CHRONICLES OF THE ORACLE
Sunset Strip Music Festival 2014: Murs 316 Stage
Day 2
I arrived early on Day 2, child free, and ready to pull off all the prospective interviews on my list for the day. I walked through the entire blocked off area, and visited the booths, ate some food off the trucks and took in the whole Sunset vibe for the day. While walking through, I spotted one of my new favorite people,
Big Freedia the "Queen Diva!" I have some close friends who are relatives of Freedia, and I took it upon myself to chat it up and get a quick selfie.
I am getting a hold of this interviewing thing and I asked Freedia if I would be able to get an interview, and Freedia quickly agreed to give me an interview at press time, but that moment was eating time. I wouldn't shy away from the opportunity to get an exclusive interview with the Queen of Bounce...I was sure to make my way back to
Big Freedia.I was excited to see one of L.A.’s most vicious wordsmiths,
Ill Camille. She just so happened to be the only 1st and only female emcee to grace the
Murs 316 Stage at the Sunset Strip Music Festival. She is the pioneer of the evening and served as a major source of galvanizing energy.
Oracle Jayne Doe: How does it feel to be one of the only women to hit the MURS 316 Stage?Ill Camille: I just feel grateful. I always say I was disappointed when I heard
MURS announce that there wasn't gonna be a
Paid Dues or
Rock The Bells. I was like, "Damn, you didn't give me anything to campaign for!" Last year, I knew what I was gonna campaign for this year towards the next one. So, when he put me on this bill, I thought, "Damn, it could be two people, it could be
MURS and me!" I am going to perform the same, because I had been waiting on that and I like to rap, so I was happy, I was excited and I am just grateful.
Photocred: @its_missbliss
OJD: I am privileged to a lot of inside information...And, with that said, my condolences. How does it feel to be on stage after you lose people; your father and your uncle? Do you feel that extra push?IC: It's different. I had actually got the news from
MURS about me performing like two days after the passing. So, it was bittersweet. My pops was really in the know about everything regarding Hip Hop, especially the L.A. scene, and he loves
MURS. That is why he said, "RIP Big Mike! Because my dad knew him. So, just for
MURS being able to give me that and my own dad not being able to experience this, just made me go harder. It's weird because I took the sadness and I channeled it. Now, this is turning into something else...Now it's a hunger, now this feels like the first time I’m rapping...Now, I want to go out there and get everything. So, you know, that's how I just been dealing with (it). I am getting a lot of support and, again, I am grateful that
MURS gave me that. In the end, this will help me shake that off.
OJD: As an artist, we put a lot of boundaries on ourselves...So, what boundaries have you put on yourself that you are no longer going to allow yourself to be chained down with?IC: You know how you want to talk [rhyme] about something personal, but you don't want to touch on it too much? I feel like the black culture, we have this thing like taught to keep that shit in house, don't discuss that shit in public. If I put it in a song, it's public now. I was like, "How do I balance being so personal without being so public, and damn near put nobody out?" I don't want to do that! But, I think I mastered that now. I mean, everything that happened this year; it's a two year gap and I have grown, so now I don't have that. That, "Oh, Camille, you can’t talk about that! You can’t sing on a record!" I don't have that. I'm gonna do whatever feels good to my spirit.
OJD: What would you tell that 5 year old girl that looked at you and said, "I want to rap!" -- What advice would you give her?IC: This is gonna sound so cliché’, but it matters so much to me now. Whoever you really are, be that. 'Cause you will break yourself down trying to be somebody else. You will kill yourself trying to be somebody else, when you could have spent your time being you. I’m just now getting this now. Literally this month, I was like, "Oh, me, works!" So, I am gonna do that. So, I would definitely tell the little girl to do that.
There is something to be said about being the first to do something. Today, history was made.
