Its safe to say that without Delicious Vinyl, west coast hip-hop wouldnt be the landmark genre that it is today. Twenty years and going strong, the independent label that brought us hits from Young MC, Tone Loc, The Pharcyde, Masta Ace and Def Jef, set a hip-hop standard and shows no signs of slowing. Its newest release, RMXXOLOGY, is an all-star collection of classic tracks remixed and revitalized by the artists who were inspired by them. Peaches took on Tone Locs Wild Thing, Eminem reworked Masta Aces Slaughtahouse, and Hot Chip delivered a brilliant alternate version of The Pharcydes Passin Me By, turning the already sacred song into an otherworldly hymn.
When asked what makes a good remix, Delicious Vinyl label head Rick Ross has perfected his answer. Its elegant fine-tuning that expands into a groundbreaking, unforgettable one-night stand, Ross told SuicideGirls.
RMXXOLOGY began in 2007 when Ross met Peaches after one of her gigs in Los Angeles. After deciding to release her version of Wild Thing as the first single, the two brainstormed a wish list of DJs and producers they wanted to bring onboard, including renowned Baltimore DJ and Milkcrate/Gutter pioneer Aaron LaCrate, who also brought the talents of Debonair Samir to the RMXXOLOGY project.
Whats more, Ross and LaCrate have joined forces to create Delicious Gutter, a Delicious Vinyl imprint for edgy, tastemaking hip-hop and electro club music, with French producer Don Rimini poised as its breakout artist. SuicideGirls caught up with Rick Ross and Aaron LaCrate to talk RMXXOLOGY, Delicious Gutter, and the future of hip-hop.
Released August 12, RMXXOLOGY is available in stores now. Buy it here.
Erin Broadley: How have things been going for the RMXXOLOGY release?
Rick Ross: Really good. This is a project Ive been putting together for the last year based on a lot of trips to France and its been really fun. We did a big party at the end of last year with Peaches and Tone Loc, because Peaches remixed Wild Thing.
EB: And Peaches was your co-curator on this album?
RR: Yeah, she helped guide me toward some people that she thought would be interested. Everybody I talked to were big fans of the label, whether theyre new DJs or been around a little bit, they all had specific tracks they really dug and wanted to get into. Its been really cool since a lot of these guys are starting to blow up like Aaron [LaCrate] and this guy Don Rimini in France. Me and LaCrate started a division of Delicious called Delicious Gutter. Its for the more aggressive, electro beats that arent really fitting for Delicious Vinyl. Don Rimini is our first bastard child [laughs]. Hes really talented. He just played me a bunch of new stuff hes working on and its just exciting to see a kid whose always been a really good DJ all of a sudden start doing production and getting booked for all these tour dates. Were booking dates in September in L.A. with him. Thatll be dope.
EB: Lets talk remixes. Sometimes artists you would assume would be a slam-dunk will let you down, and then these other artists come out of nowhere and deliver something great.
RR: Mm-hmm. What makes a good remix? Its elegant fine-tuning that expands into a groundbreaking, unforgettable one-night stand. [Laughs]
EB: Nice. You should be the writer. [Laughs]
RR: Thats my quote Thats how I answer that question. I like considering really good remixes like really amazing one-night stands, you know, because thats what it is.
EB: The tag line for this album is, Go back to the future with Delicious Vinyl... LaCrate once said that if you dont know your past, you dont have a future. How does that statement apply to this album?
RR: He has good instincts and hes right: theres a point with DJs, whatever youre spinning, its good to know all the possibilities that are out there. One of the things we did when we were coming up as DJs was go through all the music -- rock, punk, soul, funk, hip hop, some disco -- and you find the gems. Youve got to go to school a little bit to really bring it, otherwise youre just rockin the hits. Part of being a really cool DJ is figuring out ways to mesh really cool old classics with new hot fire, and thats the essence of what I was trying to with this project. All these songs are big floor hit songs anyways -- Wild Thing and Bust a Move -- so it wasnt that I needed to make more dance or club oriented records, I was just looking to deepen and widen the mix to a more alternative take on these classics, and specifically have some of the latest sounds added to see if we could make it really interesting. If they werent cool, I wouldnt put them out. There were a couple mixes that came in and were just not our style, they just werent right. It wasnt like I was doing this to just let anything happen; they always have to have a certain style, a certain cool new vibe that would make me and the guys and everybody at DV really want to put it out.
