CHECK OUT THE TRACK LIBRETTO : SELFISH IN REAL MEDIA FORMAT

The world got their first taste of Libretto, when he took Quannum to the projects on Lifesavas 2003 debut album "Spirit in Stone". Flash forward a year and he's about to serve another hot dish to the planet with his album "ILL-OET THE LAST ELEMENT" on Dim Mak records. We caught up with him and spoke about his part in the formation of Misfit Massive, What it's like to be a hip hop act on a label primarily know for rock music, his views on Portland's scene and what the future holds for this ill poet.


Belly) Lets Start off with what were some things that influenced you to become an emcee?
Libretto) I'd have to say, man... There's so much, Run-DMC, when I first seen Krush Groove, the old school cats... Rakim, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5... That whole element of hip hop. My father, my mother and growing up how I grew up.

Belly) Misfit Massive, can you explain a little about them?
Libretto) That's the crew. That's the crew man, Misfit Massive, Lifesavas, Sly da Brown, Dubb-Flexx the Wolverine and myself. We just tryin to make good music and just add on to Hip Hop, we still feel the same way since the Bomb Threat compilation, you still gotta add on. Whatever you do, please be adding on to the leagacy of this Hip Hop thing they said was gonna be a fad and die out, that wasn't even supposed to be here right now, but now it's the biggest art of music that they making money off of.

Belly) So how'd Misfit get together?
Libretto) Got up with Jumbo, met him early 95, he worked at a music store I used to go to alot. Ended up talking, my man said he do beats, you know I rhyme, so we just connected and it's been love ever since, Dubb, Sly and Vurs were all present and Misfit Massive was my new home. It's been dope, a blessing.

Belly) Can you break down the term Illoet?
Libretto) Illoet, that's ill-poet, that's all that is, and it just came to me and Jumbo one night on Prescott and 15th, YouknowwhatI'msayin, the Illoet style like Ill, and just a poet, that's how he looked at me and I was like man that's dope. He was like but it's not your sillhouette, you's an ill poet, your other half. Some people know me as being something else. Alot of cats don't even know I rhyme unless they seen me on the stage or know me from just doing my thing. They just know me on the streets for doing other stuff or whatever so he's like that's not sillhouette, you's an Illoet. That's just kinda been my style, that's been what I stuck to and that song is one of the songs that's sharp right now, one of the sharpest songs I ever wrote.

Belly) What can people expect from the album? Let's start with a label, Is it on a label?
Libretto) Yeah it's on Dim Mak, the label is Dim Mak records out of Los Angeles/ Japan. We just doing our thing man. They're mostly rock, I'm the first Hip Hop act on the label and my man Steve Aoki is diggin me, that's my man, CEO and man he's just lovin it.

Edaddy) So how'd you swing that?
Libretto) (Laughing) Man, I didn't even swing it, it was just BSI went under, you heard about that right? BSI went under so, I was just like whoa, when they went under they was like, they cant' finish the album, they got no money, it was a wrap. I was floating around, didn't know what I was gonna do. I get a phone call from Jumbo and their manager right, my manager now, Ken and Roy and them, and Chris. Boom, I get a phone call, Ken said "You seen the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious?" I said yeah, "You know the Asian girl in the movie?" I said yeah. "Her brother owns a label and they're digging you, It was God, it was a blessing man, his sister, was feeling me, took it to him and was like you should check for this cat, they got in touch with me through Jumbo and my manager cause of the verse I did on the Lifesavas record.

Belly) Is it a good feeling of a feeling of pressure being chosen as the only rap act on Dim Mak?
Libretto) Ohhhh, man, that's an ill question cause I've been thinking about that. It's pressure cause this cat, he's investing MONEY. Them rock heads, he don't give them nothing for an album, he give them change and they do an album for him, and it'll sell 20, 30, 40 thousand copies yaknowwhati'masyin. I'm coming out, I'm already confident me and my niggas enough, knowing that we finna outdo that with the money he's givin us, with the quality the sound is and how we went on the mix. No half-steppin, sound good to your ears just good music man. I think I got a classic man for real, I believe it and when you hear it yall gonna judge it, that's what I want, I want to hear what yall think. Cause this; it's definitely a classic, good Hip Hop.

Belly) Who's doing production on it?
Libretto) We got Shines, Shines blessed it. We got my man Jumbo da Garbageman holdin it down always, peace much peace. Dubb Flexx the Wolverine and we got myself. But yall see, yall will hear it, yall gonna read the credits, if yall are real heads you'll read the credits.

Belly) Are there any Northwest artists you're feeling right now?
Libretto) Oh Yeah! I'm feeling Boom Bap; I'm on their joint when yall hear that, they got some heat. Man, I'm feeling Onry; he's still keeping it raw, doing his thing. Who else am I feeling out here that's doing their thing that's progressing, my man Nutz holding it down, Nutz is definitely representing Portland to the fullest but it's hard, you can't really name no cats.

