Interview Chester aka DOPESTYLE

Scelta lodevole la pubblicazione di 2 album in una sola produzione, capaci entrambi di rendere l'idea della crescita artistica e personale di Dopestyle, una delle personalità più interessanti della scena hip-hop della west coast. Cresciuto nei college californiani dove si è costruito una fama nel college come deejay per radio universitarie e producer di notevole levatura stilistica, Dopestyle ha avuto un notevole supporto per questa release oltre che dalla Daly City (l'etichetta del bizzarro Mochipet), anche dall'amico Jason Chaves aka Deejay 4am, conosciuto al reparto hip hop di un negozio di dischi a San Francisco. Negli anni questo MC non ha mai smarrito la sua vena provocatoria e al contempo ludica, anche se questi due dischi mostrano un lato più intimistico e profondo, con ampie canzoni dal tenore narrativo, splendide descrizioni di "vita vissuta" e riflessioni acute talvolta di carattere esistenziali. Un disco come The Little Happy si presta attraverso il meccanismo introiettivo a fare da colonna sonora per gli alti e i bassi che la vita normalmente riserva, conservando una visione comunque ottimistica. Numerose le tematiche sociali e politiche affrontate argutamente da Dopestyle, che nel primo disco trovano l'apice espressivo nell'autobiografica The Last Party (Old Man Blues), canzone che ha per tema la crescita e l'invecchiamento affrontato come un processo in cui guardando in retrospettiva, si tendono ad accettare errori e decisioni per elevare la coscienza e prepararsi ad un epilogo dignitoso... Più rude, ma ugualmente espressivo il secondo album, Fool's Proof, scritto in una fase esistenziale che il poliedrico e tuttofare (in questo momento è impegnato in 5 progetti differtenti) Dopestyle definisce "mental break". Invitandovi all'ascolto del disco, addentriamoci nella conoscenza del suo simpatico artefice. Dopestyle "The Little Happy/Fool's Proof" (Daly City Records) THE LITTLE HAPPY tracklist 01.The Little Intro 02.Welcome My Friends 03.We Put It Down ft.Pro The Leader, Opio f/Souls of Mischief/Hieroglyphics 04.Wrap It Around Me 05.Dominator D (Me & You) 06.Halogen (Song for Jacob) 07.Wake Up In the Morning 08.Patty Cake 09.Situations 10.Sleepless Babes 11.Stress Reducer 12.The Little Happy 13.The Last Party (Old Man Blues) 14.The Little Outro FOOL'S PROOF tracklist 01.Baby, Baby, Baby 02.The Bald Head Brute & The Long Hair Layman ft.Motion Man 03.Drunk Phunk 04.Power of the P 05.Here It Is... Herpes (Johnny' s Story) 06.Thrillers N Killers 07.Peekaboo 08.Yellow Jello (Crack Cocaine Blues) 09.No Hope (Fool's Pool part 1) 10.I'm A Big Fan Of Yours 12.Riding Shortgun ft.Fathed, 4am 13.Without You (I'm Only A Loser) 13.When I Die (Fool's Proof) 14.Untitled BONUS TRACKS 15.Mr.Malaise & Friends ft.Human Beings and Casual of Hieroglyphics MOCHIPET REMIX 16.We Put It Down ft.Pro the Leader and Opio of Hieroglyphics YOKO SOLO REMIX

Hi there!I still remember Kutmasta Kurt Presents Dopestyle 1231 and I'm happy to find out that your provokative vein's keepin' on pushin yet! Yeah...after the Kutmasta Kurt Presents Dopestyle 1231 came out in 2004, I promptly started working with Deejay 4AM on a collection of songs that would become the 2nd disc from the just released "The Little Happy/Fool's Pool LP. During the recording of that album I was going through a lot of personal challenges in my life...so that album is basically a fun emotional rollercoaster ride of the ups & downs, joy & pain I was experiencing at that time.

Some writers argue that hip hop and rap have lost their political power in denouncing problems due to excessive targetting on mainstream. What's your viewpoint? Well my opinion is that rap hasn't lost any of it's political power. At the time when political rap was more popular during the time of Public Enemy's heydey...that was only the case because the mainstream media chose to focus on it. In one sense, that mainstream exposure was good because a lot of people became more aware of our current state of affairs here in the USA and globally and made the conscious choice to keep themselves conscious of the issues and support more conscious and political rap. But the downside to that mainstream focus on political/conscious rap was that it became trendy and many individuals jumped on the bandwagon. So when the mainstream media shifted its focus to nonpolitical rap, those same individuals dropped out and to many it seemed rap lost its political power. But that's not really the case because every sense then, the conscious/political rap movement has been going on strong in the underground where the true fans have maintained their strong support. The mainstream media right now may have its spotlight on sex and violence but rap is still very effective as a tool for social awareness and social change. It's funny because with the current Bush administration in the presidential office and the general consensus of social unrest and even apathy, it seems more and more individuals are traveling down that old hallway of positive-conscious-political Hip Hop.