EB: DV is one of the longest running independent labels in hip-hop history, let alone an independent label that has survived in Los Angeles. What do you think has allowed you to remain so prolific?
RR: Its an honor. Of five labels in America that have been around as long as us, and theyre all five of my favorite labels -- Sub Pop, Matador, Touch and Go, and some others -- all my favorite records are on all those labels, definitely, my favorite bands came from those labels. Its a testament to entrepreneurship and sticking with a vision of wanting to put out cool records that you would play yourself -- that you love -- as opposed to doing it for some weird end game. Its always been natural and interesting for us to go, Oh were into this record, lets try to put it out. And thats what we did originally with Masters of Reality, this Rick Rubin record from 1989 that was kind of lost, but that we essentially bought off of Rubin and re-put out because it was such a great record. There are other artists too like Fatlip who my brother [Mike Ross] stuck with for 10 years after he was kicked out of The Pharcyde. He nurtured Fatlip along through some tough times while he put together his solo album. In a lot of ways I consider my brother a patron of hip-hop; hes got some really deep love and commitment and is very loyal to certain producers and artists that have come through the house of Delicious. Its been great for us and its been great for those artists too.
EB: Your brother has said that he always wanted to put out shit that he thought was fun, cool, real, and made people feel good. Do you agree?
RR: Yeah. Its just a gut feeling sometimes where youre like, naw thats not it, thats not going to be something we can go to bed at night being really proud of. Its always been that easy, much to not our financial betterment. [Laughs] And thats okay. You take your shots we always felt like just go for the shit we really believe, and that theres no reason to do this if were not doing it that way. That goes back to what Aaron is saying which is, youve got to understand your own filter a little bit, youve got to know when to walk away from something, and youve got to know when to really embrace it. For a lot of people, thats not an easy thing to get in tune with. I really believe thats one of the things, even with DJs, or learning about cinema or about great art, you need mentors. You need people to kind of coach you through it.
EB: Do you identify with whats going on in mainstream hip-hop today?
RR: No, not at all. Thats why I tell people to file this record under electro jams/hip-hop [laughs]. Hip-hop is just so middle of the road right now, especially American hip-hop. Theres nothing thats come out thats even remotely exciting to me, personally. The DJs that I started getting into two years ago were guys that I found were like old school hip-hop enthusiasts that were looking for this early 90s sound and they reminded me a lot of the early days. I found a couple DJs over here who started doing remixes for me on Fatlips record and they just had a natural organic interest in hip-hop that wasnt trying to be some syrupy crunk shit. Our label has never really been about gangster rap or any of the higher profile style hip hop. The crossover shit was amazing but it was fun and it had a sense of humor. Hip-hop just in the last 10 to 15 years isnt about that at all; its all about money and other stuff. I just feel like lyrically it got really weird. Hip-hop had to always be about really dope lyrics and there are still a lot of guys dropping really great lyrics, its just I think its exciting because now a lot of the hip-hop cats are looking at dance hall and electro and more minimal freaky club sounds that are more experimental, coming from around the world. It could make the music fresh again in a way we havent ever seen it that way.
EB: People refer to Delicious Vinyl as having a playful aesthetic. Where do you think that comes from?
RR: It comes from not taking things too seriously and trying to find some sense of humor in the art. What kind of cool gag could you pull off? Even when they started the label, the logo is a guy eating a record. Tone Locs first video Wild Thing was a spoof on Robert Palmer. There were just ways to add a little bit of wit. You just want to add something with a little twist. Thats whats fun about the Delicious Gutter; Don Rimini is coming with this heavy dance music but he also has this playful presentation and a sense of humor, and his lyric lines that he drops on his beats that doesnt take itself too seriously, which is important.
EB: Both you and Aaron LaCrate have been in your respective games for 20 years now
RR: LaCrate is 60-years-old!
[All laugh]
RR: Dont be fooled by that baby face.
Aaron LaCrate: Its true.
EB: Well, Aaron, what do you remember about Delicious Vinyl back when you were first coming up?
AL: For me it was one of the classic labels from the early 90s that was well branded and it had great party records and great pop-y hip-hop records that not a lot of people could pull off. They could make fun pop records that had hip-hop sensibility and they could also go and make a heavy rhyme experience and be the ultimate of the underground hip-hop classic albums. They could dip in and dive and do whatever they wanted, basically, and then have The Pharcyde, which brought them back up, and then Masta Ace they did whatever they wanted to do but it was all dope and it was all different. It was all respectable. Thats what it meant to me as a kid. I played all those records; I was buying all those records when I was a young DJ. So for Rick and I to link up has been like two powerful forces coming together in a sea of ignorance. And were changing it step-by-step, interview-by-interview [laughs] were educating the youth.
