Endorphin
Bath & Todd E. Jones presents...
Interview: SUPERNATURAL
“A Freestyle, spit by
Supernatural”
An Interview with Supernatural
( Feb 2006)
Interview
by Todd E. Jones aka The New Jeru Poet
toddejones@yahoo.com
A talented hip-hop emcee possesses a natural energy
that connects the mind, body, and spirit in rhythmic flows. The art of
free styling is a perfect example of the intrinsic integration. Without
pre-written lyrics, an astute freestyle emcee can use the surrounding
stimuli and weave thoughts into magnificent rhymes. This action moves
the emcee as well as the listener. This natural phenomenon of music
creates a durable bond.
Supernatural is regarded as one of the most talented
freestyle emcees in hip-hop. He has traveled the entire globe, reigned
victorious in countless battles, won 1st place in competitions, and
rocked every microphone he held. The respect and admiration for
Supernatural has been constantly growing since the early days of
battling other emcees. Supernatural made a name for himself within the
hip-hop nation. Listeners experienced his talent on “Supernatural Lost
Freestyle Files” LP (released on Third Earth Records). Although the CD
was a collection of amazing freestyles, the album did not fully
showcase his talent as a well-rounded emcee. In 2006, Supernatural
finally got a chance to show the world that he is much more than just a
man who can rhyme off the top of his head. Released on Up Above
Records, “S.P.I.T.: Spiritual Poetry Ignites Thought” is a
comprehensive LP with diverse styles, production, and themes. The album
features respected guest artists like Charlie 2na of Jurassic 5,
Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan, and others. Production is handled by Muggs,
Vitamin D, Jake One, Marco Polo, DJ Noise, Beanone, DJ Khalil, DJ
Rhettmatic, and Evidence (of Dilated Peoples). His freestyle
capabilities are showcased on the opening track, “Battles With Self
(100% Freestyle)”. Other songs like “I’m A Fighter” and “Not That Way”
are anthems that inspire listeners to keep strong.
Supernatural is an emcee who personifies hip-hop.
The fitting moniker captures his ability as a wordsmith. His natural
emcee ability surpasses the typical rhyme enthusiast. Supernatural is a
true phenomenon. Straight from his spirit, his poetry ignites the
listener’s thought!
T.JONES:
“What goes on?”
SUPERNATURAL: “What’s up?
I’m chilling. I’m talking you on the phone.”
T.JONES:
“Tell us about your new album ‘S.P.I.T.’, which was just released on Up
Above Records. This is your first official solo album, right?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Basically. I had another album that I finished, but
never came out. This is my official full-length project. It’s basically
a body of work that identifies where I am in my life right now. You
know, I was lucky enough to galvanize some of the finer names in
hip-hop to help me out with the record, as well as do some really good
production. This time around, I brought out an album that actually
brings out what I do even more. ‘S.P.I.T.: Spiritual Poetry Ignites
Thought’. It’s pretty self-explanatory, as far as the name.”
T.JONES: “Do you have a favorite
song on ‘S.P.I.T.’?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I have a lot of favorite songs on the album, definitely.
I love ‘Not That Way’. I love ‘Rise’. I love ‘Guess Who’s Back’. I’ve
got a lot of them. ‘I’m A Fighter’ is one of my favorites.”
T.JONES: “I think the songs on
the album have a power which gives the listener an inner-strength.
These songs can help people maintain through hard times. Was this
intentional?”
SUPERNATURAL: “That’s a beautiful thing. I’m glad to hear that! I’m
glad that my music can be like that. For me, that’s what music is for!
I was just saying that to my sister, earlier. When I’m going through
stuff, music is one of the best and soothing things you can have in
your life.”
T.JONES: “Music does have an infinite
power.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Yes, it does.”
T.JONES:
“What song took the longest to do? Why?”
SUPERNATURAL: “None of the songs took a real long time to do. I’m
pretty efficient in the studio. Once I get down and lay down the
lyrics, I don’t try to stress out the process of recording. Sometimes,
when you over-think it, the music does not come out as natural. I try
to just get in there and knock it out in one riff.”
T.JONES: “Obviously, you are known
for your free styling talent. How different is your approach to the
songs which are planned-out?”
SUPERNATURAL: “It wasn’t really different. I’ve always written rhymes.
