Issue 56Content

06 In demand

08 katiegotbandz

09 jansport j

10 jarren benton

12 treejay

14 berner

16 Smoke Dza

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“”

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W ith h er singl e “ P op O u t” f eatu r ing K ing L ou ie b u zzing on th e r adio w av es, C h icago r ap p er K atieG otB andz h as mu ch mor e in stor e f or th e f u tu r e. H er u p coming p r oject D r il l ar y C l inton 2 w il l b e dr op p ing A p r il 1 5 f ol l ow ed b y h er deb u t al b u m. J E N E S I S met u p w ith K atie to tal k ab ou t h er car eer , th e C h icago h ip h op scene and mor e.

O n signing h er distr ib u tion deal w ith eO ne M u sic & b eing th e 1 st l ady of K ing L ou ie’ s l ab el , L aw l ess I nc.:

I t’ s stil l k ind of sh ock ing to me, b u t it’ s a good thing to be the first lady.

On getting advice from King Louie:

I w as at th e w r ong p l ace at th e w r ong time and I ’ m stil l in th e midst of some th ings now and if I star t to get in tr ou b l e, h e’ l l star t to tel l me “ y ou got p eop l e w h o ar e l ook ing u p to y ou and y ou can’ t l et y ou r f r iends or f amil y dow n.” L ou ie h el p s me stay on tr ack . H e giv es me adv ice in th e stu dio. H e’ s l ik e my b ig b r oth er .

O n w h at sh e w ants to accomp l ish in 2 0 1 4 w ith P op O u t and mor e:

I ’ m w or k ing on a mix tap e and an al b u m r igh t now . I w ant P op O u t to b e G ol d and P l atinu m and I w ant my al b u m to do it as w el l .

O n w h at sh e sees w ith th e f u tu r e of dr il l mu sic:

D r il l mu sic h as b een ou t f or a minu te. I ’ m gl ad it’s getting the attention it’s getting now. But I w ant it to b e inter national . E v er y b ody ’ s b een w or k ing h ar d and I ’ m gl ad th at dr il l mu sic is getting attention and I’m a part of it.

O n w or k ing w ith h er cou sin B l ock O nD a-T r ak k , w h o p r odu ced P op O u t:

I cal l h im my p ar tner in cr ime b ecau se h e h el p s me k il l b eats [ l au gh s] . H e’ s l ik e my b est friend. He’s one of the first and last people I tal k to ev er y day . I get on h is ner v es and h e gets on mine. A nd w e b oth act l ik e b r ats.

H e’ l l b e on ev er y p r oject I w or k on. B l ock isn’ t selfish. He likes when I work with other p r odu cer s. H e tel l s me get b eats and r each ou t to oth er p r odu cer s. M e and B l ock b een r ock ing out since “I Need A Hitta” and he’s the only p r odu cer ou tside of B oy S cou t th at can giv e me a b eat and I don’ t h av e a p r ob l em w ith it. A ny oth er p r odu cer I h av e to tel l th em to mak e additions to it.

O n h er f eel ings ab ou t b eing a f emal e r ap p er in th e indu str y :

I u sed to b e cr y ing and w h ining ab ou t it. B l ock used to stay telling me that I have a different sou nd th an oth er s. A l ot of p eop l e tel l me th ey r esp ect me b ecau se I didn’ t sel l my sel f to get th is f ar . I t u sed to b e h ar d b ecau se I ’ m y ou ng and b eing a f emal e in th e indu str y . Y ou got to stay humble no matter what and I look past all the other stuff.

katiegotbandzinterview by kaitlin balmertphoto by anthony williams

We caught up with the architect of the project Urban $treet Americana, Jansport J, and talked on how working with El Prez brought an organic vibe to the album and sticking to his sound.

