Capital D

MVRemix: Whats your take on hip hop right now?, what state do you see it in and where do you see it going over the next few years?

Capital D: As usual hip-hop is going thru transitions. You have the indie scene which has grown to the point whereas it is getting attention from the mainstream industry. This is good because now indie artists and labels can make more money for their work, but also many indie labels and groups are being 'pressured' into signing with majors. That's not a bad thing as long as the music doesn't suffer. So basically we'll have to wait and see if the music suffers cause that's the most important thing...the music.

MVRemix: I know it's a common and obvious question but how did you get into hip hop in the first place, then how did you graduate to actually becoming an emcee/deejay/producer?

Capital D: I always liked to write and music was in my blood, both grandfathers were musicians, so it was a natural thing for me to get into hip-hop because two of the elements involve music and writing. Basically I just bought some turntables back in 1986 and a drum machine the same year and went from there, working on beats, rhymes and DJ'ing.

MVRemix: Whats your inspiration behind your production and lyrics?

Capital D: I get inspiration from alot of different sources. Right now I'm getting inspiration from reading the Qu'ran and trying to straighten up my life and convey solid, universal concepts thru music. There aren't a lot of people that I'm getting inspiration from right now.

MVRemix: Can you explain to everyone the situation with you and All Natural right now, the fact that you ain't broken up just cos you released a solo single.

Capital D: Nah All Natural has not broken up. In fact we're about to release the first single off of our second album "Second Nature." It'll be out in March and features J.U.I.C.E. All Natural is a group and a record label. So when I dropped my solo single it was on the All Natural label. So, though in time I will launch a solo career, the commitment is always to All Natural, both as a group and a label.

MVRemix: Do you find it necessary for artists to go out and make that extra solo material these days for them to keep moving?

Capital D: Not necessarily. For me I did it because there are styles of music that I embrace that weren't reflected on the All Natural album. The All Natural album is all about where Tone and I intersect, what things we agree on. The solo album will be more of my own personal thoughts and styles.

MVRemix: What was the response like to the 12" Que Sera Sera/ U ain't ready you dropped last year?

Capital D: Sales-wise it did ok, there was real good response when it first dropped, but then it tailed off. Actually we didn't push it the way we could have but that's my fault.

MVRemix: Can we expect a follow up soon?

Capital D: You can expect a follow-up 12-inch or EP this summer. But it will show my progression as an individual so I can't pin-point exactly what it'll sound like.

MVRemix: You got a solo album dropping? And what about Tone B. Nimble? We can expect a new All Natural joint soon yeah?

Capital D: The All Natural album is dropping in April. My solo album won't drop until Fall. Both albums are recorded but we want to space out the releases. And as a label we want to build-up some more name recognition before dropping my solo joint.

MVRemix: How do you feel the internet is helping artists in getting music to their audience or listeners who would normally not have got access to it

Capital D: It's amazing the way it broadens the market for indie artists. It gives us more power and the ability to stay independent. Though it is still expensive to sell over the net, it definitely increases visibility.

MVRemix: MVRemix has been penalized a few times for showcasing and promoting new artists music in real audio, do you think this is a threat to the artist or is the label just over reacting?

Capital D: I don't know the situation you're referring to so I can speak on it. I do think that people bootlegging on the net is a big problem. Especially for indie artists whose music is not available in certain places where people will just resort to downloading it for free.

MVRemix: You're also a hip hop author, writing the booklet 'Fresh Air' that came with the CD 'No Additives, no preservatives' do you think other emcees should be doing this, expressing their talents on paper as well as on wax?

Capital D: I think that mcs should be putting more time in learning how to write, whether it's lyrics, essays, poems, whatever. It forces you to put more time in creating lyrics that are worthy of being printed instead of always writing something that only sounds good but has no depth.

MVRemix: Who should we be looking out for from your area who will blow up real soon? Whats the Chi Town scene like right now?

Capital D: Look out for our crew of course. Our label is working with the following cats, all from Chicago: Mr. GreenWeedz, G(riot) a producer, The DailyPlannet, and Iomos. All will be featured on the All Natural album. Also doing their thing from Chicago are Mass Hysteria who dropped a phat 12-inch, J.U.I.C.E., of course The Molemen who are dropping a full-album this year and doing beats on our album, and Primeridian who deserve more attention than they get, they've dropped a few hard-to-find 12-inches.

MVRemix: How about 2000? You got big hopes for yourself and hip hop? What can we expect?

Capital D: Huge hopes. We have a gang of phat music already recorded. In Y2K we're gonna be busy dropping gems. Not only from All Natural, but gems from the whole camp so that we can build the label profile. Come February, you can check out some new material on the website www.allnaturalhiphop.com.

Wanna give a shout out to anyone?

Capital D: Just to the cats that I already mentioned, to anybody who's reading this or who bought any of our releases, and thanks to you. Peace.