Interview with Izreal: 11/6/06 Ultrakeith.net: Well done on the Mr. Nogatco Album, its great, another Kool Keith classic! I love the old 50's movie samples, gives it a great feel. Izreal: Thank you. I've always been a big fan of old Sci Fi. Ultrakeith.net: For the people that don't know of you, tell them who Iz-Real is, and what have you done so far. Izreal: I've been invovled in Hip Hop since the mid to later 80s. I grew up in The Bronx, within the Bronx River Sector during the Hip Hop's Golden Era. So as a kid I was able to attend the parties at Bronx River Park, sneak into Latin Quarters, and see people like Bambattaa, Red Alert and others just hanging out before they were legends. These were my older peers. When I was a kid and started making music and recording I met DJ Scott La Rock who told me about B Boy Records and I ended up signing to that label during the same time that Boogie Down Productions dropped their classic album Criminal Minded. Also props to KRS ONE, actually asked the label head to listen to my demo. Shortly after that they broke away from the label, and shortly after that, Scott was murdered. Ultrakeith.net: You produced Viktor Vaughn and Nogatco, what else have u produced/done? Izreal: I've been recording since 1986/87 so I've recorded a lot. You won't necessarily get to hear everything. Some releases are "Can't Sleep On The Streets," "The Drastic Jungle Project," "Strategic Infiltration, "The Mic Planet Sessions." These were all projects featuring different artists, some also featured Kool Keith. Before that there were mainly releases for our own group at the time. I also started the first Hip Hop radio show in Orlando, which I hosted for about ten years. I founded Insomniac Magazine, "The World's First Hip Hop Industry Magazine." I recently directed Insomniac's first DVD, "Hip Hop Street Credentials" which features some pretty great artists such as Saul Williams, Aesop Rock, Kool Keith, Poison Pen and Immortal Technique. Ultrakeith.net: How/when did u hook up with Keith? Izreal: I've always been a fan of Ultra and Keith's since back in the days, funny back in the 80s I used to speak with Trevor (TR Love) back at his aunt's record store in Parkchester in The Bronx, but didn't really know them personally. I actually met Keith in the mid 90s and directly after he released Dr. Octagon. I had held a grudge against The Source for ditching Ultramagnetic for the cover of their magazine, which they instead put TLC on the cover. That was 1993. So for Insomniac Magazine's first issue in 1996, I sought Keith out to put him on the cover of the first issue. Before that I had spoken with Ced Gee a few times and also put him in a newsletter I used to publish in the earlier 90s. Ultrakeith.net: How did Nogatco concept come about? Izreal: Keith and I had agreed to do a project together back in the 90s. It just took a while to actually do the full project, but Keith had been on a few of my projects, actually rapping with me. Keith is one of the greatest Hip Hop performers. More people have to recognize his accomplishments of having a career that has spanned within three decades. There are very few artists of any genre that can do that, and even less Hip Hop artists from the 80s that are still making revelent music. Ultrakeith.net: Did Keith have any input in the beats or production? Izreal: I picked the beats and confirmed the ones he really dug. Ultrakeith.net: Will there be any singles/remixes coming? Izreal: We have some other things in the works. Ultrakeith.net: What was it like working with Keith? Izreal: I've spent a lot of time with Keith during the last ten or so years. He's even stayed in my home. He's really a genius and it's an honor to work with him. On a personal level, I've met and have spent time with a good majority of artists in Hip Hop and Rap. By far, he's one of my favorite people. He's a very special and gifted person and awesome to hang out with. Ultrakeith.net: Any plans to work with Keith again? Izreal: Sure. Ultrakeith.net: I really enjoyed the clips on the enhanced cd, Whose idea was the mini movie clips? How was it filming them? Did it take long? Izreal: The movie concept was mine, but Keith is a professional and very creative, so he suggested small things that really added a lot. He's a pro, so he gets right into the mode to make it happen. I couldn't ask for more. Ultrakeith.net: Was the album release date purposely coincided with the Project Polaroid release? Izreal: Not to my knowledge. I think it was just a coincidence. I didn't know Kurt was dropping it on that day. Not sure if he knew that Nogatco was dropping on that day. But as far as I'm concerned it's all good. I've known Kurt for a while now. He's a great producer and has put together some really great projects with Keith. I give him props. I don't know Tom C, but