J.ROCC is coming for the first time to China and we, lovers of good music couldn't be any more excited! In a down-to-earth, true-kool old school vibe, the Funky President and FTW chatted about how hip hop entered his life, the new breed of producers coming out of LA right now and what China would sound like if it were a song produced by him... all the way, baby!
FREE the WAX: How did hip-hop enter your life?
J.ROCC: I grew up in Orange County before anyone knew where it was. I would have to say I lived by Disneyland for people to know where it was. Hip Hop entered my life just because I loved music since I was a little kid. My parents used to buy me records and that was one genre that spoke to me.FTW: Did you struggle with your choice to be a DJ at any point?
JR: I always struggle. Times change. People's taste in music change. It's hard to stay current with all the stuff that goes on. It's people that like what I do that
keeps me going. I would have quit a very long time ago if it wasn't for the fans.
FTW: Has JDilla's passing affected the way you approach certain things in life?
JR: Dilla's passing just made me appreciate my friends that are around me and to enjoy life to the fullest.
FTW: How much do you think JDilla has influenced your music?
JR: It's made me hear things in records that I would have never heard before. He also would give me tips every once in awhile about how to sample things and how to track things down. I don't want to sound like him but I wouldn't mind.
FTW: What do you think is the most important thing about his legacy?
JR:
His legacy is important because he influenced so many producers. He
still does. He was ahead of his time. Dilla help the whole Neo-Soul
movement. D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Common, A Tribe Called Quest all that
stuff was Dilla-influenced. Theywanted to sound like his sound did.
FTW:
You were (and still are) one of the great forces behind the rise of
instrumental hip-hop. How do you think this very specific sub-genre has
evolved since you formed the Beat Junkiesonwards?
JR:
It's been changed up. Everyone is into the party music (hipster,
electro, down south) back then, it was a different thing. No one was
thinking about making a whole album of just instrumentals. Then DJ
Shadow came out with his debut LP and everything changed. It's still
around with guys like Flying Lotus, Paul White, Danny Breaks, Gas Lamp
Killer,k Fuzz Face and a few others do stuff like that. But now it's
done with a little Dilla influence. Not all of it but a few
things. It's not as sampledelica as the Shadow album was but it's still instrumental music.
FTW:
At different points in your producer/DJ career you took hip-hop to a
different direction. What in your opinion does it take to be a sound
innovator?
JR:
Just try to be ahead of the curve. I don't want to sound like everyone
else. So I just try to keep it new and fresh for me. That and I
surround myself with like
minded people who don't follow the rules.
FTW:
You once said that Madlib is one of the people you love playing with.
You also DJ in his live shows. Would you say that there is a certain
greater force connecting your spirits?
JR:
I get along with him because we are Scorpios and we think somewhat
alike. We like a lot of the same music and we turn each on to new / old
stuff. It's really a musicalconnection. Once that was established then the rest fell into place.
FTW: What in your opinion is the role of Madlib in the history of
hip-hop?
JR:
I think he showed a lot of people that you can do whatever you want. He
has Jazz albums, 1 house album, Hip hop albums with other MCs, hip hop
with Quasimoto....That just showed Hip Hop folks that you don't have to
do just Hip Hop music...it's notjust about one form of sound. You have to be open for all types.
FTW:
What do you think of the kind of hip-hop-based sounds cats like Flying
Lotus, SamIyam and Ras G are doing nowadays? Do you think this could be
in any way the future driving forces of the style - say, as JDilla once was?
JR: I love their music. Those are all buddies of mine. They are a force to reckon
with. They are already showing folks that this Hip Hop can go in any direction
and influencing new producers. A lot of people still haven't heard of Dilla and
those type of people are taking his sound and adding their own touched to it.
It's hard to be fresh and not sound like somebody else and those guys are doing
that.
FTW:
Where do you think you stand between this new breed of producers
arguably pushing the boundaries of the genre and the old-school of
hip-hop?
JR: I was raised in this game. I bought "Rapper's Delight" when it came out.
I'm just happy to still be here doing what I love to do. I don't know where I
fit in but I'm here.
FTW: If you could summarize a philosophy about what a Beat Junkie is, what would it be?
JR: To bring good music and skills to the partyl
FTW:
You have pretty much traveled everywhere and went record digging all
over the place. Has anything changed in your attitude towards music
from the rest of the world?
JR:
All the time. When you go to another place you don't want to buy what
you can buy at home. That makes me dig for local music. Be it London
Soul, German Prog Rock, Polish Jazz, Soundtracks of cartoons from
Japan. If I stayed home I would have never been able to buy those types
of records and learn about different cultures through music.
FTW: Is there music from any particular culture that you think was the most positively surprising to your ears and made its way into your sets?
JR:
Brazilian music has made to my sets .. there's just so much energy in
the music. I don't even know what they say but you can feel that they
were really into what theywere doing in the studio. It just makes you feel good and want to dance.
FTW: What has hip-hop taught you that nothing else could have?
JR:
Hip Hop taught me that music has no boundaries. It's taken me around
the world. If it wasn't for Hip Hop I wouldn't have learned about the
world.
FTW: If you were a teacher and had to explain to a kid who never heard of hip-hop what it is, what would you tell him/her?
JR:
It's an expression. An attitude. Nothing can stop you. You can be
different and still fit in to the Hip Hop scene. You mentioned Flying
Lotus and Ras G... those guyssound nothing like Jay-Z or Lil Wayne, but that's what hip hop is...
FTW:
Everybody usually has a preconceived idea of a place before they visit
it for the first time. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad... If
China
was a song that you produced, what do you think it would sound like?
JR:
It
would sound like a very dramatic theme with a James Brown feel to
it. It would be around 80 bpm then go to 120bpm. (the take off would be
slow… the landing and the drive to the hotel would be fast...super
fast.) Oh yeah...there would be a dope break beat somewhere in the
middle.
Catch J.ROCC LIVE in Beijing this 29th of August at Yugong Yishan! See FREE the WAX shows for more details on pre-sale tickets.