"All Hail The King’ Part One {King Shameek Interview}
King Shameek has always intrigued me……..The way he put together beats was unlike anyone I had heard before……Monkey’s sampled intro’s, House music infused with Hip Hop, Spontaneous breakdowns complementing heavy doses of scratching, and funky as fuck drum patterns………His productions have managed to age very well…….He has worked with Naughty By Nature, Artifacts, King Sun, Twin Hype, L.P., PaceWon, El Gant, Style, Tony Terry, and even Peanut Butter Wolf {back in the day} ……….Hip Hop Battlefield salutes you “King Shameek”, for being original, versatile, and most of all soulful……Check out this interview I conducted with Mr. Jose Matos {King Shameek}…….
{HHBF]…..The first time I heard of you Shameek was the “In The House” 12 inch with the “Shameek’s Groove” on the flip…Was this your first commercial release?
{King Shameek}….My first self produced release was “Make It Funky”…Seville featuring Jazzy J and Shameek on NVS/Cutting Records…Which was recorded on a 4 track recorder that my mom bought me in High School…Thanks Ma…..Before that I was just editing and scratching on freestyle records like Sweet Sensation ,Deniz, Tony Terry, etc…That work prepared me for larger studios…..
{HHBF}…..In 2006 there were talks of you and “Twin Hype” recording again, what’s the update on that situation?
{King Shameek]….Most people know of the twins getting locked up from the” Source” article back in the day….So after they got released after 4-5 years we linked up 2 see if we could pick up where we left off..Things didn’t really work out, I guess we didn’t see things eye to eye..So another 4 years pass by, this time they recorded some demos and said they were ready to rock with me again….We recorded 4 hot joints..I was psyched about the joints we did….So I sent out a press release and set up meetings with labels…We then had another fallout, so I bounced before we heard any news about a deal…I have a lot of joints i did that never came out…I’m thinking about putting out a King Shameek lost tapes album with joints I did with King Sun, T La Rock, Twin Hype….For the most part I’m done with the twins though….I’d rather preserve my Hip Hop memories of us on tour and video shots and whatnot…..Nah mean?
{HHBF}…..Your recordings are always mixed down very well, are you more into analog recording devices or digital these days?
{King Shameek}….I had to make the change from analog to digital or get left in the dust…As a d.j. I made the change from vinyl to c.d. then serato…..I still love my vinyl, but I don’t have to carry around a heavy ass crate…Unless I sell my house and move…As a producer I prefer to have a fatter and dirty sound on my beats that I got from analog, but recording and editing in protools is a lot faster…I found several ways to make my drums dirty in protools so I rock with that…When it comes to buttons and faders, I was always a hands on type of dude…It took me awhile to get used to rocking with a mouse, but for the most part I like to keep a tight mix and pan sounds so it bugs out the listener….I remember hearing “Buffalo Gals” for the first time and how they had all the scratching, vocals and sound effects paned to one side….And all the music and drums paned to the other side…I always took those kind of ideas in the studio with me…….
Part 2 Below………..
"The King Is Here" Continued………
{HHBF} ….Upcoming projects?
{King Shameek}…Working on a line of scratch tones {ring tones}…I’m also V.P. of a production company called Newark Illustrated that houses artist Miss Nana and Angel Inez coming real soon..I’m also working on hosting my own online radio show real soon..Get at me Myspace.com/KingShameek
{HHBF}…I am curious to know how you found Hip Hop Battlefield?
{King Shameek}…I found your site from my google alerts..So when I checked your site from my sidekick I thought it was dope..I was like this cat knows his music…..
{HHBF]…You mixed Hip Hop and House in a way that hasn’t been matched since…..What was the Newark club scene like back in the day?
{King Shameek}…My cousin was a D.J {Mumbles} at Club Zanzibar during the disco era..I think they opened in the late 70’s..Zanzibar has always been a landmark in Newark…Jokers would come from all over the tri state area to party there…Sad thing is I just drove by there last week and it’s leveled to the ground….When my cousin stopped dj’ing in the mid 80’s he gave me some of his records…You could say I was studying those records…
{HHBF}…”The Truth” , by L.P. caught me by suprise…Especially when I found out you did the beat…How did you meet up with L.P. and what’s his current status?
