By K.B. Tindal
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Today is album release Tuesday and there are plenty of people talking about the albums that are coming out. No doubt, these records bang and they have plenty of heat, but these records are not the only option. Grayskul, a long-tenured group based in Seattle dropped their Zenith album today.
They make their own music and live by their own rules, which is why they operate as independent artists. Grayskul made noise with Rhymesayers Entertainment, but they released Zenith on Fake Four, Inc. Ceschi Ramos operates that label and he is an artist, himself, so they enjoy the working relationship.
Grayskul received nothing but positive feedback, thus far, off Zenith and they credit their willingness to be different for this success. Since their album is out, Grayskul took time out of their schedule to speak to Hip Hop Vibe. They spoke on their indie status, Zenith, and they explained their history with Macklemore.
Read the entire interview below:
What freedoms come with being on independent labels? Onry: You get different control, that’s the main thing in my opinion.
JFK: Oh wow, I agree with Onry. It’s the creative control.
How do you feel about the roster of talent Rhymesayers surrounded you two with? JFK: Their roster was phenomenal and their additions were amazing. I was honored to be a part of that conglomerate.
Onry: They were the number one hip hop label for a long time and they set the standard on how an independent label was run. We are still affiliated with them, but we decided to push this project out with Fake Four.
When you put together an album, how do you present it to the independent label? Onry: You put your music together and they will give you their feedback. But, in this case, Fake Four understands the whole expressing yourself concept because the CEO, Ceschi, is an artist as well. He might not understand the exact subject matter, but he understands the process. Of course, they have their opinions, but the choice is yours in the end.
What was Fake Four Inc.’s reaction to your project which dropped today, Zenith? JFK: We turned the record in when it was near completion and they were excited.
Onry: They were honored, they said it was the best Grayskul work they ever heard. They think it’s our best album to-date.
Is the buildup for Zenith what you two were hoping it would be and do you like the online reaction to your lead single? JFK: Personally, what I was hoping for, by the end of it, it was definitely what I was expecting. We came together and did our thing and our video is close to 60,000 views, so that was good for both of us. That caught us off guard, but it was welcomed, that was a lot of attention for the record. We have never done that many views in a matter of weeks, so everyone was surprised.
Onry: Yeah. The single leading up to the release definitely had a good reaction, as JFK said. It propelled the excitement and got us going properly, so it was great.
How does Zenith set itself apart from all the other albums that are dropping this month? JFK: Zenith is everything, every kind of hip hop you can imagine is on it. We did it our way, of course, any kind of field of music you are into, we tapped into it. A lot of other projects may be dope, but they are only dope one way. This album is dope on so many different levels.
Onry: Everyone who drops a project wants to set themselves apart from everyone, but they are afraid of going too far because people may not accept it. But, we are different and we can push the envelope, so we make those different types of music and it sets us apart from everything else that’s out.
JFK: Most people try to go in on one thing.
You two are going on a decade in the rap game, how do you continue going on for this long period of time? Onry: We continue to put music out on a consistent basis. Every time out, we try to do something different to keep it fresh. As long as we have been doing things, we decided to go in different musical directions. We discuss what we want to do and then we go in that direction, so we keep it new. Limitations don’t exist to us.
JFK: Yeah, I agree with that. We always managed to stick out, so that’s what keeps us going.
There is another duo in Seattle making strong headway in the game, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, are you guys fans of what they are doing? Onry: Oh, yeah! Definitely. I am proud of everything they are doing. Macklemore has always been someone to do his own thing without being scared to do it.
JFK: He has always had that swag about him, even before he made “Thrift Shop.” When he came out doing his thing and rocking his own style, that’s just him. I’m a fan of the way he goes about pushing his music and his ideas.
Would you all ever consider doing anything with them if the opportunity presented itself? Onry: Yeah, we already have worked with them. We did an album a few years ago and Macklemore is featured on it. We have toured together and we will probably work again soon.
Where can we connect with the group and each of you on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Facebook is Grayskul. Twitter is @Grayskul4Real. We don’t have an Instagram.
Follow K.B. Tindal on Twitter @KBTindal.
