I got a chance to ask Crust & Grimes out of LA some questions about not
only their current project "Bleezy listening" but also how they feel about Hip Hop
and the future of making things happen.
If the album "Blezzy Listening" were a season what season would it be?
It's but not quite, more of a sub-tropical rainy season ya digg?
-Crust
F110: So let me start off by asking, what is your Name, & the city and state that you represent?
C&G: We are bob schooler and Chris henderson aka Crust and grimes
and we are from the bay area in California. San Jose to be exact
408
F110: How did you guys come up with the name "Crust & Grimes"?
Grimes: Well thats always an awesome question because it has alot to do with the music we create. Our beats are pulled straight off the Mpc so they arent all that "clean" if you will. We also like that dirty hip hop with the vinyl popping and nasty drums so it was only right that our name represented that.
Crust: Ya, its just what we try and do to make it sound real hip hop, and we still tryin to find new stuff to give us what we want equipment-wise
F110: What inspired you two do music?
Grimes: We didnt get into hip hop until high school but it was albums such as Redman- Dare iz a Darkside, Black Moon- Enta da Stage, Snoop Doggy Dogg- Doggystyle, and many other classics that flipped the light switch in our minds.
Crust: Shit what grimes said, redman's one of the best, really love what Pete Rock does. Also prob what got us most inspired was bumpin old bay tunes, we came up in the Hyphy movement, which was dope, and that prompted us to dig deep and find all the old E-40, the Click, Mac Dre, Mac Mall, so much dope shit
F110: How long have you guys been doing music as a group ?
Grimes: We always wanted to do some thing with music but we just werent sure what. So finally in May of 08 we decided to take this hip hop shit thing seriously. It feels like its been way longer than a year though haha
Crust: Yeah just picked up the MPC 1000 back about a year ago and been takin the steps ever since.
F110: How did you two meet?
Grimes: Well its pretty funny how that happend and people will probably call us squares for this but we met in 8th Grade Honor Society at Campbell Middle School. We knew nothing about hip hop and we were just 2 above average students but we've been homies ever since.
Crust: Yup met in middle school 8th grade, i think we were talking about Rickey Henderson getting traded again to some random team haha.
F110: In reguards to your album "Bleezy Listening" what was the inspiration behind this project and how long did it take you guys to put it together?
Grimes: Well we like to smoke a lot of blunts and "bleezy" is the bay area slang for blunt so we decided that instead of easy listening we'd make it "Bleezy Listening". But as for the concept of the album we just wanted to make something for the smokers to vibe to but at the same time slap in their car and watch the mirrors vibrate. It took us about 2 or 3 months to do the album in total.
Crust: Shit, Grimes couldnt say it better himself, props to the name as well yee. Ya basically we've just been waitin for a way to show the world what we're doing, cuz we have fun and take it serious all at the same time. So we've been kickin the idea of puttin a beat tape out, pretty standard practice by producers. But we were just waitin for the right time, equiptment, and ideas. we must've kicked around at least 20 ideas over a few months or so just comin up with concepts for tapes before settling on Bleezy as our first one. Those others will have to wait stay tuned.
F110: If you could only choose one track each as your favorite on "Bleezy Listening what would those two tracks be and why?
Grimes: Id have to say blu(nt) just because the fact that it fits the album so well and the audience applause is so dope haha
Crust: Chronberry is my fave, its one we both did coast 2 coast. You see they arent all coproduced, a lotta solo stuff on there. But Chronberry is just wierd its not happy or chill or sad, just random, and someone's gonna shred that track up.
F110: If the album "Blezzy Listening" were a season what season would it be?
(example: Winter, spring, summer, fall) and why?
Grimes: Wow thats a tough one... Probably Summer because it has beats like Blu(nt) and Trealaxxx, but at the same time it has Go to the West and Slump in Peace which are chill but beats such as the latter can get you up out your seat and and move a crowd. To us, that is what summers about... chillen but still partying
Crust: Nah you trippin its like summer but not quite, more of a sub-tropical rainy season ya digg?
F110: Who would you say are some of your main influences?
Grimes: Off the top of the head itd have to be dilla, easy mo bee, biggie, snoop, Dr dre, outkast, The Pharcyde, UGK, Mac Dre (TIP), E 40 and many others
Crust: Too many, and always increasing by the day. So many people get tunnel vision and only listen to one subsubgenre of hip hop- thats not what it is to us. But then there are those on the other end of the spectrum who bump a large variety of hip hop but only cuz its whats fed to them. if you want to make it and not be wack, you got to dig through the music in search of what YOU like - thats what hip hop is to me
F110: How do you feel about the current hip hop scene in the state of California?