Edaddy) But the few that are coming up are, it's gonna....
Libretto) MYGs doing his thing too, My man's doing his thing, he got all those big cats on there, Imma tell you, you gotta push that shit man, cause all those cats can bring attention, it's not getting heard by the right people cause he shoulda been blew up.

Edaddy) I think it's gonna be like the grunge era was for Seattle, you know. Like Pearl Jam and Nirvana all of a sudden when they blew up. I think it's gonna be like that with Hip Hop in the Northwest.
Libretto) The Northwest is finna do something, there's a lot of talent here. Lifesavas is takin it...

Edaddy) People like Onry, a lot of Oldominion, Sirens Echo...
Libretto) Yeah, I like Sirens too, can't forget about Sirens, Sirens is dope. Me and Syndel are gonna get down on some; it's gonna be dope though... It's gonna be hot, she's dope man, so I wanna make sure she's appreciated when I do a song with her cats is gonna really be like damn, OK, try to bring that outta her. She may stay on one path regular but that's the thing about us, that's one thing about our crew, my man Vursatyl can slaughter you with 16 bars and then come sing to you at the same time. It's about being versatile; you know what I'm sayin?

Edaddy) The mix tape you dropped showed varying styles, will the full length be the same way?
Libretto) No Doubt, the record is pure styles man, each song, it's all Slum funk that's the production, but when you hear it yall be like whoa. It's due out in October. Volume's on there, Dirty Thangs on there, I'll let you know that off the top. All of that's on there. It's definite classic, that stuffs never been released on CD, I'm finna give that to the world man, let em hear it. See what they think man.

Edaddy) Like you were saying will you be distributing world wide with this?
Libretto) Word.

Edaddy) So are you planning any tours?
Libretto) All that, All that, I'm touring with The Lifesavas, Brother J of X-Clan & Diverse on a little West coast run for about 2 weeks and Mt. Fuji Festival already locked and loaded. You heard of that festival?

Edaddy) No, No.
Libretto) You never heard of Mt Fuji?

Belly) I've heard of Mt Fuji, not the festival.
Libretto) They have a festival on top of Mt Fuji. It's like thousands of people. Thousands of people. It's like Lollapallooza type thing, Mt. Fuji though. Rock bands, LIBRETTOOOO!! On they ass! Imma be the only nigga out there. Killin em!

Edaddy) If you got up on stage with a live band, I think you'd fuckin tear some shit up!
Libretto) Hey, if I had one I could. I'm still in the search for a DJ. I ain't even got a DJ yet I'm strugglin right now I need a DJ. And it's hard because you gotta love the music like me, it's gotta be in you and I'm not finna be way out in a whole other state or country arguing with you on some bull, I'd end up catching a case or something. So I'm just chillin right now doing the cd pause thing... Still rockin em... Keepin it ghetto man skip that. Put me outside on the corner with a spotlight, and gate it around, charge niggas, two-three dollars, Libretto concert. Come see Libretto, we got the cd hooked up speakers outside. It's just hard times man.

Belly) You got any opinions of the scene overall around here?
Libretto) The scene is dope; it's still dope to me. Cats is doing their thing it's just different types of music though. That's where Portland is through. They're doing that du du deer (Guitar sound) and they're doing that Bum ch bum ch (Dance beat sound) and they can't mix man. That's not Hip Hop, this is Hip Hop, that's that bull, this that bull. That's where it falls down. That's how I've been seeing it since I've been here man but I just been rolling with my niggas, Misfit, Lifesav... cats been trying to get me to do music with them, I don't care. I know we dope. I already know we vibe too tough when we get in a room and just make music man. We start from looking through records man and just come out with a hit. That's how a lot of stuff on this album came. Me and Jumbo be up till 4 in the morning, no sleep. I recorded Dirty Thangs at 4 or 5 in the morning with a cold, kept it. It's dope man, I was tired as a mutha... sleepin in the studio dog, wake up, brush your teeth, drink your juice, let's go. Right back at it, it's a job homie, this music, when you really get in this business that's one thing that I've learned as an artist, doing tours, it's a life homie. You live it every day; your whole life revolves around it.

Edaddy) How long did you spend on this record?
Libretto) We finished the record in 3 weeks, it's been rough. It's a good rough, like when you givin birth. What I did was just go through the labor pains. Now I'm finna give birth, splatter all over the world. That was labor pains, Imma give birth now, my babys gonna come, Illoet, they gonna be like what...?

Belly) Any shout outs?
Libretto) Yeah, Superhappywax.com go check the website, it's jumpin off. Who else, Misfit Massive, Lifesavas. My heart, my daughter, I love you. My neighborhood, LA, Watts, Jordan Downs- "The Capital" all my peoples worldwide, Brooklyn, NY, Staton Is., man I got Queens, Mt Vernon, the Bronx, man all that, Harlem, Do or Die all my peoples, I got peoples man, I got bloodlines through Atlanta, Savahna, GA, 503- Rose City & God for my talent.

Look out for Librettos new full length album "ILL-OET THE LAST ELEMENT" coming in October. Librettos Misfit Records mixtape, the Dirty Thangs 12" and the Volume 12" featuring Lifesavas are available here now.