As a little side dish, I figured why not turn the tables and let a few past YM guests get at the I and I for a little pow wow, y’know? Possibly a part II could be had since I send out the word for this to a few people awhile ago. I don’t know….feel free to add anymore if any of yall give a flying crap,ha...


The perfect mistake: what motivates you as a writer/lyricist/rapper?

Circumstance…life, y’know? I guess there was always a journalist of sorts within me cause even as an emcee. I’m chronicling the day’s events through rhyme for the most part. Rhyming never came to me in the need to battle or anything like that. I’m an artist so the word became another medium for expression, y’know. I use to write just to write; now it only happens if there’s a beat to write to. But definitely how ever I approach a verse, it’ll have stemmed from something I’ve experienced…or what a close friend has experienced. I’ll just jot it down and it’s the little things that make people hone in on what it is they’re hearing.


Morehouse: How would you like to change/expand YM in the future?

As time moves along I definitely want to see what becomes of this. First step was providing some semblance of a layout as opposed to just plain text. I have a little understanding of design and layout…to incorporate that along with more of my personality. That would be a good look overall. I also like advertising and the idea of cross promotions. Got some t-shirts (http://img226.echo.cx/img226/6614/shirt19ti.jpg) made for some friends. An idea came to mind if I were to actually mail out exclusive “Yukon Mag” tee’s that would be kinda sick. There’s a snowball effect happening right now so if it pans out the way my mind’s eye sees it…this could be big.


Robynwild: What area of Canada do you live in and what kind of affect do you think it had on you growing up? How is that for a wallbanger of a question?

You know what…I’m going to bite and answer this. I’m not from Canada I’m from BRRROOKLLLYN…damn, a certain kind of swagger just takes over when you say Brooklyn. The effect(s) of coming up in BK (Sheepshead / Coney Island to be exact). If you’ve lived in the projects than you know, I’m speaking in general so far your drug peddling is concerned. I went through the usual rights of passage anybody from any hood did. You’d hang out with a crew on a park bench till the wee-hours getting your drink and or your smoke on. But I always had an imagination that would preoccupy my time a lot. I spent a lot of time to myself on the roof of my building. Looking over into Manhattan or whatever wondering what else is out there. I’ve always wanted to be that dude who came from the same place a lot of these rappers talk about. Yet bring a new slant to the story, if that makes any sense. No…not some avant-garde stuff either. It...Whatever that may be is still being forged to this day just with a change in locale now. For the past 4 yrs Houston has been the backdrop. Being a disgruntled college grad has gotten old so now I’m making moves on this Art Teacher gig. Every now and again I rap too, still in the process of creating a world of my own design, y’know.


Photosynthesis: We all have our lil' reasons for why we frequent this OKP board. (It's home away from home / Impersonal but friendly and non~committal / Therapy / A place to meet people--Other poets or freestylists--A place to let off steam & vent (battles) / etc., etc.
QUESTION: WHY ARE YOU HERE? -- (Besides of course to share your wonderful issues of blak-yukon interviews)

I have no idea to perfectly honest,ha…After 2002, I just got bored of posting on the boards. To this day I fail to really understand; especially if you’re an emcee…how does somebody truly get into what it is you’re saying. Meaning getting into the nuances…the flow and all that, other than looking at some words put together. Than I realized I’m from another era just before PCs were in every household. There are aspiring emcees that use this place as a form of training to get their game up. By the time I discovered this place, hitting the stage and performing in front of folks and recording and being in ciphers were old-hat. I’ll admit I’m one of the worst to read on here so far as you the reader not getting exactly where the line break is in my raps. I’m glad I was able to share audios with folks so they would know I’m far from being a “netcee”,ha. But to finally answer your question…I like to see folks come into their own here, there are like-minded people out there in the world and this place has brought a lot of folks who really would have never got to interact together. It’s communal and clickish at the same time, and though I feel as though I’m seasoned…I still every so often get hit in the head by some of the stuff I see here…yep. Plus, it kills time while at work...have you seen what goes on in GD?




<<----later that night-----


http://ryanavery.com/musick/

...hell yeah, this whole time i thought you were from texas- now i know why your flow is so good and i like you so much

im a fellow f- train rider myself from over by 4th ave

i hung out in sheepshead and coney a lot in hs tho cause i was going to school in flatbush and one of my boys was an ex-shark

probably the russian in me lol

whenever i get somebody offering to treat me to dinner i try and get them to take me down for randazzo's for some sick ass lobster and OC people watching lol

now i got a question for you after hearing your flow- whens the mixtape coming out- fuck a tshirt i want the yukon cd

but damn if that aint good seafood,ha...it's been a labor of love and hate,man...so far as the music thing. i am the personification of a dollar and dream,ha...need loot to make loot.

blk

<<----later that night-----


http://ryanavery.com/musick/

note i said OC people watching

i wasnt talking about orange county lol

ave. x and by nostrand was where i did most of my hanging out tho- used to be able to get nice dro down there

and im all about coney too- im a big aquarium junky- love to get stoned and peep the fishes

gotta love the boardwalk too- i dont like russian restaurants cause i hate the food of my motherland (except chicken kiev) BUT i love the liquor stores down there, only places to get real russian vodka (stoli is ok but its nothing compared to the reals, besides theyre cheaper too)- i also used to notice that the less english the store owner spoke the less likely they were to check id

my boys and i also used to go down to lincoln so we could watch telfair rock out in hs

sorry to run on so long (you know how i do lol)- i just love talking about the city, especially since i been stuck out here in mass so long

another question- where'd you go to HS?

art major-had to journey from sheepshead to the upper westside every friggin'morning for 4 yrs...damn, nostrand and x. wow...upstairs records still there?

<<----later that night-----


http://ryanavery.com/musick/

FAME! I wanna live forevaaaaa....

sorry i couldnt resist lol

upstairs was still there as of the last time i was around there but that was 3-4 years ago

my time in the city is rushed when im back on vacation so i dont have the time to just hang out down there bullshitting with my peeps like i used to

i went to sheepshead last summer tho but it was cause my moms got me one of those lobsters lol

im in coney all the time when im back tho- you seen the new stadium down there?

nothing else about the area has changed at all- the boardwalk and shit is just as run down as it ever was but there's this big fancy stadium just kind plunked down a few blocks from the cyclone

craziest shit i saw last summer on the boardwalk was some shit called "shoot the freak"- they had an abandoned house gutted and the boardwalk looked down on this lot where the basement floor had been and there was this dude among a bunch of shit they had set up wearing fucked up plastic toy armor running aroun taunting people who would pay to shoot paintballs at him

it was weird

i'd like to see this stadium...wow, that would be crazy to see concidering you got that housing and the F-train right there.

<<----later that night-----


http://ryanavery.com/musick/

the cyclones and the concerts there are really selling well- but it hasnt done anything to drastically change the neighborhood--- still as far as i'm concerned thats a good thing- gentrification is really killing a lot of the good spots in bk

i hold out hope that coney island wont succumb but i doubt it

my neighborhood over on fifth ave got overrun by hipsters

yuppies took over park slope waaaayyy back and but in the past few years its crept lower and lower towards red hook & sunset

Being a part of your "Special Edition" Blak! -- ;)

I see your activity HERE on OKP as a "blueprint/training ground" for what you'll eventually be doing (((OUT THERE))) when the timing is right.


Keep networking boo! -- *smiles* -- And keep ^UP^ the good work.

time'll tell...=)


<<----later that night-----


http://ryanavery.com/musick/

peace
ladee

i want a shirt

mmm.. where did i get that from.

anyway. thanks for the resp.

coolio.

Bartek: Blak, you have taught me almost everything I know, you always had patience, and you were always willing to peep anything that I recorded, or just to hear me run off at the mouth with bars, how do you keep your head in this game?

Thanks for being interested in my opinion of things concerning music. The thing is it's always been around...it wasn’t by choice; my brother in law who passed years ago was a D.J. As a kid i'd always hang around him when he was practicing for his night gigs. Thumbing through his vinyl collection, mom would have music playing while cleaning or beating my ass. Coming up in the 80's hiphop was just as common as sirens so it was just like that. Guess I'm saying i've been so immersed in the game before it was referred to as being in the game. It's as natural as farting...

Bartek: How do you give so much of who you are, in order to perpetuate the real essence of hip hop?

I’m not sure if I follow through with what you’re asking. Is it a question of me just being me? Because I won’t lie; sometimes I wonder how I could add a bit of sensationalism to my shit. But the sincerity through flow gives off the “realness”…at least I hope it does.


Bartek: Where do you stand on politics? Waste of time? Worth thinking about?

I have opinions when it comes to politics but I never felt compelled to put it to a beat, like dead prez or Immortal Technique. A sentiment that’s politically charged might get slid in to something else I’m speaking on cause it relates. But other than that a rap is just a personal journal…so, speaking out against the war in Iraq won’t be heard from me. Though I would like to hear somebody do it, y’know?

Edit: sure it’s been done but I’m referring on a large scale.


Bartek: What is Blak's take on love? What type of woman makes Blak bow his head?

Lol…I have two women in my life right now, let me explain. One, she’s my ex but we’re still very much involved in each other’s lives. The other; well…I tried to get at but it just has worked out as us being friends. The thing is…they are totally two different types of women, the ex being a case of “opposites attracting” while the other being damn near alike to myself. I know I love them both very much. Love in a sense that with the ex…yes, I’m still in love with you, with what we’ve done and planned together. It didn’t work out but you’ve added so much to my life. The other is a kind of love that says yes…I still want to hit but please believe I can be there as a voice of reason, we both trying to improve our circumstances so who better to relate with. I’d bow my head before them but they’d act like I was out to hit…they’d be right,ha.

Bartek: When can we expect to hear you on audio again? Cause you know, we all waiting.

Man…for those who record at a studio, yall know how it when you have a rapport with the studio guy. He knows you and he knows how to set the levels on everything to better represent your sound. I’ve lost that due to m’man having another business to start up with his family. So now you got to start over and seek out a studio, establish what it your trying to do, and have other people see your vision. In a nutshell…that’s a good question…I want to know when I’ll hear another audio from me too,ha.



<<----inbox me for one-----


http://ryanavery.com/musick/

>Bartek: Blak, you have taught me almost everything I know,
>you always had patience, and you were always willing to peep
>anything that I recorded, or just to hear me run off at the
>mouth with bars, how do you keep your head in this game?
>
>Thanks for being interested in my opinion of things concerning
>music. The thing is it's always been around...it wasn’t by
>choice; my brother in law who passed years ago was a D.J. As a
>kid i'd always hang around him when he was practicing for his
>night gigs. Thumbing through his vinyl collection, mom would
>have music playing while cleaning or beating my ass. Coming up
>in the 80's hiphop was just as common as sirens so it was just
>like that. Guess I'm saying i've been so immersed in the game
>before it was referred to as being in the game. It's as
>natural as farting...




>
>Bartek: How do you give so much of who you are, in order to
>perpetuate the real essence of hip hop?
>
>I’m not sure if I follow through with what you’re asking. Is
>it a question of me just being me? Because I won’t lie;
>sometimes I wonder how I could add a bit of sensationalism to
>my shit. But the sincerity through flow gives off the
>“realness”…at least I hope it does.

That's a really good answer and it answers the next part of the question which I was interested in. A while back you mentioned that no matter what cards you get dealt, you'll still be involved with hip hop.


>
>
>Bartek: Where do you stand on politics? Waste of time? Worth
>thinking about?
>
>I have opinions when it comes to politics but I never felt
>compelled to put it to a beat, like dead prez or Immortal
>Technique. A sentiment that’s politically charged might get
>slid in to something else I’m speaking on cause it relates.
>But other than that a rap is just a personal journal…so,
>speaking out against the war in Iraq won’t be heard from me.
>Though I would like to hear somebody do it, y’know?
>
>Edit: sure it’s been done but I’m referring on a large scale.
>

Yeah, I hear you.

>
>Bartek: What is Blak's take on love? What type of woman makes
>Blak bow his head?
>
>Lol…I have two women in my life right now, let me explain.
>One, she’s my ex but we’re still very much involved in each
>other’s lives. The other; well…I tried to get at but it just
>has worked out as us being friends. The thing is…they are
>totally two different types of women, the ex being a case of
>“opposites attracting” while the other being damn near alike
>to myself. I know I love them both very much. Love in a sense
>that with the ex…yes, I’m still in love with you, with what
>we’ve done and planned together. It didn’t work out but you’ve
>added so much to my life. The other is a kind of love that
>says yes…I still want to hit but please believe I can be there
>as a voice of reason, we both trying to improve our
>circumstances so who better to relate with. I’d bow my head
>before them but they’d act like I was out to hit…they’d be
>right,ha.

ha haaaa!!! I didn't expect you to be dropping rhymes to my questions. You a poet yo!

>
>Bartek: When can we expect to hear you on audio again? Cause
>you know, we all waiting.
>
>Man…for those who record at a studio, yall know how it when
>you have a rapport with the studio guy. He knows you and he
>knows how to set the levels on everything to better represent
>your sound. I’ve lost that due to m’man having another
>business to start up with his family. So now you got to start
>over and seek out a studio, establish what it your trying to
>do, and have other people see your vision. In a
>nutshell…that’s a good question…I want to know when I’ll hear
>another audio from me too,ha.
>
>

Can't wait for you to get into a studio. sensationalism, yeah, I feel that coming too. Dap fam



~
BE' (c)Common Sense

Supporting The L♥ve Movement;
http://www.myspace.com/bartek

and felt. Great answers. Peace

~
BE' (c)Common Sense

Supporting The L♥ve Movement;
http://www.myspace.com/bartek

AUS: So I know you have a vast array of music in the crib and your tastes are quite eclectic, do you think your affinity for different music will translate into you making beats one day? What is in your current rotation?

I think it will, man…one day. Remember a program called SounEdit 16? I made a little tune a while back using that thing. It was kinda cool too; I’ll have to put out a search for that mp file...I believe I have a good ear for beats, it was what I was initially into before rhyming. It has helped so far as keeping a flow to a beat, whatever that beat is. Current rotation...here’s some ironic shit; I listen to rock stations while on the road. So one minute it’s Kelly Clarkson (basically I just wanna smash that)…diggin’The Killer’s new song “Mr.Brightside” to Queens of the Stone Age, HateBreed or some shit.lol…it’s crazy. Once back in the house in a controlled environment; m’man Roots Manuva, play mix cds from the fam, sup Raida Wreck!…Jazz great Ramsey Lewis host’s this real good show called “Legends of Jazz”…so you’ll hear all of the jazzmen and women for all the stages. It’s a mess, man…



AUS: What do you think of the corny back and forth bickering that goes on between heads here on the freestyle boards? Do you think it is a necessary evil to battle emcees to some extent?

Ah, you bastid…dragging me into that shit. I mean, its wrestling, dude…it’s what folks do to pass time I guess. Man, you really want to get at somebody, record an entire LP or mixtape, I mean if you gonna have a soundclick page, that means in some form or fashion you could build your entire project.…this posting back and forth stuff *shakes head*…in a nutshell, it proves nothing.



AUS: How can a brother get a gig as a correspondent or beat writer for Yukon mag? does your company offer internships? I majored in radio/TV/film for 2 years before I started to try to teach the chillun, which was before I became Mr. Business man.

You know what, man…that’s a good idea. We need to conference on that.



AUS: When are you coming to Miami to help me with all these women?

When I get next year’s tax return...I’ll be the first nicca in MIA in wallabies, lol…



AUS: Sup wit vicversus?

As stated before, it’s a labor of love that’s taking time to manifest. This is all out of pocket and with other things picking at the wallet…need I say more, but man…it’s sounding pretty cohesive so far considering I have two cats primarily doing the beats.

<<----inbox me for one-----


http://ryanavery.com/musick/