WORDS BY KIAH MCBRIDE

At first glance, Shawn Chrystopher is the epitome of a California native. Skinny jeans and t-shirts from an expansive color palette adorn his small frame coupled with a “too-cool-for-school” vibe.  There is something about him that sends you cyber-surfing his name.  It could be that his infatuation with cartoons and jaunty demeanor or his staunch college boy bravado. Whatever the case, you find that Chrystopher brings a ferent perspective to west coast music. While his sound does allude to strong Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West influences, Chrystopher offers his own story and musical creations—he often produces his own tracks—that give him mainstream appeal.

It’s clear that Shawn Chrystopher isn’t your typical Cali artist. He grew up in Inglewood, CA listening to punk rock artists like Green Day, and graduated from high school at the age of 16. He scored a four-and-a-half year scholarship to the University of Southern California and by 2009, landed an ad campaign with LRG clothing line for their 10^th Anniversary.  Not bad for a kid in glasses.

His first mixtape titled Keep Your Classroom Vol 1. received over 10,000 downloads and was an introduction to what is now considered the “new age” sound of educated artists. In August 2009, he released A City With No Seasons—an album that he hoped would separate his sound from artists that he’s often grouped with like Wale.

Now Chrystopher is back with his upcoming EP, The Audition, scheduled for a March 23 release date. Unlike previous projects, Chrystopher comes with more light-hearted rhymes that will surprise fans accustomed to his intellectual lyrics. His first single, “Like A Kid Again,” boasts a fun, relatable sound, and tips a hat off to the art imitates life adage. Always ahead of the curve, Shawn Chrystopher is poised to take on the ever-evolving music industry and change the image of west coast hip-hop.

Check out his single “Can’t Take That From Me” off of his EP, The Audition:
Can’t Take That From Me – Shawn Chrystopher by  25Mag

25 Magazine: What separates your sound from other hip-hop artists old and new?

Shawn Chrystopher: I think of music as fingerprints. I don’t think that anybody can make the same music. I think that if you have a piano, a guitar, and a drum set in a room and you put 15,000 bands in that room one after another, neither one of them will make that same exact song. Even though you have the same instruments you all have different songs. I think with me, my music is different because it’s mine. I have a story that nobody else can tell because I’m talking about my life. When it comes to sound, I grew up in Inglewood, CA so I’m five minutes from some of the richest people in California and I’m five minutes from some of the poorest people, so I would listen to everything. I used to be really into Green Day and then I would listen to Bone Thugs-N- Harmony. I was really into 2Pac and I listened to John Mayer.  So you have all of that in me; I just mixed it all together so I think it’s unique because it’s mine.

25: In one interview you said that you studied rap like you would study your schoolwork. Who and what specifically did you study?

SC: I would study what songs were popular and why they were popular and which songs weren’t.  I remember one year when Juvenile’s “Slow Motion” was the number one song in the country. I was like, this isn’t a club song and it’s not up-tempo; it’s so hood but it’s the number one song on the Billboard. I would just sit and try to figure out why certain songs were big and others weren’t. Why certain artists make it and why other artists’ second album destroyed them.

Like A Kid Again – Shawn Chrystopher by  Jabari

25: Your latest single “Like A Kid” off your EP The Audition is a fun tribute to going back to your childhood days. What was your life like as a child?

SC: I have a seven-year-old sister but I was practically out of the house by the time she was born, so I grew up an only child.  I was a Latchkey kid so I would come home and my mom would still be at work so I had to entertain myself. TV really stimulated my mind because I would watch everything and I would learn how to talk, how to walk, how to act, and how to dress. Other than TV I had some of the best neighbors. I still talk to my neighbors that I grew up with as a kid; we’re really good friends.  I grew up in a house so I had a backyard, was able to go out and play, and have block parties. That made my childhood fun because I could ride a bike. That’s why I started the song off “I used to ride bikes” because I was the kid on the bike in my neighborhood. I rode the bike from sun up to sun down; I had nowhere to go most of the time I just liked bikes. Basketball and riding bikes was my childhood, and cartoons.  Actually, that still is my life. I need to grow up!

25: What should we expect to hear on your upcoming EP The Audition compared to your other EPs like No One Knows You?

SC: Really dope shit. I tried my best to create a different sound that I’ve never done before. My past music was really intellectual and I tried my best to not be like anybody in my area, and sometimes I went over people’s heads.  I tried to over think my music too much in order to stand out when really I could just be myself and stand out. So this project is more me than I’ve ever done. I have fun with it, tell jokes on songs—I personally don’t take life too seriously because I like to have fun. I think that it’s something that people can relate to; people can have fun with it and play it in their cars. I think people really are going to fuck with it.

25: Are you going to pursue production more than being an artist in the future?

SC: Not more so than being an artist but production can carry me a long way because I can produce until I’m dead. I can’t rap when I’m 50. I will never turn my back on either one of them—I love them equally because I love to perform, I love to be in front of the crowd, but I also like to create music. As a producer, the same way a painter paints a blank canvas, we make songs out of silence. We sit in the studio with nothing and we create something that people either love or hate, but at the end of the day we started from silence. That’s something that I thank God every day that I have the ability to do—that I can create art from silence. I would never stop producing or rapping; I would do both until people get tired of hearing me rap and then I can produce the rest of my life. 

Photo courtesy of Elitaste Management

25: What impact would you like to make in hip-hop music?

SC: The whole purpose of doing what I do is that I want people to see the west coast in different light. I think that with movies like Menace II Society and Boyz in the Hood people automatically think that’s all we are, especially in Los Angeles.  What the gangster rappers did for L.A., like 2Pac put us on the map, I want to do for L.A., just on the other side of the spectrum.

25: Where do you see your self musically in the next five years?

SC: I think I will already have at least one Grammy or Grammy nomination, I will be on the cover of a few magazines, and have foot in the door for pursuing fashion. I really love fashion. I don’t just want a clothing line; I want to design for high end line that’s already out. In five years I think I’ll be able to travel, meet people, and go to fashion shows. Then I’ll be able to do both music and fashion.

25: What is something that fans might not know about you?

SC: I watch TV on mute. It started out when I was little. I used to be up late watching TV on mute because I didn’t want my mom to know.  When I would watch TV on mute I would make up my own stories with dialogue and everything. It was all in my head and had nothing to do with the show, but it made me feel like I wrote it. Now people come over my crib and point out that the TV has been on mute for two hours, but I don’t even notice anymore. I love watching TV on mute because I can still do other things and at the same time create my own episode.

Check out Shawn Chrytopher’s commercial for upcoming EP, The Audition:

The Audition – Shawn Chrystopher | Download Here

Photo courtesy of Cubannie Links

WORDS BY BRITTANY EPPS

Annie Basulto’s Cubannie Links gives fashion lovers something that they can feel. Her jewelry line is sharp enough to cut and glistens brightly with an envy inducing edginess. Glitzy neon-colored leather, bold statement rings and high-gloss gold chains with funky charms are among the standouts of the Links collection. For those with a taste for foreign cultures, these Cuban inspired designs will make your mouth water. Whether dainty or bulky, metal or nylon, you can have it your way. Who doesn’t appreciate fashion that caters to the senses and the needs of the consumer?

Hailing from Miami, Florida, Annie is a Cuban-American jewelry designer who has been blessed with the Midas touch. The name of the line is combination of her nationality and first name—Cuban Annie, and has been picking up steam ever since the 2007 launch. Basulto first started jewelry making as a hobby and now the line has gained popularity amongst culture femmes Rihanna, M.I.A., Alicia Keys and Tyra Banks.

Bullet earrings, glock-laced rosaries and four-finger rings make the line both unconventional and alluring. Cubannie Links is known for its whimsical items and Basulto’s streetwear consumers have grown quite the appetite. The Fall/Winter 2009-2010 “Inner Goddess” collection is still blazing, but Basulto anticipates a larger response in her future lines. It seems as though Basulto knows exactly what the urban fashionista seeks, and proves she can deliver.

25 Magazine: Tell me what Cubannie Links means to you.

Annie Basulto: CL means happiness, financial opportunity and a legacy (hopefully)!

25: Where does your love for jewelry stem from? How did it all begin?

Annie: I’ve always loved jewelry and always owned tons of accessories, but to say I thought I was going to be a jewelry designer or own a company, I would have laughed at you for not knowing me well enough. Apparently I didn’t even know me well enough. But the truth is, as it will always be my honest answer, it all began out of desperation to not work at job I don’t love for people who don’t appreciate me. New York has a special air about it. You can really do anything. New York has that survival air you can breathe in and it changes everything. Desperation. Motivation. That’s how it started.

Photo courtesy of Cubannie Links

25: What is the inspiration behind your daring and edgy pieces?

Annie: I am obviously inspired by the same things many designers are inspired by, but I have to admit I don’t follow the molds for conventional thinking. I just make jewelry that I would wear and I do wear.

25: You’ve been receiving amazing notoriety to say your line is only a little under 3 years old, why do you think people are so receptive to your collections?

Annie: CL will be 3 in July 2010. It speaks to everyone. Although there are pieces that more mature woman wouldn’t wear, there are definitely pieces for every type of girl: conservative, edgy, and glamorous.

25: How does it feel when you have stars like Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and Tyra Banks wearing your jewelry or your items are featured in top magazine publications?

Annie: It’s an amazing feeling. It’s a feeling you can describe as your child winning an Oscar or your sister becoming the President. It’s an achievement that happens through my work-its own entity.

Photo courtesy of Cubannie Links

25: What impact do you think Cubannie Links is making on the fashion and jewelry industry?

Annie: Gosh I wish an industry big shot would tell me what impact I am making in the fashion industry. As far as I can see, there are many supportive people who love the collection and those are the testaments that mean most to me.

25: Where do you see Cubannie Links going in the future?

Annie: CL has continued to expand internationally and that has really been a great fete. Mostly getting in department stores like Bloomingdale’s or Macy’s is something I hope to soon achieve.

25: Any advice for those with creativity brewing under their skin, but are too afraid to reach for their dreams?

Annie: Experiment, network, take risks, take classes, explore, travel, do research…anything you can do to expand you creative juices will be a great way to find your style and specific interest.

For more information on Cubannie Links, visit cubannielinks.com.

