Mr. Sykes Interview's Chanes
This amazing MC from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, Called Chanes came through and spoke with us. And let me tell you his views, and his story are just as dope as his rhymes. We discussed how Hip-hop is moving into the digital future, everyday life, acknowledging your family, respecting women
Mr. Sykes: Do you have kids I wanna make sure my info is correct...
Chanes: Yes I have a son. [He smiles and looks a little surprised that I knew that or ask that, Like "Where is he going with this?"]
Mr. Sykes: How do you balance having children and your career?
Chanes: It's tricky, it's hard just like with anything else it's a grind. It's exactly what you said it's a balance of your time. I spend time with my son, I also work and I do music as well so you know it's just like balance in every aspect of my like from one to the next. I'm giving a 110% in everything I do. It can be hard at times but it's really not hard if you set your goal to want to do it.
Mr. Sykes: At what age did you lose your parents?
Chanes: Well my mom I actually lost her last year on April the 16th, 2006, and my father was December 31, '92 eve of '93.
Mr. Sykes: How has that influenced your music in anyway?
Chanes: I 'm largely inspired by my parents and family. Where as some people take inspiration from millionaires, and people that they don't even know. I'm really inspired by people who made a valuable impression on my life. And even though they passed away they're definitely a big part of why I do music and write the type of songs I write. Cuz I write a lot of songs that deal with family and relationships.
This part of the interview really spoke to me it's not often that we hear young men speak about how much their family and experiences touch, inspire and motivate them. But on a lighter NOTE!!
Mr. Sykes: Nas or Jay-Z?
Chanes: I like both of them for different reasons. I like Nas for not being a conformist.... In certain articles you read that he won't do certain endorsements, because he doesn't believe in them. Like Budweiser, he wouldn't do that, he would want his kids....[or] anybody drinking Budweiser. (Mr. Sykes: Thank God!) On the other hand Jay-Z is an artist that went from an independent level and took it way beyond that! So I admirer him for his grind. But I admirer Nas for not conforming, positive lyricism, and always bringing himself up for the game.
Mr. Sykes: Hypnotized or Life After Death favorite Biggie album?
Chanes: I Like life After Death, I really do only because at that point Biggie had gotten to a certain level.... You could tell he was real comfortable where he was at. Everything he was flowing on was just smooth I think he was at a real good point in his life.
Mr. Sykes: Who Left you, your last comment on Myspace?
Chanes: I think it was a friend og mine I'm not to sure.... I think it was a friend of mine from work I believe.
Well I know who is was....
Mr. Sykes: Favorite Childhood Pet?
Chanes: A Cat, I lived in VA for a little while, I had a big gray cat and I name him rakim.
Mr. Sykes: What do you feel is the best song you've written so far, a song you put together?
Chanes: I got a song called "Get It How." To me it's a good song because it's probably the best song that I've written. Because it's a song celebrating women, as apposed to all the songs that are out right now. It's not exactly bashing women, but you know some are. But you have some of them that don't put them in a favorable light. I mean I love my moms to death so there's no way I could go on record and degrade a woman. I want to use this as a means to think outside of the box. Instead of doing what everybody else is doing NOT to celebrate women, to celebrate women.
Mr. Sykes: Finally, what are you doing to change the game?
Chanes: For me changing the game is just really thinking outside the box and not writing the same material that everybody else is. People just stick with certain topics so much that, but there's so many things you do in a day as a person, that you can relate to in song. That other people will relate too, so I definitely don't just wanna stick into that or be botched into one type of song "we only make dance records" and so forth; its just creativity really.
Get more from Chanes @ : http://www.myspace.com/chanemusick
"... It's not exactly bashing women, well some of them are. But some of them don't put them in a favorable light. I mean I love my moms to death,
so there's no way I could go on recording and degrade a woman..."
Mr. Sykes: When did you start rapping?
Chanes: Mmm about 12 years ago actually. So I've been rapping since I was real, real young when my name had the ending "fresh."
Mr. Sykes: So what was your original name?
Chanes: One of them was "Trent Fresh" another one was "EZ-Rock," I had a lot of Hip-Hop names.
Mr. Sykes: Well how did you come up with this one?
Chanes: Well this one I just simplified, it's actually my last name with two letters cut off. Try to make more personal, Instead of having like an actual stage name.
Mr. Sykes: Who inspired you to start rapping?
Chanes: Well initially I listened to like Run DMC, like a group that inspired me. I just took from them, you know the creativity that they have as being a group, as well just because they were on the forefront. Then from there I guess it kinda trickles down into the many artist that we have now but I am really inspired by a lot the rappers from the 90's. Mainly because I feel like during that time period it was a variety of rap. I mean you had De-La-Soul, you had Biggie when he first came out Mobb Deep, everybody was different.
