Masia One
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You have very strong opinions of the music industry as it is right now. Do you intend to move forward independently, or do you have aspirations to sign with a major?
In terms of majors no, because first if you look at the situation, none of the major decisions happen here in Canada. They all come State-side. Secondly, no major has really batted an eye at a female emcee for about ten years, so it’d be a waste of time. Even if a major does get interested, they have no obligation to release your records, and all this other crap goes on behind the scenes. The majors are dropping artists left, right, and center, losing money left, right, and center, and I don’t want to be in that kind of environment. The majors will always be the majors because they’re always concerned with the numbers.
My criticism of the industry is that the major media outlets - radio, TV, like your Flow 93.5s [the Toronto hiphop station] - they fought for umpteen years to get an urban station in Toronto. They FINALLY got it, and what did they become? There’s a trend for media to jump on a bandwagon and say they’re supporting artists when they’re really not. For example, with Flow 93.5, who say they’re about Hip-Hop - even their ads have images of B-boys - when was the last time they threw a breakdancing jam, or played breaks on their station, or gave shout-outs to breakers? They throw these shows in the summer and they invite all these independent artists to perform - great, wonderful, look at what we’re doing for the community - but at the end of the day do any of these artists get any airplay? No! So we’re good enough to perform for you independently to show that you’re supporting the community, but we’re not good enough to get any play on your radio? No, you’d rather be chillin’ at the “Holidae” Inn … rub on each other and sip on some gin … and then I go to these community centers and see little 11 year-old girls singing about the party at the Holiday Inn. My problem is with these outlets putting on the facade of caring and being down with hip hop and appropriating those hip hop images, when in actuality they’re nowhere close to that. That’s the hypocrisy I hate.
So quick answer is I’d look into some independents to help with distribution, but never with a major.
Anything to say on Bush/ Kerry?
If you were to draw an analogy between the election and the music industry, and use the Integral model for cognitive development D mentioned to describe it, in looking at voters you see all these “pre-rational” people around - you can compare that to mainstream popular music. If your music is too intellectual or too unique, you lose your appeal. But at the same time you care about those people that aren’t as receptive to unique and creative things, because you want them to move “up” and seek out better music. So you want to communicate to them without simplifying your music. That’s what I’ve been struggling with. It’s very hard with recorded stuff, and that’s where live shows are so important. Almost everyone will feel the impact of a live show. So even if they don’t understand the music, they’ll say, hey this is cool, because in live music the true intention and emotion really come across.
What are your themes for the second album and how does this factor into that? How are you balancing the popular stuff vs. the more personal/intellectual?
Let’s put it this way: almost every interview I’ve done - ALWAYS - first question: “what’s it like to be a female emcee”?
Oh yeah, we forgot to ask that ….
Yeah, what kind of interviewers are you?
We’re THAT good.
Get with the quota!
You’ve seen right through our plan to treat you like a person.
So all the female emcees get it, and they’re always like, “yo man, I’m not a female emcee, I’m just an emcee who likes Hip hop.” And yeah, it’s true, but at the same time it IS an important question because where in the mainstream have you heard the perspective of a female Asian emcee? You haven’t, so it is a viable question. Not that I’ve ever commoditized the fact that I’m Asian, but now it’s beginning to occur to me that if they’re going to continue to ask me that question, maybe I should begin to address that in my music, because it’s not something you see in the mainstream.
In terms of addressing Asianness, Jin took it head-on in the Wyclef-produced club joint “Learn Chinese,” and well, his singles and album have not exactly raced up the charts. What are your thoughts on this?
I like Jin, I think he’s a terrific battle emcee, and I think he’s great because he’s given Asians a significant presence in the hip hop scene. Now he’s signed to RuffRiders, which is great. The video did have half-assed kungfu fighters jumping around, skinny Asian girls serving tea, Wyclef jumping out at the end of the video saying “first Chinese rapper” - I mean, first? There’s a large community of asian bboys and girls, and you’re not doing a very good job when you have Wyclef jump out and say that. That would be okay in the video if the Mountain Brothers jumped out and bitch-slapped Wyclef. Because Jin knows this as well that he’s not first Asian emcee ever. Yes, he’s the first one with that widespread appeal, and he gets props for that. Same with the hate mail to me… they say stuff like, “Masia’s gotta stop with the, ‘ooh look at me I’m the only Chinese female rapper, because I know girls on the West Coast who rhyme who could eat her food.’ I’m like great, fine, whatever, there are probably harder female lyricists out there, but I do things my way. At the end of the day they can’t take form me that I just made history. There is no other female Asian emcee in Canada who has put out a record and two videos and a third one coming that are played on a mainstream level. So if you can do better than do better, please, because I at least provided that stepping stone to do better from.
Who’s your favorite Ninja Turtle?
Raphael.
What’s your favorite Kung-fu flick?
Oooh … so many. I can’t remember the English titles right now. They’re sitting at home on my shelf and I can just see them all …
Is there anything else you’d like to say to the throngs of 44s out there?
There’s always gonna be haters, people who will try to bring you down, hold you back. You can’t let that happen. Once you decide to do something, that’s it, you throw your whole soul into it and you do it.
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