I really appreciated your last workout even if it enucleates two albums! First of all what's the main reason of this editorial choice? Just a 2-in-1 offer? Well after the Kutmasta Kurt Presents Dopestyle 1231 came out in 2004, I promptly started working with Deejay 4AM on a collection of songs that would become the 2nd disc from the just released "The Little Happy/Fool's Pool LP. During the recording of that album I was going through a lot of personal challenges in my life...so that album is basically a fun emotional rollercoaster ride of the ups & downs, the joys & pain I was experiencing at that time. Then in 2005, I started recording "The Little Happy" LP again with Deejay 4am. By this time in my life, I was able to see things with a tad bit more clarity in terms of myself, my environment, the world, and the human condition. I started seeing the connectedness of the human condition to extend to all individuals and groups around the world. We all experience pain, elation, suffering, joy, and challenges throughout our whole lives. I believe our number one purpose in life is for self-actualization...for us all to reach and express our unique potentialities. Unfortunately due to Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Age-ism, social-economics, Discrimination, Oppression, and a whole host of other unmentioned concerns, we don't all start on equal footing. As long as these issues exist, no one is truly free! How can I live a life totally unaware, uncaring, and uneffected by the suffering of others in the world. So in releasing both albums together as a double CD, I wanted to encapsulate a whole range of human emotions and experiences through my own perspective. Some of the material is vibrant and whimsical, some of the material is self-deprecating and dark, and some of the material is uplifting and heartfelt. In essence...all the things that constitutes Human Life!!!

Even if you introduce a lot of social matters, it seems it's impossible to detach isolated parts in your album. It seems a sort of everlasting reflection on life and his mysterious paths. Is it easy to describe it in a few words? The underlining theme of this project is that even though we will undoubtedly face good times and hardships, we must always try to stay positive and have compassion for ourselves and others.

Where are you living at the moment? What's the influence of your environment on your style? At the moment, I'm living in San Francisco, California, USA. I was born and raised in this same area known as the Bay Area. The influence this area has had on my style is huge in showing me a lot of musical diversity in and outside of Hip Hop music so when I started making music at a young age I didn't feel any limitations or constrictions on how to express myself musically.

How did you reach Daly City Records? Well I met Mochipet and Daly City Records at a show that we were both performed at in San Francisco, Calfornia, USA. My good friend Yoko Solo introduced us and things just hit right off with us. I think the fact that Daly City Records is a very musically diverse label sealed the deal for me since I'm very eclectic in my music tastes.

I was impressed by Halogen. Could you tell us something about the moment you decided to write it down? Well in San Francisco, California, USA where I currently live, there is a huge homeless population. The person Jacob I wrote the song about was someone I used to walk by everyday and I would give him an one dollar donation. I would give him more whenever I could afford to. After a couple of months one day, I think it was on a Friday, we just started conversating and the dialogue turned into this deep sharing of views on politics, religion, social-economics, healthcare in the USA, marriage, parenting, death, and life. From the first time I saw him even till now, Jacob has touched my life on so many different levels. The sincere smile he conveys everyday to the self-dignity he always maintains, to the resiliency and determination he exhibits on a daily basis not only inspires me but has deepened my compassion for others. When I started writing for "The Little Happy" LP, writing a song about my dear friend was a no=brainer for me. The first time Jacob heard the song, he cried and then we laughed together!!!

In an intimate way, you describe urban life. In your opinion, could anyone living in the countryside feed your songs in the same way a big city inhabitant could do? I think anyone can relate to the urban experiences I describe because more than just touching on the surroundings, I'm touching on aspects and feelings that at one point or another we all feel in our lives such as isolation, despair, broken trust, hurt, neglect, love, and acceptance!!!

You're able to draw profiles in a very impressive way. What was the reaction of your close friend Johnny after listening to Here It Is... Herpes? Hahaha....Johnny loved it! He was just glad I didn't put his last name in the song...hahaha!!!

Do you think that slogans such as "follow the leader" are efficiently drilling in people's mind? Yes it is but it's done in subtle ways through the general media. Not to mention it is so much easier to put the responsibility on another person and use that person as a scapegoat when things don't go right. What's more difficult is taking on the responsibility for yourself and owning up to your own mistakes. That's why I haven't watched TV/Cable and commercial radio for over 15 years. I do stay aware of current issues/news by cross-referencing more reliable news websites. In some ways, I live my life like a hermit staying far away as possible from the mainstream media and advertisers eager to enlist more consumers through commercial bombardment. I shop for all my clothes at thrift stores, I purchase my music from independent record stores, I do my best to recycle, and I try to keep as much of my mindspace free of Capitalistic-driven conformity.

