Every other Tuesday, we release an interview with hip hop artists and creatives, who range from DJs to breakers, emcees to writers, producers to entrepreneurs, community leaders and mentors. We talk about their passion for hip hop, their lessons learned, business practices, relationships, personal development and maintaining health. You will get to know our guests and learn from their experiences. Thereby, we hope you get a real and authentic insight into the untold stories and lives of the people who actively contribute to the hip hop culture, beyond the mass media portrayal.
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In 2007, I interviewed the incredibly talented producer, DJ and visual artist Ge-ology. Originally from Baltimore, he moved to Brooklyn, NYC, in the 80s and has worked with some of the greatest emcees like Tupac Shakur, Jill Scott, Mos Def, De La Soul or Talib Kweli, just to name a few.
We talk about his many talents, mastering the new skill of cooking, getting the business side of music right, and his experiences touring in Europe.
Yes, yes 1, 2, 1, 2 It's Ge-ology in a place to be. Chillin out in Switzerland. What's going on?
Welcome to Souls of Hip Hop:
throwback edition. Between 2004 and 2015, I interviewed many hip hop artists and recently discovered some of the recordings in my archive. We want to share a selection of our favorites and bring you these throwbacks in between our regular episodes. Enjoy. On today's throwback episode, we have the incredibly talented producer, DJ and visual artists Ge-ology from Brooklyn, New York. In 2007, I had a chance to briefly interview him at a show in Switzerland. Here it is. You are known as a producer, DJ and visual artists. But from my understanding, you have many other talents as well. Can you give our listeners an overview of all the things you are involved in? Wow, that's a long list of things. But yeah, like you said, I make beats and make music. People may know the production. A lot of people I've worked with over the years ranged from name from Sadat X to Jill Scott to Mos Def to Tupac. It's such a long list of people I've worked with on the music side, my DJ side, also I'm DJing here tonight, visual side I've done plenty of artwork that you may have seen over the years. I mean, my original partner Matt-do, we started Do-able Arts many many years ago and that's kind of how we first got our name out there, but outside of that, doing my own thing and I'm gonna be doing my whole life pretty much anyway. But I'm also part of an extended you know, part of another family of artists called the barnstormers and part of that crew too. And you know in the Arctic man doing everything from album covers like if you familiar with like classic album covers puts it on the walk is titled LIKE THE BODY ROCK or most cute tip in cash. done some so much wrapping clothes I'm I've done artwork for all the labels from Tommy Boy to bad boy, like, no magazine illustrations, and the source and rack pages is now defunct, but used to be, you know, around back in the day, I mean, magazines, clothing, t shirts, you name it, pretty much I've done an animation, I just did some animation thing and Comedy Central, you know, these two pieces of my man style Lee. So I'm kind of like all over the place, you know, artistically, I can express myself and through everything, even to words I could write to. But yeah, that's like my little secret, you know, saying that is a very impressive list. Is there anything you haven't done yet that you would love to do? Oh, it's plenty, you know, I mean, is a learning process every day just this living in existing is always like, learning I want to learn something new every day. So I think there's plenty of things I still want to learn. I think my focus right now if I had like a little side thing that I really want to get better at and will be like, the stew is cooking. Like I like food, you know, saying and I really want to chef it up, I want to get down and make some gummy I could do a little something right now. But and I love to even learn like how to how to really put it down in the kitchen, you know, saying because food is same thing colors, textures, tastes, you know, you take in colors and shapes and, and all that to a whole nother level where you start integrating it with taste and you start integrating it into smells and aromas and you know, flavors. You know, that's a whole on a whole nother level. I mean, besides I mean, it's like a miracle that that comes to life and you eat and you digested and ingested and because of all the use, I think that's the most deepest kind of lot. So I love cooking too. I feel you on that one. Have you been cooking up any beats lately? I mean, so there's some secret things. I mean, I've been putting, putting together some things and actually still putting together some things. I mean, a lot of people been buzzing and banging me in the head about this most def song that I did. That hasn't been released yet, but it's been like everyone's been asking me about it. I know it leaked out there a little bit to Giles Peterson in the UK and Ben GB they've been leaking it and playing it, you know actually got nominated for song attracted a year been TVs worldwide, no Music Awards, you know, but um, yeah, I mean, that might slip out there some kind of way, you know, in the future. But I started out working on putting together smart albums and, you know, some other stuff I have in the works, but I'm just taking my time and doing the right you know, because I know there's a lot of people even though a lot of people out there they really give me you know a lot of respect and appreciate I know there's a lot of people that sleeping, you know, saying, you know, I got some fun, we've got some fun sleepers, I got some Rude Awakening shit, I got a lot of things for everybody, you know, but for me, like the business