EB: Well, thank God somebody is.
RR: I consider LaCrate one of the great educators of the 21st century. [Laughs]
AL: Im a young prophet. Infinite wisdom for my young age. [Laughs]
EB: With an album like RMXXOLOGY that deals with reimagining these big classic songs, what are some of the dangers that people or you yourself can fall into when it comes to drawing the line between rehashing and reinterpreting?
RR: In one word, the wackness. [Laughs] You just cant let yourself go out like a sucker. Thats my answer.
AL: I think with Delicious Vinyl were sticking with the original philosophy of what the label was. Certain people can get away with certain things because of who they are and how they are, and what they take seriously, also what quality of work they produce. Delicious Vinyl set a standard and were sticking with that. Its not a matter of making a good or bad remix, its sticking with a standard of creativity that I also have for myself. I think [RMXXOLOGY] is a great project and Im excited to be a part of it. My thing is small and its growing, and with us teaming up on this project, the name Delicious Vinyl brings a certain customer base, and what Im doing brings a certain customer base, and in between the two theres a real relationship. My whole thing goes back to hip-hop. People throw me into some sort of hipster category but its not really so. This Baltimore club thing, me growing up as a kid was hip-hop, our version of hip-hop was club music and it definitely wasnt what it is now. Im not knocking what [club music] is now but it was a very street movement and thats what hip-hop was. Delicious Vinyl took that and put their spin on it like Im taking club music and putting my spin on it. Were all just trying to make things better.
EB: Were there standout tracks on the album that made you do 180 when all was said and done?
RR: Yeah, this guy Breakbot took Fatlips song into a deeper emotional space than the original version, which was kind of a little depressing [about being] an outsider and a loser. This French producer brought this key 70s happening feel to the song that took it to a deeper level. That to me, that and its instrumentals, is the most interesting version of all the remixes. Hot Chip did the same thing with The Pharcydes Passin Me By. You cant really remix Passin Me By because its such a sacred song, and they really broke it down and made it almost like a religious hymn like a church choir anthem and that was exactly what I wanted to present because I didnt want to go out like a sucker on a Passin Me By remix.
AL: Nowadays everything is a mashup. You might as well remix your own records before someone else does. In the words of Mike Ross, Whateva, Whateva."
RR: [Laughs]
EB: Aaron, how did you go about approaching the Young MC song you remixed? Did you have an idea ahead of time of where you wanted to take it?
AL: We actually did the Gutter version of that first, which was a crazy, drum heavy, pounding remake that was much more chopped up. It was a really cool mix; I think its going to have its own shelf life and everything. We banged that one out and then we were like, Wow, this vocal is just and we wanted to redo part of the song Samirs Theme that was part of the Milkcrate Records catalog, which I always felt was an amazing beat but needed a vocal. I was out in L.A. hanging out with Rick one day and I was playing some of my Milkcrate Records stuff and he heard Samirs Theme and was like, Wow, this is amazing. Instead of just making a brand new track we should do an official legal mashup between Young MC and Samirs Theme. Its not exactly to say we reconfigured the beat but we flipped it up and made it fit the vocal a lot better and the song structure. It was about taking the best old school vocal and adding what I think is one of the most innovative and craziest dance records of the past few years. The result, I think we tapped into something that hasnt even had its effects yet. I really think its going to be one of those records, like Bust a Move or Wild Thing, that is going to be around for a very long time and going to pop up in a whole hell of a lot of places. Its going to keep living.
EB: Aaron, in an interview you did about a year ago you were talking about Gutter and you said you wanted to take the street hip hop mixtape thing and turn it on its head because you thought what had happened to the mixtape is a tragedy.