Photo courtesy of eightyocho.com | Eric Vogel

WORDS BY LAUREN MCEWEN

Cosigned by long-time friend, Kanye West and equipped with a nice flow, a gift for production and a hyphen in his name that he takes very seriously, 88-Keys is gunning for a spot among hip-hop’s elite. His first album, The Death of Adam, was a feature-heavy tribute to a fictional friend named “Adam,” who allowed his love and lust for women to lead him to his demise. Executively produced by West, 88-Keys’ debut was a virtual roll call of musical talent. Artists including Kid Cudi, Phonte of Little Brother, J*DaVeY, Bilal, Redman, Shitake Monkey and of course, Kanye West all paid their respects to Adam, the fallen “everyman.”

After the video for his first single, “Stay Up! (Viagra),” featuring Kanye West, began popping up on video playlists, 88-Keys gained a considerable amount of buzz in the music world. The Death of Adam made it’s way onto a variety of top albums lists, including MySpace’s “Top 50 Albums” and AllMusic’s “Top Hip Hop Albums.”

88-Keys’ latest song “Baggage Claim,” produced by multi-platinum talent Needlz, is themed after ABC’s hit show Lost, shows that Keys has more hits to offer hip-hop. He is currently working on a follow-up album to Adam and it should not disappoint.

Check out his new single, “Baggage Claim”:

Baggage Claim by 88-keys

25 Magazine: When did you decide to pursue a career in music?

88-keys: I guess it was ’97 or ’98 when I first got paid for my music, after doing it for a couple of years. I got about 700 or 900 bucks for selling my very first music that I ever made on a machine that I still use to this day. So I was like, “Ok, so, this is how this is going down. I see.” So I decided to make music my life.

25: Who are your major inspirations?

88-keys: Overall, my inspirations are my brother, Dr. Anthony K. Njapa, Q-Tip, Ralph Lauren and Pete Rock.

25: What’s behind your Polo obsession? Just loving the brand?

88-keys: It’s like you can’t go wrong with Ralph. I started buying the Polo brand back in ’91, but back then I was still buying other brands, but I always noticed that I was spending a long time rummaging through other people’s brands, and always coming up short because I didn’t really like the stuff, but by the time I went to the Ralph Lauren Polo section, of the department stores I used to shop in I couldn’t even decide which ones to pick because they were all fresh.

Finally I just said, “Why am I wasting my time trying to shop with other brands when I don’t love their clothing,” but I always love Polo stuff, so that was it, since ’92 until now. And then since ’06 is when I decided to wear Polo from head to toe. I don’t own any Nikes or whatever cats are wearing now days, Supras. I don’t own any New Era, or New York fitted hats, or anything like that. It’s just all Ralph Lauren Polo.

25: What made you choose dedicate entire debut album to your friend?

88-keys: It’s a story that everybody knows, and everybody is familiar with, but I felt like that story hadn’t been told through music in such detail. Sure, there are love songs, of course. There are songs about meeting that special someone. There are even songs about catching STDs out there, I’m sure, but I don’t think anyone has pulled it off quite the way I have: making the story very concise and fluid, almost.

25: Your bio on your website said that some of his other friends were upset that you dedicated your entire album to him. Why do you think that they feel that way?

88-keys: My bio is actually just a play on my album. Anything regarding myself on my bio is all true, but Adam is actually a fictional person, but he’s everybody. I do have friends who went through the same stuff that Adam went through, and I feel that every man has gone through some, if not all, of what Adam went through on my album—like what he actually went through physically and thought processes and his emotions.

And I feel that every woman of age knows an “Adam” in their lives. Whether they dealt with that person or their homegirls went out with that person and they were trying to steer them clear of that person. Adam could be mine and your father. So, Adam is every man in one way or the other.

Photo courtesy of eightyocho.com | Eric Vogel

25: How does it feel to be a family man breaking out into the music industry? Hip-hop isn’t always the most family-friendly of genres?

88-keys: I’m a father of two and a husband of one. That’s one of the reasons that I made the album because I’m trying to restore the traditional family unit. It definitely has its downsides. I don’t work on my music as much as I used to because I have other obligations to my wife and my daughters, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I love them, and we plan on making more to add to the clan.

We’re actually working on a schedule. The schedule has allowed me to have three free days to work, and then my wife helps out as often as she can, like holding the kids down while I try to bring home the bacon. But she brings in bacon, too. She actually might wind up bringing home more bacon than I am, because she’s awesome and she has her creative business going on that she started.

25: Doing what?

88-keys: I’ll just say that it deals with photography. My wife is a self-taught photographer. She’s pretty dope. She has a website up. She met another woman who shares her interest and is a self-taught photographer. They clicked and formed a business plan, and it’s crazy. I think she might wind up making an “M” before I do, to be honest. But we’re married so, what’s mine is hers and what’s hers is mine.

25: What’s your favorite song on your entire album?

88-keys: My favorite song would be numbers 1 through 14. Had you asked me the same question before Kanye came in as executive producer, I would have said a song that no longer appears on the album, and everything else was secondary. But now, that the song was taken off I just love every song as much as the previous one. Yeah…my album’s pretty dope.

25: Who are three people that you would love to collaborate with in the future?