got to be right because the art is more than just business. For me, it's just part of me, it's something I've been doing my whole life. Like, when I say art, I mean music as well as the visual like, That is me, that's all I've pretty much done my entire life is like breathing for me. So like, when, when I put the shit out, he gotta be put out, correct. You know, there's a lot of people don't understand, like, the business, and especially the music business is really kind of screwed up. So a lot of people don't really understand politics, and since you got to go through, but, you know, I'm not one of those people that's willing to just do anything, just to get my shit out there. I need to put our shit on my own terms. You know, I got to control my own destiny. And I'm not really, I'm not desperate to just get on a label and accept some bullshit as contract they give you you know, saying, like, I've been in this game for a long time, you know, I stay on low with it, you know, I've been doing my thing for a while, you know, and sticking to the background. So I know to a lot of people, I could be a new name a new face. But I've been around for a long, long minute, you know, saying that's been in the cut, you know, I gotta do things, right. So, you know, when it comes to columns, you know, I'm not really owning my LC schedule, my own schedule, and I really don't care. You know, people get mad if I don't put out stuff and not put out enough stuff fast enough. Trust me, I got awesome, those archives for the fucking weapons, you know, sitting there waiting to be exposed, like, you know, but I had to do it again this time. You know, I'm making people make people wait for it. And they get it, there'll be more willing and more appreciated. I guess I'm gonna get it, you know, opposed to like, just don't sit out there. You'd be become a household name overnight. And next thing, you know, like no muss check. If we even look at you old school, you know, no one's really dealing with you. But I still got some stuff too. You know, I think people will be waiting and will be appreciating what I give them when when it's when it's time for the right Taking it back to cooking for a second. Have you ever consider d opening up your own restauran? I'd love to open up a restaura t to I mean, anything, I'm gon a build some houses, I'm gonna b y some land, I'm gonna li e transcontinental I'm gonna ha e creatives all over the worl, you know, not just not not ju t East Coast, West Coast, y u know, isn't like I'm seeing t e whole kitchen. So gonna ha e land here, I'm gonna have la d there. You know, when I'm gon a be building different types f properties, I'm gonna desi n them, I'm gonna do the interi r decorating. I'm gonna do t e whole whole picture. You kno, like, I got the whole and it s all gonna be real woods a d stones and glass, like re l natural materials, you kno, native of each particul r environment that's coming fr m like, I'm going to build wi h the actual trees from the fr m the actual region, you kno, saying and, you know, I'm goi g to hook it up nice for me ke p it real minimalistic. It doesn t have to be like, you know, so e supersize, like, you know, $ 0 million house, you know, sayi g like, I want to keep it re l simple, keep it less is more f r me. Like it keep everythi g like, you know what you nee? You don't gotta wait. You kno, I think too many peop e wasteful. They got like, a l these big ass houses, you kno, gold plated elevators a d shitting their house, you kno, saying but you name it usi g half this is not even necessar. So, you know, I think less s more minimalistic, to the poin. Going to have everything I ne d to be comfortable. And f r whoever we're bringing over o be comfortable and less detai. You know, artists, I notic d every no detail. I'm the pers n that they'll be quiet and e watching every little thi g happened. You know? See eve y little detai How has your experience been here in Switzerland? Y'all make some good ass fucking army knives man. watches. I g t too much to my bags, man. Swit h me back some dope, man. So, y u know y'all make some good shi. I like that man. Come bac. Beautiful Women here tonigh, you know, saying give us so e eye candy while we're doing o r show. That's motivation. I mea, it's all good to do shows. Y u know, guys. I appreciate tha. But you know, we'd like to al o see the ladies you need balanc. We need balance. We need wom n at the shows. Because I m telling you when we were n Germany, it was like real y getting a little scary becau e too many dudes. And when one g y was doing an interview when e was like, Hey, you know, I don t know. But girls in hip hop. He s like, What are you talki g about? I'm looking at him li e What are you talking about? Ma? girls always been a part of o r joint shooting New York a d everywhere else in the stat s and girls always been n important part man. It's li e you can't can't cut out t e ladies, man. Come on. It need. It needs a women there. I mea, none of us would be here if t wasn't for a woman, you know? o can't forget that. You know, I need a women there when I m DJing records. I get mo e excited to DJ for when we did a bunch of dudes I mean, y'all g t my brothers and all mu h respect, y'all I don't need o be DJing for no sword figh, man, you need no sausage facto y going down. really valid. So f r me I like balance balance has o be there. You know? Pretty Wom n just make it even better. t made me play stronger, may e place auto records no Our theme music was beatboxed b Denis the Menace and produced by Zede. A big shout out to t e brothers from Switzerlan The background music was produced by Taki Brano. A big hank you to our brosky from rovidence. Our podcast asically runs on coffee. to keep our show running. You can support by buying us a coffee through the link in our show notes. I am Candy. I'm DJ Razor Cu And this is souls of hip h