AL: That was me talking about the BMore Gutter project, the first full-length CD and mix that we distributed. Thats what put us back on the map and exposed the world to Baltimore club music and a whole new generation of kids to what Baltimore club music is. Even Spank Rock and all the Baltimore dudes thought I was crazy for putting this together. They were like, Youre wasting your time, whatever, well do it. It was this vision that I had of my hometown and rebranding it, repackaging it, and bringing it back to life. The music is not new. Its been around for 15 years and it hasnt gone very far. So this was my way Im a hip-hop kid and grew up in Baltimore, grew up around club music, and I know what it is and I know what it isnt. I wanted to make a joke of a hip hop mixtape format with shout-outs and two or three original tracks and then we mixed together the most popular club songs of the day and it just so happened it was the formula and right presentation that blew that up. Thats probably a lot of the reason I was on Ricks radar. It got tons of remixes and tons of industry everyone thought that Spank Rock and Amanda Blank were signed to me and it opened up the floodgates of that city. I wanted to turn the typical mixtape on its head, take dance music, mix it hip-hop style Mixtapes at this point are just about breaking new artists so we broke Spank Rock and Amanda Blank and in a sense, broke myself. It was well packaged and it did its job, but it was also kind of a joke with the shout-outs and all that over the dance music. It had never really been done before.
EB: Aaron, Ive got another quote here where youre talking about DJs and how youve always been trying your best to make an impact. You said at this point there are two different types of DJs -- the ones that are good, and the ones that just have a lot of friends.
AL: [Laughs] I crack me up.
EB: Is it frustrating for you?
AL: My whole life has been like that. To make it out of a city like Baltimore youve got to deal with a hell of a lot worse than petty politics and little kids who are new to everything, and know theyre new to everything, so theyre afraid of anyone whos a scholar compared to them. Thats just youth, rebellious youth, they want to do it their way and in the long run they will end up wising up, I feel. Thats why I dont even acknowledge it. People are like, Why are you so quiet about so many things? Because its unprofessional. We make the best music, period. We focus on making the best quality of music. Debonair Samir and the artists Ive signed are very happy to be working with me. Theyve been working with me for eight years now and dont have any complaints against me. The whole thing -- people criticizing each other over this music and who can do what and who cant do what -- its ridiculous. I refuse to comment on it because I think its a new genre thats getting attention and the fans of it are starting to destroy it and they dont even realize it. The kids who like it the most are. They need to get out from behind the computers and go to a club in Baltimore. You might rethink your entire life. If you love the city of Baltimore so much, dont talk about me, go vacation there [laughs]. Its just idle male gossip. I dont go on the Internet like that. I dont go into chat boards. I spend my time making and creating stuff, I always have. I do that for myself; I dont do that for people. I dont do that for anyone; I do that because it brings me joy. I do what I do for myself. If other people choose to enjoy it, thats wonderful. As far as this little bullshit scene of people that are criticizing, I know for a fact that Ive been in this game longer than anyone. I know if I wanted to I could shred everyone of them in a debate one on one. But the thing is I choose to speak to people I respect.
EB: Well, why waste your energy defending yourself and what you do when you could be spending it creating or making plans for the future?
AL: Yeah, exactly. The thing that gets me is that Im still probably the one person from this city who grew up there who has kept a spotlight on that city for years now.
EB: You and John Waters.
AL: Exactly. Me and John Waters. I just feel that if you grew up in Baltimore, and you care about what people in Philadelphia say, and you think thats the route, thats the people you want to be down with, then really you should just move to Philadelphia. The people that are my friends, I support them through thick and thin. Im smart, Im good, Im a shrewd businessman, I win at what I do. I want to win; Im competitive. But I will draw the line. I would never go around and make up lies about the competition.
EB: You have your integrity. I think people forget that the definition of success involves a certain amount of longevity and respect in this business. The definition of success involves integrity.
AL: Yeah, I have integrity and none of them do. And thats why I feel at the end of the day, none of them will be successful. Ever.
EB: To wrap things up, Rick mentioned youre starting another label through DV for the edgier sounding stuff
AL: Yeah, we have sort of a sub label called Delicious Gutter. Basically what that is, my working with those guys went from just them calling me up to do a remix to really me being involved in a lot of the project and Rick and I becoming good friends and speaking with him on a daily basis about everything on this project. I think they saw the level of dedication I had to my work. The evolution was, I had discovered this kid Don Rimini from Paris who I had remix a Verb record and I was like this kids just too good. Im the type of person where I just immediately linked Don Rimini up with Delicious Vinyl like this kid has to be on this project. He has to remix a record. He remixed Bust a Move which I think is one of my favorite records. His remix is one of my favorites on RMXXOLOGY. Just pure talent. Hes still building his name but musically, hes there, hes beyond there. And Im trying to lend him a hand and expose him. Don Rimini was a fan of mine and he loved Delicious Vinyl so when it all clicks like that, the next thing to do is to keep working together. If theres not mutual gain, as you can see, what happens is it all falls to shit.