Grimes Well the bay area is kind of slowing down but cats like e 40, Del tha funkee homosapien, and yukmouth are still doin it big. Cali is still very underatted in hip hop and there are many good bubbling artists like blu, planet asia, fashawn, Mitchy Slick and many others.
Cali always has had some of the best music, yet its kinda skipped over when it comes to really good hip hop. The thing about Cali is that every artist is usually so unique. Like where else you gonna get keak da sneak, e-40, murs, planet asia, alchemist, and the pharcyde all in one state? In NY a lot of times MCs or producers just want to bite bite bite and carbon copy, not to hate or generalize, but its truesds
Crust: That being said, hip hop in Cali is kind of slow when it comes to new shit. All these legends are still doin it big, but where are the new kids at, besides Crust and Grimes? There are some newbies like blu and shit, but i want more than a small handful of dope artists.
F110: What do you guys feel is missing in music as a whole these days?
Grimes: Most of all its a lack of balance. In terms of MC's your either all swag and no rhymes or your all rhymes with no charisma. both of those MC's make very boring bodies of work. Guys like biggie, snoop, and redman had a steady balance of both which allowed them to make timeless albums. Producers are the same: their either making overproduced beats on FL studio for lil wayne, or their making really soft songs about loving girls and shit. Guys like dilla, pete rock, and easy mo bee were able to do both and that made them legends.
Crust: Yup 100% agree. Its all about the feeling, nothing else. Everyone wants to bitch about rhymes or beats, but it all boils down to the vibes. People need to get a little uncomfortable and start doin shit that isnt just the status quo. But yeah, not to get too deep but in the end all that matters is how you feel after a song or concert.
F110: What do feel you guys do differently as producers that sets you apart from other producers doing their thing?
Grimes: Well for starters we use an all analog setup contrary to people on software. We dont just make beats and throw them on the myspace either we have cool concepts for albums and we are trying to get into live beatmaking on stage.
Crust: I think we know a lot about hip hop from a lot of different circles, which comes out in our shit. We dont really try to be different, we're just doing what is dope to us... after that its just a matter of puttin in work
F110: What's in your cd deck right now? (Who is inspiring both of you right now?) And why?
Grimes: Mainly just the classic hip hop shit like Keith Murray - Enigma, Pharcyde- Labcabincalifornia, J dilla- Ruff Draft, Snoop- Doggy style, The chronic, Outkast- Atliens.
Crust: Hmmm I always bump Petestrumentals, recently so much ODB, Chip Fu, and i just got this shit from Kan Kick, this treal dj who worked with Madlib a lot in the beginning of all that. Anyway, he put out this instrumental album called Beautiful: Opus of Love Deeper Than Flesh
F110: If you could do a collaboration with five of your favorite artists right now, who would those five artist be and why?
Crust & Grimes: Madlib- He's just amazing with the beats, concepts, originality, flavor. everything about him is influential
Tha Alkaholiks- We always said that we want to ressurect the career of a great group and the liks are one of the best things to happen to hip hop and its a shame to see them not putting out albums anymore
Yeah also MF DOOM, we love his stuff and he would just be funny as fuck over our beats. Him over Chronberry? haha. Also in that list would be the Hiero Crew of Course, and maybe a track with like redman, ghostface, spice 1, dru down, and e-40.
F110: What's going on in the world of Crust & Grimes when you guys aren't working on new music?
Grimes: Oh well we are either coming up with albums, chillin with our girls, and also we like to play alotta video games. Pokemon, Nba live, megaman legends, Street fighter, and lots of others.
Crust: Hmmmm not much haha. Nah we do lots of stuff, but when we're chillin there ain't nothin better than gettin an array of bleezies, a stack of vinyl and seein where it takes us.
F110: And Finally, other than the Bleezy listening project that is out now, are there any upcoming projects that you would like to let the public know about? Is there an email or myspace page where people can contact you at?
Grimes: We got a little instrumental ep called CG easter treats that should be availiable for download in 2-3 weeks. Also the homie Juve is a longtime collaborator and we are putting out an album with him called "Dirty Soul" in may or june. You can reach us at www.myspace.com/crustandgrimes or at chenderson420@gmail.com.
thanks Gem this means alot man always happy to do interviews
Crust: Man we're gonna hit the world with like 10 tapes this next year, and people will see whats up. I highly suggest everyone checks them out as they come. Not to give anything away, but some might include a series called "The Green Tapes" those will be fun. Just get ready for some straight funk.
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