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Hell Razah @razah_rubiez #GGO EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW w @tragedykhadafi
QTP: Peace Fam! Wingz Up! When did you start rhyming? How did your career start?
TRAG: I started rhyming around the age of 9. I would repeat the most popular songs of the time and ad my own words to it .until I eventually started writing my own songs which probably began a year or so later. My career began the minute I started making demos at the age of 13 I pressed and sold my first record. It’s been legacy laying ever since .I was inducted into the juice crew around 14 yrs. old and came up under the tutelage of Marley marl ,Eric b and Rakim ( I used to sit in the corner of Marley’s living room/studio and watch Eric b and Rakim record ) big daddy kane ,mc shan ,kool g rap and dj polo ,biz and cut master kool v as well as t.j swan craig g and of course roxanne shante and mr.magic (r.i.p) i eventually embarked on my own journey as a solo artist carrying all the jewels i learned from thos great icons
QTP: How and when did you first meet Razah?
TRAG: honestly i can’ recall the first time i met raza is was as if he was always around in some form or fashion .but i do remember when we first cliqued up and startet working on songs after coming together for the bmm project .we would always build on life and science and we automatically connected on a mental and hood level .we have alot in common in terms of our characters we both have an intelligent hood type balance
QTP: Since you’ve known him so long, what’s it like as a peer and a friend to see what he’s gone through over the last few years and become one of the greatest comeback’s in progress taking Ghetto Govt to a global movement?
TRAG: I never told Razah this but he has been a real inspiration for me and has taught me alot of things just by watching him fight for his life .my old dad used to always tell me ‘you never had a fight until …u’ve fought for your life’ whenever i feel down, overwhelmed or frustrated Razah pops up in my mind .and i think about how he fought for his life physically as well as mentally .but more importantly he fought and won .i know its been a process for him and i feel blessed just to know someone with so much fight and strength inside of them. He fought to retain his own mind ….aside from other aspects of his life .imagine that .that shit is amazing and is a testament to his power. I have a lot of admiration for the brother .i was away doin a bid when i got the news and heard how he was gradually coming back to himself and his struggle helped me get through my own. It’s funny we look around for heroes and claim their are no more inspirations in music especially hiphop any more but maybe we’re just not looking close enuff , cuz Razah should be and inspiration not just to hip-hop but to life and the human spirit /energy ever time I turn on the computer and look in my phone he has something goin on and i just laugh and say ..damn this dude don’t stop….then i get a pen and pad and go in….
QTP: What projects have you been working on music & other wise?
TRAG: lately i have been working on my mixtape album and a book i’m writting .and pretty much just stayin sucker free….raising my seeds
QTP: Anything in particular fans should be on the look-out for over the next upcoming year?
TRAG: yes definitely my album and book
QTP: You and many of your associates are the very people that are directly responsible for breathing the life force in to the music that we all know and love as real hip-hop. Any thoughts on the current state of hip-hop and where it’s going?
TRAG: i was one of ‘those types’ who advocated the whole ‘hiphop is dead ‘thing until i took a deeper look at it.then i started to realize hiphop isn’t dead at all its just being refined .i feel alot of got closed minded and have grown and matured in life ….we had seeds ,became more responsible and less impulsive with our lives so now we listen to hiphop and we want to be what we were when we were wildin’ and livin a certain life style .we wanna bring the 90’s back instead of allowing our selves and hiphop to grow we want the hiphop of the past which is impossible .everything has to evolve .it was a time where we secretly held contempt for the south because t\’they were’nt real hiphop’ but the south beleive it or not kept shyt alive for a while while the east was killin it (in a bad way) every one on this side was sounding the same you couldn’t tell a southside queens nigga from an L.A.or south nigga .there was no authenticity on our side of life and every one was a killer ala 50 cent .in the past you could tell a Brooklyn dude from a Bronx dude and a philly dude from a dc dude but its like the music made every one mesh into some clone shyt .there was no authenticity and that hurt us on alot of waves of course it’s not what it used to be .but few things are .there are artist our now that represent hiphop in a major way …like joey badass and pro era ,logic ,krit ,jcole dizzy write, fuck that even mackel more in a sense .and their all doing it with templates from the earlier g’s who helped lay the foundation in fact their in a greater position cause the started off on “free land’ we grew up on major label plantations .and by the time we gained the courage to be ‘free’ it was usually after our prime .now don’t get me wrong there is str8 trash being pushed out there just likes its always been .but we are partly responsible for that cuase we were supposed to maintain the kingdom now we got online mags defining who ‘our’ greatest artist are what type of shyt is that .when we got dudes like large pro, pete ,ghost ,and my self still breathing .we need our own social forums cuase too many ‘aura snatchers’ are once again defining our relaity .like how can the greatest rapper /mc be a man kisser who doesn’t even write his own material
QTP: Do you have any advice for new artists coming into the game?
