I stumbled across the homey, Zaire while watching one of the latest video's, from a talented videographer from VIMBY.COM...I reached out to dude over myspace, and noticed that he was from the same city I went to school in...Check out the homey from the Mid-West, but holding down both coasts, from VA-to-the-Bay, and everything in-between...Ladies and gentleman, Zaire...
1.) - Peace Zaire, Flyer's stand-up! First a few formalities: Where are you from?
Sup fam? I was born right downtown at Miami Valley Hospital man. Grew up in Dayton mostly, right off of Salem Ave and those areas. Later on, we moved to Trotwood and finished up high school out there, but Dayton is home. Pops was in the military so we moved around from time to time (VA, New Orleans, ATL), but ended up back in Dayton in my late teenage years,
2.) - Most emcee's like to take a different route when picking their alias', why Zaire?
Mainly, it's a nod to family and shedding the slave/Christian mentality and naming of my ancestors. I decided to use it as my production alias cuz it's a little different, and for bonus points, girls like it, so It's a win win situation lol. But yeah, it's a name with meaning; rebelling against institutions in place that I don't agree with ect.
3.) - Is there any hip hop scene in Dayton? Ohio?
I don't think the scene for hip hop in Dayton is all that extensive but there is def some thangs going down in the City. For instance, I'm second cousins with one of the biggest rappers in city, Chaos Tha Community Serva of D-Cut/First Fam Ent. He does his thing REALLY big and its and he's an official product of Dayton. Other than that, I don't know what really goes on in the city... I've been gone from Dayton (currently residing in Newport News, VA) for about 7 years, so I don't really have a pulse on DYT like I want.
4.) - What was the catalyst that made you listen to the old adage, "GO WEST YOUNG MAN"?
Well, I did a 6 year sentence in the Air Force and started getting into some dj'n/beatmaking with some cats from the westcoast. As most folks know, Dayton, hell, Ohio in general was an important catalyst for a lot of funk and westcoast sound. As I started gettin down on beats and learning the tricks of the trade via online message boards ect, I connected with my production partner Keelay out in the Bay Area and he taught me a few thangs about this music and its been a wrap ever since. Even though I stay in VA right now, I travel out to the Bay Area on a constant basis. I love the West though...interestingly enough it reminds me of Dayton, just a lil bit more colorful lol.
5.) - What is your hip hop birthday, what made you fall in love with this, with music etc.? Word to Krayola on the Hip Hop Birthday reference!
Man for real, the first time I heard Slum Village's 'Look of Love' I was on some other shit. I knew then and there that this was the kind of music I wanted to create. I always had a love for that smoove shit, and that's the only type of groove I used to mess with when I first started, but yeah, listenin to some Dilla had me infatuated with this music.
6.) - How did you get linked up with such talented folks as, Keelay, VIMBY, Supastition, illmind, Blu, etc.?
As I stated earlier, I met Keelay through the production board at www.ughh.com back in 03. I was just learnin the game and heard Keelay stuff, as well as my other production partner J.Fish and was just wowed at what they could do behind the boards. We traded beats via online and just admired eachothers style and decided to link up and the rest was history. Also, it just so happens that on that same production board, Illmind was a young superstar, prolly my favorite beatmaker on that site at the time. Ughh has a crazy history because we all started off there and now we're all making moves in the same circles. Of course, Illmind is the most successful, but we regularly kick it with him and go to his events ect.
Kam Moye aka Supastition is signed to the label Keelay & I are on, Myx Music Label (www.myxmusiclabel.com). He is one of the best emcees I've ever heard ya know, one of those cats who NEVER have a wack verse lol. But we get down with him on tracks all the time.
Blu is a VERY DOPE emcee that we got a chance to work with on our album titled 'Ridin High' dropping on March 10 this year. The lead single for this album is called 'The Times' and featured Blu, our homies Fortilive (Illmind, Mushmouf,& Slo-Mo), and Nino Moschella. We shot a video for this single and it was a huge success, getting regular burn on MTV Jams and many internet outlets ect. It was cool working with that cat Blu, and now I see he just got signed to a major, so thangs are working out for everyone.
And we linked up with VIMBY through our HOMIE Tunji (shouts to Inverse for real!). They've been down since day one, and Tunji also has a great song called 'Addicts For Real' featured on our album 'Ridin High'. He's a talented cat and actually got to meet him in L.A. for a video shoot for our next single 'Alright With Me'. Dayum I feel like a used car salesman talkin about this album lol.
7.) - What's next for you? Please don't say you have a band now and are about to do that route? J/k, but seriously?
Well, Keelay & I are heading to Austin for the SXSW music conference to promote our album and play a couple shows with our homies (who happen to be a band lol) The Park. Other than that, we'll probably do a few mini tours on the upper westcoast on down, and hopefully do some overseas tours ect. We got an exciting year ahead of us, and we both still got day jobs lol. Im waitin for the day I can dragon punch my boss out his silly ass mustache. Im talkin bout with the fierce punch too.
8.) - You probably get a lot of it out in Cali, but what do you think of the new dance/ravewave/hiphop scene takin ahold of everyone? Will this last, or is it a fad, like Papa Roach and Saliva rock/rap?
I think nowadays, fads come in and out really quick. I mean, there's always gonna be something cookie cut for kids and the 'safe' demographic to make some dough, but at the same time, I think the scale is tipping towards the artists instead of the machine that pushes out that 'safe' material. And by safe I mean guaranteed to make money. But to tell ya the truth, I really don't care about all that...most people are gonna like what is fed to em, but the heads will like what they like period. I don't even know what Saliva Rock is tho lol.
9.) - Lastly, who's impressing you right now, and who would you do a joint with based on that?
Man I'm feelin a lot of aggressive emcees these days like Elzhi & Freeway, also really feelin Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Phonte of Little Brother. Production wise, I really like Just Blaze's work all the time, Hi-Tek is RETARDED, Illmind of course, Jake One, Vitamin D, and Battlecat mos def. There is just so much good music out there and I don't know why folks say hip hop is dead...there is QUALITY stuff out there.
10.) - Shouts...
Word shouts One Viisiion for the opportunity to talk candidly lol, and major shouts to my hometown Dayton, Ohio cuz I'm tryin to rep for yall hard in my own way feel me. Def shouts to my homie Keelay and the rest of my squad The Sole Vibe, and a major shout to our label, Myx Music Label. We got a lot of thangs planned for this year, and that's not the clichéd 'watch out for my team' bit, it's the real deal. Thanks again fam!!!
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