For more information on Delicious Vinyl, RMXXOLOGY, and Delicious Gutter, go to www.deliciousvinyl.com.
When asked what makes a good remix, Delicious Vinyl label head Rick Ross has perfected his answer. Its elegant fine-tuning that expands into a groundbreaking, unforgettable one-night stand, Ross told SuicideGirls.
RMXXOLOGY began in 2007 when Ross met Peaches after one of her gigs in Los Angeles. After deciding to release her version of Wild Thing as the first single, the two brainstormed a wish list of DJs and producers they wanted to bring onboard, including renowned Baltimore DJ and Milkcrate/Gutter pioneer Aaron LaCrate, who also brought the talents of Debonair Samir to the RMXXOLOGY project.
Whats more, Ross and LaCrate have joined forces to create Delicious Gutter, a Delicious Vinyl imprint for edgy, tastemaking hip-hop and electro club music, with French producer Don Rimini poised as its breakout artist. SuicideGirls caught up with Rick Ross and Aaron LaCrate to talk RMXXOLOGY, Delicious Gutter, and the future of hip-hop.
Released August 12, RMXXOLOGY is available in stores now. Buy it here.
Erin Broadley: How have things been going for the RMXXOLOGY release?
Rick Ross: Really good. This is a project Ive been putting together for the last year based on a lot of trips to France and its been really fun. We did a big party at the end of last year with Peaches and Tone Loc, because Peaches remixed Wild Thing.
EB: And Peaches was your co-curator on this album?
RR: Yeah, she helped guide me toward some people that she thought would be interested. Everybody I talked to were big fans of the label, whether theyre new DJs or been around a little bit, they all had specific tracks they really dug and wanted to get into. Its been really cool since a lot of these guys are starting to blow up like Aaron [LaCrate] and this guy Don Rimini in France. Me and LaCrate started a division of Delicious called Delicious Gutter. Its for the more aggressive, electro beats that arent really fitting for Delicious Vinyl. Don Rimini is our first bastard child [laughs]. Hes really talented. He just played me a bunch of new stuff hes working on and its just exciting to see a kid whose always been a really good DJ all of a sudden start doing production and getting booked for all these tour dates. Were booking dates in September in L.A. with him. Thatll be dope.
EB: Lets talk remixes. Sometimes artists you would assume would be a slam-dunk will let you down, and then these other artists come out of nowhere and deliver something great.
RR: Mm-hmm. What makes a good remix? Its elegant fine-tuning that expands into a groundbreaking, unforgettable one-night stand. [Laughs]
EB: Nice. You should be the writer. [Laughs]
RR: Thats my quote Thats how I answer that question. I like considering really good remixes like really amazing one-night stands, you know, because thats what it is.
EB: The tag line for this album is, Go back to the future with Delicious Vinyl... LaCrate once said that if you dont know your past, you dont have a future. How does that statement apply to this album?
RR: He has good instincts and hes right: theres a point with DJs, whatever youre spinning, its good to know all the possibilities that are out there. One of the things we did when we were coming up as DJs was go through all the music -- rock, punk, soul, funk, hip hop, some disco -- and you find the gems. Youve got to go to school a little bit to really bring it, otherwise youre just rockin the hits. Part of being a really cool DJ is figuring out ways to mesh really cool old classics with new hot fire, and thats the essence of what I was trying to with this project. All these songs are big floor hit songs anyways -- Wild Thing and Bust a Move -- so it wasnt that I needed to make more dance or club oriented records, I was just looking to deepen and widen the mix to a more alternative take on these classics, and specifically have some of the latest sounds added to see if we could make it really interesting. If they werent cool, I wouldnt put them out. There were a couple mixes that came in and were just not our style, they just werent right. It wasnt like I was doing this to just let anything happen; they always have to have a certain style, a certain cool new vibe that would make me and the guys and everybody at DV really want to put it out.
EB: DV is one of the longest running independent labels in hip-hop history, let alone an independent label that has survived in Los Angeles. What do you think has allowed you to remain so prolific?
