Fubar's Blog: Interview: Verbfromarizona

Fubar's Blog Archive Interview

Verbfromarizona

Arizona rapper and producer Verbfromarizona looks back on the music and culture that shaped him, the evolution of hip-hop from the '80s and '90s into the internet era, his approach to collaborations, and the projects he had in motion at the time of this interview.

Verbfromarizona and Fubar have collaborated many times over the years and together form the duo Los Cucuys. The group currently has two albums released, with another Los Cucuys project in the works.

Artist responses have been preserved as originally provided.

01 For readers discovering you for the first time, introduce yourself and tell us how your background and early musical influences led you into hip-hop.

Verbfromarizona My name is Verb a/k/a Verbally Insane a/k/a Verbfromarizona a/k/a V.I., and many, many others. I'm a native born to Arizona. Born in 1979, raised in the 80's and 90's off that good music. Both of my parents were heavy into music, all oldies. So that's where I got my musical influence from at first. Back in the day, my favorite movie was Thriller. Followed by all the Breakin' flicks, Beat Street, etc. What also heavily influenced me from about age 7 was roller-skating. I would always be at the rink, and the DJ we had played nothing but the current Hip Hop which then would be 1987. Along with all the Freestyle, etc. I wanted to start making Hip Hop in 1997-1998. A friend of mine who was a rocker / skater started to write raps from out of nowhere when we would fry off of LSD. This made me kind of mad, because this guy was your typical white guy. Not really into Hip Hop and was doing this just because. So because of that, and a lot of my friends in high school, specifically DreKnowledge and Peanut Butter and Grapes Charles, I began my journey! And here I am today, 15 years later. Still MC'ing, learning, and growing.

02 Having experienced several eras of the culture firsthand, how do you feel hip-hop has evolved since the '90s, and what are your thoughts on its current state?

Verbfromarizona Oh, Hip Hop has progressed alright. The 80's were very simple as far as flow patterns, beats, etc.. as it's expected for the beginning. The early 90's came when i was in jr. high. There was a lot of Pro-Black Hip Hop, conscious MC'ing, etc. Then Boom Bap hit at the end of jr. high / freshman high school in 1994-1995. It's like it changed, dramatically in style, sound, business. Hip Hop was becoming major business. Everything was brand new, everybody was raw, and the influence of money, was not yet saturating the expressions of the artist. It was the ILLEST TIME IN HIP HOP for me, period. I grew up with ALL THE LEGENDS when they were dropping their 1st albums, etc. Then around 1999-2000 it started to go down hill, and became hella commercialized. See the mainstream back then was the Underground. So from 1999-2000 we all watched some booty shit go down. You had to dig further and further into the underground to find the kind of Hip Hop that used to be on the radio 24/7. Now in 2011, I expect to have progression of the times, but it has turned into Pop / Dance / 1 hit wonders, no substance, etc. on a mainstream level, and that I can't have. The current state is not that bad. A lot of ill artists are out and about, it's just not like back in the day where you get discovered off a demo, and get a million dollar deal. Now you have to dig low to find the true shit. Then add the pirating business, and Hip Hop has almost destroyed itself.

03 What impact do you think the internet has had on independent artists and music as a whole?

Verbfromarizona I love the internet and what it has done for music and the artist. I don't know about the bootlegging aspect of things, but as far as the networking potential, for the independent artist, the internet is lovely. If you use it correctly, you can reach listeners in all countries worldwide, where as without it, the chance to do that is slim. It also gives artists false hopes that they are even artists in the 1st place. Everybody raps nowadays, has a music page, etc.. like it's all it takes.

04 What projects were you working on at the time of this interview, and what could listeners expect from you next?

Verbfromarizona I really don't do projects like a normal person would *laughs*. I just make so many songs and collabos, with so many different people, that I usually just keep songs single form instead of making a project. BUT, right now i have a project I'm working on for my 1st release to the world featuring artists such as Chino-XL, Rampage, Moka Only, Hurricane G, and a bunch of others, set to be released sometime after the new year. I have albums coming with Firus Phonics, Aslaam Mahdi, and The Jotaka Perverse! which will be out as well in 2012.

05 Who are some artists you would especially like to collaborate with in the future?

Verbfromarizona I would love to have a collabo with Buckshot, maybe Erick Sermon or PMD. Brotha Lynch Hung has always been an artist I would love to work with. I enjoy making Hip Hop with anyone who is ill, and from anywhere across the world.

06 Time for the completely random question: if given the opportunity, would you fuck Rosie O'Donnell?

Verbfromarizona I WOULD FUCK THE SHIT OUT OF ROSIE O'DONNELL, on live Ustream Tv.. for the world to see. Shit, my wife look like Rosie, so it ain't nothin' ..

Fubar: LMFAO .. wow ..

07 Before we close, is there anything you would like to say to the artists, listeners and supporters who have followed your work?

Verbfromarizona 1 love to all the artists I've ever built with, and that's a lot. I do this for myself 1st and foremost, for the love and as a hobby. Anything more is just a blessing. Keep checkin' in on me. I just might someday be a star. ahahaahahahaha ..

Interview conducted by Fubar

Verbfromarizona + Fubar — Los Cucuys

Fubar and Verbfromarizona have worked together extensively over the years, both through individual collaborations and as the duo Los Cucuys. Two Los Cucuys albums have been released to date, with another project currently in the works.