TRAG: yes .define your own success.if you from the hood like me and had a short life expectancy and went thru hell with gasoline draws on and your still alive and creating your own lane YOUR A FUCKING SUCCES if your pops aint jay z or l.a reid and you navigated your way through life and made it into the industry YOUR A FUCKING SUCCESS .and if you went hard at a bullshyt job paying bills and funding your own projects then YOUR ALREADY A FUCKIN SUCCESS.i know we look for that acceptance and recognition but thats all an illusion that will never last anyway ….no one knows your struggles better than you and you should already know you’re a fuckin star…..when you know that every thing else will fall into place and the universe will open up for u
QTP: How can folks get in contact with you and where can they get your music?
TRAG: they can hit me on the face book tragedy khadafi my website will be back up soon but then can also email me at 25livepromo@gmail.com
QTP: Anything else you want to add?
TRAG: yes .thanks for letting me build on these things …peace
TRAGEDY KHADAFI BIO INFORMATION
Birth name | Percy Chapman IV |
---|---|
Also known as | MC Jade Percy Chapman MC Percy Percy Tragedy Intelligent Hoodlum Tragedy The Foul Mahdi |
Born | August 13, 1971 (age 42) |
Origin | Queensbridge, Queens, New York, USA |
Genres | Hip hop |
Years active | 1985–present |
Labels | Tuff Break/A&M/PolyGram Gee Street/V2/BMG Records 25 To Life Entertainment Money Maker Entertainment Dolo Records (distributor, 1997) Solid Records DistroLord Digital (distributor) |
Associated acts | Juice Crew, Marley Marl, Killa Sha, Capone-N-Noreaga, Havoc, Littles, Imam Thug, Cormega, Headrush Napoleon, Black Market Militia, Mobb Deep, Jedi Mind Tricks, Trez, Vinnie Paz, Blak Madeen, N.O.R.E., Ras Ceylon |
Website | 252aura.com |
Exclusive Interview with HELL RAZAH @razah_rubiez GHETTO GOVT member KNA-LO @knalo7
QTP: Peace fam, Wingz Up!
QTP: For those that don’t know, tell us who you are, what you do:
KNA-LO: “Kna-Lo Venge” Artist, Producer, Actor, Visionary.
QTP: When did you start rapping?
KNA-LO: 12 years old
QTP: Who were your role models music wise?
KNA-LO: Biggie, Wu-Tang, Jay-Z, DMX, Prince, Michael Jackson, 50 Cent, Pitbull, FloRida, to name just a few.
QTP: How did you get hooked up with Razah and the GGO movement?
KNA-LO: We’re family!
QTP: What projects are you working on? What can folks expect over the next year?
KNA-LO: New Single “Blood Pressure” available now on BandCamp.com/Knalo. Shows nation wide and album coming next year.
QTP: Is there anyone that you really want to work with that you haven’t yet?
KNA-LO: P!nk, Nas, Prince, Jay-Z, Eminem. Off the top of my head.
QTP: How can folks reach you? ItsMyUrls.com/Venge
Kna-Lo/Venge defines his music as a testament to all that was and is good in Music. He originates from Queens, New York, the birth place of Hip Hop and hopes to set a standard in the music industry. “Kna-Lo does Hip-Hop as if it were written in his DNA” —AllHipHop.com
Kna-Lo/Venge is currently working on tracks for Avatar 2 and several reality tv shows, as well as several music licensing projects and commercials. More recently, he has music tracks that can be heard on MTV, Bridezillas, The Millionaire Matchmaker, My Sweet Sixteen and 2009-2010 Hottest MC In The Game. In addition, Kna-Lo/Venge is embarking on a solo project and his goal is to develop his own artists, but he’s not stopping there. Kna-Lo/Venge writes, produces, arranges, performs, develops and, is involved in every aspect of the music industry. Kna-Lo/Venge is his new moniker and he has put together a new image to go along with that addition to his name.
Originally just Kna-Lo, Venge represents his new attitude “to aVenge those without a voice”. With a new single & video “Blood Pressure” co-produced by D/R Period it looks like Kna-Lo/Venge has carved out a lane totally original and all his own.
Kna-Lo/Venge has built a solid background in the music business. He’s met, worked with and produced such artists as Big Pun, AZ, N.o.r.e., SPK, Sean Kingston, Lady GaGa, Ashanti, Akinyele, Jerome Benton, Red Café, Capone, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis M.O.P., Lil Kim, The Jacksons and many more. Kna-lo/Venge has also appeared in music videos with Wu-Tang, Rick Ross, Nas, Jay-Z, Eminem, 50 Cent, Pink and many others.
Kna-Lo Venge has just finished (4/10/2013) two new songs, 1: for Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’ licensing co. and a follow up single produced by hit maker SPK (famous for his work with Nina Sky, N.O.R.E. etc.). In 2008, he released a CD on “Bomb Hip Hop”, which he had the role as producer/executive producer, writer and performer.
Kna-Lo/Venge is aware of how audiences musical preferences fluctuate quite often. His new music and image is a bit darker but, more accessible to a wider audience. With his ear to the ground, Kna-Lo/Venge will continue to produce music to entice listeners and increase his current fan base. We’re excited to see where he takes us next!!
“Let me whip it around, so you know just what’s thorough, I can be your hero, you’ve had enough zeros, you’ve got the most natural swag I’ve ever seen attitude is tight and your shape is so mean” Quote from fan released single “Sexy Girl”.
M. Blain
Freelance Music Critic/Author/Screenwriter.