By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
It was 1994 when Raaddrr Van emerged onto the scene and the game has gone through quite a lot during his run. Debuting in 1994, Raaddrr Van was in good company, as The Notorious B.I.G. also debuted in 1994. A lot went down in the 1990s and Raaddrr Van held the streets down throughout the madness. It says a lot that he remains standing some decades after the frenzy that cost some rappers their lives.
Making it out to the other side, Raaddrr Van has witnessed the game go through many changes. While there are several beefs going on and rappers still fight, it is lightweight compared to what the game used to be. Shaking things up, Raaddrr Van returned with his new project, Back as the Lodd Manafess. On this mixtape, Raaddrr Van proclaimed he was bringing the real hip hop back and he made himself a part of this veteran wave that has overtaken New York’s hip hop scene.
Hip Hop Vibe had the chance to talk to Raaddrr Van and he talked about his comeback project. In itself a longtime coming, Raddrr Van is in a good place regarding his music and his personal life. But, during the interview, Raaddrr Van talked about Back as the Lodd Manafess, his take on the current New York hip hop scene, and what the future holds for him as he continues to work on new projects.
Read the entire interview below:
What made you revisit your Lodd Manafess days? It was a discussion I had with my old producers in Atlanta. When I was in Michigan, we worked together back in 1993. We reconnected via the internet a few months ago and we reminisced over the old days. It has been nineteen years and we have so much history, so we decided to honor this with Raaddrr Van revisited his Lodd Manafess. I decided to revamp it for 2013. I took from the old EP to add to the new street album. Once I really get back into the studio, I want to go much deeper into this Lodd Manafess persona. If you listen to this new album, you will see I did not go use the name that much. I did compile old footage for a documentary that I put out on YouTube though. So, I put all of this together to revisit my old persona.
What is the biggest difference between Lodd Manafess in 1994 and Raaddrr Van Back as the Lodd Manafess in 2013? I am older, wiser, and I know the game now. The younger Lodd Manafess was in the streets back then, but the older version is taking care of his children and making his own way in this world. There is more focus and that comes with being older and wiser, nobody can run game on me anymore.
You have witnessed a lot in this game, how do you feel the game has changed? Well, the game really didn’t change. There are still a lot of the same people there. But, I have found a lot of good things with this internet game as far as getting my music out there. However, from what I do get a chance to see, I think it is still the same.
Are you pleased with the results of your album? Yeah. I believe I put it together nicely and I am happy with it. Taking it back to the old rap days where you only get ten songs, I felt was a good move. Give the people ten tracks to enjoy and that’s that.
Your release comes in the midst of a good time for New York hip hop, how do you feel about this musical revival? It’s good to let everybody know and teach the youngins that New York is where it originated. But, I really did not even think about it like that because I have been working on my own stuff. But, you letting me know this is very good news, it’s great, and it will get even greater.
With your project out, do you have a follow-up album in the works? My last album, Mass Defenses is out and it is still going strong. It is old to people who don’t know about it, but it is new to those who do not know about it. The only difference between the two albums is that I used Tunecore for this album and Mass Defenses is only on ReverbNation. I may revamp it, but for the time being, I have no plans on updating it.
What have you been doing in your down time away from music and the business? Well, staying healthy in the gym and taking care of my children. Other than that, I have been going to church, reading books, and getting my cooking skills up. That’s it.
What are some collaborations for people to look out for? As a matter of fact, I have Royal Flush on my new album. Of course I have Marc Live and Shyhiem on the album.
Can you talk more about your new single and video? “Multitaskin'” is my new single and the video is out now. I linked up with these guys who work with Wale. They produced the Samsung Galaxy track for him and I reached out to them. I ended up going to Brooklyn and Harlem and getting footage. This song is talking about the Samsung Galaxy, but I also mentioned the Trayvon Martin situation, Michael Landon, and much more. Unfortunately, this song is not on the album though. But, I was trying to do a video for “Fuck the Industry.” But, “Multitaskin'” is there and the video is hot, it got some pretty good reviews, it is a hot video.
Give us your social networking profiles so fans can follow you? Twitter is @Raaddrr and Facebook is Politics aka Raaddrr.
Watch “Multitaskin'” by Raaddrr Van below:
