It was Stream Of Consciousness's "It Will.." track that initially caught my attention. He creates some real and thoughtful tracks and kind of has that political Dead Prez vibe to his music. And the dude is eclectic in his style.
The 26-year-old emcee out of Appleton, grew up in a military family so obviously he did a lot of moving and has called a lot of places home. He's been to South Carolina to Hawaii to North Carolina, and then finally landed in Wisconsin in 2003.
"I really just needed a change of scenery" he said.
Stream has been a long life music lover and started writing rhymes in high school.
"I was probably about 15," Stream said. "However, I didn't record a track or perform anywhere until 2007. I'd like to think I've come a long way in that short time."
You'd have to imagine that all of the traveling has also had some impact on his music.
We reached out to Stream for this Q&A. Check it out.
Where did the name Stream of Consciousness come from?
"Well, I think that an emcee's name should have a real meaning behind it. So I never really put any thought into a name, although at that point I was just writing rhymes. I hadn't done an open mic or recorded a track yet. But the name Stream Of Consciousness just kind of came to me one day while I was writing a rhyme. In fact I believe I used it in a verse and had a sort of eureka moment."
How would you describe your style?
"Eclectic... That's kind of a tough question. I'd like to say that I don't think I necessarily fit into one specific style of rhyming. I am always trying to experiment and it is only in the last year or so that I have started to really find myself and become more comfortable experimenting."
Who do you work with on your music?
"I hate to admit it but MySpace has been a blessing as far as connecting with like-minded musicians. I'm lucky to work with people whom I have the utmost respect for and vice versa. And I have no doubt we will continue to make music for years to come. You can pretty much peruse my top friends on MySpace to find the people I work with the most. In fact, I recommend you guys do that. Show some love!! LOL."
Your rhymes have a lot of political themes? How did that start?
"Guess I'm just a product of my environment. As I said in an earlier question, I grew up in a military family. My father retired as CWO3 after nearly 22 years of service in the Marine Corps. So politics and the military have been a constant force in my life...for better or for worse. I have been in tune to world events since I was a child. And not to sound like a one man missionary, but I can't watch people suffer without at the very least speaking out about it."
"Of course, I'd be remiss if I did not mention my musical influences. I always gravitated towards conscious/political music. My absolute favorite band is Rage Against The Machine. They have without a doubt had the biggest influence on me as far as music goes. Bob Marley also comes to mind. Public Enemy is pretty high up on my list as well. My favorite emcee though would have to be Talib Kweli. I'm dying for that new Reflection Eternal album!! I'm a fan of pretty much the whole Rawkus family from back in the day. Shout out to Mos, Pharoahe, Com and Black Thought as well!! Funny enough, a lot of people assume Immortal Technique would be at the top of my influences ... but I never actually heard a Tech track until about 2004. However, I do consider myself very much a fan of his work now."
You can obviously rhyme, but why not just take those dope beats and that skill and make some radio friendly joints?
"LOL...I wouldn't know where to start."
In your opinion, what's the state of music?
"I think music as a whole is doing pretty well ... although I am not finding too many new acts that really pique my interest these days. Most of these so-called rock bands just don't cut it in my opinion. Of course, I'm getting older now so a lot of the artists I grew up on are no longer making music. While the new artists just don't really appeal to me. I do think the market is oversaturated, especially hip-hop."
If you could change something about the industry, what would it be?
"I'm sick of hearing the same recycled crap over and over. In fact, that is one of the reasons I avoid the radio if possible and can't recall the last time I turned on MTV or BET. I know the industry is designed for the fake shit, and it's profitable for these labels to push the trash but it's still a bit depressing. Who can you blame though? It's easy to point the finger at record companies and A&Rs but I think some of the blame lies with us artists and even the consumer as well for purchasing some of the crap these so called artists are churning out."
What projects are you currently working on?
"Well, I am finishing up the writing for my debut album "The Pentagon Papers" which I hope to have ready by this summer. I've been slacking a bit lately though. I have a ton of collaborations in the works with various artists I've met online and even a few locals as well. Most notably my dude Verse The Villain. We are planning on doing an entire album together later this year. I want to finish my album up first though and hopefully it will do well enough to allow me to do a bit of touring either this year or in early 2010. Guess I'll just have to see where it takes me!!"
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