I've heard awesome things about Project Polaroid, although I haven't listened to it yet. Ultrakeith.net: What was your first record you bought? What sort of music did you grow up listening to? Izreal: I grew up listening to all music, specificaly Salsa, Disco and Soul because of being a Hispanic youth growing up in New York City. I don't recall what the first record I bought was, but I remember thinking that RUN DMC's first album was one of the best records I first bought. I loved Jimmy Spicer tracks, Schoolly D, Whoudini, LL, Cold Crush, Kurtis Blow, and really all the classic artists of early Hip Hop. They are really the true heros and stars of the genre because they did it before the stardom and before Hip Hop was music loved by the masses. They made music as a way to do something creative and positive. Ultrakeith.net: How did you get into hip hop? Izreal: I was born into it. It was like a sybling. The Bronx is the birthplace of Hip Hop so it's always been around me. Ultrakeith.net: How did you get in to djing/producing? Izreal: I used to make beats on the Roland 505, DMX, Casio RZ1, and other earlier machines. It wasn't until I met Josh Silver in the mid 80s (known today as a member of the group Type O Negative) that I started to refine crude tracks and formulate songs. A lot of stuff we did back then was Metal/Hip Hop hybrid music (years before Rage Against the Machine and of course bands that are doing it today). Josh who helped produce, engineered, and played keyboard, and my guitarist at the time Jean Santalis, and my best friends Carlos Guerrero and Kevin Keith (long time radio host of the classic Kevin Keith and the Dirty Dozen on WNWK and currently on the NYC TV show Damented Mindz) were really the ones that helped me look outside of the box and realize that you could incorporate all genres into your music. That's really what Hip Hop is, a collage of any and all genres of music. Ultrakeith.net: What music are you listening to now? What sort of music do you listen to? Izreal: I've always been a fan of unique music. I like many artists, some of the best artists are yet to be discovered. I love indie Hip Hop, punk, rock, soul, and other genres. I really dig Sirius Satellite because of Howard Stern and also the variety of music options. Including checking out the Awesome Two and Dana Dane on the Backspin channel that plays old school stuff. Ultrakeith.net: How do you feel about hip hop today? Izreal: That's a long story. Izreal: There's too much hatred, too much commercial nonsense and most people don't know what Hip Hop is. Ultrakeith.net: Whats your favourite track? and why? Izreal: It's hard to pick a favorite song. I've been involved with a lot of tracks. I've work with very talented beat makers, musicians and artists. Mad props to Broken Klutch, Carl Kavorkian, Divinci, Jahson, EDK, Craig (Jack Horner) of Nod Records, Mr. Hill, D. Watcher, Bobby Koeble (guitarist), DJ SPS and others. Thanks to Xaul Zan aka Sage Francis and Sole of Anticon for contributing their dope verses to Live Dissection. Also props to Soliloquist of Sound. Ultrakeith.net: Ever tried rappen/singing? Izreal: I've been on a lot of records, just always take the back seat, not trying to be a star. I've been on tracks with several artists. Ultrakeith.net: Are you recording anything at the moment? Izreal: Something is always in the works. Ultrakeith.net: What direction is your music going to go in? Izreal: I like experimental music in the sense that it may just take off in a totally different angle. If you listen to Nogatco, there is a lot of that. I'm a fan of all music though. Besides quality Hip Hop, I listen to everything. I dig Led Zepplin, Metallica, Cameo, Saul Williams, Ohio Players, The Ramones, Bad Brains, Fishbone, all music genres. I was just listening to the soundtrack to Dolemite today. Rudy Ray Moore is another awesome performer and pioneer (in the world of indie film) that doesn't get enough props. I was just speaking with C Rayz Walz, he's another great talent that's not getting true props. Ultrakeith.net: What's planned for the future? Izreal: I've been invovled in Hip Hop for many years. Always looking for evolution, but that evolution that doesn't forget the true essence of the original sound; Creativity and Positivity. Ultrakeith.net: Anything you want to say to your fans? Izreal: Just want to tell all fans of Hip Hop, to support music that you may have to dig a little deeper to find. The best stuff is yet to be discovered. Don't let others dictate what's good and what's not. And definitely don't allow major media conglomerates to tell you what's good. Today, with the internet, satellite radio, community and college radio, there are so many alternate ways to find new talent. Although I guess if you're reading this online, you already know that. Izreal: Thanks.