Ill Camille was the first woman to EVER to do a solo performance on the
MURS 316 Stage at the
Sunset Strip Music Festival. I received that charge of encouragement from the first performer of the day, which just so happens to be my friend and a very dope emcee.
I was so excited to see some of my #RapHeroes on The Strip, and they had just came of off the
MURS 316 stage...
Pterodactyl Jones, consists of
Curtiss King,
Noa James a.k.a.
Young Orca, and
Kid Dxsco. I have been following these dudes for some time, and have had the pleasure of performing in the Inland Empire at the
Common Ground. The IE is the home of some real dope music! These guys have created a foundation-al niche with their movement in the IE. Our encounter proved to be one that was much needed. This interview turned into a conversation and ended enhancing my love for these adorably dope people. All this musical arousal could drive a music lover into overdrive!
Young Orca: Someone just hit me up, they were like, "One thing on my bucket list is I want to go to the
Common Ground!" And, I looked at Lesa [Girlfriend] and she was like, "Are you gonna cry?" I said, "We created that and someone wants to put it on their bucket list.” I had to ask him why, and he said, "Because of the way you explained it to me...Because of the way you set it up. I want to eat, then smoke with you in the corner and go in and watch the acts inside."
Curtiss King: That's sounds like a ratchet ass Cheer
Oracle Jayne Doe: There is something about the vibe of that place, you guys have definitely created your niche. It’s interesting that you have gained the interest of so many outside the IE...Y.O.: I learned from
Project Blowed. I did
Project Blowed in the IE with
Ganja K, Aceyalone, and
Badru. They gave me the rights to do it, and I did it 'cause we had nothing. We had no foundation. My O.G.’s;
Dirty Birdy,
Ganja K, they started showing me shit, how to build. When I got the foundation, that's when I started building. They said that I had to build something different. Don’t do it like the Good Life, do it different but always be humble, be stern about your rules, and keep it a family. This is our family right here, we tell each other the truth.
This interview could have actually been a feature, but I will settle here.
Project Blowed is my rap foundation and I knew this connection would make a great conversation. Stay tuned for the "live" recording of that interview. These guys are full of charisma and jokes! The genuine smiles and positive vibes of these characters we now know as Pterodactyl Jones have, is one to be admired like that of a jurassic artifact. Too many times we see artists who are all about the "Turn Up," but they burn out quick. There is no depth because they try so hard to pattern themselves after the most illusive, rock star types. These guys have openhearted, ready to learn, and earn their stripes kind of energy, and that goes a very long way in this business. Salute to my #RapHeroes
Information is the best ammunition in an interview and I was a bit nervous about my next interview. I armed myself by researching the
CES Cru, which consists of two lyrical savages;
Godemis and
Ubiquitous. I saw a couple videos and heard some of their music, and I prejudged the energy I was about to receive. I thought they would be wild and rambunctious, but they seemed to be very grounded and professional. In the midst of our interview, I realized what I was to receive from this encounter. One word comes to me: Focused. They were preparing to go on tour with their label-mates;
MURS and ¡
Mayday!, and my discernment revealed to me that the long road that led them to the
MURS 316 Stage was one of sacrifice and hard work...
Ubiquitous wore sunglasses, and
Godemis kept his eyes visual, but he rarely looked into mine. I love to meet people and feed off their energy, but I couldn't get what I searched for until the interview progressed and I felt them open up.
Oracle Jayne Doe: What advice would you share with an artist that is on the brink of success?
Godemis: I am horrible with advice, so I will share advice that my boss Tech N9ne shared with me. No "Plan B," and that is pretty self-explanatory. “If this album don’t do XYZ, then I’m gonna hang it up!” If you have that state of mind, then you should have probably just quit already. No Plan B, man! You have to be about it...No, if this don't work I’m going back to telemarketing, there is no room for doubt. You need to focus on what is ahead.
