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1/2/2006 Interview with DCQ How have you been lately? I'm good! "Funky Fresh in the Flesh: Volume Two" is in stores now, that's what it is. That's a real dope project. What can you tell people about that? It's good music, Hip Hop in its essence. We have strong production, quality producers, strong lyrical content, and strong MC's that have been doing this all their life. That's what it is, good music. No more, no less. How was it working with Diamond D on it? Diamond's good people. We have history with Diamond. We've known Diamond since '92 or '93. Diamond is family. Whenever we call him to send tracks, it's done. He's always looking forward to working with us, so that's a plus. He did "Manifest Destiny" on the U.T.P. project too, and he did the second track on this CD called "Green Boogie." How is it working with Da Beatminerz? It's good. They come from the real essence of Hip Hop. Whenever you pick up a Medina Green CD, it's going to have those classic Hip Hop elements in it. Do you feel like a lot of music coming out today is missing out that authenticity? To tell you the truth, I don't get caught up in the matrix at all. I know where I've come from and I know where I'm headed, so I don't point fingers and criticize. It is what it is. We still elevate and grow, so that's a plus. How is a Medina Green song made? We make vibe music, we make zone music. We don't go into the studio with a topic for the day or saying we need to talk about this or that. We just go into the studio. Of course we do some pre-production, but we just go in the studio and go with the vibe or feel. Where does that vibe come from? Just from being family. It's different when you get together with the homies from around the way, the homies that you chop it up with. What keeps us grounded when we go into the studio is that we are family first. I'm not going to do something that's out of my character, because if I do, somebody in my circle is going to ask me what I'm doing, and vice versa. Being family first keeps things grounded, and knowing where we come from. We've been doing this for a real long time and we come from the real essence of Hip Hop with DJ'ing and when microphones were on cords. We had a following before Medina Green and we had a following as U.T.P., so people know. The family element is able to go past the music as well… You're absolutely right. It's business, but at the end of the day it's a lifestyle and more than a business. How do you and Mos Def help each other? Through belief and support that we need. We're brothers. We're the same, but we're very different also. You get to learn that through listening to the music and by seeing some of our shows. Medina Green has been working hard, putting out a lot of product in the past year. How important is it to have fresh material on a consistent basis? It's very important nowadays. You can't take any lay-offs nowadays. You have to stay consistent. If you do take a lay-off, somebody will be creeping on the come-up. You have to be on your job. You have to be up very early and in bed very late. What does DCQ bring to the group? I'm going to make sure that the beats are right and that it's something we can get down to. I keep things in order, I scout beats, I take care of all of the business…I'm like the head of the Voltron over here. We have our own mini-Voltron over here and I'm the head. The music we make, you could put it along the lines of a Mos Def or a Talib Kweli, or the Common Sense's or the Kanye West's, the "Native Tongue" style, but we're doing our thing with our own twist. I may kick it about things that you may not hear a Mos Def or Talib kick it about, and you can also hear me drop some jewels and the group drop some jewels. You've been MC'ing for awhile. How have you seen yourself grow from when you first came on the scene? Through constant elevation and making the right decisions in life, by being responsible. Is your sister Ces still rhyming? Yeah, she is for the most part. Right now, she's just laying low. We've got the treats in the oven cooking up on Ces right now. She's laying low, but you should be expecting to hear some things from Ces real soon. What impact did U.T.P. have on the underground when you first came out? It scared people. People weren't ready. We were way ahead of our time. For us to be able to put the album out 10 years later, and it's still a success and still does well, it just lets you know that there's a place for everything. Even though the project got shelved 10 years ago, we can still put it out and it's well-received. Mos has branched out into a lot of different things since becoming an MC, are there other things that you want to get into? Artist development and working behind the scenes. There's always going to be someone new creeping on the come-up. I'm just here to make sure we have the vehicle to release our music and control our own destiny. That's why I created Illson Media. There have been a lot situations in the past where we have record deals, but the material doesn't get released. We've been uncomfortable going through that. We had to take some steps backwards to go forwards. I created Illson Media and I was able to ink a deal with Studio Distribution. What's the most difficult part about running your own label? Right now, I feel good. I can only talk about frustrating things when I'm frustrated, and I can only talk about stressful things when I'm stressed. I love what I do. I'm getting up every morning and I'm working for myself. It doesn't get any better than that. Whatever frustrating things we face, we're going to get through it. It's only frustrating when you make that frustration and stress on yourself. I do the best to not allow anyone to bring frustration and stress onto me. Do you have any plans to go solo? Yeah, my next project is to going to be solo. The next release on Illson Media is the "Money Boss" album featuring Minnesota and also my solo project. What made you ask that? I was just wondering. I'm definitely going to test the solo waters. I also have an artist that I'm developing right now named Ali Shine, and he's featured on Volume One and also Volume Two. That's what it is. I was able to release the U.T.P. album, both Medina Green albums, hopefully everything goes well with the Minnesota situation, and then in February hopefully I can release my solo project. What do you give fans with your live show? Whoo! A lot of times when we do shows, the fans are cheering for more. It's a breath of fresh air. It's just a raw vibe. It's a breath of fresh air. It's like back in the days and going to see Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest in their prime. Going to see De La in their prime, and going to see Mos in his prime. We got a lot to give, and we don't hold back. Some artists get a little success under themselves and then they start getting chubby and lazy. We haven't had a chance to get lazy because we're doing this ourselves and making it happen independently. The show is raw. You wouldn't want to go on after us. I'll tell you that much. When we come off stage, you better come with it if you're going on after us, because I know when I go on stage, I brings it, and I do it without yelling and screaming and embarrassing myself. We strive to be professional and perfectionists. What do you want to say to everyone out there? Thanks for the love. Thanks for the support. We have our vehicle now to stay consistent and to keep releasing material out in the market. If fans want to hear more, they can go to IllsonMedia.com. Check it out. We have a lot of material up there. That's what it is.

By Brian Kayser

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