On Working with El Prez:

I’ve known [Prez] since about 2008 or 2009, when we were working on the L.A.U.S.D. Curly Tops & Nautica Jackets tape and working on the The House Club projects. It wasn’t until 2012 when we thought about doing a project together. When you listen to his voice, it is very LA and that translated well with the upbeat approach to his music. I wanted to see how it would work with my soul sound and what lane we would take from there. As soon as he came up with the title ‘Urban Street America’, that was it. We knew where we wanted to go with it.

The Production process on U$A:

At this point we didn’t work with each other for a couple of years, so I sent him a batch of beats to see how his vibe would be. I had an idea of where I wanted to take the album and Prez happened to pick the beats I had a feel for. They set the premise for “Task Force,” “Same King,” and “USA,” and from that point on I had to pick out which songs would bring out the best vibe. We wanted to add something

different to what we were doing and knew that we had something special when people were throwing money at the project [laughs].

His mindset on creating the album:

Going into the record it was militant and nostalgic, studying films such as Boyz In The Hood and Don’t Be A Menace while looking at albums like Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde and Death Certificate. I wanted to not completely mimic what they were doing back then, but to recreate the feeling that listeners back then had and the only way to do that is to study the time period then.

On working with other artists and staying true to his sound:

I’ve been blessed to have the respect of a lot of people in this industry such as AZ, Kool G Rap, Snoop Dogg, and Blu. When I receive a call from them, they like to receive more of what I have to offer with my sound. It’s funny because I started out with Interscope, they would tell me that I had to make the sound of the moment. When the Cool Kids was bump-ing with their sound, they wanted me to do that. When Dubstep was popping they wanted for me to do that. It’s corny, but I understand

I’ve always stuck to my guns and it turned out

that you can’t chase anything. You have to

yourself.

Jansport Jarticle by christopher mcmanusphoto by timothy Nishimura

WHO I AMjarren benton

Article By Trevor Leard

For some fans he is seen as one of the more experienced men at Funk Volume rocking the coon skin hat, but if you look deeper, you find a crazy, funny, and serious artist, who is trying to push the limits on all angles.

Jarren Benton said that the left field influences from artists like Outkast, Eminem, Redman, Wu Tang Clan, and Nine Inch Nails inspired him to also pursue his own lane. “It shaped my influence and shaped the direction I wanted to go.” Jarren said.

From his first projects you can see that the Funk Volume artist wanted to have fun with his music and not just be serious all the time. With his collaboration mixtape “Huffing Glue With Hasslehoff” with SMKA you could tell just by the name that the project would be wild.

“Really man it was just organic, I told em I didn’t want too do nothing to serious.” Benton said about working with SMKA. “I was at this point where I didn’t want to make more depressing music; I just wanted to make some fun shit man.”

As for how the name of the project came about Jarren said he liked the crazy titles that mixtapes were coming out with. “It was just like I’m a huge fan of comedy I always thought it was funny when people had the most absurd title” Benton said. “I wanted a title that didn’t mean a fucking thing and that was the most ridiculous thing when you heard it.”

And from there he said that’s how the next title “Freebasing with Kevin Bacon” came about, “From that I wanted to keep that same vein,” he said “I just wanted to add the most absurd drug use with the most charismatic actor.”

Jarren said he is not afraid to only stay in his lane even though he usually been quoted saying he’s keeping it in safe mode. A rock project would be one of his next steps in the game.

“I was talking to Dame about this; a lot of artists do it but its whack,” Jarren said about hip hop artists venturing into the rock world. “In my eyes I think its whack and the reason I thinks it’s whack is because I’m such a fan of the originators of that shit, when I hear them try to mimic it, it just doesn’t sound authentic.”

Venturing into that world is a next step for Jarren, though.