This is just the first batch that people may hear, as far as putting
out an album. The process of writing is just like freestyling. You sit
there and freestyle, basically, until you come up with a bomb line.
Then, you just try to capture that on paper. As far as going to the
studio with a paper, the opposite of freestyling is a good thing for
me. I had to show some type of discipline. Freestyle, for me, is
running free, running wild. With writing, there is just more
discipline.”
T.JONES:
“What song on ‘S.P.I.T.’ took the shortest amount of time to complete?”
SUPERNATURAL: “‘Battles With Self’.”
T.JONES:
“How did you hook up with Raekwon for ‘Black Opera’? What was it like
working with him?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Raekwon, kind of, came into the project. Initially, I
was supposed to have Ghostface with me. Due to circumstances and
different time schedules, we weren’t able to get up. My manager, Chang
Weisberg, got in touch with one of the Wu-Tang Clan’s managers. He just
hooked it up. I know Rae. He lives in New York too. I know him from
going out and also, from being a fan of The Wu-Tang. He was like,
‘Don’t worry. I got you, I got you’. He came out and held me down.”
T.JONES:
“So, Raekwon recorded the track with you, in the studio?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Yeah, we did the whole session together. The whole
session was incredible. It was just dope being in there with a
legendary emcee like Raekwon The Chef, and knowing the legacy he
entails. To have somebody like that, saying he wants to get on my album
with me, says a lot about his integrity and his character. Just being
in the studio with him was awesome. It was almost like hearing a Wu
skit, but non-stop. It’s because the way he talks. We sat around and
connected the rhymes together. It was dope. It was like a party,
basically. We had drinks. We smoked some good trees. We kicked it. We
even made that song, which came out nice, on top of everything else. It
was one session. We didn’t have to come back. It wasn’t a week long
thing. We did it and it was done.”
T.JONES: “How did you get
involved with Up Above Records?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Basically, KeyKool is the Vice President of Up Above. He
is also a member of The Visionaries. I did a lot of shows with them
from my traveling days. I was just bumping into those guys from time to
time. I told them that I was working on an album and they were
interested in hearing how it sounded. I started turning in songs. The
next thing you know, they offered me a deal. The rest is history.”
T.JONES:
“Is your next album going to be released on Up Above Records?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Maybe, maybe not. I don’t really know yet for sure. Time
will tell with that whole situation. I’m hoping that this record
generates enough hype and puts me back in a direction where I can get
back on a major. Originally, I was on a major label. I wouldn’t mind
getting back in that arena.”
T.JONES: “What happened with that
major label deal?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Basically, it didn’t work out. There were some conflicts
of interest on a lot of levels.”
T.JONES:
“What advice would you give to an emcee who just signed to a major
label?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Make sure you have a good manager and a great lawyer.
Have a team that is willing to go in and fight for you. If you don’t
have anyone to fight for you, you can’t make it. They’ll let you rot.
You have to show them that you have people who are for the preservation
and the elevation of your career.”
T.JONES: “How have you maintained all of these years?”
SUPERNATURAL: “For me, number one, to put it bluntly, it’s been a
blessing. Number two, I’ve always been sharp with my craft. I keep my
bars up. Continue to love it. Have a true love for it! Hold on, Mad
Skillz is on the phone.”
T.JONES: “When did you first start
freestyling?”
SUPERNATURAL: “When I first started to rhyme, I was always freestyling.
It wasn’t something that I just first got into. Freestyle was it, out
of the gate. That’s what kept me afloat. I was probably about 13 when I
started. The way I got into it was from my mother. She used to buy me
records. She was just an avid fan of music. A lot of records used to
come into my house, especially on Fridays. When she got paid, she would
always buy records. I remember when she bought the ‘Rapper’s Delight’
record. I didn’t know too much about. I discovered this record from
them going to work. When they went to work, I would listen to the
records. We weren’t allowed to touch it when we were there. Sneaky kids
did. We would listen to the stereo. That’s basically how I taught
myself to freestyle. It was off the instrumental for ‘Rapper’s
Delight’. I learned the words to the A-Side. When I flipped it over, I
learned the instrumental.”
T.JONES: “What were some of your
techniques that helped you perfect your freestyling skills?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Free styling is not something that everybody is gifted
in. It is not something that I can give to somebody with ‘Step 1’ and
‘Step 2’. It comes from a certain part of the soul, your inner soul.
