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 EZ EDDIE D
UDC: Name? Who you are. Background Information? EZ: Ok, well do you want my government name because I have interesting government name. Eddie Murphy, That’s my real name I was born Eddie Murphy. And my DJ name EZ Eddie D. I’m a DJ at KNON radio I’ve been on the radio here for twenty years now. My specialty as far as DJing is blending. That’s my technique I don’t cut… I leave that to the professionals. But when it comes to blending that’s the technique I use as a DJ. I also produce music; I produced for a few groups here in Dallas. I‘ve done a lot of clubs not in Hip Hop, but I have spent ten years spinning at the Blind Lemon. Also, I was a chef for a while; you know, music is just like cooking, DJing mixing it up same principles. And I’m one hell of a football player, soccer. UDC: Describe your first musical experience? EZ: Well I have one experience when I became a B-boy. I guess it was about 1977 and me, my brother and this guy named Joe we were at this basement party. And in Cincinnati we have a lot of basements. So there wasn’t anything but a strobe light, black light,a bowl of chips, and the DJ. There wasn’t anybody in the joint except for us. If a basement can be a joint, but no one was there. Then the DJ put on Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk. We really enjoyed the Parliament, Funk-a-Delic, funk was just really big back then. When we heard that song, it was in the dead of winter and we had our parkas on you know, the hoodies everything that I see as Hip Hop now. When that song came on it just changed everything I thought about music. I graduated from High school in 1979, and that’s when Rapper’s Delight came out right after that. You know, I was caught up in that wave from 1977 on up. So my first real music experience as Hip Hop was 1977. EZ: My influence stem from the sixties and the seventies, that goes thru Soul, R&B, and Classic Rock. Listen to The Beatles, Creedence, and Quicksilver Messenger, just to name a few. Thats to let people know where I come from. And on the soul tip you always have James Brown, Manhattans, The Dramatics, Earth Wind and Fire, and all the vocal groups that could sing back then. Not to diss Usher but then again maybe I am. It’s just that as an artist he’s just kind of a copy. Nothing original. That’s why I love that music because nobody sounded like anyone back then. If you listen to O’Jay’s they sounded like the O’Jay’s, Dramatics, George Clinton, Patti Labelle,and Aretha Franklin. I could go thru labels Stax, Motown. All the sounds make what Hip Hop is now, because that’s what we sample.
UDC: Is there a message or a theme that you are delivering on your show? EZ: I’ve been on the radio for twenty years. And when I started at KNON the motto of the station was the “ Voice of the People.” I was getting knowledge of myself and trying to find out my place in the world as an African youth in America. At the station another one of our mottos was “We play all the hits none of the times.” My music and the social content is important to me. I don’t like to play anything that’s disrespectful to women, I do like my gunplay every now and then. I like things that talk about the way life is. A lot of times Hip Hop is a bit too harsh for people but when you get over all the bullshit that people write in the songs. And deal with the social situations, I feel that we should listen. I mean, every Hip Hop song know matter how bad it sounds should be listen to, because it's the way people are feeling. Whether its negative, or positive, you have to ask yourself “Why?” either way. What are the benefits of it. Why are these guys
UDC: With all the talk of Hip Hop being dead, what do you feel the status of Hip Hop is? EZ: When I first started Hip Hop was never going to make it. That was the resound and clear sentiments throughout the land that it was never going to last. I used to just trip out because I used to be like. Why not? Hip Hop came on as not what is considered traditional music but nevertheless it still had it own life and body and an entity into itself. So, no it’s never going to die. I think that’s a misconception. I think that Hip Hop as any true art form has a way of reinventing itself. I look at Jazz, Rock n Roll. Even when there’s degradation… in jazz even in Rock n Roll. Let’s face it bands don’t band anymore, so as far as Hip Hop, are influence is not just here now, we’re global and thanks to the internet it has become a household thing. I saw this one DVD it's called "We got your kids", and its true we got them, as African men and women especially men we are the most emulated in the world and the most despised. That’s where we at, but as far as Hip Hop dying? No. Never. It’s not going away. We got a lot of bad things in Hip Hop now, but the underground has always been, its all ways going to be that way. Same as a certain style of Jazz that isn’t mainstream, but it is still loved by, still practiced,played and enjoyed by people all over. |
UDC: Explain what being a DJ means to you? EZ: It’s kind of a lost art. What a DJ means to me basically is a DJ breaks records. A DJ is someone who is not afraid to have an opinion about what he thinks is good music. A DJ’s other function is to know how to rock a party. That’s the lost art, DJ’s know how to cut, scratch, and do all the tricks, but can't rock a party. So to me a good selection of music and knowing how to rock a party. Is what makes DJing to me what it is. Man, I love this feel to the whole thing it reminds me of being at the station, it’s like being at KNON. I love it. I love it.