“I want to make sure I do it dope, I don’t want to make it cliché,” he said. “I have to do it authentic and dope... you know--even working with some live musicians.” But ultimately Jarren said the final project will have to be up to standards “I don’t wanna release it unless it’s up to par.”

a fan of the video posted it to Hopsin’s page, and he showed it to his partner Dame and they reached out.” Jarren said. Returning the email was something that he said took a while because he is bad with checking emails. But

live at the South By Southwest Festival he was hooked. “When I saw them I was like these mutha fuckas are sick, cause I never seen them live,” Jarren said. Soon after this, Jarren was catching on to the Funk Volume movement and trying to make the world catch on as well.

Today’s Congress is in a gridlock over marijuana laws. Half of them believe it will set the people free and will relieve fiscal hardships. The other half naively believes

drug. I met Berner in a smoke shop on hilly Haight Street in San Francisco (who would have guessed?). The native is renowned for his underground rap career and, of course, his green thumb.

He’s popularized the lethal strain called "girl scout cookies" that changed the weed and rap communities, making it a commodity to always possess or at least want the strongest marijuana possible. Some of Congress and other politicians believe marijuana effects the cerebral cortex, responsible for memory, overall intelligence and drive, yet the 33-year-old weed rapper showed up before his

he just booked a flight to Los Angeles.

Berner has never been a couch potato and has always been ready to go get it. “I just found a old W-2 from when I was 14,” he explained, "Yeah, I most definitely wasn’t supposed to be doing that. I’m a young hustla though." He’s always been ahead of his time and ready to act on his inhibitions, at 18 years old he ‘got it’ yet again.

“I’ve always been obsessed with weed, but right when I turned 18 I started running a cannabis club [at the same time I was bartend-ing],” he said “...bartending and selling weed was the life.” Not only is he an intelligent and driven weed rapper–contrary to what today’s politicians may think–he’s a bit existential.

He’s gained valuable tools that many seek and uses them to be creatively prolific through his music and in business. “You just got to do it, bro," he said. "You’re going to have to invest money into yourself. You can’t rely on anyone else and once you realize that you got to be ready to go.”

We talked about his latest release, Drugstore Cowboy, against the vaporizer wall in the shop, the tape has racked up a hundred thousand downloads on the self-acclaimed mixtape authority site Datpiff and is also moving units on iTunes. The 19-track project explores the stoner’s illustrious lifestyle filled with drugs, fast cars and women coupled with spacey beats and old school samples, a style

that is in competition with a heavy cadence and “turn up “ mentality of the current market.

“Drugstore Cowboy was a test for me to do what I want to do," he said. "At the time my label didn’t really agree with the type of sound it was and didn’t understand that that’s my lane. I ended up doing it and it worked and I think now everyone agrees that I know what my fans want to hear. I know my audience.”

Some also believe that weed is an anti-social drug, yet as we stood store front watching patrons roam the many stores people couldn’t help but say “What’s up Bern.” He’s created a network of relationships through the banned substance that seems to help connect the dots and expand his reach. “It’s how I met Chris Brown, Wiz, Rick Ross," he explained. "Weed is a way for everyone to bond that may have nothing in common. It brings people together and that’s the beauty of it.”

“I’ve been told I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things," he said. "They said I wouldn’t make it in music, clothing, water, I have a marketing company and I make more than a lot of these marketing companies. Dawg I never went to high school or college. I don’t know shit about marketing! I know how to make sure people can see it, identify it and know where to get it."

The proprietor of the dank strains Snowman and Sherbert, Berner is more than a weed rapping legend. He is an entrepreneur that goes with his gut and intuition. I watched him manage mainstream success after signing with Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang–juggling clothing companies, marketing, and Hemp2o – yet he can’t help but talk about more pop-up shops, store ideas, clothing and concerts with the shop owners as if he doesn’t already have a lot on his plate. He took a toke from his joint, as he took a snapchat of bubbles filling the air from a makeshift bubble blower set up on the corner by a band of street dwellers, he shared a few laughs with friends, everyone around him exuded confidence–feeding off of his positivity–I couldn’t help but ask myself ‘Is THIS what congressmen and politicians are really afraid of, a person unafraid to trust his gut that can balance it all the while high?