Freestyle is a very spiritual thing to me. You are tapping into
something that is totally unrehearsed. It is not written and you are
engaging with the people. Freestyling is about having no fear.
Everybody is not gifted at it. Some people shouldn’t do it.”
T.JONES:
“Runners feel a ‘Runner’s High’ due to the adrenaline. Do you feel
something similar when you are zoning out in a freestyle?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Oh yeah! That’s what it is. It’s called The Zone!”
T.JONES:
“You were extensively featured in the film, ‘Freestyle’. What did you
think of the documentary?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I think the movie was well needed. I think that it was a
great look at the inside world of hip-hop that a lot of people do not
get to see. I take my hat off to Kevin Fitzgerald for having the vision
to do something like that. It’s a revolutionary movie, whether we
choose to say it or not. It was very crushing. Freestyle got it’s just
due. Freestyle is a part of hip-hop just like all of the other genres.
I was happy to see that.”
T.JONES:
“How do you feel with the way you were portrayed in the film,
‘Freestyle’?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I had no problems with the way I was portrayed. I
actually thought it was real. It was about as real as it gets.”
T.JONES: “The film, ‘Freestyle’
documents your freestyle battles with Craig G. Have you talked to Craig
G?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Oh yeah! I’ve talked to Craig G a few times since then.
That was when we were young. We were warriors and we lived to tell the
story about it. That is the beautiful part.”
T.JONES: “How has the art of
freestyle battling changed throughout the years?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Yeah, the art of battling has changed throughout the
years a great deal. There are so many people doing it now. Before,
there weren’t a whole lot of people who was doing it. Now, there are so
many different sets of people coming out of the closet that everyday
there is a new battle cat, somebody who think he is the mayor. I’m glad
that it is growing, but I want people to understand that there is more
to hip-hop than just battling. It is a very competitive way to test
your skills and show who is the illest. It’s grown a great deal. You
look at people like Jin and all of these people who get into fight club
battles. They are making real bread. Some of these cats are coming home
with $6,000 purses from battling. That’s when you know that it has
grown.”
T.JONES:
“Do you think you have been pigeonholed as a freestyle rhymer and some
do not appreciate your other emcee skills?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Not at all. Everybody knows that I can freestyle. I’m
very proud of that. From day one, I’m not only a freestyle rhymer, I’m
an emcee. That is what makes me different from a lot of these cats. I’m
a master of ceremonies. I don’t think that I have been pigeonholed, but
I think people expect me to be what I am and who I am. If that is what
you want to call me, fine. I’ll take that title. There’s nothing wrong
with that.”
T.JONES: “I think the album does show
that you are multi-dimensional.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Yeah! I have a few more things up my sleeve before it’s
all over.”
T.JONES: “What is the next release going to be like?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I’m just working on my next project. Slowly but surely,
we will have little tidbits of myself.”
T.JONES: “Do you have a title for
your next album?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Nah. I’m not going to put anything out there yet. I’m
kind of keeping it under wraps, but trust me; this next one will be a
doozy!”
T.JONES: “When creating a track, do
you have a set theme or idea first, or do you write to the music?”
SUPERNATURAL: “For songs like ‘Who’s The Greatest’ and ‘Guess Who’s
Back’, I sat in my hotel room and wrote them. Then, I took them to the
studio. I go in with a certain type of vibe, but not totally O.T. You
know, over the top. I try to go in and try to scribe as much as I can
at the hotel. The art of freestyling helped me out in the studio too.
If I get stuck or a word doesn’t fit, I can always throw a little
freestyle in there and hook it right up.”
T.JONES: “Would you say that keeping
it simple is better?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Yeah, I kind of exercise that attitude. With this album,
I could have gotten all intricate or 5th dimensional but, I wanted to
keep it simple and do some songs that people can listen to. What they
take from it, they take from it. The most beautiful part of this record
was that I got a chance to write some stories. There are things that
are very real that people can relate to. They are very visual. I tried
to put my heart out on this to let people know that I’m not just a
battle or braggadocio emcee with one thing on the mind. I have other
assets and other things to offer. That’s what I tried to do.”
T.JONES: “What LPs have you been
listening to lately?”
SUPERNATURAL: “As far as on my turntable, just a bunch of oldies. I was
listening to AC/DC earlier today. ‘Back In Black’. I was listening to
that album. In my CD player, I have a mellow vibe going. I have Rich
Medina’s ‘Connecting The Dots’. I have the new Floetry. That’s when I’m
chilling out in the room. I love the new Little Brother album.”