RR: Its an honor. Of five labels in America that have been around as long as us, and theyre all five of my favorite labels -- Sub Pop, Matador, Touch and Go, and some others -- all my favorite records are on all those labels, definitely, my favorite bands came from those labels. Its a testament to entrepreneurship and sticking with a vision of wanting to put out cool records that you would play yourself -- that you love -- as opposed to doing it for some weird end game. Its always been natural and interesting for us to go, Oh were into this record, lets try to put it out. And thats what we did originally with Masters of Reality, this Rick Rubin record from 1989 that was kind of lost, but that we essentially bought off of Rubin and re-put out because it was such a great record. There are other artists too like Fatlip who my brother [Mike Ross] stuck with for 10 years after he was kicked out of The Pharcyde. He nurtured Fatlip along through some tough times while he put together his solo album. In a lot of ways I consider my brother a patron of hip-hop; hes got some really deep love and commitment and is very loyal to certain producers and artists that have come through the house of Delicious. Its been great for us and its been great for those artists too.
EB: Your brother has said that he always wanted to put out shit that he thought was fun, cool, real, and made people feel good. Do you agree?
RR: Yeah. Its just a gut feeling sometimes where youre like, naw thats not it, thats not going to be something we can go to bed at night being really proud of. Its always been that easy, much to not our financial betterment. [Laughs] And thats okay. You take your shots we always felt like just go for the shit we really believe, and that theres no reason to do this if were not doing it that way. That goes back to what Aaron is saying which is, youve got to understand your own filter a little bit, youve got to know when to walk away from something, and youve got to know when to really embrace it. For a lot of people, thats not an easy thing to get in tune with. I really believe thats one of the things, even with DJs, or learning about cinema or about great art, you need mentors. You need people to kind of coach you through it.
EB: Do you identify with whats going on in mainstream hip-hop today?
RR: No, not at all. Thats why I tell people to file this record under electro jams/hip-hop [laughs]. Hip-hop is just so middle of the road right now, especially American hip-hop. Theres nothing thats come out thats even remotely exciting to me, personally. The DJs that I started getting into two years ago were guys that I found were like old school hip-hop enthusiasts that were looking for this early 90s sound and they reminded me a lot of the early days. I found a couple DJs over here who started doing remixes for me on Fatlips record and they just had a natural organic interest in hip-hop that wasnt trying to be some syrupy crunk shit. Our label has never really been about gangster rap or any of the higher profile style hip hop. The crossover shit was amazing but it was fun and it had a sense of humor. Hip-hop just in the last 10 to 15 years isnt about that at all; its all about money and other stuff. I just feel like lyrically it got really weird. Hip-hop had to always be about really dope lyrics and there are still a lot of guys dropping really great lyrics, its just I think its exciting because now a lot of the hip-hop cats are looking at dance hall and electro and more minimal freaky club sounds that are more experimental, coming from around the world. It could make the music fresh again in a way we havent ever seen it that way.
EB: People refer to Delicious Vinyl as having a playful aesthetic. Where do you think that comes from?
RR: It comes from not taking things too seriously and trying to find some sense of humor in the art. What kind of cool gag could you pull off? Even when they started the label, the logo is a guy eating a record. Tone Locs first video Wild Thing was a spoof on Robert Palmer. There were just ways to add a little bit of wit. You just want to add something with a little twist. Thats whats fun about the Delicious Gutter; Don Rimini is coming with this heavy dance music but he also has this playful presentation and a sense of humor, and his lyric lines that he drops on his beats that doesnt take itself too seriously, which is important.
EB: Both you and Aaron LaCrate have been in your respective games for 20 years now
RR: LaCrate is 60-years-old!
[All laugh]
RR: Dont be fooled by that baby face.
Aaron LaCrate: Its true.
EB: Well, Aaron, what do you remember about Delicious Vinyl back when you were first coming up?
AL: For me it was one of the classic labels from the early 90s that was well branded and it had great party records and great pop-y hip-hop records that not a lot of people could pull off. They could make fun pop records that had hip-hop sensibility and they could also go and make a heavy rhyme experience and be the ultimate of the underground hip-hop classic albums. They could dip in and dive and do whatever they wanted, basically, and then have The Pharcyde, which brought them back up, and then Masta Ace they did whatever they wanted to do but it was all dope and it was all different. It was all respectable. Thats what it meant to me as a kid. I played all those records; I was buying all those records when I was a young DJ. So for Rick and I to link up has been like two powerful forces coming together in a sea of ignorance. And were changing it step-by-step, interview-by-interview [laughs] were educating the youth.
EB: Well, thank God somebody is.