With taking control of his own label situation, his own album release, and having a clearer vision of how his career should be handled, we spoke to him before his album dropped and it’s evident we’re in the presence of future Harlem eminence.

With each release, show, tour, etc you work to outdo the last benchmark. What are we about to witness with this new album and a more experienced DZA?

You’re about to witness greatness. You’re about to witness intricate story telling. You’re about to step into my life. I’m very personal on this project. Anyone that didn’t know DZA before will know after this.

With the releases, videos, etc your approaches seem stronger than before. What’s the difference in how you prepare now versus before?

Usually I put out a project every year. More than one. I try to stay consistent on that. I haven’t put out a full project since KONY. That was 2012 before the term got commercial. You wonder “where it came from” and I did that. I toured and I was doing different things and I was really trying to craft my next project into something that everyone could talk about and be a stamp in the game. It took me since 2012 to do this, working on this project. It got scraped a few times. I got features and songs from people, a lot of my friends, a lot of people I haven’t even worked with that aren’t really out there like that’s not on this project because I really focus on one particular lane. And that’s staying away from what people pigeon hole me to. Like you see the name is Dream.ZONE.Achieve because that’s the

acronym of DZA. Because that’s a popular question that people ask. I broke it down with the artwork, with how the album is structured, it’s three different acts. The first act is Dream, that’s the motivation. The second act is Zone, that’s the hustle. The third part is Achieve, that’s the basking in all the glory. The mood switches three times for each act. It’s all a story that’s correlating.

I wanted to make it like a movie, I really wanted people to hear it and be interested...like not just take it for who’s on it. Really listen to it and accept it for what it is because it’s me going hard with everything. I get on Twitter and they ask ‘when are you going to put out something new?’ after you put out something new. Don’t ask me for something new [laughs] this is what it is right here. Its 21 joints so soak it all in, make your favorites, and I’m shooting joints for a lot of the tracks on the project.

What was the most fulfilling part about finishing Dream.ZONE.Achieve?

I’m never actually done. I always look at it like I’m never done until the pre-order is out. I just knew it was the body of work I’m comfortable with letting the world hear. I really felt like I got my story across. When I was listening to everything it was like what more can I say? There’s always more to say but it’s like I’m going to wait for the next one to say more. This Dream.ZONE.Achieve is a lot right here. I really put my all into this shit. I take pride in the rapping; I take pride into being good, and take pride in fulfilling my fan’s needs. Niggas need new music and when I do show, they need sermons and new songs. It’s all about evolving and that’s what I try to do with all of my new music. George Kush may be the favorite to some people. KONY may be the favorite to some people. Rugby Thompson. The list goes on and I want to get better as they go on.

DZA is poised to take his career to a new height and quieting any doubters and half assed listeners who miscontrue his prestige.

In past interviews you’ve spoken a lot about people saying you’re a weed rapper but if you truly listen more, you’ll find another person. Do you think people stick artists to a genre and run with it?

My name is Smoke DZA. People automatically hear that and think ‘ok that’s what he does.’ But when you listen to the music, if you’re a real listener and you enjoy music and you enjoy lyrics, then you listen to it and think ‘yeah he does smoke weed but I think he’d be smoking weed if he wasn’t doing music. Let’s just know that’s what he does and he’s honest about what he does and that’s his life.’ Speak-ing on all the other shit that comes with it; the hustle and having kids, different subjects and conversations you have to have with your kids, the touring and being away from your family, you’re doing it for the better. Speaking on what’s going with your lady, being away, and how she feels about that. None of that has anything to do with weed. Yeah I smoke weed, what else? [laughs]

How have you worked to really say “stop labeling me as a weed rapper, and pay attention closer to what I’m saying?”