{King Shameek}..I was introduced to L.P. by his mom….I won’t say who, but he has family in the D.I.T.C. crew…We keep L.P’s profile under wraps because the nature of that song…It’s like when 50 got all that feedback from “How To Rob”……Funny thing is we put out “Truth”, before “How To Rob”…Hmmmm…I wonder if they got the idea when we were playing the demo to D.Dot?….Hmmmm, could that be why he wanted to hear it over and over again? Shout out to Sway and King Tech for playing it first….L.P. is flying back and forth from China to Atlanta, running some type of clothing distrubution business now……..
{HHBF}…Whatever happened to ‘Nefatini” ?
{King Shameek]…That’s a good question..I was just put on that project..Her and Romeo Black were really down with D.J. Cheese…..
{HHBF}..Why didn’t you release more material in the mid 90’s?
{King Shameek]….I was working more on T.V. jingles and dj’ing because of deals gone bad..Before that I was developing and shopping a group called “Zero Tolerance”, that I got signed to Loud Records..That project never came out, and we asked to be released from the label when we seen ‘Mobb Deep” who were signed after us, come out before we did…So things got me discouraged from the music biz a little bit at that time….But I’m back {LoL]….
{HHBF}…Who exactly were ‘Hollywood Impact”, and what recording equipment were you using at that time?
{King Shameek]…..Hollywood Impact was a crew of artist, producers, dj’s under producer Hollywood’s guidance…He was a d.j. from Newark that felt he could impact the game with a fresh, new sound, and we did just that…King Sun, Tony Tone and Mick Nice of Style..Kid Seville, Romeo Black and Nefatini, made some of the Hollywood Impact…..We recorded at a studio that was fully equipped, but we prefered the SP1200..Hell there were times when we just looped up a drum beat on a Numark mixer with no sequencer and lay more samples on top of it…The same thing Rick Rubin is famous for with the ‘Beastie Boys”..It gave it that live feel…
" New A.Z. Shit "
On each and every one of A.Z’s albums his lyrics are razor sharp……..His flow and cadence are exceptional…….But his beat selection is shabby on occasion…….In my opinion A.Z. sounds best over loops or minimalistic type production {Check his Memphis mixtape for a proper example}……….This year he put out another mixtape called “N4L” with D.J. Absolut, and the song I posted is called “The Secret” featuring Raekon and Charlie Rock……….Fresh…..
"Rock The Motherfuckin Bells Kid"
Last year I didn’t go to this concert, I wasn’t really tripping off it………But this year my Zulu Nation connections blessed me with a backstage ticket…….So it’s on……….I still have a couple problems with this concert……Number one…..How and the hell can you put Afrika Bambaataa on the small stage? That’s some straight up sucker shit………Number two…..How can you call your shit “Rock The Bells without L.L. Cool J {He used to be the illest} ?…….That is backwards…..That’s like calling your tour the ‘Criminal Minded” tour without K.R.S…………Fuck all the complaining, no one cares anyway…………Posting will be delayed until Sunday when I get back………..But when I get back I will have interviews, music, and exclusive video footage to bless ya’ll with…….Until then, check this Rakim Rock The Bells footage………….
"Old Dirty Bastard"….Salute
In 1995 Elektra put out a live compilation called, “Ill Style Live”…………..Featuring Lin Que, 8-Off, Das EfX, Supernatural, Deda Baby Paw, etc……..The standout {in my opinion} is when Brooklyn Zoo and Old Dirty Bastard started to wild out………This has to be one of the illest live performances I have ever heard in my life……..Dirty screams on the D.J. {who happens to be Pete Rock}, claims he has 3 babies on the way, and even calls out the “Man”…………..Hilarious…….We miss you Dirty…….
