Crew54 Interview
Crew54 shines a bright light on Central Texas Hip Hop.
These cats got soul.
That might be a strange way to start this blog, but understand – this is truer than you think. Not only does Crew54 inject deep amounts of soul into the music they create, they also feel a soulful dedication to the Central Texas hip hop scene of which they are a part. MOS (Master of Self) and G-Christ created 2 trademarks for themselves – their “aggressive soul” sound, and the landmark 54 Reality Show, a video blog covering themselves and the rest of Central Texas Hip Hop, and gaining wide recognition all over the country.
I chopped it up with Crew54 to talk about The 54 Reality Show, their latest release, The 54 Reality Show Tape, and where Crew54 is headed in the near future…
You guys have established your presence in hip hop in a very non-traditional fashion – you created your own outlet through The Crew54 Reality Show, and promoted the Central Texas hip hop scene at the same time. Tell us how much your internet presence has benefited the group, and how you decided to go the video blog route in the first place.
G-CHRIST: Well I hate to say this (laughs) but it was M.O.S. idea. We had already started using videos in our blog covering shows, studio time, etc. It got to the point we were out every week and it seemed like a reality show, basically following what we were doing throughout the weeks. I believe we give the scene something no one has given it, an unbiased outlet that has covered almost every artist around our area.
MOS (Masterofself): Basically the internet is a gift and a curse for artists like ourselves. It gives us ways to be seen/heard that didn’t exist back in the day, but it also makes it easier for folks to instantly lump you into the “lame internet rapper” catagory. We really get out here and grind and work, so we basically started the blog so no one can say we ever lied about how we get down. We’re not selfish @ss single minded dudes either, so we took a chance to showcase the scene like we saw no one doing at the time. I’m proud of our work with this blog.
Before Crew54 started getting critical recognition, were there any misconceptions about Texas hip hop culture? And did any of those misconceptions change after you shed more light on what’s going on there?
G-CHRIST: There were too many to name. “There’s no hip hop scene”, “all people want to hear is money,drugs, and drank” . Texas is very diverse; we found you can hear it all. After doing so many shows and traveling with the blog, you find out that it all depends what spot you are in.
MOS: Texas has a strong hip-hop culture that was prevalent before we had anything to do with it. We’ve met so many artists across the whole spectrum of not just rap, but music in general. It still is funny when we get the “oh you guys from TX?” look but I think its dope to be able to help spread the knowledge that “hip-hop lives in the South.” If the world ever pauses for a minute to shine that proper light on the whole scene down here, I think we can shock a few folks.
Did you always have a plan to release The 54 Reality Show Tape, or did it come about based on the popularity of The 54 Reality Show?
MOS: Well, The 54 Reality Show Tape basically came about when we heard these beats from the Swiff D – Basic Cable beat tape. He called it Basic Cable and I thought since we do a reality show, lets call this the Reality Tape. That album is so dope to me because it shows what we could do with industry ready beats, still hold our own and make good music.
G-CHRIST: The EP came from straight up inspiration. We heard the production and just knocked it out. Every thing just fell into place. The tracks were a little different from what you usually hear from us, but it’s out there to show how versatile we can be.
What are the main differences in styles between you two, and what do you think creates the chemistry you have as a group?
G-CHRIST: I don’t really know if there is a difference. I think MOS is the more lyrical, which helps me stay on point when i’m writing ‘cause I know he’s going to go in. Other than that we started Crew54 with a purpose, to be heard by many, and that has been our driving force.
MOS: I like to fool myself into thinking I’m pretty deep, which usually comes off as me sounding extra spacey on tracks (laughs). G is as straightforward as it gets, but he finds ways to craft his words to make you think…yet still get the picture vividly. I think our styles interact well with each other.
Where do you see The 54 Reality Show going in the future? Do you envision making it a larger project, or do you see it coming to end anytime soon?
G-CHRIST: There’s always a vision to make it a larger project. TV, being mentioned in the line of an Okayplayer, 2Dopeboyz and blogs like that, anything we can do to get more people watching.
MOS: There is a local channel in Austin that I’ve considered putting The 54 Reality Show on, but I want to really have the right format. I think the frequency of how often we update had to slow down, but I think the episodes are much better now, more in-depth. I want to continue to showcase the local scene in a positive light, but also add more [humorous] elements. Who knows, maybe we just need to take it to the airwaves and let the people decide.
Musically, what’s next for Crew54? Are there any plans for more MOS and G-Christ solo work in the future, or are you strictly focused on another Crew54 album project?
G-CHRIST: I aint doing no solo! (laughs) Eff that! We have many projects coming up. As far as an album we will [probably] begin working on one real soon.
MOS: Frankly, I don’t think I have time for any solo work at the moment. Just between regular life’s duties, all the video editing work I’ve picked up, and the next few Crew54 projects we’ll be working on, I just don’t see it. I actually have a title and concept for a short MOS EP, that one day I’ll probably sit down and knock out in less than a week. As far as Crew54 we’re currently working on a EP with the fam Cientifiq called Slap Rapz. We still have our Ghetto Rhapsody album to complete, and a full length project with the homie Dichter2 in Germany. Lately it’s been about quality over quantity; we’ve just been moving so much we gotta really put our effort and energy into the music, and when we do it gets no better.
Tell us where we can go to check out all things Crew54…
MOS: There is one central place to find out all about Crew54 and thats www.the54realityshow.com, but if you want we’re on facebook, myspace, bandcamp, twitter, lastfm, sonicbids, ning…sh*t, anywhere you can connect we probably got a page set up. Just go Teyanna Taylor and google me babe.
MOS, G-Christ, thanks for your time. We’ll stay tuned in to The 54 Reality Show.
Check out Crew54 at www.the54realityshow.com and get all the music (including The 54Reality Show Tape) at http://crew54.bandcamp.com
S. Jacks
Repeat Offenders' Blog 