T.JONES: “Little Brother’s ‘The
Chitlin Circuit’ is dope too.”
SUPERNATURAL: “I haven’t heard that album. I’ve been listening to
Little Brother’s ‘The Minstrel Show’. I’ve been bumping ‘Late
Registration’ every now and then. I’ve been bumping Damien Marley. It’s
a great album. He really shows his versatility with this one. He’s all
over the place."
T.JONES: “Who are some producers who
you would like to work with?"
SUPERNATURAL: “I want to work with 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, and The
Alchemist. I would really love to get back in the studio with Pharoahe
Monch again. A lot of people don’t know that Monch makes beats. His
beats are hot. I can go on for days with my wish list, but those are
some of the people. I would like to get with Kev Brown and Khrysis. 9th
Wonder actually did a remix of ‘Off Top’. I just really found out about
it. I still haven’t heard it yet. I’m supposed to speak with 9th Wonder
today.”
T.JONES: “Who are some artists or
musicians would you like to collaborate with in the future?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Emcee-wise, I want to do a joint with Dead Prez. I want
to work with Rakim. I want to work with Pharoahe Monch. Me & Kanye
West would be cool for a record, just to see what it would turn out to
be.”
T.JONES: “As a New Yorker, where
were you during Sept. 11th 2001? How did you handle it?”
SUPERNATURAL: “September 11th. I’ll never forget it. I was on my way
out of my front door, on my way to the city. To be very honest, I was
actually on my way to exchange some money at The World Trade Center. I
know this sounds crazy, but it’s true. My cousin called me as I was
leaving the house. He told me to turn on the TV. I turn on the TV and I
see the building on fire. It rocked me to my soul. I didn’t know what
to do. The phones started to go dead. It was a real eerie feeling to
know that right across the bridge, we were being attacked. I was here.
I was definitely here. It was an unforgettable moment in my life. I’ll
never forget that day as long as I live.”
T.JONES: “What was the last incident
of racism you experienced?”
SUPERNATURAL: “The last incident of racism I experienced was about a
year and a half ago. Me and my son were in the city. We just came from
eating dinner. I went to hail a taxi but the taxi did not stop for us.
To prove my point, a white guy came out of the same restaurant that we
just finished eating in. I asked him to come over and told him that I
wanted to prove a point to my son that there are still racist people in
the world. He was like, ‘I already know’. He stepped out to the curb,
raised his hand, and a taxi stopped immediately. My soon looked at me
and I gave him a week. I looked at the white guy and said, ‘Thanks
man.’ He said, ‘Bro, I’m sorry it has to be like that’. I was like, ‘I
understand. I deal with it everyday’. That was the last incident of
racism.”
T.JONES: “You are originally from
Indiana. When did you move here to New York?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Man, I’ve been here 16 years now. It was right after
high school.”
T.JONES: “Do you miss Indiana?”
SUPERNATURAL: “No, not at all. I got family in Long Island. I was
inspired to move because of the music. My family never saw anything
like that. They were like, ‘You need to get out of here’. I moved to
Long Island for about a year and moved to Brooklyn after that. The rest
is history. I just came a part of New York.”
T.JONES: “What scares you the most?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Nothing. The only being I fear is the power of God.
That’s it. Everything else in life, you have to deal with sooner or
later. You can’t fear what life has to bring sometimes. You only can
fear the most high. At the end of the day, he is the one who is in
control. You can’t fear death or not being successful. You can’t fear
any of those things because those are the parts of life we can’t
control. We try to control it ourselves but we can’t control the fate
of the most high. The only thing I fear is the wrath of God.”
T.JONES:
“What are some major misconceptions do you think people have of both of
you?”
SUPERNATURAL: “For the longest time, they thought I couldn’t write
records. Other than that, I don’t hear a lot of bad things about
myself. I don’t try to carry myself like that. I would say that the
biggest misconception for a long time was that Supernatural couldn’t
write rhymes.”
T.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 other works of art, literature, songs, or whatever helped you
maintain?"
