EZDread INTERVIEW :DRC FROM THE GROUND UNDA MUSIC SERIES:BY CHALLE CYANIDE (edited by SHEM CHRIST)

THROUGH OUT THE HISTORY OF HIP HOP THERE HAVE BEEN GREAT  PRODUCER /MC DUO'S WHO HAVE LEFT A MARK ON THE ART FORM. WHETHER IT BE A PRODUCER AND ONE MC OR  BOTH MEMBERS IN THE DUO  ROCKING BEATS AND MICS. ARTIST LIKE ATMOSPHERE, EPMD,AND GANGSTARR LAID DOWN THE PATH  A LOT OF UP AND COMING ARTISTS FOLLOW TODAY.DRC'S OWN CHALEE CYANIDE  TALKS TO AN INCREDIBLE HIP HOP DUO THAT FOLLOWS THIS TEMPLATE BUT ALSO IS BLAZIN' THEIR OWN PATH AND SETTING NEW STANDARDS TO FOLLOW.GET READY TO PLUG IN TO "THE ELECTRIC OUTLET"!

CHALEE CYANIDE:

Back home in MA, I used to try and catch a radio show 88.9@night. Emerson college's legendary Hip Hop program.

They always played the dopest hip-hop, and they never fell into that same old typical commercial bullshit.

It had been about 7 years since I heard the show,which airs from 10pm to 2 am Monday through Friday.

Well through the miracle of the internet I checked it out and the show was still going strong.

On the first night I re-tuned in the DJ played a track from a group "the Electric Outlet".

The Track "Here We Go Again" Is a Mellow, melodic, testament to the frustration, and struggle, that seems to envelope

the cities of New England. The DJ announces herself as EZDread, producer for the group and plugs a myspace page.

Leaving me hooked, I follow down the myspace rabbit hole, and catch up with EZD.

EZdread The DJ/Urban Music Director for 88.9 WERS. EZD, along with MA/CT MC ACTONE is the Electric outlet.
 
 
 
C.C. : O.K. Katii, want to tell everybody who you are and where you are from?




EZD : sure, I'm a producer originally from Avon,CT.(I was) Born and raised there and moved to Boston in the fall of '08.



C.C. How did you get into producing?



EZD: I first got into producing from messing around with garage band on my powerbook G4 and singing into the internal mic in the machine over stock garageband loops.

Then I realized how awful they sounded and wanted to make my own to sing on.that really got me into beats.

I was also studying jazz piano at the time with King Solomon, who is also a dope producer.He introduced me to the MPC and that was all it took.

Bought the MPC 2000xl and taught myself in my closet turned "studio" at home.

Good ol' ebay.I was 16,at that point.Piano lessons turned into discussions about hiphop and beats.(laughs)

Sometimes I wouldn't touch the piano at all.Then I started bringing my beats in.

I would give king Solomon all of the credit for getting me into hip hop,him and Gang Starr music.

Gang Starr was my gateway drug.



C.C.: Thats incredible, Do you have any other artist who has influenced you on that level?

EZD: Definitely ActOne.

I met him the first weekend I moved to Boston.



C.C. Tell me about how you guys met.



EZD Ok so,I was hanging out on a stoop in Berklee,with my roommate at the time

and there were these two Berklee students singing and playing blues guitar on the stoop.Everyone was drinking andre or some kind of cheap champagne, and we were all just chillin.

Then some kid started beat boxing to it and i was tryin to get my roommate to freestyle,though she would never haha...

ActOne (who i didnt know at the time), just appeared out of no where on the sidewalk and kicked the sickest freestyle I'd ever heard live in my life.

I'm not even kidding he has ridiculous freestyle skills.He was rapping bout the dunkin donuts coffee in his hand, and all this shit I wish I could remember a line,

but at the end of it he name dropped, and shouted out East Boston.

Then he walked away like right after.I had just moved to Boston so i was lookin for rappers to work with.I didnt know anyone.

