Q & A with EMPIRE ISIS
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Q: Greetings Empress, let me start off by congratulating you on the success of your debut album “Sound the Trumpets”. I’m sure you’ve been getting a lot of love, can you talk a bit about the love fans are showing you. A: Yes I give thanks king, first I need to mention that the “Sound the Trumpets” that are circulating across Montreal is only a demo. Five songs have been cut from that demo and 4 new ones have been added. Most of the tracks have been re-worked as well so the record that will be dropping shortly will be quite different. As for the fans, they have been showing me so much love lately and just growing more each day, especially the last few singles. I have all kinds of fans from different backgrounds; they end up talking to me about their lives in a deep and personal way. I feel like I get to know them well and connect lyrically better with what’s going on in their hearts. Then it’s the little things, like people hooking me up at the store or girls at the pharmacy giving me free makeup and products cause they like the ISIS style. Ya zee me, its just beautiful exchanges like that, people showing an appreciation with what they have available, it’s real lovely. Q: You are a strong advocate through your music of challenging people’s perceptions and modes of thinking. Can you tell us what influences you music? A: You see life is like a book, and with each phase and time that goes by we create the chapters inside….What influences me are people and how they manifest culture, especially interactions between the masses. Things like power sharing, the concept of the universe, music and art are all particular in each place you find yourself, I enjoy all these things as stimulation for lyrics and vision… In terms of how I approach my art, I’m most inspired by the Griot storytellers of West Africa, also called Marabout. These individuals through generations have to keep the story of the past alive and bring it to the people in a dynamic way so they never forget where they came from. I see that as my job in a way. This all comes from years and years of adventures Bredren, I like to push it to the limit sort of like another hero of mine, called IBN BATUTA…run go - google it, there not going to teach you about him in history class, they will tell you about Marco Polo instead, lol check it out…. A: WORD SOUND POWERS, that’s the foundation right there. Trust me, when I finally reached Jamaica after so many adventures, I didn’t have to look for the right warriors in my life they just appeared. From Bullbay to St Elizabeth, Kingston to Acompong everything was iley bless. I first came doing a documentary about the Bobo Shanti order but ended up finding Empire ISIS in ciphers. They would just look at me and be like yo Mary you a star enuh? Crazy times anyways, I can tell you that I learnt about power manifest and the inner voice through the beating of the drum, the bass, kete, and funde. I know im saying this and it sounds strange to some, but I connected in Jamaica in a way I hadn’t since being in the middle of the Amazon. Then soon after I ended first recording in the best studios in JA, which was intense because you’re surrounded by all this powerful talent. In Tuff Gong Studios I learnt a lot from Chinna smith, Overstand and Dean frazer, all big dadas in my book…this is such a broad topic man, next time just put the camera on and ill tell you stories… Q: You got a chance to do what many people dream of, travel. Having been to so many places, what’s your favorite destination? A: Depends what you are looking for at the time. When you have been to many places and really tasted a culture and seen places you have a larger base of information to rely on, ya zee me…So for me musically, in the Americas I would have to say Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Jamaica, Trinidad and Cuba. These places are a Must for any real musician who wants to be surrounded by people who are deeply passionate about their art, people who live it to the fullest, pure raw inergyyyyyyy. I have many other places that I go to stay connected to many revolutionary movements, I have shamans I can go to for assistance at any times notice, basically show up and their like “mi hija venga que te cuidemos!!!” I have so many places I still have to discover bredren, on the real I love seeing things with my own eyes. A: wow…that’s a tuff decision im not gonna be able to stop at 5 Bob Marley/Peter Tosh A: Im the Ramon Dekkers of Reggae, make sure you youtube him… 8 time world Muay Tai world champion.
A: Well I’m not a complainer like that, so let me just say this, some people need to get some better skills in terms of the business side of things, but I’m not only involved in reggae, im just as involved in hiphop and the latino side of things too, so I guess I get more variety. This also has its downsides because you need to understand 3 modes business instead of one. But if you can master that, then your horizons are much broader than just having one possibility. I gets my hustle on everywhere, I have maddddddddddd inergy to burn. So I need to keep myself fresh and up to date on whats poppin in all these different styles, but I love them equally. I just work really hard and stay focused no mater where or what im doing, there are no precedents for what im doing, im drawing the map, also big ups to MONUMENTAL RECORDS/H.L.M FAMILY bless… Q: What was the inspiration for the title of your album? A: The inspiration is the epic story of Miriam, Moses and the people going to there promised land. Miriam sounds the trumpets across the red sea warning Moses to part the seas so they could escape their enemy. I.E SOUND THE TRUMPETS AND PART THE SEA BECAUSE ISIS IS COMING. Its all about the struggle to fight for ones dreams, to let da people dem know you have arrived and will manifest…that’s it really, power, vision and dedication Q. What can we expect from Empire ISIS n the future? A: Most definitely go back to my theater and tv roots, I was involved in a lot of that since in South America and that’s where I can develop all these characters that are dying to come out of me still. Asides from that, my main goal is to keep uplifting people in any which way I can bredren. I have lots of projects but right now im focused on the album, wrapping everything for the release in august. Its all about my single don’t go home and getting it out to the djs and all that stuff, ya zee me same old grind.
Q: We at Mrhookupz.com would like to thank Empire ISIS for chatting with us. We will leave you with the last word; do you have any last words for the massive? A: Yes I, check me out on the myspace.com/empireisis, let me know how you feel about the tunes. Just sending everyone out there some powerful empress gangstress heights, hail me up anytime, more love!!!
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