88-keys: Michael McDonald, Lupe Fiasco and, had he not passed so suddenly, I’d like to say the late, great, J-Dilla.

25: Do you have any plans for a tour in the future?

88-keys: Yeah, my management is working to get a meeting with a very well-known, reputable agency, but it’s been pretty hectic. The agency actually put me on tour with Kid Cudi, Asher Roth and B.O.B., and through them I also did a show with Lupe Fiasco a little while ago at Governors Island. As far as getting more touring gigs, that’s kind of up in the air right now. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna happen, but we just have to get the meeting. I’m actually happy that I’m not on the road right now because now I’m working on my next album, my next mixtape, and a bunch of projects, like some feature verses that I owe people, and my next beat CD—so I am a busy man!

25: Do any of your other projects have themes to them?

88-keys: They will. My next album most likely will, but I haven’t really decided yet. But I will say this—it’ll be dope! You heard it here first, folks.

25: Do you have any advice for other people who want to break into the music industry?

88-keys: Yes, don’t do it! Stay your ass in school! No, seriously. Be honest with yourself. That’s first and foremost. If you’re a rapper, and you know you’re not rapping as well as a Consequence, or a Lupe, or Kanye, or whoever. If you’re nowhere near their level of freshness, work on it behind closed doors, but don’t start putting songs up on MySpace, like “Yo! I’m the next Kid Cudi!” Be honest with yourself.

I have a feeling that people actually know that they’re not that fresh, but they’re just, like, throwing pasta at the wall. If you’re not that fresh then you’re just wasting people’s time. For producers, it’s the same thing. If your beats aren’t that crazy, keep working on it and actually surface when you have something buzzworthy. I mean, music is all a matter of opinion, but there are some people who should just know that they’re wack. I’m not saying hang it up completely—well, there does come a time when one should hang it up completely—but don’t like puff your chest out when there’s no air in your lungs.

For more on 88-Keys, check out www.eightyocho.com.

Peep 88-Keys’ video for “Stay Up (Viagra)” feat. Kanye West:

25 Magazine is the proud recipient of the 2009 Black Weblog Award in the Best Post Series category! A total of 8000 ballots were cast in this year’s awards and we got the popular vote for our Starving Artists series! Thanks for your support! There’s no trophy but we do get this cool banner thing. Check it out after the jump!

Hip hop is tired of being hip-hop. Kanye is diving further into fashion, Lil’ Wayne is engaged in a torrid affair with rock & roll, and everyday a new rapper starts a film career. Some fans claim that artists need to branch out creatively to express themselves, while some cynics scream that strolling down every media avenue is just a shrewd attempt at getting rich. Whatever the case, spreading talent too thin leads to a decline in quality music. Cliché rants about Hip hop being dead come to mind. Just as we were all beginning to dread flipping on the radio, fresh voices are pumping in new blood to revive the music industry.

Such is the case with U-N-I, a rap duo hailing from Los Angeles, California. Their music seems to immediately connect with people. After releasing their first mixtape, Fried Chicken and Watermelon in 2007, U-N-I has been receiving increasing amounts of recognition from both listeners and the press, with growing coverage and performance opportunities. Avid rap heads have greeted each offering with the same greedy anticipation. Their follow-up mixtape Before There Was Love caused the blogosphere to ignite with reviews and promises of free downloads, and their latest musical contribution, A Love Supreme, which features the insanely catchy single “Hollywood Hiatus” enjoyed a similar welcome.

The men behind the music are members, Yonas “Y-O” Micheal and Yannick “Thurzday”Koffi. They met in high school in 1999. After realizing their mutual love of music, they began to devote their lunch periods to defeating cocky upperclassmen in rap battles. They soon joined a four-man group called Rap-Ture Kamp, but in 2006 they splintered off and began to work together. They derived their name from The Roots’ track “UNIverse at War,” one of their favorites, and have been sprinting after their shared goal of rap fame ever since, using mixtapes and performances to get them closer to their dreams.

They have made significant progress. Not only have their Google hits risen to internet-celebrity status, but their developing resume includes making Billboard Magazine’s “Acts to Watch” list and the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards “Best Breakout LA Artist” award.

Although this heightened interest in the duo means they are successfully breaking into the music industry, it also leaves room for lazy comparisons and knee-jerk expectations. Some take a glance at U-N-I’s mutual appreciation for bright colors and Y-O’s mohawk and instantly label them as “hipsters.” Others immediately assume that they will spout the g-funk that is heavily associated with the Los Angeles area. However they seem to be different, more honest. Their music centers on their individual memories, goals, shoe fetishes, and celebrity daydreams. There is a certain level of self-awareness in their lyrics, as they allow their clever rhymes and well-delivered punch lines to speak for themselves.

Check out their latest release “Land of Kings”:

25: Where’d your love for music come from?

Thurzday: It comes from the people we grew up listening to Mos Def, Talib, Redman, Nas, Biggie; we were really influenced by Prince, listened to that reggae music and all that stuff, so we really loved music.

25: How did you two meet?