RR: I consider LaCrate one of the great educators of the 21st century. [Laughs]
AL: Im a young prophet. Infinite wisdom for my young age. [Laughs]
EB: With an album like RMXXOLOGY that deals with reimagining these big classic songs, what are some of the dangers that people or you yourself can fall into when it comes to drawing the line between rehashing and reinterpreting?
RR: In one word, the wackness. [Laughs] You just cant let yourself go out like a sucker. Thats my answer.
AL: I think with Delicious Vinyl were sticking with the original philosophy of what the label was. Certain people can get away with certain things because of who they are and how they are, and what they take seriously, also what quality of work they produce. Delicious Vinyl set a standard and were sticking with that. Its not a matter of making a good or bad remix, its sticking with a standard of creativity that I also have for myself. I think [RMXXOLOGY] is a great project and Im excited to be a part of it. My thing is small and its growing, and with us teaming up on this project, the name Delicious Vinyl brings a certain customer base, and what Im doing brings a certain customer base, and in between the two theres a real relationship. My whole thing goes back to hip-hop. People throw me into some sort of hipster category but its not really so. This Baltimore club thing, me growing up as a kid was hip-hop, our version of hip-hop was club music and it definitely wasnt what it is now. Im not knocking what [club music] is now but it was a very street movement and thats what hip-hop was. Delicious Vinyl took that and put their spin on it like Im taking club music and putting my spin on it. Were all just trying to make things better.
EB: Were there standout tracks on the album that made you do 180 when all was said and done?
RR: Yeah, this guy Breakbot took Fatlips song into a deeper emotional space than the original version, which was kind of a little depressing [about being] an outsider and a loser. This French producer brought this key 70s happening feel to the song that took it to a deeper level. That to me, that and its instrumentals, is the most interesting version of all the remixes. Hot Chip did the same thing with The Pharcydes Passin Me By. You cant really remix Passin Me By because its such a sacred song, and they really broke it down and made it almost like a religious hymn like a church choir anthem and that was exactly what I wanted to present because I didnt want to go out like a sucker on a Passin Me By remix.
AL: Nowadays everything is a mashup. You might as well remix your own records before someone else does. In the words of Mike Ross, Whateva, Whateva."
RR: [Laughs]
EB: Aaron, how did you go about approaching the Young MC song you remixed? Did you have an idea ahead of time of where you wanted to take it?
AL: We actually did the Gutter version of that first, which was a crazy, drum heavy, pounding remake that was much more chopped up. It was a really cool mix; I think its going to have its own shelf life and everything. We banged that one out and then we were like, Wow, this vocal is just and we wanted to redo part of the song Samirs Theme that was part of the Milkcrate Records catalog, which I always felt was an amazing beat but needed a vocal. I was out in L.A. hanging out with Rick one day and I was playing some of my Milkcrate Records stuff and he heard Samirs Theme and was like, Wow, this is amazing. Instead of just making a brand new track we should do an official legal mashup between Young MC and Samirs Theme. Its not exactly to say we reconfigured the beat but we flipped it up and made it fit the vocal a lot better and the song structure. It was about taking the best old school vocal and adding what I think is one of the most innovative and craziest dance records of the past few years. The result, I think we tapped into something that hasnt even had its effects yet. I really think its going to be one of those records, like Bust a Move or Wild Thing, that is going to be around for a very long time and going to pop up in a whole hell of a lot of places. Its going to keep living.
EB: Aaron, in an interview you did about a year ago you were talking about Gutter and you said you wanted to take the street hip hop mixtape thing and turn it on its head because you thought what had happened to the mixtape is a tragedy.
AL: That was me talking about the BMore Gutter project, the first full-length CD and mix that we distributed. Thats what put us back on the map and exposed the world to Baltimore club music and a whole new generation of kids to what Baltimore club music is. Even Spank Rock and all the Baltimore dudes thought I was crazy for putting this together. They were like, Youre wasting your time, whatever, well do it. It was this vision that I had of my hometown and rebranding it, repackaging it, and bringing it back to life. The music is not new. Its been around for 15 years and it hasnt gone very far. So this was my way Im a hip-hop kid and grew up in Baltimore, grew up around club music, and I know what it is and I know what it isnt. I wanted to make a joke of a hip hop mixtape format with shout-outs and two or three original tracks and then we mixed together the most popular club songs of the day and it just so happened it was the formula and right presentation that blew that up. Thats probably a lot of the reason I was on Ricks radar. It got tons of remixes and tons of industry everyone thought that Spank Rock and Amanda Blank were signed to me and it opened up the floodgates of that city. I wanted to turn the typical mixtape on its head, take dance music, mix it hip-hop style Mixtapes at this point are just about breaking new artists so we broke Spank Rock and Amanda Blank and in a sense, broke myself. It was well packaged and it did its job, but it was also kind of a joke with the shout-outs and all that over the dance music. It had never really been done before.