UDC: How do you feel the internet has affected Hip Hop and the music industry as a whole? EZ: I think that it’s benefited us in a way, yet we don’t understand how to make money off of it. It is an asset, I don’t’ mind that people download; it’s funny that it’s a big issue now. I can remember when a friend of mine up the street and this is in the seventies, would get an album, and we would put it on cassette. It’s not a new thing to me, I thought that people always did copied. Also if anyone wants to buy something, they’ll go out and buy it. If they really want the product they’ll buy it. Distribution has always been a problem for people in Hip Hop but now you have people who are sort of knowledgeable about Hip Hop and they want to find it, so they surf. You know, surf my way, and hang ten over here. I feel that the internet is a blessing; I think that we have to gain control over what we want to do with it. Then we have to allow ourselves to be able to make money before the whole thing gets locked up and we find ourselves in a simular situation. Now you can be your own entity as an independent artist. It’s rough; to anyone who thinks you can start your own record label get on the internet and be an automatic success. You’re in for a rude awaking. It’s a lot of hard work, you might break even but that something you have to go thru and figure out yourself. It not going to be anything easy. UDC: Any advice to an aspiring artist? EZ: You can’t be afraid of originality. Here’s an example, I’ve been on the radio for twenty years, I ve played nothing but exclusive underground ground breaking artist who I think are influences. I want my music to be raw, and I feel like people aren’ t getting that now and I think that people need to go back to that instead of trying to make popular music. All the music I play you would think that there would be a bunch of underground groups that would come out of Dallas. No one wants to do just raw things. I feel like, stick to what you believe in and if your not out to elevate Hip Hop and raise it up then go do something else. If you think you tough and the baddest on the block, then go to the war don’t bring that shit to my hood. You know what I mean go to somewhere, were they like that shit. Another thing collectively as artist we need to grab a hold of Hip Hop because we are the people that made it. We’re talking about something that started with a few people, just doing a few things here, doing a few things there. Then in New York, it all comes together on these kids block. And then it just goes out everywhere. When you think about what Hip Hop is and how it started, why it started and then look at it now. It’s sad, I mean it’s sad. If we can get back to the DJ and the Emcee, if you’re an emcee get yourself a DJ. That’s where we always been, that’s what made Hip Hop what it was, is that combination. Now we have DJ’s separate and Emcee separate like they don’t even...what is that. If I want to go see somebody, I want to see a DJ and Emcee. Also, as an artist because you have written a song and you have made a CD don’t mean you can rock a crowd. You have to get out there and perform. Still groups that I play on the radio. They think an injustice has been done to them because no one has asked them to do any shows. No one owes you anything as an artist. Everything will have to be on your own merit. Anyone who has made it, you might have friends but if there not on that level or not prepared then you can’t bring them on. So you always have to be ready and prepared and have your game polished. UDC: Are there any words that you would like to express to your audience? EZ: As always you can’t take Hip Hop from your social life, or your everyday life. Before I was EZ Eddie D, I was always Eddie so that's who I am as a person. I feel that you are who you are always and when you come into Hip Hop be that person. I wear my hair like this not because I’m into Jamaica, I wear my hair like this because I’m into Africa. Which is just respect of Africa it’s not because I’ m trying to be anything; I love my culture, just like anyone else's loves their culture. We can’t take economics out of Hip Hop, we can’t take education out of Hip Hop, and we can’t take fun out of Hip Hop. It’s all part of life and that’s all Hip Hop is. It’s not about riding around in cars because you ride around in cars all the fucking time it’s like jeez, all of sudden it’s a big thing. Haven't you been in a car before? It's nothing to be all that excited about. I don’t care if your rims do spin when you stop. We just need to get away from all the glamour and glitz and to each one, teach one. Get knowledge of self, of our culture, of America’s culture, of the world’s culture. This is what will take us into the next millennium. Because we are the alpha and the omega, we have been here since the beginning and we’ll be here at the end; so, if we going to be there for that duration, we might as well enjoy it to the fullest. And we can’t do that if we keep going by the intuitions that have been set up to us in America. Schooling is a problem. I could go on forever. Each one, teach one. Understand that Hip Hop is something that is not owned by anybody, but it is to be nourished, loved and cared for like a baby and we’ve seen her grow into a beautiful woman. I think now she's trying to be pimped. There trying to pimp our girl. So were going to have to stop that. As I say at the end of my show. Peace: positive education amplifies creative energy. I can sign off with that. EZ EDDIE D
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© 2005 Uncommon Development Company