So the next morning I googled "act one east boston" and his myspace came up.

long story short we met up a few days later, I passed him a beat cd, we drank 40's in the Boston Common, and started dating, and working together pretty much right away We also smoked that day and saw a squirrel do a crack dance. It was literally doin flips and shit.

C.C.: (laughs) You guys compliment each other well on tracks, was Overly Dope Crew the original concept for you guys?



EZD: O.D.Crew came before me.I started working heavily with ActOne and I worked my way into the crew pretty much.

we all work together,and everyone would end up doin collabos on my track, etc.Dudes would come through Act's apartment in East Boston and just do tracks,

recording all weekend. Sometimes I'd just chill on the mattress on the floor with my MPC while they would write and record.There wasnt furniture, haha.

Some nice beach chairs though,the foldy kind.








C.C.: (laughs) Sounds like the MA I remember.



C.C.: Other than the fact that you have dreads, is there a story behind the name EZDread?



EZD: It came from MF doom lyrics,the fine print off twisted metal vol 1, where he says: "Read the fine print and be like, "What's the big deal?"

Spun wheels-of-steel since broke wheel Big Wheel,Back when it was greasy S-curl, now it's easy dread".(MF DOOM)Had a rhyme on how they used to tease him 'bout his peasy head".

the easy dread always stood out to me,and I'm laid back.. easy goin ya knowww.So EzDread came to be! People started saying EZD for short.



C.C : Its all hot. Suits you nicely, EZD sounds gangsta fresh!(laughing) I like it.



EZD: Thanks!



C.C.: So I actually heard you DJing on WERS 88.9@night do you want to tell us a little about that?



EZD: Sure

I work as the Urban Music Director at WERS so I get to have all the fun making the play lists, finding new music, and DJing on-air.

i also get to kick it with all the rappers that come through for 88.9@night and pass them my beats and Electric Outlet demos.

Freeway and Jakk Frost just spit on one of them live on air.I can't complain about my job. (Laughs)

C.C.: Damn that's fresh.Definitely doing a great job, 88.9@night is the shit, I cant praise it enough.



EZD: I'm glad you like it! I love our listeners!



C.C.: Your also up for an award now? The New England Music Awards nominated you for Best Female Producer?



EZD: Yess!!! I am real excited bout that.. I just wanna get my name out there as much as possible and start to make big things happen.

Especially for The Electric Outlet.That is me on the beats and ActOne on the rhymes.

Yeah for everyone who likes my production vote for your girl!!!

http://ne.urbanmusicawards.org/nominees/

http://ne.urbanmusicawards.org/vote/

thats the votey link.








C.C.: What is in store for the Electric Outlet? The new track on WERS was DOPE!



EZD : yayy!! I'm glad you dig it. We have been gettin some great positive feedback on the new stuff.

We are in the process of finishing up our first album, Ivy League.

Which can be expected to drop in the next few months.

You can expect an emotionally charged, hard hitting, LP with not a single so-so track.



C.C.: Nice!! that's what we like to hear! Do you have any older stuff floating around for the diggers?



EZD: We have so many songs we could have put out 4 albums. We really want every cut on there to be a prime representation of O.D.

You will never wanna skip a track on this one.(laughing)The archives of O.D. music run so deep.

For everyone who wants to go back, go to ActOne's soundclick.There are 200+ full tracks on there.

But just keep ur eyes peeled for the new LP!



EZD: Did u get the tracks i sent you? In the email?



C.C.: Yes I did they're Dope!!! I really liked the track Methadone.



EZD: That's the intro to the album.we got that bumpin on 889@night right now.



c.c. DOPE! Thanks! I'm sure the DRC camp will dig it.



c.c. Any live shows or events planned for you guys as of yet?



EZD: Not yet,right now the focus is on making the beats, and recording for the album.



C.C: I did want to ask you, who would you like to get on a track, or get to work with in the future?



EZD : Guru is number one.I idolize Gang Starr like nobodys biz.I really hope Guru makes it through this coma.

Him and ActOne would be a dynamic duo. On my beats.Game over.lol.Also Sean Price.

I wanna have Sean Price do a feature on the Ivy League LP.



C.C.: HELL YEA.