EB: Aaron, Ive got another quote here where youre talking about DJs and how youve always been trying your best to make an impact. You said at this point there are two different types of DJs -- the ones that are good, and the ones that just have a lot of friends.
AL: [Laughs] I crack me up.
EB: Is it frustrating for you?
AL: My whole life has been like that. To make it out of a city like Baltimore youve got to deal with a hell of a lot worse than petty politics and little kids who are new to everything, and know theyre new to everything, so theyre afraid of anyone whos a scholar compared to them. Thats just youth, rebellious youth, they want to do it their way and in the long run they will end up wising up, I feel. Thats why I dont even acknowledge it. People are like, Why are you so quiet about so many things? Because its unprofessional. We make the best music, period. We focus on making the best quality of music. Debonair Samir and the artists Ive signed are very happy to be working with me. Theyve been working with me for eight years now and dont have any complaints against me. The whole thing -- people criticizing each other over this music and who can do what and who cant do what -- its ridiculous. I refuse to comment on it because I think its a new genre thats getting attention and the fans of it are starting to destroy it and they dont even realize it. The kids who like it the most are. They need to get out from behind the computers and go to a club in Baltimore. You might rethink your entire life. If you love the city of Baltimore so much, dont talk about me, go vacation there [laughs]. Its just idle male gossip. I dont go on the Internet like that. I dont go into chat boards. I spend my time making and creating stuff, I always have. I do that for myself; I dont do that for people. I dont do that for anyone; I do that because it brings me joy. I do what I do for myself. If other people choose to enjoy it, thats wonderful. As far as this little bullshit scene of people that are criticizing, I know for a fact that Ive been in this game longer than anyone. I know if I wanted to I could shred everyone of them in a debate one on one. But the thing is I choose to speak to people I respect.
EB: Well, why waste your energy defending yourself and what you do when you could be spending it creating or making plans for the future?
AL: Yeah, exactly. The thing that gets me is that Im still probably the one person from this city who grew up there who has kept a spotlight on that city for years now.
EB: You and John Waters.
AL: Exactly. Me and John Waters. I just feel that if you grew up in Baltimore, and you care about what people in Philadelphia say, and you think thats the route, thats the people you want to be down with, then really you should just move to Philadelphia. The people that are my friends, I support them through thick and thin. Im smart, Im good, Im a shrewd businessman, I win at what I do. I want to win; Im competitive. But I will draw the line. I would never go around and make up lies about the competition.
EB: You have your integrity. I think people forget that the definition of success involves a certain amount of longevity and respect in this business. The definition of success involves integrity.
AL: Yeah, I have integrity and none of them do. And thats why I feel at the end of the day, none of them will be successful. Ever.
EB: To wrap things up, Rick mentioned youre starting another label through DV for the edgier sounding stuff
AL: Yeah, we have sort of a sub label called Delicious Gutter. Basically what that is, my working with those guys went from just them calling me up to do a remix to really me being involved in a lot of the project and Rick and I becoming good friends and speaking with him on a daily basis about everything on this project. I think they saw the level of dedication I had to my work. The evolution was, I had discovered this kid Don Rimini from Paris who I had remix a Verb record and I was like this kids just too good. Im the type of person where I just immediately linked Don Rimini up with Delicious Vinyl like this kid has to be on this project. He has to remix a record. He remixed Bust a Move which I think is one of my favorite records. His remix is one of my favorites on RMXXOLOGY. Just pure talent. Hes still building his name but musically, hes there, hes beyond there. And Im trying to lend him a hand and expose him. Don Rimini was a fan of mine and he loved Delicious Vinyl so when it all clicks like that, the next thing to do is to keep working together. If theres not mutual gain, as you can see, what happens is it all falls to shit.
For more information on Delicious Vinyl, RMXXOLOGY, and Delicious Gutter, go to www.deliciousvinyl.com.
erin_broadley:
Its safe to say that without Delicious Vinyl, west coast hip-hop wouldnt be the landmark genre that it is today. Twenty years and going strong, the independent label that brought us hits from Young MC, Tone Loc, The Pharcyde, Masta Ace and Def Jef, set a...