Motion Man

Ein bißchen enttäuscht war er ja schon, dass wir die Gesprächszeit auf gerade mal 20 Minuten angesetzt hatten – “I’m an interesting guy”, so Motion Man, der scheinbar gerade nichts zu tun hatte und auf ein groß angelegtes einstündiges Interview drängte. Letzten Endes reicht dann doch eine Viertelstunde um das Wesentliche zu sagen – vor allem natürlich zum brandneuen Album “Pablito’s Way”.

Your new album “Pablito’s Way” is due to be released in September – how did you experience the recording process?

Well, music for me really don’t take long. I have responsibilities outside of the hiphop world that make it seem like it takes long because it’s been a long time since I did my last album. It’s been like almost four years. So I needed to drop one “quick-sized” in the hood. The album is called “Pablito’s Way” because it’s about me. I want to give a variety to people. I do not just one certain sound, you know, people do this genre of music or that genre. That’s one thing that I love about this album: it’s not just one sound that’s on there. I have different sounds on there from rock to urban stuff to some hardcore hiphop, so many different sounds. That could answer the question how I came about with the album: I wanted to give more variety of sounds to the people.

Why did you choose “One Time 4 Your Mind” for the single? What makes this track outstanding from all the others?

I think the title speaks for itself. Gift of Gab is a really crafted and talented MC, he’s able to do so much with words at a very fast pace. So we came with some true MC styles on there. I reached out to him and asked him to be on the album. And he was like ‘oh, the only reason I get down is because I’ve already heard of you and know how you work’. I really think the collaboration was good and well rounded enough to draw people closer to the album.

What do you appreciate most about working with Kutmasta Kurt?

He’s a perfectiost – that’s one think I like about Kurt. He don’t let me “half-ass” on a song. Usually, I would do a verse once and I would be fine with it. Kurt was the first one to introduce me into doing my verse several times – I don’t mean like ten, but maybe two or three more times. So I can get into a feel of the groove of it. So sometimes we use the first take but sometimes we use take number six or five due to the fact that I felt a different vibe after I kicked it a couple of times. And alot of times just doing that I changed my songs. I might have wrote something but I changed my songs in the middle: not actually writing something down but I was just freestyling it in the middle of the song because of the vibe I felt at that time. I just wanted to capture it and make it sound good. But Kurt never would say that you’re verse wasn’t good and that you didn’t do it right.

And how’s work with Treshold Records – do you feel good working with the label?

Yeah, Threshold has been good to me. So far so good. That’s another good thing about Kurt. I pretty much can to what I want to do. And I’m currently working on other projects.

Which projects?

I have a project I’m doing with Del The Funky Homosapien and Deltron, we’re working on a album together. Also with my man Tom C who has also work for Kool Keith, we’re doing an album together entitled “Early Drastic”. Right next near I try to hit my fans with some new projects. I’m aiming at dropping three albums next year.

“Pablito’s Way” features a wide range of rappers from Too $hort to Dizzy Dustin. A few years ago we had a strict division between gangsta rap on the one hand and boom-bap on the other. Is this period over and gone?

That’s why I was saying that there’s alot of variety on the album. See, you can’t categorize me as a gangsta rapper. I got to put hands on you if you’re messing with me. I can take care. But I’m not running the streets like that anymore, but I got the street knowledge. I’m well-rounded, so I can do a record with Too $hort and can do a record with Dizzy Dustin. It doesn’t sound so far out of place. That’s the good thing about it. We incoroporated this guests and put them on the album and it doesn’t sound like we put in another CD. You know, you still got the same feeling and vibe like ‘okay, we’re still rolling!’

You’ve been rapping since the 80s. How come that your mostly known for your guest appearances?

*laughs* I think the guest appearances I did have been alot better for me. The biggest guest appearance I did was on Linkin Park’s “Reanimation”. Also alot of stuff I did with Kool Keith, you know, I had guest appearances on there. It just happened for me that way! Plus I don’t have alot of material out, I have one solo album out in the field. The other album is only a 50/50 album with myself and Kool Keith, “Masters Of Illusion”. So I think that’s way I haven’t been doing enough projects to let people know about my music. But that’s gonna change. That’s gonna change with “Pablito’s Way”.

Will this album be your international breakthrough?

Man, I hope so. But this is a grind, whatever happens happens. The album shouldn’t shut me down and have me quit. If it does break me through, then more power to it. If it doesn’t, I get back in the lab to make another one. In any case I’ll be back in the lab making another one, if it does or if it doesn’t.

You’ve been signed to Tommy Boy Records in the early 90s but got dropped. What happened?

I was signed to Stepside which is a subsidiary to Tomm Boy. And basically we were doing a single with them. At that time there was no artist development, so they didn’t really try to develope me as an artist. They just put me out, and the song we put out didn’t make the proper noise. I don’t even think it was the proper song for me to have out. So it was never followed up on. That shows why alot of artists do independent projects and why I am an independent artist now. I mean, when you sign to a major label they may be able to help you out with some money. But if they not gonna promote you and push you: why wasting your time signing there? You could out your own records out independently, over the internet or whatever.

But you got over it…

Yeah, yeah, yeah – I got over it! I don’t know, maybe the project wasn’t that good and the public wasn’t ready for it. Once the single came out, they didn’t really do anything after that. So it wasn’t like they were trying to develope me saying ‘hey we signed you, we’ll try to do your album and to make you a major artist”. No, the single came out and everything just dwindled. There was no follow up.

You already mentioned Kool Keith. Tell me about your special relation to him.

Well, that’s my homie. I don’t have any intergalactic tie to him, we just kick it together. I think we can get on records together and just be something that’s kind of special. I think we compliment each other very well on songs. I think we can do songs together because it’s not like Kool Keith is destroying somebody or it’s Motion Man that’s ripping somebody on the track. Because we’re able to do something compatible and we sound good together.

To me, you always bring innovative, fresh sounds to the table. Are you bored of what’s going on in rapmusic today?

It’s possible to get bored. But I’m not the guy to sit back and say the people can’t make money. It’s a consumer driven industry, the people want it and then buy it. And they let them have it. At times, you turn on the radio and everything sounds the same. I think people get tired of it sooner or later because you get … and grow out of that. I think change is good. Variety is good. But the same things all the time … after a while it gets whack.

Do you have set yourself and short therm goals?

Eventually, I just want to get on a record one day, speaking actual words and sounding like a straight up instrument. I think I can actually do that now, I haven’t tired to put it on vinyl yet.

Will we have the chance to see you on tour over here in Germany?

We’re working on that. I used to come out there to the UK all the time. I love it. Everytime I come over there the people treat me well. The only time I had a bad experience is when a guy asked me if I want some chips. And I said ‘yeah, what kind of chips?’ And he was like ‘chips! chips!’ ‘French fries?’ ‘Yeah, french fries!’. And he brought them over to me and he had mayonnaise on ‘em. I’m not eatin’ mayonnaise. I wanted some ketchup so I ended up not eating them. But you don’t do that in Germany!

Of course not…

Okay, so I can come over there unconcerned…