Young Scolla is the latest artist to jump "In The Mix" with The DJ Booth. In a brief interview, he speaks on his musical roots, the pro & cons of rapping and singing, his new mixtape "Potluck" and more. Here is a snippet of the interview:DJ Booth: As an artist you represent Detroit, but do your roots in Memphis influence your music? How?
Young Scolla: Although I've always been a big fan of Three 6 Mafia, I don't think living in Memphis influenced my music as directly as it influenced my life. That was a short period of time in my life but I lived in the South (Texas as well) for some time before moving to Detroit and just the environment and the people had a lot with molding my early concepts of interaction and how I interpreted things. My music is a direct reflection of my life but a lot of the experiences I draw from come from my Detroit upbringing, so I'd have to say yes and no.
DJ Booth: You can rap, sing and produce records. What are the pros and cons of versatility like that?
Young Scolla: I think being able to be so versatile allows me to be a lot more hands-on in crafting my sound. If there is a specific sound that I'm going for, I can create it instead of having to take the time to convey what I visualize to them. It's also a blessing because when I may not have access to a singer or a producer, I can easily get right to work myself. The downside is that I'm very critical of myself so I might lay down a hook that everyone else will think is hot but I feel should be redone by someone else. Outside of that there aren't too many cons. I'm confident in the kind of artist that I am so I've never had a problem balancing the two in regards to my image or the sound I want to convey.
Detroit emcee, Young Scolla steps into the DJBooth for the 158th entry of their DJBoothFreestyle Series. Scolla is currently working dillagently on his DJBooth/Refinedhype/Rocksmith-sponsored Potluck mixtape, set to drop in late May.
Young Scolla -" Venting" (Freestyle)
Previously Young Scolla - "Give Me A Sign Ft. Boaz & S.Money"
In an exclusive interview with DJBooth.net, B.o.B steps into the Booth to discuss his patient yet very excited mindstate leading up to the arrival of his freshman set, his upcoming performance at this year’s Coachella festival, and why President Obama may already be a fan. Plus... the power of the net, a potential Coldplay collaboration (see quotable below), and "physical Twitter."
Via Email:
In our latest DJBoothTV segment, Jacques Morel chops it up with Pittsburgh emcee Wiz Khalifa following his Deal or No Deal album release party at NYC's Highline Ballroom. They discuss the Steel City emcee's thoughts on his amicable split with Warner Bros., his domination of iTunes' Hip-Hop Chart, and his numerous forthcoming projects.
In an exclusive interview with DJBooth.net, Wiz Khalifa steps into the Booth to discuss why he doesn’t consider his time with Warner Bros. to be wasted, the New Year’s resolution that will make Steve Jobs very unhappy, and the perils of enjoying some “Studio Lovin’” when you’re 6’4”. "Deal or No Deal" drops 11/24.Quotable:
DJ Booth: Another song I want to talk about is number 14. It’s entitled “Who I Am.” Without having heard the full-length version of this record, set the record straight for everybody at this very moment: who are you, who is Wiz Khalifa?Wiz Khalifa: I would definitely answer, just good times, man – fun, no stress, great music, a lot of weed smoke, and doin’ whatever the f*ck you feel. That’s what I do. And bein’ a business, too. ‘Cause I’m all about conducting business and doin’ sh*t the right way.
Quotable:
Via Email:DJ Booth: Obviously, as we both can agree, Jay is a legend in the game, but very
few of his protégés have ever lived up to the hype that preceded them. What
prompted you to sign with the Roc and, to this point, do you feel any pressure
to deliver results?
J. Cole: Yep, I took those things into account.
‘Cause Jay-Z’s shadow is so big, it would be hard for anybody to come out of
that. But I’m the type of person where, A., I look at things as challenges, I
like challenges and, B., I truly believe that you determine your own destiny. An
opportunity is an opportunity, and one of that magnitude would be dumb to pass
up, especially when I truly believe that I make my path and I set my course, and
where I land, at the end of the day, or the end of my career, [is] because of
me. Of course, you get help along the way, and cosigns and management and
opportunities and things like that but overall, the ball is in your court
basically. In terms of pressure, I used to say I didn’t feel any pressure ‘cause
I really wasn’t thinkin’ about it, but now that I’m thinkin’ about it, it’s like
a good pressure. I feel the type of pressure that a strong-minded first pick in
a draft would feel. ‘Cause I feel like a first pick in a draft could either be
like, “Damn, I’m the first pick! I don’t wanna mess up! I don’t wanna f*ck this
up, they invested a lot of money in me!” or he could be like, “Yeah, I’m the
first round pick, ‘cause I worked so hard to be the first round pick. Now I’m
gonna show you why I’m the first pick.”
DJ Booth: J., the list of well-known emcees to attend college and actually graduate is not very long. I polled all of my Twitter followers, all 9,800-plus of them, and we came up with Chuck D , Nappy Roots , David Banner , Kidz in the Hall, and a few others. Would you be in the position that you’re in right now without that degree from St. John’s?
J. Cole: Nah – that was my ticket. St. John’s was my way to be
in New York. I had no other business being up there. Like, I probably wouldn’t
have survived if it wasn’t for bein’ able to stay in dorms, and bein’ able to
use college loans to get my apartment, and just stay afloat in New York City.
But I believe that anything’s possible. I used to think I couldn’t have made it
back home, but now I know, knowin’ what I know about the world and how it works,
I know I could’ve stayed home and found a way to get on. But, you know, college
had a great deal to do with my development as a person. I don’t know if I’d be
the artist I was if it wasn’t for goin’ to school like that. School is a good
place – it ain’t for everybody, but I think it’s for most people.
"I grew up from nothing. It was like, in my family there were six people livin ’ in a two-bedroom apartment. You know, rats and roaches in the hood, gunshots every night – I know what it feels like to be straight broke, nothing fits right, close to homeless. I understand all that. That’s my background, so in my mind I can’t be like, “Oh, I’m sick of this, I’m tired of people knowin’ who I am!” I’d actually be killing my blessing by saying that. I would never do that. If a person is thinking like that he should be ashamed of himself". -Juicy J
In an exclusive interview with DJBooth.net, Kid CuDi steps into the Booth (the morning of his album release) to discuss his commitment to creative envelope-pushing, what inspired him to make that infamous ‘retirement’ announcement earlier this year and his powerfully intoxicating influence on female fans. "Man on the Moon: End of Day" is out now!
In their third exclusive interview with DJBooth.net, the Clipse step into the Booth to discuss the street/mainstream balance they strike on their forthcoming LP, the possibility of dropping separate solo sets in the future, and Malice’s unique approach to video-blogging.
In an exclusive interview with DJBooth.net, Cassidy steps into the Booth to discuss the reasons he chose to align himself with a relatively unknown entity in the music business, his current personal and professional relationship with longtime mentor Swizz Beatz, and which of his musical personae will be taking center stage on his latest full-length.
810 goes in over AZ's "The Format"Instrumental. 810's mixtape "Glass Half Full" is coming in September hosted by 2dopeboyz. Djbooth.net & illroots.com,
In the sixth of eight exclusive video interviews shot behind the scenes at '09's Rock the Bells opener, DJ Z goes backstage with Big Boi to discuss his feelings on being the only Southern artist on the festival lineup, when fans can expect a new Outkast album, and the jewelry he was rocking onstage.