Y-O: We basically met in my freshman year and Thurzday’s sophomore year at St. Bernard High it was 1999. We met during lunchtime when we were either playing basketball, or on the courtyard doing freestyles up against upperclassmen and we just became the talk around campus, because we just demolished these upperclassmen who just thought they were just the ish and we did a talent show and joined a four man group during our high school years, we put out a couple of mix tapes, albums, and the request that they wanted to hear myself and Thurzday [do something together] so finally we made that division and we hopped out in ’06 and followed that with Fried Chicken and Watermelon in the year 2007.

25: What made you decide to really pursue a career in music?

Thurzday: Because 9-5’s are wack! I couldn’t see myself doing anything else that made me happy. This is what I wanted to do since I was a kid. Some people wonder why –it was like, the only thing we wanted to do as far as having a career. I looked up to people who’ve done it and I could never see myself doing anything else.

25: What made you realize that a career in music was right for you? How did it make you feel?

Y-O: Well, music has always been a part of our lives. I can tell you that growing up as a kid there was always music being played in our houses. But, before I got deep into music, there was always basketball, and with basketball, you know, you warm up to music. So, I noticed as I got older music has just always been something that was a part of me growing up as a kid and it just always made me feel so happy. When you write rhymes it’s just a way of [releasing] some stress off, getting stuff off your mind, and just putting it in your own words, and it just makes you happy; makes you get through the day easier. So, when we did the talent show in high school and just hearing the people’s reaction that kinda, like, made me feel great and I said to myself, “This could be a future; something I could do later on down the line.” So, just getting older and older and doing more shows—I guess I just took it more seriously and people respected it.

25: Many complain about a lack of originality in the music industry. What makes you different?

Thurzday: We’re not anybody else. We’re only us. So that’s like the only thing that makes us different from anybody. Everybody hasn’t lived our lifestyle. Everybody hasn’t experienced what we’ve experienced. So, through our own voice, we project who we are throughout our music. And it’s nobody but us. So, that’s really what makes us original. We’re true emcees. You know, we’re not a gimmick act. We really have talent, and we display that.

Y-O: And just to back him up. Our music is about things that actually happened in our lives, but outside of that, our live shows. I would say that It should be mentioned that even though we don’t have the biggest amount of money backing us up, we’re able to put our minds together-myself, Thurzday, our DJ and sometimes our band-and we just put on a live [ass] show, which some artists are not able to do these days.

25: Speaking of your music, it seems that you have a thing for Lauren London?

Y-O: Yeah, that’s a true story, once again. The song was basically inspired just from me having a crush on Lauren London, and I brought it up in the studio, with Ro Blvd, and we were just all joking and laughing about it. Everybody was like, “Yeah, she’s hot”. So, we started laughing about it, and it eventually turned into a record. She actually heard the record, and I guess it put a smile on her face. I thought she responded on Twitter, and she hit us up, well a fake hit us up, saying she loves the music, and she was acting real brand new. Then I remembered months ago that she’d heard it, so I was like “This can’t be Lauren” so I asked her a question about a mutual friend and she had no clue who I was talking about, so that kinda like, brought me down cause I thought I was really talking to Lauren London and come to find out it was a fake, man.

25: And shoes? You like those enough to write a whole song about them, as well?

Thurzday: We basically got an idea to take the original “C.R.E.A.M”, from Wu-Tang, and apply it to our lifestyle and a lot of folks were into kicks at the time, so we changed it to “Kicks Rule Everything Around Me”. We shot a video for it, and it took off.

25: You’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback lately from the media, but what’s your career goal?

Y-O: To be bigger than Kanye, with more money than Bill Gates.

25: Any advice for aspiring artists?

Thurzday: Starts with quality music, and a quality team and you can do anything.

Y-O: Step outside the box, just be yourself, and have fun—always have fun.

Download their music at www.yothurz.com

25 Magazine catches up with Von Pea and Donwill of rap trio Tanya Morgan on the heels of their LP,  Brooklynati.

Music has met its match, the internet, and over the past decade they’ve built a strong alliance and revolutionized music discovery and distribution. Many artists have benefited from the joining of the two mediums. Some notable offspring include Soulja Boy Tell’em, who has over 400 million views on YouTube; The Cool Kids, who formed after finding each other’s music on Myspace in 2005; and Asher Roth who was signed by Atlanta based manager Scooter Braun through Myspace in 2006. But long before these artists used the internet to network and share music, rap trio Tanya Morgan had already been there and done that.

Rapper Von Pea credits the internet for Tanya Morgan’s formation. Its connecting power brought Von Pea from Brooklyn, and Donwill and Ilyas from Cincinnati together. Back in 2000, Donwill was working with Ilyas in a group called Ilwill, and first heard Von Pea’s music on okayplayer.com. By 2003, the three emcees formed Tanya Morgan and released their first mixtape Sunlighting online in 2005, as well the EP Sunset later that year. In 2006, they dropped their debut album Moonlighting and took their career on the road. During the mid-2000s, Tanya Morgan made their presence in the indie Hip Hop circuit performing in Toronto’s NXNE Festival with Noveau Riche and performing in the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival with Consequence and Ghostface Killah. Just last week they headlined with Torae & Marco Polo at Southpaw in Brooklyn.

In the past six years, Tanya Morgan has received nods from rap notables De La Soul and Black Thought from The Roots for their affinity for both lyrical complexity and content. The trio has pumped a steady flow of music into the blogosphere over the past few years, releasing their mixtape Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group and The Bridge EP in 2008, and their LP Brooklynati in June. Although Tanya Morgan has not hit the mainstream Hip Hop scene, their focus is not on commercial cross over. They understand true success, and rather than define themselves through records sold and Myspace hits, they’d rather focus on making the best “intelligent car music” possible.

25: What is the story behind Tanya Morgan’s name?

Donwill: Pretty much the name was designed for a one-off project. It was to throw people off with the album so they discover that it’s rap. It’s kind of like a weird inside joke and the name stuck. We’ve adopted several meanings to the name but it’s to expect the unexpected.

25: How did you all form Tanya Morgan?

Von Pea: Donwill and Ilyas met in college. They went to college together in North Carolina and they’re both from Cincinnati. I’m from Brooklyn. They hooked up and became homeboys in college. I was just starting to try to get my demo together. I was working with DJ Brainchild and Phonte back when Phonte was a solo artist. Donwill was one of the first people to hear my music when I first started in 2000, I guess through internet music sites like okayplayer.com and mp3.com. From there we started working with each other, but as far as being a group, me and Don became a group and he and Ilyas were already working together. From there, I just started working with both of them. We decided to do what was supposed to be a one-off project and we got stuck together.

25: You guys merge styles from Cincinnati and Brooklyn, how does that impact your sound?

Donwill: I would say our music is a mix of the east coast boom-bap and the mid-west stump. We make intelligent car music. It sounds good in your truck bunk and sounds good when you think about what we’re actually saying. In short, we make smart car music.

25: What distinguishes Brooklynati from your other productions?

Donwill: I think if people have ever heard anything that we’ve done it’s just a progression of the things we’ve done. It’s just everything is on a more professional, better version of what we’ve done. More thought out. We just did our own production this time around.

25: Do you think your music would be heard without the internet?

Von Pea: It would be interesting to see that, because we would have never become a group if not for the internet. I wouldn’t have any way to meet them, [Donwill and Ilyas]. I would have to go to Cincinnati. I don’t have friends or family in Cincinnati. They’re like my family in Cincinnati now but before them I had no reason to go to Cincinnati. We wouldn’t even be a group.

25: Why did you sign with Interdependent Media?

Donwill: We were actually, since our first album, signed with a subsidiary label called Loud Minority and that label got dissolved into Interdependent Media, as opposed to switching up the whole team that was part of the creative line up. A lot of our ideas are unconventional, and we wouldn’t be able to receive that sort of creative control from other vessels. So we just chose to rock with what we’ve been rocking with, and try to see what we can do together on a slightly larger scale.

25: How do you feel about the music industry and how has it impacted your work?

Von Pea: I feel like the music that we make is influenced from our life, and is the music that we gravitated to and listened to growing up. As far as hip hop, it’s more of the same. It hasn’t really changed. It’s more of a financial or monetizing thing. You see less intelligent music and more commercial, mainstream music. It’s harder to find, but if you go into Fat Beats, I guarantee it is all there. I think hip hop is okay. I think the rap game is in crutch right now because we don’t have record stores. We have Fat Beats and your local mom and pops. You go in there to look around and they carry our products and many of our friends. Hip hop is alive and well. It’s not really dead, it’s just harder to find.

25: You have been making music for some time, how do you feel about your slow rise to recognition?

Donwill: Still waters run deep. Nothing is overnight. Even if it looks overnight, it was probably 10 years in the making. You can’t really name an artist that was just concocted and rose to this meteoric success, without understating the 10 years or 20 years of work they put in until they get to that point of even having a meteoric rise. Name any artist, and there’s at least 10 years worth of grind and hustle. They just don’t talk about it because it’s behind them; it’s the past. It may work to be slow and steady, but 10 years from now after all is said and done and we have our cult following-I’m not in it for the fast run. The quicker you get in the quicker you leave.

25:What has been the defining moment for Tanya Morgan?

Von Pea: I think every time we meet artists that we grew up on, they always seem to know us and show us love. Just to see emcees we grew up on and we’ve learned so much from have respect for us, gets me every time. It’s been De La Soul, Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest, and Black Thought from The Roots, the whole Hieroglyphics [artist roster], and DJ Jazzy Jeff. It’s been so many people that you would think pay you no mind at all, and then they go, “Oh yeah! We know you! We like what y’all do! Y’all are dope!” They understand that you’re the next generation of what they do. They still have the torch and they’re still running, but if they say, “If I stop today, the torch will be handed to y’all,” that’s special to me. That’s defining to me. That’s how we know we’re doing the right thing.

25 Mag – Jabari Video Exclusive from 25 Magazine on Vimeo.

25 Magazine catches up with Jabari @ the premiere of his track “Dopeman” Ft. Nicki Minaj & Pusha T off the upcoming compilation album Famous on the Internet. Read more for download and cover art.

Famous on the Internet will drop in late 2009 and  feature Pusha-T, Wale, Nicki Minaj, Raheem Devaughn, Max B, Young Chris, Curren$y, and Charles Hamilton among others.

“Dopeman” Ft. Nicki Minaj & Pusha T (prod. Cookin Soul) – Jabari | Download here

Props to the NMC supporting a student from HU [the real HU that is]

By Kendra Desrosiers

It’s Yardfest. And while thousands of stylish undergrads, D.C. natives and proud alumni are commandeering the university courtyard for some hardly headliners and overpriced vendors, a band from Atlanta is a few blocks down the hill in a damp hallway, trying to make a name for themselves.

They’re six deep and just squeezed out of a “quaint” campus radio booth eager for exposure, and now two of Thunderkatz’ members are attempting to win over the few straggling Howardites with tales of their days at HU, Hampton University—clearly delusional.

Thunderkatz have been cross-country, pushing their dance single “3 a.m.” and are now in the chocolate city trying to cash in on some Howard love—seemingly they missed the Kanye censure of ’05. But this doesn’t faze the sextet. They were the unlikely victor at BMI Atlanta’s annual unsigned urban music showcase in 2006 so an aloof crowd of amateur critics are small potatoes. A few years have since passed and Tkatz have signed a brand-bending deal with The Inc., gigged nationally, dropped a radio-friendly single and despite their early success, few above the Mason-Dixon know their name.

There are thousands of great acts that have been signed that you’ve never heard of—a million maybe. Record labels are like family heirlooms. They grew dusty over the years, and like grandfather’s Vietnam transistor radio and Dad’s A-trak, they’re now obsolete and merely decorative antiques.

Everything’s digital and the 40 plus record execs can’t wrap their heads around it so your new favorite band never makes it to your myspace or the blog scours. It’s not in the torrents, on the ringtones or the late muxtape (darn RIAA). They get shelved, and according to Thunderkatz—a rock hop band you’ve never heard of— if a band doesn’t get on their viral hustle, they’re exiled to 2.0 oblivion—so much for getting signed.

Luckily for Thunderkatz, their timing is impeccable. Two years ago no one was on the hipster tip. We were still dancing. But now that M.I.A. can remix rap allstars, Janelle Monae has a mainstream audience and The Cool Kids are well, cool, “alternative black music” is no longer an alternative and genre meandering acts can join the ranks of their left predecessors. The industry is changing, as are the tastes of its consumers and now the band from Atlanta can finally get some play.

25 Magazine: How did you guys meet?

O8O (Vocals): We didn’t, I don’t even know these people [laughs].

Ginger (Vocals): Yea, I don’t know these guys. Him and I went to high school together, Del [O8O] and I. And they went to college together, Mel and Del.

Jive (Bass): John and Del worked together at the hit factory. And that’s how I met those two guys at the hit factory.

Ginger: Those two have been BFF since the womb or something and when he was working at the hit factory basically that was when everybody met each other up in New York City, and they were a band before I came along.

25: What have you guys been working on? An Album?

Ginger: Yea it’s supposed to be released sometime next year, that’s when we’re on the calendar. And right now we’re pushing our single “3 a.m.” We don’t really know what the impact is going to be on that but I mean we’re just trying to get out in clubs right now, get spun and any radio stations that you know have started to pick it up hopefully that just snowballs through.

“3 AM” – Thunderkatz

25: You’ve all come a long way from town band to signed artists, what was your big break?

Juno: We won a BMI contest.

O8O: and I think it was a big deal for urban music too because it was a urban showcase and kind of the fact that we came out with a band and killed it and it was the height of down south music.

Ginger: It was kind of scary. It was cool. It was really the point where things started rolling for us we decided to move down to Atlanta after that.

John: it was like a month later we moved down. Half way back up to New York and New Jersey we had sat down actually in D.C. wasn’t it and we’re like how do you guys feel actually the independent owners at the time we’re like how do you guys feel about moving down here and getting things poppin? So we were like let’s do it! A month later we came down, it was me, Jive and June and we came down and looked for a place to live and its [history] since then.

25: As a pop/rock/rap group what role do you play in the branding of The Inc?

O8O: I don’t think it’s ever going to be the same. Once we actually start impacting and spreading I think hip hops going to change. I think it’s already starting to change and I think that The Inc is one of the most solid hip hop labels outside of Def Jam and they work very closely with Def Jam so it’s like those two.

Ginger: I think it going to change them too a little bit because when this pops off its going to give them more leverage to do more things like us but sometimes now. Like Ja Rule and Ashanti are who you know and I think that once things start moving for us it’s going to open people’s eyes like to a whole different side of The Inc. it will be good for them.

25: What distinguishes you all from any other emerging artist in the hipster trend?

O8O: I’m not going to say way before any of that but we’re definitely leaders of those packs I know when those people were coming up and they came across our situation especially being in Atlanta a lot of hipster hop, hip hop whatever it is the scene has been budding there and a lot of those people have come across we’ve all crossed paths. The biggest difference between us and a lot of what’s going on there is that we’ve brought music into it and we’ve brought live music into it and that’s a big element we brought the band element into it and I think we kinda like, it’s just like…like Mcdonalds and Burger King. We’re kind of like what they listen to [when they get their start].

25: As an emerging band what would you describe as your most frustrating moment?

