Interview with Scholarman -2014

 Peace to the homie Scholarman for giving me the opportunity to interview him. Scholarman has been dropping gems since 2005. From Producing, Rhyming, Mixing,  He is all talent. Peep the interview below.

Cratez -Where are you from and grew up?


Scholarman- I am from the US, grew up in the Oxon Hill area of Maryland.

Cratez -who were your influences musically coming up? from mc's  to producers

 

Scholarman -I come from the golden era of hip-hop so my rotation consisted of Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang, Outkast and many more of the like.

Cratez -you do it all. produce,mc,mix .Did you start has a producer first or a mc?

Scholarman -I started as an MC first, I tried my hand in a couple groups that didnt work out so decided to go solo. In the mix of all of that I always enjoyed making beats too.

Cratez - Your music catalog is insane. You have been and continue to put in so much work in music.From writing  to producing.  Your first release " Producers Testament" to your newest release "Last of the Brave" . Tell me about your newest release and features on it?

Scholarman -Yeah man I enjoy making music so I am always working, whether its simply writing to a beat, creating a beat I try to stay productive as possible.

My new joint "Last of the Brave" started out as just an EP. But next thing you know I had enough tracks for a full release so I decided to put it out as such.

Cratez -What is your weapon of choice when it comers to making beats?


 Scholarman -For a long time I was making beats using my Korg Trition, then my cousin Lagbara Beats put me on to the Maschine. Most of the beats on "Last of the Brave" was made with Maschine.

Cratez - What is your studio set up like?

Scholarman -I have a simple but effective setup, I used Presonus Studio One to record, my Maschine and Korg Triton for beats and Sound Forge for mixing/mastering.

Cratez- "1 Man ,1 Soul Purpose" love that track off of your 2008 Album "Soul Purpose". What was the meaning behind that track? To me that track is describing who you are.

Scholarman -"1 Man, 1 Soul Purpose" was a track I created just to announce why I am the game, my purpose for being here and what I had to offer at the time. Ive grown a lot since then but the foundation of that track and meaning is still present.

Cratez -  Your Album "Candy Medicine" is such a great Album. Tell me about that album and the meaning behind it?

Scholarman -During that time I really was sick of where hip-hop was from the mainstream view, it got to a point where I hated what was being played on the radio. So Candy Medicine was my way of trying to inject something new, good and soulful into the game - thus the reason for the title.

Cratez - Over the years you have dropped a few instrumental EP's. Are you going to continue that?

Scholarman -Yeah making beats is a joy for me so I will continue to put out instrumental projects every so often. I am actually planning on releasing one sometime this year.

Cratez -That EP "distant voices" from 2009 is solid. You linked up with a UK producer on that EP. The whole EP was produced by Jonsey? and tell me about that link up?

Scholarman -Jonesy is dope, he reached out to me some years back and wanted to colab. He sent over some beats and I was really impressed. So we decided to release Distant Voices. From there our relationship remained and we dropped a few others. We are actually working on something now that I hope to release soon.

Cratez - you must have a large catalog of beats and vinyl. Are you a vinyl digger? and do you hit up vinyl spots often?

Scholarman -Indeed fam, I collect vinyl regularly. My collection is decent, I am gradully expanding it. Ive moved quite a few times over the years, once I get settled in one spot I will really increase the collection.

Cratez- Tell me about Soganic Music . Is that your label?

Scholarman -Yes Soganic Music is more of a brand than a label. It means 'soufully organic' meaning whatever we brand and promote is going to be something soulful and with substance. We are moreso focused on marketing/publishing than being a tradition record label.

Cratez - What is in the future for ScholarMan ?


Scholarman - I'm expanding my works, incorporating new sounds and working with different talent. Much of what I have done I will continue to do just on a greater more professional scale.

Cratez - Anything you want to plug? new music ?shows?

Scholarman -My new album "Last of the Brave" is now available on iTunes, Spotify and other digital markets. New project produced by Jonesy coming soon. And also, new beat mix coming as well.

 Thanks for the time and the interview. As always I appreciate your support.

scholarman.com
scholarman.bandcamp.com