ReviewSTACKS.com – Rap reviews, features and commentary

I got lucky enough to bag Phoenix’s own Random for an electronic sit down to discuss, well, whatever I wanted. Now, it’s been a while since my last interview, and when he challenged me a bit to toss some heavier-than-average questions out I bit at the chance. Firm in his beliefs, articulate and well grounded, the RAHM Nation emcee was a fantastic interview. Now let’s hope our readers hold their ADD in check for long enough to make it to the last question.

– What do you bring to hip-hop’s table? – be it musically, personally, whatever.

Random – I try to bring honesty and purity…I guess those are kinda cliché at this point but I feel like those are my strong points. There’s no character or marketing image I have to uphold; I’m just me. I rap as the guy most rappers are deep down inside but are too insecure to let out.

– Who are your influences?

Random – More than ever these days, it’s not who influences me, but what. I’m inspired by what I see everyday on the news and firsthand. Things are rough out there and even rougher for kids. Musically, I’d say Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Journey, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, KRS-ONE, Rakim, Nas, 2Pac, LL Cool J…pretty much anyone who refuses to conform to what the “norm” is. Other non-musical influences include Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Spiderman.

– What are you trying to accomplish as a rap artist?

Random – I just wanna tell my story man. If I set a goal for myself and accomplish that goal I would probably quit or get lazy after that. I have small goals that I pick up along the way; they’re like ‘Achievements’ on Xbox games…they’ve ranged from recording at a major studio (unlocked), putting music in stores (unlocked), being able to fund my music career WITH my music career (unlocked), to getting my music into a video game (unlocked – peep www.casterthegame.com). I just want to be able to speak to people and allow them to relate to where I come from and where I am. I think what I say can help someone, somewhere and I want people to be able to say, “I feel him.” And make a little money on the side, haha.

– How do you define yourself as a rapper and as a person?

Random – I’m a son, and a God-fearing black man. I’m a college graduate, an educator and then I’m a musician. I don’t even like to call myself a rapper due to the negative image this usually conjures. One of the last things you’ll learn about me if you just meet me is that I rap.

– How’d you get into this video game rap genre? What do you call it?

Random – Crazy story…I had just finished up my first release “The Call,” and began thinking about the follow-up. I wanted it to be something totally different; nothing like the last album. So I removed myself completely from tap and started playing videogames constantly. I went back to the classics and it brought out all those old memories of sitting in front of the NES with blistered fingers playing games until the wee hours of the morning. I heard the Mega Man music and instantly went online and downloaded the soundtracks. Myself and the team (DN3, Samik) got to work flipping the tunes, I wrote rhymes from the point of view of the Mega Man character, and put it out. Capcom heard the album, agreed to license it and the rest is history. I don’t call it anything – I’ve been very closely associated with the nerdcore sub-genre, which I have a lot of respect for. But, I didn’t even know that genre had existed before I made the album. Labels are for salad dressing bottles. Call it what you want; I’d rather just let the music speak for itself.

– What kind of audience are you looking to garner?

Random – Anyone with an open mind and ear. The audience that is ready for something new with a dash of something old. Someone who pays respect to the veterans that have helped the game become what it is today and at the same time is optimistic about the future of hip-hop.

– Why should I listen to you?

Random – Because I’m the realest, roughest, toughest and most gangsta…and my chain is the biggest. That’s why. Kidding…because I feel I bring a lot of different perspectives to the table. Musicians today are all trying to recreate what’s been done a million times and give it a new name. I just want to make the crowd move, that’s what hip-hop is all about. I give you real life: laughter, love, passion, desire – it’s like an ABC miniseries.

– What sets you apart from the crowd?

Random – Being a teacher/rapper/producer/nerd requires me to come from a unique angle. I approach everything I do, from my stage show to album construction, from a fan’s perspective. I’m proud to say I’m a hip-hop fan…most of the time. I constantly get people after shows who come up to me and say “I don’t usually like rap, but I love your stuff.” I tell them “I don’t like rap either” and laugh. I think I’m rap for non-rap fans. I should coin that phrase.

– What’s your greatest asset as an artist?

Random – My ability to go into any crowd, any audience, any room or any venue and make people have fun. I’ve played in them all, from opening up for Common to hole in the wall venues (shots to the Rhythm Lounge in San Diego), to sold out, wall-to-wall packed anime and gaming conventions where NO ONE there even remotely likes hip-hop, and I’ve come out of all of those situations with more support and more respect than I had when I stepped in. I can never forget when I perform at the most thugged out venue and had people in the crowd saying “yo, do that Mega Man joint!” I used to be afraid of mixing the Mega Man rhymes with the more “traditional” stuff but I’ve learned that that’s what makes me Random. For at least that 20 minutes on stage, or 60 minutes on a CD, you step into Random’s world.

– What’s your greatest weakness as an artist?

Random – Probably my old school mentality. I was raised in Philly in a time that I believe to be the “golden era” of hip-hop. Because of this, I don’t know if I’m fully appreciative of the potential geniuses we may have amongst us today. Because of downloading and stuff, music is so much more disposable these days, so it’s easy to love one project today and not think about it again after that. Album releases used to be big deals – now the leak date is just as important. As an artist this leads me to waste time and bars on wack rappers, wack promoters and wack record labels. I try not to, but it’s hard to break that habit. When I wrote my first verse in 1993, it was me telling rappers not to step to me…I got that from the Kane’s, EPMD’s and KRS’s of the world. Also, it’s part of the teacher in me considering I spend all day trying to correct kids’ negative behaviors and break old habits.

– What’s the biggest uphill battle you face as a rapper?

Random – It’s being taken seriously by the non-rap community. Hip hop is so huge but yet it’s so centralized. Only the hip hop nation respects hip hops elite.

– Rap currently sits as the most socially powerful genre in today’s musical landscape, much like rock was in the 1970s; how does this affect the roles that rappers embody?

Random – Unfortunately, it gives a lot of power and responsibility to a lot of people who really don’t know what to do with it. I love the fact that something that started by young brothers in the park in the Bronx has now traveled around the world, breaking down barriers along the way, making a lot of people wealthy and serving as a voice for a voiceless generation. I hate to say that we’re role models but we are. So it’s our responsibility to give them a fighting chance. We can be rappers and be successful at it, but they need to know that it’s okay to be a doctor. Perfect example of how powerful rap is – I teach 7th graders and I did a rap for the class using our vocabulary words, last week. I read a kid’s journal entry for that day and he said, “I used to want to be a cop when I got older, but now I want to be rapper.”

– If you had to choose one – what would you rather be: lyrics or a beat – and why?

Random – Wow…great question. A hot beat is only hot for so long so I’d rather be the lyrics because great lyrics are always overlooked at first, but get appreciated later and that’s how I’d like to be. Some of the most powerful songs ever written have the perfect combination of words and music, but it’s the words that can inspire and move people. I don’t need earthly rewards or accolades, though they’d be nice, the simple tweet or email I get once in a while that says “thank you,” or “you inspired me” makes it all worthwhile.

Random Stats:

Last full length album: Mega Ran 9

Last mixtape:  TeacherRapperHero Mixtape

Forum: randomhiphop.proboards.com

Future work: Random’s next album will be a combination LP/comic book with First Storm Manga called Language Arts that’ll drop in summer 2010.

Podcast: http://rahmradio.mypodcast.com

Video(s): Peep his video for “Worst I Ever Heard,” which isn’t a shot at Drake, necessarily. Also, check “Push.”

For more information on Random, visit his site HERE or follow him on Twitter.