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MC K~Swift – “Nu’ Ol’ Skool”

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MC K~Swift – “Curtains” feat. The Boys & Girls Club

The titles and affiliations are too numerous, but here’s our feeble attempt at boiling it down: Emcee, producer, DJ, mentor, leading Hip-Hop scholar + educator, Universal Zulu Nation representative and more – NYC’s MC K~Swift is the first cat we knew (in like, real life) that did this whole music thing forreal forreal. An habitual gem dropper, you’d be hard pressed to find an artist in NYC as respected, or as supportive of the work of other artists, than he. Read the following, and then get your backslash game up, sun!

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AS: [Now that we're in] 2010, how would you define the first decade of this millennium? What is its sound? What school of art represents it best? Who are its icons? World leaders?

The first decade of this millennium… to define it is a serious challenge. But to me, it sounds like Hip-Hop. All kinds of music are fusing together, which is the impetus of Hip-Hop music. I never thought artists like Santigold and Major Lazer would be getting play on stations that play so-called “commercial rap.”

AS: As a native New Yorker, give a list of some of your favorite experiences that can only happen in New York?

Only in New York!

I remember back in high school, I met a dope emcee named Many Styles on the R train coming home from Brooklyn because I was freestyling with my boys and he jumped in the cipher. ONLY IN NEW YORK!

I met Immortal Technique in a writing workshop that I was a youth mentor for at Youth Speaks NY (now known as Urban Word NYC). ONLY IN NEW YORK!

At the Rock Steady reunion in 1997, when I was 15, I jumped in a cipher and held my own among heavyweights such as Breeze Everflowin & Percee P. ONLY IN NEW YORK!

AS: Tell us about your most recent album. What sparked the inspiration for it?

My latest album, The Proper Gander, was inspired by the mass media assault on the collective (un)conscious. Every piece of media we encounter is propaganda. So the inspiration for the record and for my music altogether is to represent for Hip-Hop as I understand it and to push our agenda.

AS: How much has the lessons of religion influenced your concepts of life?

I’ve never been a part of an organized religion. As a child, my parents weren’t religious. My mom is a part-time atheist. My father believes in a higher force in a non-religious way. As an adolescent, some of my family members who were a few years older than me became involved with the Nation of Gods & Earths. The lessons I got from them were the most impactful on my development at the time. While I was never a member of the NGE, the foundation I got from them & students of the Moorish Sciences (MSTA & Nuwapians) has stuck with me.

AS: How do these ideas shape and form your music?

If you listen to my song “G.O.D.” which features my uncle, Q-Storm, you can hear the influence on my music directly.

AS: Nike or Adidas?

I wear WAY more Nike sneakers than Adidas. It’s the standard. I like Adidas though.

AS: What is the source of your single most influence of manhood? Womanhood? Childhood?

Manhood & Womanhood, easily my parents. They gave me the framework or window through which I see myself and others. Childhood… the young people I work with as a writing & performance mentor.

AS: When you are not creating music what other outlets do you use for channel your creative expression?

Creatively, writing & beat making are my only outlet. I’ve started to learn to cook though, so we’ll see.

AS: Who are your favorite women in Hip-Hop? In music? Why?

Erykah Badu is my favorite at the moment. I’ll always love Lauryn Hill’s first album.  My homies TreZure the Empress, Queen GodIs & Bless Roxwell are artists that I admire and that push me to greater heights.

AS: What album best captures New York City in the 90’s? What album best captures NYC’s millennium essence?

New York City in the 1990′s is captured by Nas’ Illmatic in my opinion. For the new millennium… it’s hard to say. New York City was hurt badly by the WTC attacks in 2001. I really think it damaged the spirit of the city. There has also been a lot of people moving into NYC from other places changing the vibe. I remember in Hip-Hop when so-called “consciousness” was the predominant mindset, even among those artists who you would describe as “gangster.” So the album that I think best reclaims the essence of NYC is “The Breaking” by my brother, Cavalier.

AS: Consider the phrase “most iconic image of a musician or album” – which image is as poignant to you today as when you first saw it? Why?

It’s tough for me to recall my initial reaction to this photo, but one that comes to mind is the photo of 2Pac with two middle fingers up, his THUG LIFE tattoo showing and a gun tucked into his belt.  It’s an image that says as he oft did, “Fuck The World!”

AS: What’s next?

I’ve got a project coming out with Scott Thorough. I’ve got a project coming out with Black Cracker. I’ve got a project coming out with Willie Green. I’ll be making some Hip Step moves with True Frequency (formerly known as TC Izlam). New Rap Order. Universal Zulu Nation. That’s about it.

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-=Stream and purchase The Proper Gander by MC K~Swift here=-

Photo:
Nandita Scillitani