 core members. They are RuDi Devino, Ansom,
Rhimestone, and me. So, there is The Short Bus and Short Bus Alumni. We
have other sub-groups inside the Alumni, such as Ex Cons, Bionic 6,
Nobody Knows & Nobody Cares, et cetera.”
TODD E. JONES: “What was the last
incident of racism you experienced?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “When I was in Boston shopping for some Fig
Newtons. The store clerk kept following me around the store. That was
about a month and a half ago.”
TODD E. JONES: “Where were you on the September 11th terrorist attack?
How did you handle it?"
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I was asleep, so I didn't find out till way later
in the day. When I found out, I called everyone I knew in NY to make
sure they were okay. I spent the rest of the day chilling, discussing
the last time we experienced loss and what this event could mean to
America.”
TODD E. JONES: “Word association. When I say a name of a name, you say
the first word that pops into your head. So, if I said, ‘Flava Flav',
you may say ‘Clock’, ‘Crack’, or ‘The Surreal Life’. Okay?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Okay. Hit me.”
TODD E. JONES: “Mr. Lif.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Dreads.”
TODD E. JONES: “Dead Prez.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Blackness.”
TODD E. JONES: “Public Enemy.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Boyeeeee!”
TODD E. JONES: “Common.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Be.”
TODD E. JONES: “Mos Def.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Oscar.”
TODD E. JONES: “Happy Mondays.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Office Space.”
TODD E. JONES: “Phife Dawg.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Classic.”
TODD E. JONES: “Curtis Mayfield.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Legendary.”
TODD E. JONES: “Atmosphere.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Space.”
TODD E. JONES: “J Dilla.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Missed.”
TODD
E. JONES: “Gangstarr.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Consistent.”
TODD
E. JONES: “Jay-Z.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Hov!”
TODD E. JONES: “Eminem.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Label head.”
TODD
E. JONES: “Kool Keith.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “???”
TODD E. JONES: “Akrobatik.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Dreads part two.”
TODD E. JONES: “George Bush.”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Toddler.”
TODD E. JONES: “What is the biggest
lesson you have learned in your career so far?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “That you have to damn near do everything yourself
before folks want to offer you what you've already been doing.”
TODD E. JONES: “What are some major
misconceptions do you think people have of you?"
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I really don't know what people think of me. I
never really thought about it.”
TODD E. JONES: “What is the main
thing that every good emcee needs?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Love for the culture and an urge to be a student
of the culture.”
TODD E. JONES: “Do you have a
favorite sampler / drum machine?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I love my MPC 2000XL. Before that, I was using my
keyboard to trigger my drums, which didn't feel as right. I have been
rolling with my MPC since 2001. I want to try out the 500 soon.
It looks really dope.”
TODD E. JONES: “In The Consolation of
Philosophy, Boethius writes, ‘It's my belief that history is a wheel….
Rise up on my spokes if you like but don't complain when you're cast
back down into the depths. Good time pass away, but then so do the bad.
Mutability is our tragedy, but it's also our hope. The worst of time,
like the best, are always passing away.’ What works of art, literature,
or songs helped you maintain?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Sandro Boticelli is definitely an artist who
helped me stay grounded and loving what I do. His paintings had a lot
of symbolism and meaning to them. I've always been personally big on
that. As far as music goes, Gil Scott Heron's ‘Pieces of A Man’ got me
through a lot! Bobby Hutcherson's ‘Montara’ relieves me as well.
There's not too much I read that relieves me. I'm a multi-tasker and
really fidgety, so I can never really just sit down and do one thing.
Ge-ology is another visual artist who keeps me maintaining too. Plus,
he's got beats!”
TODD E. JONES: “Recently, what is a
typical day like for you?"
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Wake up, handle the hygiene thing, play records,
make a beat, have a Short Bus meeting, check e-mail, look for a place
to live in ATL, have a meeting with Brick, search for a booking agent
because I still need one, finish some beats for clients, hit the post
office, more beats, web designer meeting, client meeting, more beats,
eat, play records, and go to sleep.”
TODD E. JONES: “Do you think success
and credibility are mutually exclusive?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Success, for me, is way more an individual and
personal thing. I don't gauge my success by what the masses think.
Like, I could make a goal to record a song today, and if I do that, I
consider it a success. I think credibility requires more than one
person though, because you can consider yourself credible all you want,
but it takes someone else to re-enforce the validity.”
TODD E. JONES: “How has your live show evolved?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I think, in the past years, I've learned how to
keep it fresh and fun for myself. I've tried different things out. Some
of them worked, some of them haven't, but it took experimenting to get
to a level of comfort with a crowd that I didn't have, when I first
started. When I first started rapping, I was looking at the ground and
wouldn't say much between songs. You know? All the new jack mistakes.
Now, I just go all out! I have a lot of fun with the crowd now.”
TODD E. JONES: “What is your favorite
part of your live show?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “When I need the crowd to say something and when I
point the mic towards them, they say what I needed them to say. That,
for me, is where the whole show comes together. That's the point when a
lot of folks look around the room to somebody near them like, ‘You
feeling this too? Hell yeah!’ That's when I'm like, ‘I reached them!’
So, that call and response is very important to the lifeline of a show.”
TODD E. JONES: “What’s the best thing
about living in Boston?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Brick Records and Traffic Entertainment!”
TODD E. JONES: “What’s the worst
thing about living in Boston?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “The high rent, the winter, a lot of the people’s
attitudes, the driving, and the fact that everything is closed at 2 AM.”
TODD E. JONES: “Do you have an idea or concept for your next album?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “I have little bits and pieces of my next solo
floating around in my head. Like a melody here, a concept there, and a
hook over there. But, I haven't played a note for it yet. I like to
take time to really form my records. You'll be hearing other projects
that I'm involved with before my next solo.”
TODD E. JONES: “What else is next?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “The next project you'll probably hear, that I
worked on, will be Project Move's Raheem Jamal’s solo album, ‘Boom
Box’. Then, you'll hear some more from the core members of the Bus like
RuDi, Ansom, and Rhimestone. I'm thinking about a production album, but
I want to get some of the aforementioned projects finished first. Also,
a record with Clokwork, where he's on beats and I'm on rhymes. Really
straight forward. Also next, is some more work in R&B and learning
some more instruments. I'm cool on the keys and bass, but I want step
up my guitar skills and pick up a horn.”
TODD E. JONES: “Final words?”
RAYDAR ELLIS: “Thank you to everyone who supported ‘Late Pass’.
S.B.A. all day!”