Ubiquitous: The best advice I could give someone is to invest in yourself. If you aren’t willing to invest in yourself, people won't be willing to invest in you. A lot of artists that I know are waiting for this magic ship to just come pick them up, then they just get on it and ride, but that never happens. In fact, you don't ever get to sit down on a ship and ride. If you're lucky enough for an opportunity for someone to actually want to help you, be ready to work 3 times harder than you were before then and that's the truth! I don't think people really realize that. From the outside, they just glamorize the success story, but they don’t tell the "grind" story. They focus on the overnight story.
At the end of the interview, I remember making eye contact with
Godemis. I don't know why that is so important to me, but it is. I caught the tail end of their show, and there it was...Crazy, magnetic, I knew it. I really love this music shit! They said to expect “Real Hip Hop music...It's not chock-full-of gimmicks, or fillers…Conceptual songs and great production.” I can admit that I didn't know much about them until this interview, but I'm glad I know now. I’m a new fan of the
CES Cru, and you should be, too! Inspiration is all up in this festival. Time was flying and I had to make my way over to meet with the legendary
R.A. the Rugged Man.
The interview with
R.A. the Rugged Man is worthy of a feature. He gave me some bars, that should not be condensed or quoted. This legendary emcee has blazed trails that every young white kid looking to get on should study. I will post the recorded interview on the website as a part of the "Chronicles." I will also feature my exclusive interview with
Big Freedia, because a Diva is always worth a “featcha!” The time came for me to put my little digital recorder away and absorb the remainder of this unforgettable experience. I still can’t believe this opportunity came my way. I am soaking it all in...
Noreaga was on stage when I came back and he brought out
ONYX! “Slammmm, da duh duh da duh duh, let the boys be boyz!” I was all in to it. I was transported back to '93, in the cafeteria of
Ware Hall at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. I remember they brought a deejay to our cafeteria, and when the Sticky Fingaz verse came on all the girls in the dorm stood up and got buck, like a bunch of New Yorkers -- It was crazy!
I was amazed to see that
Fredro Starr and
Sticky Fingaz looked the exact same. They had that same untamed youthful energy that they had in the '90's.
N.O.R.E. was nostalgic as well, but bruh had a lil gut. *sips tea* #JusSayin ...He still had the hits to play for everyone to sing along to. To have the musical longevity that these artist possess, is something I strive for. I want my music to be engraved on a chapter of someone's memory.
Killer Mike hit the stage and literally blew my eardrums with the bass in his tracks! I had to walk away from the stage in order to really hear the music. The bass was so loud that even when I walked to the food court, my body was still feeling the effects of the rumble. He said, “My name is
Killer Mike, and I come to tear the Muthaf**ka up!” and he was not lying. He was so light on his feet as he turned up the crowd. He really did his thing.
Most artists strive to express themselves and imprint their influences throughout music.
DJ Quik is EVERYTHING…Understand me! In my eyes, he is a musical genius and few know the extent of this man's remarkable talent. I had the pleasure of sitting in with him as he mastered one of
Snoop Dogg’s projects. I don't think he knew how much that moment meant to me, but watching him on stage was dynamic.
Things that he has done for West Coast Hip Hop far surpass any effort that you can imagine...And, yes, he still looks good! He brought out
Tay F 3rd and
David Blake, his son, and they turn't it up! They had vigorous energy and it was dope.
DJ Quik turned the
MURS 316 Stage into a big house party on Sunset Blvd. I was doing the Cha-Cha, and reminiscing with my homegirl,
Miss Bliss. He even broke it down a couple times doing his gangsta walk. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful two-day event. After the show, I rushed backstage to get a hug and hand Quik an
OJD Sweater, a CD and a card. That was just my affirmation that I will work with him one day.
This two day event was more than I could have asked for when it comes to inspiration. I am overflowing with gratitude for all the artists I made contact with, and I cannot wait until next year! I am anxious to see what the rest of the year holds for me. Hopefully, you will be along with me as the
Chronicles of the Oracle unfold...
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