Mr. Sykes: What's your all time favorite song?
Chanes: I really don't have one, I have a few Hip-Hop songs that I'd say stand out to me. "Children's Story" Slick Rick, a classic of mine. Also I like Jay-Z, "Dead Presidents" So it's a few...
Mr. Sykes: What's your all time favorite song?
Chanes: I really don't have one, I have a few Hip-Hop songs that I'd say stand out to me. "Children's Story" Slick Rick, a classic of mine. Also I like Jay-Z, "Dead Presidents" So it's a few...
Mr. Sykes: What do you think is happening with underground Hip-Hop in the streets right now?
Chanes: Well I actually think it's improving. being underground is a good thing, as opposed to being on a major [label.] Where they don't really give you the push, unless they see you with a hot ringtone or a song that maybe hot for a moment. And being underground to me means longevity, being there for the grind, you start from a low pint and you bring it to the next level. So being underground to me is being major.
Mr. Sykes: So where do you see Hip-Hop in ten years?
Chanes: I just see it expanding you know, it went from selling records out of your trunk for underground artist and now it's a whole new outlet and medium on the web. So it's defiantly becoming digital so I see the digital aspect of it becoming good with itunes, you tube and even myspace. Making it expand to the next level, I see it getting bigger and bigger.
Mr. Sykes: Do you have kids I wanna make sure my info is correct...
Chanes: Yes I have a son. [He smiles and looks a little surprised that I knew that or ask that, Like "Where is he going with this?"]
Mr. Sykes: How do you balance having children and your career?
Chanes: It's tricky, it's hard just like with anything else it's a grind. It's exactly what you said it's a balance of your time. I spend time with my son, I also work and I do music as well so you know it's just like balance in every aspect of my like from one to the next. I'm giving a 110% in everything I do. It can be hard at times but it's really not hard if you set your goal to want to do it.
Mr. Sykes: At what age did you lose your parents?
Chanes: Well my mom I actually lost her last year on April the 16th, 2006, and my father was December 31, '92 eve of '93.
Mr. Sykes: How has that influenced your music in anyway?
Chanes: I 'm largely inspired by my parents and family. Where as some people take inspiration from millionaires, and people that they don't even know. I'm really inspired by people who made a valuable impression on my life. And even though they passed away they're definitely a big part of why I do music and write the type of songs I write. Cuz I write a lot of songs that deal with family and relationships.
This part of the interview really spoke to me it's not often that we hear young men speak about how much their family and experiences touch, inspire and motivate them. But on a lighter NOTE!!
Mr. Sykes: Nas or Jay-Z?
Chanes: I like both of them for different reasons. I like Nas for not being a conformist.... In certain articles you read that he won't do certain endorsements, because he doesn't believe in them. Like Budweiser, he wouldn't do that, he would want his kids....[or] anybody drinking Budweiser. (Mr. Sykes: Thank God!) On the other hand Jay-Z is an artist that went from an independent level and took it way beyond that! So I admirer him for his grind. But I admirer Nas for not conforming, positive lyricism, and always bringing himself up for the game.
Mr. Sykes: Hypnotized or Life After Death favorite Biggie album?
Chanes: I Like life After Death, I really do only because at that point Biggie had gotten to a certain level.... You could tell he was real comfortable where he was at. Everything he was flowing on was just smooth I think he was at a real good point in his life.
Mr. Sykes: Who Left you, your last comment on Myspace?
Chanes: I think it was a friend og mine I'm not to sure.... I think it was a friend of mine from work I believe.
Well I know who is was....
Mr. Sykes: Favorite Childhood Pet?
Chanes: A Cat, I lived in VA for a little while, I had a big gray cat and I name him rakim.
Mr. Sykes: What do you feel is the best song you've written so far, a song you put together?
Chanes: I got a song called "Get It How." To me it's a good song because it's probably the best song that I've written. Because it's a song celebrating women, as apposed to all the songs that are out right now. It's not exactly bashing women, but you know some are. But you have some of them that don't put them in a favorable light. I mean I love my moms to death so there's no way I could go on record and degrade a woman. I want to use this as a means to think outside of the box. Instead of doing what everybody else is doing NOT to celebrate women, to celebrate women.
Mr. Sykes: Finally, what are you doing to change the game?
Chanes: For me changing the game is just really thinking outside the box and not writing the same material that everybody else is. People just stick with certain topics so much that, but there's so many things you do in a day as a person, that you can relate to in song. That other people will relate too, so I definitely don't just wanna stick into that or be botched into one type of song "we only make dance records" and so forth; its just creativity really.
Get more from Chanes @ : http://www.myspace.com/chanemusick