"Suckaz Of The Week", West Palm Beach Police
Police brutality is on the rise people…..From coast to coast, the coppers will go upside your head over simple shit…..Usually the sucker of the week is some Hip Hop bafoon, but those are easy targets……….The real suckers rock a badge and do whatever they want, whenever they want……….Check this footage of Florida police acting like barbarians………..Shameful………{R.I.P. Sean Bell}
"Remix Roundhouse"
Remix time folks……….Prodigy did a joint with Planet Asia that was called “Stick N Move”, the original was produced by Evidence…….I decided to flip the acapella over one of my more minimal type of beats…….The results are grimey and creepy……..Check out the chops on this bugged remix……Free P….
"D.J. Dez"
Hailing from Detroit is D.J. Dez “A.K.A ” Andreas………..He released an album of instrumentals a while back called “Natural” and it is pretty fresh……Dez has worked with JayDee, PhatKat, Eryka Badu, J5, and countless others……..Hip Hop production isn’t his only forte’, he also dabbles in house, downtempo, etc………..
"The Industry Is Wack"
This album {Big Time} isn’t one of Kool Keith’s greatest, but this song “The Industry Is Wack” is dope enough for me to overlook some of the album’s mishaps…….. Tim Dog does his best to steal the show, but Keith’s sense of comedy get’s the loudest laugh…..Produced by Kut Master Kurt….
"Crew Spotlight," Cold Crush Edition….
The original Cold Crush consisted of Tony Tone, Easy A.D., Charlie Chase, Whipper Whip, and Dot A Rock……….GrandMaster Caz, Almighty K.G., and J.D.L. didn’t join the crew until later on…………..Today I am posting up a live performance of Cold Crush in 1981, at a Christmas battle……..Ten minutes of synchronized routines, funky rhyme patterns, and classic old school enthusiasm………..For all you so-called mc’s out there, take notes on how to rock a fuckin party……..
"The Outlaw, Josie Wales"
I have heard a couple mc’s name drop “Josie Wales” lately {Guru and Little Brothers, Phonte}……….Josie joined the “Roots Unlimited Sound System” in 1977, and later recorded for “King Jammy”, and “Junjo Lawes”…….The audio I am about to bless ya’ll with is classic shit……45 minutes of Josie wilding on the mic for ” A1 Sound System” in 1984……..This is mad rare and live as it gets…..You can actually hear mad gun shots going off during the whole set……………..Booyaaakaaaa..
‘Big L, Remix Edition"
It’s a damn shame what happened to Big L……..He was right on the verge of something really big………..He was the mc’s, m.c…..Clever word play, a ill sense of humor, and dangerous punchlines……Yeah, L was one of the greats…….This is a remix I just did, and it has a Isaac Hayes sample in it…{R.I.P}……..{R.I.P] Bernie Mac…..{R.I.P.} Big L….
"Scratch Overlord" Ricci Rucker
Ricci Rucker is a turntable wrecking ball….His cuts are so technical, that he makes most Dj’s look like lazy suckas……..When he first stepped on the scene he made a immediate splash, and hasn’t stopped progressing since……..Check him out at asisphonics.com………… This footage is from a show I attended a while back…….It was at Joe’s Style Shop {which is no longer there}..
Ricci is alongside Mello D {Beat Junkies}, and D-Styles, and they absolutely wreck shit………..Check it out below…
"8-OFF The Assasin"..A.K.A. Agallah
Agallah The Don Bishop, Brad Piff, 8-OFF, etc……..Has been putting in work for years…..From his days with Elektra, to his work on Game Records, and his recent output on the production tip, Agallah has been very busy……….His “F.A.M.E.” {Fuck All My Enemies} mixtape came out earlier this year………………On this mixtape Agallah disses Jay Z, Nas, Russell Simmons, etc……..The song I posted is called “Fame”…….Peep..
‘Live From Tokyo", Third Sight
Third Sight consist of D Styles, Du-Funk, and Jihad……..They have released 2 albums and one E.P…………Everyone knows D is nasty on the cuts…..But for some reason people sleep on Jihad’s rhymes……Maybe he is too complex, perhaps a little to heavy on the wordplay for some…….In my opinion, he is one of the illest to ever do it…..He has created his own style, his flows are unpredictable and agile, and his storytelling ability is ridiculous………Go buy all their shit………..Here is a clip of him freestyling, over D Styles drumming……….Swayzeeeeee
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