SUPERNATURAL: “Music in general comforts me. It can be any particular
kind of music to me. Sometimes, I can just turn on the radio, flip
through the stations, and find even a classical station or jazz. When
we talked earlier, I was listening to jazz. I don’t think just one song
can be picked. There is a Donny Hathaway song, but I can’t remember the
name. He was talking about his life. I was going through a lot at the
time, when I was listening to the song. He was describing my life. It
was crazy. I happened to stumble on this cassette that somebody left at
my house. I knew who Donny Hathaway was but I never experienced his
music. It touched me in a real special way. There is music that marks
certain periods in my life. Happy points. Music is beautiful like that.”
T.JONES: “What collaboration are you
most proud of?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I’m really proud of that Raekwon and Supernatural joint.
I’m very happy with the Charlie 2na song and the B-Real song. Those are
really the first collabos I ever did. I never really did collabos
before that besides my former group that I used to be in.”
T.JONES: “Tell us about your former
group.”
SUPERNATURAL: “I used to be in a group called Alien Nation. It was a
band of brothers from Brooklyn, NY and some other places in the world.
We got together. We had a little clique. We started out as Nation Of
The Lost Tribe. That is where I started rhyming with other emcees,
becoming partners & friends, and living out this hip-hop joy with
the homies. I did a lot of my first recordings with them. We still get
down together but we grew apart. We are grown men now. That was the
early stages. We are planning on still doing music at some point in
time.”
T.JONES:
“Word association. When I say the name, you say the first word that
pops into your head. So, if I said, ‘Public Enemy’, you may say
‘Revolution’ or ‘Fight The Power. Okay?”
T.JONES:
“Little Brother”
SUPERNATURAL: “The Minstrel Show.”
T.JONES:
“Del.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Bob Dobalina.”
T.JONES:
“Aceyalone.”
SUPERNATURAL: “All Balls Don’t Bounce.”
T.JONES: “Phife Dawg.”
SUPERNATURAL: “A Tribe Called Quest.”
T.JONES: “Freddie Foxx.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Bumpy Knuckles.”
T.JONES:
“Craig G.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Juice Crew.”
T.JONES: “Black Moon.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Buckshot.”
T.JONES: “DJ Premier.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Gangstarr.’
T.JONES: “Dead Prez.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Revolutionaries.”
T.JONES: “Jay-Z.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Revolutionary.’
T.JONES: “Big L.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Rest in peace.”
T.JONES: “Eminem.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Groundbreaking.”
T.JONES: “Prince Po.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Slept on.”
T.JONES: “Pharoahe Monch.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Incredible.”
T.JONES: “George Bush.”
SUPERNATURAL: “Dickhead.”
T.JONES: “What was the biggest
mistake you have made in your career?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I don’t think I made a mistake in my career. Everything
that happened in my experience has been a blessing to me. Anything that
happened in this beautiful journey that God has blessed me on, even
anything bad, I don’t think anything bad about this hip-hop shit. I’m
having a beautiful run and I’m still having a great run. I’m glad to be
part of it. I don’t think I made a mistake in making decisions. If
there was a mistake, I’ve always been smart enough to learn from it. I
just look as them as learning experiences.”
T.JONES: “As an emcee, how have you evolved? As a freestyle rhymer?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I think that I evolved as a young man evolving into a
grown man. The evolution has been beautiful. I’m glad that I was able
to make it this far. I came a long way. I’m a single father now. I have
a son who I’m raising. He’s 15 years old. For me, I’m involved because
I lived by myself for so long, when I came to New York. There came a
time where I thought it was time to step up, be a pops, and be there
for him. I’ve always been there. I spend time. He would come stay with
me during the summer. But being a full-time father is being all hands
on deck, 24 hours a day. It’s serious business. I evolved in that way
because it made me more responsible. It made me think more about him
instead of thinking about myself everyday. He can’t eat a microphone. I
have to get out there and make sure that everything is proper for him.
That’s one of my most beautiful moments. That made me evolve as a man.
Music is putting food on the table right now.”
T.JONES: “Has being a father changed your approach to hip-hop?”
SUPERNATURAL: “It didn’t really change my approach. Being a father,
having a son, and being in hip-hop are like winning the lottery. You
know? (laughs). He’s into music so, for me, I get to re-live every
moment in hip-hop with him and teach him at the same time. I can say,
‘Check this out. Listen to this old school record. Listen to the way
this guy raps.’ It’s dope because we get to learn together. We get to
enjoy music together. It’s like, we’re enjoying certain records and
fishing for samples. I’ve been messing around with the production a
little bit. We’d be playing certain samples and he’s like, ‘That’s the
one! You should keep that!’ It’s dope because we get to interact. It’s
fun. It’s like having a little brother and a child at the same time.”