C.C : Do you get starstruck by anyone you met or contacted through work?



EZD: I don't tend to get starstruck but basically the three i named would make me a lil star struck for sure (Guru, Premier & Sean Price) and also Q-Tip, and Busta Rhymes.



C.C.: I caught the "Nothing Else Matters" track on Soundclick, I think its a favorite of mine., Apocaliptaca(sample) right?

EZD: yes.They covered Metallica on that one.I used to be a metal head.I wore the plaid pants, with the chains, and did the eyeliner that went halfway down my face.



C.C.: (laughs)



EZD: My mom would drop me of at slipknot concerts,when I was 13.



C.C.: Thats cool, we all go through stages. Its a pretty eclectic blend of samples you use and i think it represents the style, and mood of the area for sure.

There (slipknot) first album was dope, and Starscream was intense when he was more hands on with the music.



EZD: yeah haha, Act is a big Deftones fan, I sampled them on the Spit beat on soundclick.



C.C.:Never been a fan, my friends love em. So how did you come up with the Electric Outlet?



EZD : We make electric music and it's our creative outlet.our hip hop is an electric outlet.



C.C.: Nice I like it!

Whats your top 5 favorite/ most influential albums ever?





EZD: Ahh there are so many...and this changes,but currently id have to say in no particular order, Slightly Stoopid- Chronchitis,

MF Doom- Twisted Metal Vol. 1, Busta Rhymes- the coming, Gang Starr- step in the arena/moment of truth, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant- raising sand,

and IVY LEAGUE by The Electric Outlet coming soon.All those albums heavily influenced my life,And if i put them on, it will remind me of a certain time/moment/slice of life.

Also should truly put in Sublime's self titled.No producer has influenced me more than DJ Premier.



C.C.: O.k. I'll make it six, that one kinda goes without saying for most people.



EZD : A lot of dance hall producers have been blowing my mind lately.



C.C. : Really? any recommendations?



EZD : Not Nice Productions, and anything from Russian (check out the go go club riddim, the bomb drop riddim & woman seh riddim instrumentals they are out of control... and so different sounding)



C.C.: Nice, have you gotten to work with any one that was a big deal to you outside of ActOne, O.D.Crew, or King Solomon?



EZD : Recently hearing Freeway smash one of my beats was great... even if it was one take it was still dope! I love working with anyone.



C.C.: That's gotta be a great feeling, anyway to hear that?



EZD: yes it's up on my myspace right now.. www.myspace.com/katiitornick.



C.C.: Oh Snap! I'ma have to check that out!!



C.C. :Any shout outs you wanna give?



EZD :Shoutout to everyone in O.D.Crew especially Act, Kontrast, Gr33n, TruSELF, Savage, Crafty, P Dawg (OD extended fam Khandii & Kristen)

and also Introspective Minds (LOW END), King Solomon & Sagacity, Booker Evans, Paw Dukes, M-Dot, & the WERS Urban Fam <3.



C.C.: Well thanks for your time EZD, we all have our ears peeled for the album drop!



EZD: Ok cool man this was mucho fun!!



C.C.: Hell yea we appreciate it greatly!





Both EZDread, and Actone have pages on soundclick jam packed with Bangin beats, fresh intelligent lyrics, and that gritty

east coast style you cant help but nod your head to. You can also find them on myspace individually or as the Electric outlet.

You can also catch EZD hosting Rockers, Bostons home for reggae 88.9 WERS from 8pm to 10pm Mon-Fri(DJ's Vary day to day),

and on 88.9@night Bostons real commercial free hip hop station 10Pm to 2am Mon-Fri (DJ's vary).

Don't forget to show your support and click the link to vote for EZD as best female producer!

The new album from the Electric Outlet, Ivy League, is set to drop in the coming months, so keep your ears peeled because these

two are killin it!
 
 
 
BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR THESE FUTURE HIP HOP SUPERSTARS.
AND KEEP TUNING BACK INTO TO http://www.drugratz.com/ FOR MORE OF OUR FROM THE GROUND UNDA MUSIC SERIES!