Sandman

Nicht zuletzt weil die Veröffentlichung seines dritten Albums “To Whom It May Concern” zuletzt immer wieder verschoben wurde, erkundigten sich Ace (Shok Music / Berlin) und Midwest-Experte Buddah Monk für ugrap.de einmal direkt bei Sandman nach dem aktuellen Stand der Dinge. Und der aufstrebende Tongue Twister aus Minneapolis plauderte aus dem Nähkästchen…

First of all for those who don’t know who sandman is, introduce yourself!

S.A.N.D.M.A.N – Selected Artistic Natural Dominating Milleniums After Now. Born Onyx Johnson 9-18-81 raised on the Northside of Minneapolis, MN.

What about some words on the everyday situation on the north side?

The north side is your everyday hood. You got your hustlers, gangsters, pimps, hoes, killers. Everybody knows everybody. But when it comes to rap, you gotta leave Minnesota to get love, I got love just cause I was one of the first rappers to come with that twistin’ in my city.

So let’s talk about your music: why has the release of ”To Whom It May Concern” been delayed again and again? Do you have a current street date yet?

I don’t want to put out too much of the personal business between the label and I, but to explain the delay. Me and the label are just trying to find a common ground for this album. I already have enough songs to drop 3 more albums, but when something new on BET is hot, then the label wants new BET type music. That can explain the delay. Right now, there is not an exact release date, and I really feel bad about telling the fans a date, then having to push it back, I’m anxious for the release, just like y’all.

Compared to “King of Hallucination”, the single “Let It Be Known” sounded very commercial…

“To Whom It May Concern” will be a very commercial album, that really has been the conflict and the delay. I make so much underground stuff, some people feel that it won’t make it in the commercial world. I wanted to make the album like half commercial/half underground, but the theme of the album won’t be understood. So just made enough songs to make a whole commercial album, then have the underground CD follow right after it as “To Whom Pt 2″. Dont get me wrong, there is still some street shit on “To Whom…” but it won’t reflect on “King Of Hallucination” as much as the underground. I actually like the commercial stuff equally, I dont think it takes away from what the fans want. I’m still spittin’ fire, twistin’ and all that.

What do you think about people that consider you as a Bone clone? What makes you different from Bone Thugs’n’Harmony?

I never considered myself a clone. I can admit that my style resembles Bone, and I am a fan. I think the major difference is that I make my own beats, and there is only 1 of me. They say I sound like Bone because I rap fast and I sing. Well, if I can do it, I would be a fool not to express my full talent. I’m not doing it because they did it, I’m doing it because I CAN, and I believe I do it well. And I’ve always liked reggae, which is the basis of the beat and flow rhythms, plus I been twistin’ since the D.O.C came out, and the Fu Schnickens, remember them. Plus I think my lyrical content is more vivid, not to take away from what Bone does, but I just touch a lot of subjects that haven’t been touched by ANY other artist.

Who are the members of the Mack-A-Lot Family or The Dead And Gone Family?

First it’s spelled Mackilot/Dead-n-Gone – MDG. We have a lot of Mackilots around the nation but the core right now, meaning the ones that’s really making power moves for the clique in the music are: Me, Stone Pilla, Contac, Six the Prophet, Playa Lavish, PMS, Raw Num, Cloudy, Danga Duke and Q Dogg. We still got other members that do music, but we are the core motivators, song makers, doing shows and making connections.

Tell us more about these groups and your affiliation to them…

I connected with MDG back in 1996. Mackilot and Dead-n-Gone were 2 separate cliques. LP (R.I.P.) was leading Mackilot and Stone Pilla was leading Dead n Gone. At the time LP and Stone were a group called Dead N Gone. I met Six Point, now Six the Prophet, when I was in the 10th Grade. He was just coming into North High as a freshman. I had already made my rap reputation the previous year, I had battled cats, ripped niggas to pieces. So when 6 came, he was tryin’ to make his rep too. People was hypin’ it up like “Yall should battle”. So we did. But when we battled it wasn’t really like that, it was more like we was rapping together. ‘Cause we both was tongue twistin’, we both was talking spiritual. So we ended up best friends after that day. Then Six introduced me to his little cousin, Playa Lavish, and us 3 were “Dead Minds”. We used to practice in front of LP. Then I just slowly started to meet everyone else in the clique, and LP accepted me. So right before LP died in October of 1998, we were merging the two cliques into one, to be called MDG. Then when LP died, we decided to have no leader, Stone Pilla became part of Dead Minds. Everybody just had a part to play. Everybody was related to someone in MDG except me. They recruited me just because we all shared the same love for music and the same views on life after death. As far as releases, Contac has released 3 albums: “What Dat Boy Name”, “Eeyayah”, and “Another All Nighta”. Stone has 5 albums unreleased, he will be dropping something soon. Six was the first one in the clique to release something in 1997 called “The 7 Seals” and he will be dropping another one soon. PMS raps with a group called Heat with 2 other females and they will be dropping something soon.

You’re also into making beats. Which aspects of the work as a producer do you like the most?

Right now I feel that my production is much stronger than when I put out my first album. I’ve been to a school for music production just to learn the technical end of everything, plus I’ve learned more about music theory, so I know how to collab well with musicians. I know how to hear a song on the radio and to recognize “what makes the song work”. So now I do my own mixing, engineering, and production. I still like to work with other producers though, just to get another “soul” on the song. I still feel that my strongest area is lyrics.

Is there any artist/s you like to work with?

I would like to work with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Ludacris, R Kelly, Brotha Lynch, E 40, Crucial Conflict, Bone, Twista, Jermain Dupri, Da Brat. Really a lot of people.

Is there any chance to hear a Sandman song featuring one of the Bone Thugs?

Me and Bizzy Bone have been in touch for the past 2 years. We have been talking about doing some stuff together and it will happen real soon.

When Onyx Johnson is chillin’ at home or cruising in his ride – what kind of music is he bumpin’?

When I’m in my ride, I’m bumpin Outkast, Psycho Drama, Bone, Twista, Myself, Stone Pilla, Contac, Six. I like a lot of underground shit. As far as R’n’B, I like Destiny’s Child, R. Kelly, Usher and Alicia Keys.

How do you feel about independent artists, that sell very well independently and then sign off to a major label?

The independent way is how it has to be done to get noticed. No label is gonna sign somebody sittin’ in their living room writin’ rhymes and making beats all day. Labels wanna sign somebody thats gonna do it without them anyway. That’s how it works

Last but not least, we heard that you hold back a lot of unreleased music. Is there any chance to get these tracks, maybe in the form of a mixtape?

Unreleased tracks? Too many….I wish I could just give it to the world. But y’all can get at me at myspace.com/blackcastles. I post a new song every week. Because when I release “To Whom it May Concern”, I’m gonna have at least 30 more songs left over, not including the underground shit. But I’m not into putting the leftovers on a new album, I’m gonna keep making new shit. So the leftovers will be released in some way, shape, or form shortly after the album is released.