Mel: [There'a always something] especially with the business like the music business you know. When you’re new I think you have aspirations and reams of how an artist is supposed to get signed. How things are supped to magically unfold but it’s really just learning how you have to be very tactful and very mindful of what goes on with your business, how to handle it, really knowing contracts the actual process of breaking an artist so its like everybody looks at oh he’s signed I made it he signed a record deal and that’s realistically the very first step and it’s the beginning of the journey to really go up the mountain. I think that has been the frustrating part just learning the business and making it work for us.

John: On a new indie label that’s what it feels like. When we first signed as a band on a independent label it doesn’t feel any different than when we signed with a major label because now a year later we’re still footing it. Like how Mel said the way you thought it was is not how it is until they see a return from you.

O8O: The nature of music business has changed its all about an artist and their impact virally it’s all about the impact virally crossing over into the major media streams like radio everything is touchable now it’s not like before where it was all about a promotions budget and the street team it’s about the artist relationship with their fans.

25: Are you guys finding that you’re doing most of the leg work out there since the consensus is that label heads don’t understand digital?

O8O and Mel: they do not…

Ginger: it’s hard, it really is. We’re pretty savvy when it comes to things that we should do we’re kind of telling people what we want and that’s how things have sort have been happening and we’ve got to figure it out a lot of it ourselves but if we don’t do it nobody else will do it [laughs]

John: or it’s just not gonna get done the way it would. You know there’s like a million other great acts that have been signed that you’ve never heard of it. You’re shelved which is the worst possible scenario.

Mel: Unfortunately, record labels are like dinosaurs now they are used to working a certain way for so long that with the impact of like iTunes and downloading.

Juno: They’re playing catch up.

Mel: They’re really playing catch up and trying to figure out how to make it work for them so that’s a struggle.

25: With that said, what do you all think is the future of music?

Mel: Honestly I think the future of music is really what we’re doing in the sense that people are going to start believing in what they see, they wanna see somebody get in front of them and not be a studio product where you’re working with great songwriters and engineers and mixers but the talent isn’t being showcased. I think that’s what’s happening. People don’t buy albums anymore because they’re like I don’t wanna spend $17 on three songs that I like when I can go to iTunes and download the songs myself but when there’s it always speaks for itself when you fall on an artist who is putting the work in and giving the talent, hitting the road and actually giving shows and tours something that’s really tangible for people to hold on success happens i.e. Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Jonas Brothers.

O8O: I think lifestyle has a big impact on music now too. People buy into the whole persona of the artist they like everything from the socks they’re wearing to the type of toothpaste they use. If you buy, I think that if you’re an artist that has an interesting lifestyle that people can get down with you can also have a healthy career of providing all different aspects for your fans.

25: What would you say is your biggest grievance with the industry?

John: I think that the whole label thing like you know music in its self [inaudible] it’s become very dumbed down and a lot of it’s the same. I know when we first moved down south I was like I can cant event turn on the radio I was not really into that snap, crunk stuff you know what I mean. I guess even that starting to change even that is starting to get more musical. It’s up to you to see what’s positive and grasp that and not so much focus on what’s negative because there’s so much negative stuff in this industry, it will drive you crazy and make you not want to do it.

25: Anything you’d like to add?

O8O: Tkatzmusic.com check us out.

John: And come to the show wherever we play.

Ginger: yea check us out.

John: wear soft shoes.

Ginger: you need to see us at a show.

John: be prepared to have beers spilled on you, more or less thrown

Blessed is the only word he could come up with when asked to describe the current state of his career. Gangsta L. Crisis, better known as G.L.C is one of the most successful artists to come onto the scene without having dropped an official LP. Fresh off a tour with Kanye West and already two time Grammy winner, G.L.C. considers himself to be a “man of honor.” With an upcoming clothing line, cartoon, movie, and debut album in the works that doesn’t seem too far off.

Long time friend of Kanye West, G.L.C first came onto the scene with an appearance in his fellow Chi-town native’s Spaceship in 2004. Since his mainstream debut, he was hard at work behind the scenes in the mixtape game and eventually made his way onto yet another Kanye track, “Drive Slow“.

G.L.C began his music career at an early age as an escape, a release from the harsh real world in order to stay positive. “I went through a few things when I was growing up, like losing my parents, being diagnosed with diabetes, and certain things that make people say ‘man, how did he survive? His backs on the wall, he probably won’t get up right now’, but I kept it moving,” says the Chi-town native. His perseverance brought him out of this slump and closer to success every day. With his debut album Love, Life and Loyalty on the way he says that he couldn’t be more pleased with life.

He explains, “My album is going to make people aware of the consequences of their actions, but also, it’s going to make you smile, it’s going to make you feel good, and give you something to ride to. You know, when you’re on your way to work, when you really don’t feel like being bothered; something to take you away for a minute,” but don’t expect to be lectured by the gospel of this rhyme veteran, he swears he’s no preacher. “In my album you’re not going to feel like I’m talking down to you, you’re going to feel like I’m talking to you.” G.L.C’s personality and spirit set him apart from other MC’s in the music industry, and give him the ability to connect with his audience.

After gaining recognition from working alongside Kanye, G.L.C. is ready to have his own music heard, and have listeners understand who he truly is through his work. “I am the evolution of a G, the vision. I am a man of a legacy, a man who is built of legacy, and my legacy is to build up my accomplishments and bring hope,” which is exactly what the public should expect.

Check out G.L.C’s Official Myspace