First, it was not naming the project something you can attach weed to. Second, just making different music. At the end of the day I love smoking weed and I have a core fan base that loves it as well. I’m not trying to shy away from it and weird them out. The pot head guys don’t label me a pot head guy, it’s just music. It’s the squares that don’t understand it that will just say ‘oh that’s weed music.’ They don’t even listen to it, they just read the title...or skim through it and they get sucked into it cause of the other person that’s featured on it, and that’s what they want to get to so they’ll go to that and disregard everything else. They don’t want to like it and say ‘oh that shit’s cool but fuck this.’ Everybody isn’t like us. There’s not a lot of cool muthafuckas. I don’t expect everyone to understand it. Just respect it.

Earlier we mentioned a more experienced DZA. You’ve formed your own situation, RFC Music Group in which your album is the first release. Can you tell us about the label and the goals you’d like to achieve with it?

Well the goals I wanted to achieve was to do something that belonged to me...something that’s actually mines and I know what’s going

on because it’s coming straight to my bank account. And it was me as an artist being a boss and sticking my chest out not just for the fact of having your own imprint but putting dollars into your shit and going about it that way. For me it symbolizes independence and wherever I go from here is just a partnership or what I feel comfortable doing.

How have you taken situations you’ve witnessed in the industry with labels working with artists and worked to apply it to your label so the most success can come from each situation?

Right now I’m the only artist signed on the label. I’m working for myself. I’m not going to cheat myself. [laughs] As far as whenever anyone else comes under the umbrella I’m going to treat it like how I treat my own shit. If you have a company, a label, and artist, you’re supposed to treat your artist how you treat your own shit, ‘cause then you know you’re going to put your all in your own shit so now you have another obligation and you’re trying to get back the same thing. There are a lot of examples of people that have done that and been successful.

JENESIS

Moving forward you keep it as Harlem as any rapper we know and talked about Cam and Dipset being influences. How did it feel to get The Ghost Of Dipset together?

It was crazy. Killa and Jim, those are my guys. They show hella love. It was crazy working in the studio with Killa and watching him lay the verse. His shit is poppin right now, and we have our own shit that we’re working on outside of that. We’re a few songs in on the project. It’s an honor being a guy outside of Dipset to get the respect from both of them; it’s crazy being from the town. You’re getting verified from the guys being successful from doing it that you watched growing up and now I’m a young OG from the town and it’s like ‘yo we fuck with him.’ The video [we shot] is overwhelming when that shit come on, it gives niggas goose bumps when that part comes one. That’s the hottest shit out right now [laughs].

What was your biggest goal in the past with your career and how much does it differ from who you are now if at all?

The goal right now is to sell a bunch of records independent. That’s something I really want and I really think it’s possible. I really feel I’m due for it. Rugby Thompson did a phenomenal amount of records independent, with really no promotion. This record right here is the one. This going to be the one that’s going to give me that jump. After that you know it’s domina-tion, you know where we’re going.

What’s something you’d like to be known for outside of music?

I’m a great person. Outside of music I do a lot of things for a lot of people. Outside of music I want people to say ‘DZA was a good dude. He helped.’

I definitely want to have my own PAL thing. My own recreation center. Have a classic basketball game in my neighborhood. We had the father’s day tournament in Morningside Park (that’s the neighborhood where I’m from) and it got shut down like four years ago, because they can’t really control what happens after the game is over, but, If I can bring that back and find a way to have control of that somehow, that’s what I want to do for my neighborhood. When I brought Wiz Khalifa to the hood and shot the video in Mama’s Fried

Chicken, that was authentic and organic. I haven’t seen that since I was growing up, when I would run into Mase, Bobby Brown, Missy Elliot, or whoever was coming through. The kids don’t see that no more. You got people outside the window taking pictures and I actually let them come in. I want to continue to provide moments like that for my neighborhood. This is my neighborhood. They still talk about Wiz coming through. It’s a part of history. I’m into providing shit like that.

JENESIS

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210 Grant Street Suite 401(412)454-5582

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210 Grant Street Suite 401(412)454-5582

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