T.JONES: “Out of the various
producers on ‘S.P.I.T.’ (DJ Muggs, Evidence, Vitamin D), which one did
you have the strongest chemistry?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Man, that’s hard. Everybody I worked with on this album,
I had dope chemistry with. I really can’t single out just one. I’m not
just saying that. Everybody I worked with! I really loved Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a special cat. He has dope production. Dean One. Me and
Dean had a dope vibe because we spent the most time together out of all
of the producers. Not only did he help produce the album, he helped
sequence it. We sat up late night in his basement, finding little
sounds bites that we could use to enhance the album. That was probably
the best chemistry I had. I love vibing in the studio with the
producers. Those are some of the people I had the best chemistry with.
Overall, everybody stepped up to the plate regardless.”
T.JONES: “When you say you are
getting into production, are you working on a signature sound?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I’ve been working on beats for the past 8 months. I love
music. I’m a fan of music. I’m listening to that special shit every
time I jump on the mic. I’m loving it right now. Trust me, I’m in
heaven. I think I have a few treats and tricks up my sleeve. The
hip-hop world will be surprised.”
T.JONES: “On the song, ‘Money,
Power & Influence’ from Guru’s ‘The Street ptures’ album, Talib
Kweli mentions that Pro-Tools made producers lazy. Do you agree?”
SUPERNATURAL: “No. For some people, yeah, it may make you lazy. I don’t
really buy into that. Pro-tools is something that gives people the
opportunity for those who don’t have a bundle of money. Maybe, he can’t
afford to get Pro-tools. It’ll make you lazy if you want to be lazy. If
you aren’t trying to exercise the whole art of emceeing, yeah. It can
make you lazy because you can sit there and punch all day. ‘Yeah, punch
me in! Edit all of this together!’ It’s the bitter and the sweet.
Personally, I like it. I just think that it’s a great tool to be able
to record. A lot of people can’t afford major studios. I think
Pro-Tools is beautiful especially when you meet somebody who knows how
to use it!”
T.JONES: “How has your live show evolved?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Ah man, for me, going on stage and freestyling to create
a freestyle skit is my bread and butter. That’s what kept me afloat, my
live show. If I didn’t have my live show, I don’t know if I’d be okay.
That definitely has been one of my saving graces. I can go on stage,
perform, and do my thing.”
T.JONES: “Before performing live, how long do you usually work with a
DJ for preparation?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Sometimes, 10 minutes before the show, to be honest. It
all depends. My show is easy to learn. If you are skilled at DJ-ing,
it’s so simple. It’s really about following cues with me and listening
close to what I’m saying.”
T.JONES: “What are you cooking right now?”
SUPERNATURAL: “You’re missing out on a great dinner right now! A little
bit of Red Snapper.”
T.JONES: “What country has the
best trees?”
SUPERNATURAL: “Amsterdam, of course. England has some good stuff if you
kind of know somebody.”
T.JONES: “Out of all of the other countries, which one showed the most
love?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I got a lot of love when I went to England. The British
people embraced my whole routine and what I did on a whole other level.
I can honestly say that they showed a lot of love. When I went to
Africa, I received a lot of love there. West Africa. It’s been about 4
years now. That was one of those mind-blowing trips. As an emcee, to be
able to travel to the motherland through the vehicle of music was
awesome. I fraternized with my fellow brothers and sisters. I saw how
they marveled at me because I was from the United States and in their
country. That was one of the best trips. I got a lot of love and
experience. I got to see the slave castles. Serious business.”
T.JONES: “What is next?”
SUPERNATURAL: “I’m ready to handle this new project. I’m getting ready
to go to Australia in the next week or so. I’m getting ready to tour
and promote the record a little more. I have shows coming up in Boston.
I’m going to Vegas. I’m going to be on tour with DJ Q-Bert. I’m going
on tour with Z-Trip. I’m going to head out to Australia and have some
fun.”
T.JONES: “Final words?”
SUPERNATURAL: “For everybody in 2006, just try to be peaceful. Spread
the love. Stop the violence. Stop the hate. Let’s start to build one
another up and love the one you’re with because when they’re gone, they
are gone. Preserve hip-hop!”