Topic: Hiphopkc interviews Jeff and Matt (Anti-Crew)
- Jan 10, 2007 06:13am by NRG - livin the art that is life !
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It’s a Friday afternoon and after some arranging, Jeff and Matt of Anti-Crew are sitting here in the living room of the Clinic. Before we met, I asked them to send me some questions they would like to answer about their New Mix tape “Dat’s Wassup!!! Of course, I wanted to find out about much more and so the questions started to fly . . . . . . . . . . .
nrg: How long have you and Jeff known each other?
Jeff: we 1st met in the 7th grade. We've known each other for bout 7-8 years now. Matt chimes in with Video Games. They were our first connection, plus we have similar taste in movies (at least most of the time) and we get each others humor.
Jeff and Matt start to trade back and forth, that early on when they were members of Disciples of Hiphop (a 6 person group) they would often find themselves apart from the group just making music together. In fact, we would start working on a song and by the finish of it the song would be complete and there was nothing left for the other members (both smile at this memory I know there are many nights of making music together behind these smiles)
nrg: So how does your process work i.e. who does what, when
Matt: Jeff will write a song (Matt adds) Jeff is writing all the time and then I will tailor a best to Jeff's lyrics. Of course we are both always working on stuff individually and constantly.
nrg: Who's the person on the cover of your new mix tape and why is he there?
Jeff: You know him, its James "J Wiz" Hawthorne. You see this guy everywhere all the time. His energy is so great. You remember the show we did at the p nut last year; he was so hyped during our performance. when we were doing our cover we thought “we want this dude’s energy with the project.
nrg: It’s apparent the mix tape is a lot lighter than your first release "The Progressive Movement: A Step Forward"
What inspired the change?
Jeff and Matt: We're about continuous evolution. WE don't wanna be locked into a certain niche. You know " they're political, they're conscious,
they sound like this.
Matt: The new album shows another side of us, light fun and full of pride for KC (check out KC Shuffle and it has a packed local line up).
Look at the covers compare our 1st with the new mix tape cover and then open it up.
nrg: when I open the mix tape there are Jeff and Matt, mouths wide open then Matt and Jeff say at the same time, " you'd be screaming if you were spinning that fast. We all break into BIG laughs as they reveal that sense of humor they both share. what a moment.
nrg: Since we're into the mix tape, let's stay with that. You two rhyme over a few industry beats on this project. What influenced you to work over these tracks?
Matt: First off, this is nothing new for us. We do it all the time. It helps us bring out more creativity. Jeff: that T.I. beat "What You Know", we just liked it.
nrg: Is this mix tape a prelude to what is to come in the future for your second full length LP?
Matt: It’s more of a transitional album
nrg: I add "like when you're enjoying a meal and you eat something fresh as a way to clear the palate and get ready for the next main course" but matt and Jeff look at me for a moment and then nod with a question mark look on their faces, just like the one on your face right now 😯
Matt continues: From the stuff we heard back from folks who listened to the first album, they considered it balanced and we feel good about that. Our next album "Ours for the Taking" is gonna be a combo of serious/light hearted. the mix tape is the appetizer.
Jeff: Our 1st album put us out there and helped us define what we wanna do without being confining and allowing for our evolution.
nrg: On KC Shuffle you two worked with a multitude of some of the scene's most talented artists. What was it like doing such a track?
Jeff: first, we didn't record this together at the same time. Approach was first in the studio to kick it off. He listened to the track and jotted down phrases and words and then in the booth he went. We were like, okay (really, wow) because we had never his composing style seen before. it was great.
Matt: Another interesting thing was that as the verses and energy started to be heard by the others, a few folks went back to the drawing board for their verse, out of a sense of camaraderie. Every body brought it 100% it was great.
nrg: Okay so who all is on this track?
Jeff, then Matt: Approach, Brother of Moses, Joe Good, Qan - a former Disciple of Hiphop alum, Ubiquity, Lucid, Reach and of course Us.
nrg: There is a personal reason you invited Qan to participate on this track, tell us about that.
Matt and Jeff: We knew he could hold his own in this company, he has the chops to lay it down right and this was, in part, our way of saying that to him.
nrg: I have a few more questions that take us away from the mix tape so here goes
Since spending a considerable amount of time in Chicago what could you say are the differences between the Hiphop scene there and in KCMO?
Jeff: Chicago scenes are segregated. You know there are labels like Galapagos 4 and Gravel Records to name a few. They each draw their own crowds. They don't seem to co mingle. They also seem strong in their own opinions when it comes to likes and dislikes. These factors and other things make it hard to be a part of the scene there.
Matt: Chicago as a city is more segregated. It has 3 times the population of Kansas City and is more exclusive in its arrangement. The North side is White, the South side is Black, the West side is Hispanic and on from there.
Jeff and Matt: KC is close knit in that everybody works with everybody in the Hiphop scene here.
nrg: Here's the last one,
Has it been hard to balance your time between College and Anti-Crew?
Jeff: There are some real challenges, but I have no regrets. I thought things were stressful in High School, Ha. Another thing is that Chicago is expensive, at this, they both nod.
Matt: I took a break to regroup so I am not attending college right now. I work a job; have a little studio apartment that is the size of a closet and keep building with Jeff. Initially, we were both in the same dorm just 2 floors apart so between classes had plenty of free time to work on stuff.
Jeff: Being confined to Chicago is a definite downside. We do some weekend shows but the logistics are tricky. K C has been a great launching pad.
nrg: to Jeff and Matt, thanks for spending this time with us.