How many sugar tea-spoons in a cup of coffee??? :) I don't know since I don't drink coffee...I drink green tea..hahaha!

You are working on 5 different projects, aren't you? Could you tell us something about those ones? Oh sure, I just finished an ep with Yoko Solo, Pu22L3 entitled "KRUSHED & KRUMBLED" under the band name, GRINDBENDER...to listen to some of the songs...you can go to: www.myspace.com/grindbender . The music for this project can be best described as glitch-skittish-tittish-hypno-prog-bounce.

I just finished up an ep with Mochipet (Daly City Records) entitled "DOPESTYLE VS. MOCHIPET" The music for this project can be described as "boom-bap-electro-battle heavy-bandits music.

I just finished up an instrumental CD I produced myself entitled "ON THE RUN" This project can be best described as an appropriate soundtrack for someone who is running from something or running from themselves.

I've also completed an ambient electronica instrumental album under the name "FLOATERKNIP" entitled "ZAMBIENT MUSIC (ZOMBIE+AMBIENT)

Other albums I have in the works is another album with Deejay 4am entitled "BLOOD BLACK FLOWERS" this project can be described as the vanglorious return of the 80's with shimmery emo-bop hop....you can peep out compositions by DEEJAY 4AM at: www.myspace.com/nightmaresoul.

I'm also in a punk rock band called CULT OF SALAMANDERS with my good friend Nero Nava. We will be releasing a 2-song 7-inch single in upcoming months. The projects that will be coming out very soon is the new DOPESTYLE 1231 "PART 2: SACRAMENT" with production by Digdug (uncommon records) and scratches by Deejay D-styles (the world famous beatjunkies, invisible skratch pickles with Q-bert, Mixmaster Mike). There will be cameos by the Casual (Hieroglyphics), ZION I, Pro the Leader. That album will be released as double-LP coupled with an LP by the Pro The Leader that will include cameos by Killah Priest & Holacaust/Warcloud (Wu-Tang affiliates), C-Rayz Walz, Novacane, Ariano, and myself. You can listen to songs from Pro The Leader at: www.myspace.com/protheleader ...and finally I'm working on a DOPESTYLE 1231: "PART 3: DOMINION" with sole production and scratches by Deejay D-Styles. To listen or purchase some of these projects, you can go to: www.myspace.com/floaterknipakadopestyle or www.dopestyle1.com

What's your perspective on Italian hip-hop scene? Just the other day a good friend of mine played a compilation of some Italian Hip Hop, and it was bananas!!! I totally loved it...where do I get more????

Do you think that the so-called ill-hop is still alive? Yes...it is still alive. The beautiful thing about hip hop now is that it is global music...where each active participant involved in it can put their own stamp on it bringing to it their own cultural values, ways of audio expression, and their likes and interests. There are so many underground movements in hip hop happening around the world that is operating and thriving without much interest in mainstream recognition...it's great!!!

Some songs (Patty Cake, Wake Up In The Morning) reminded to me the stepping by Sofa Surfers. Have you ever collaborated with collectives, mcs or djs operating in the Old Continent? Actually I haven't had the opportunity to collaborate with any mcs from the old continent but when it comes to collaborations I'm pretty open. Especially now with technololgy...it makes it even more easy to email acapellas and beats across the waters. Would you know of any cool mcs are your way who would be open to a collabo?

I liked both your albums for the tension and the electricity of the sound. So what is Dopestyle? A definitive spell or a sort of mosaic which some missing parts? Well Dopestyle is a pupil to Music. To the magical powers that Music has to reveal, convey, and heal. There is something inherently connected to the 'rhythym of life'...for me MUSIC IS LIFE! Music is my religion of sorts. There is not a day that goes by where I am not thinking about Music, breathing Music, making Music, sharing Music I enjoy with others, and appreciating the profound redemptive and liberating qualities that can be found in all MUSIC. I guess you can say that Dopestyle is a mosaic conduit for the soundwaves that travel around me, through me, and how I interpret my emotions and life experiences through this way.

What's your favourite conversational subject? What makes you happy, why does it make you happy, what would make you happy, & what PASSIONS and DREAMS do you live for!

Any possibility to see you and your friends perform somewhere in Europe? I would love to perform in Europe, my band and I put on a pretty electric show. To be honest with you, I just haven't had the money to buy a roundtrip ticket to the old continent. Currently, I'm working 7 days a week...I guess there's no rest for the wicked..hahaha...But I do plan on moving to Europe and living there for awhile..I guess we'll see where life takes me!!!