Buff1 of the Athletic Mic League
DJ Rhettmatic of the Beat Junkies and
have joined forces to create a hip-hop monster
for all of our enjoyment and appreciation.
That benevolent monster is called Crown Royale.
This Q&A features the vocal half of the duo,
Buff1.
“We Gotcha” • Download
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∆: Your crew originally formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is also based out of Los Angeles. What inspired you guys to move some of your operations to LA?
“It was a couple things.. boredom. Opportunity. Weather.
I think that kinda sums it up.”
∆: Being from the Midwest myself, I’m curious to how you first became aware of the Beat Junkies?
“Umm, I was just listening as a fan of hip hop music and the name kept popping up, doing cuts for different artists here and there, doing mixes/compilations and such. They worked with a lot of my favorite cats so that introduced me to what they do and their turntablism skills.”
∆: So according to Rhettmatic, your crew was handed a cd of his production, which sparked your working relationship.. what was it about the production that stuck out to you?
“Nothing in particular, it was just really good, haha. I have a dope crew of producers called the Lab Techs and it takes a lot for me to be impressed by beats, but his stuff was dope.”
∆: Was the process noticeably different from working with the Lab Techs?
“A little bit. A good portion of the beats Rhett made were crafted for me. Most of the Lab Techs’ beats I just pick from a batch like everybody else. But the process is the same. I get the beats, write, lay it down.”
∆: Your live show is very critically acclaimed. “Get It Up” sounds to me like an instant crown favorite. Was there a particular attention being paid to the live aspect while creating it?
“That’s just me, it’s just in me. I know where I may lack in content or skills, I make up for it at my shows. When I heard the beat it just sounded like a hype joint for shows. Then a couple shows in, I added the “Get It Up Dance” to the set. You gotta check us out live to see what it is, haha.”
∆: Yeah! That was my next question. In my opinion, that reminds me of the Midwest soul showmanship tradition, very Motown.
“Yeah, man, exactly.”
∆: In what ways to you think growing up in the Midwest influenced your creativity differently from other popular hip-hop regions?
“I think the Midwest influenced me musically. Of course, Motown, but also the brand of hip-hop. Dilla/SV (Slum Village) was a huge influence, still is. There’s also the work ethic that comes from the midwest, the grind, the hustle. And then, once Motown left we all started to make our own history ’cause there’s really no industry here like it in LA, NY or ATL.”
∆: What do you think are the pros and cons of that lack of industry presense?
“Pros: work ethic, it builds a sense of family cuz we all have to help each other, and it leads to the want/need to reach out and not just be known where you’re from. But all that is kinda a catch 22 cuz they can lead to the cons: it makes it a lil’ more difficult to make it out, since opportunities are slightly limited it can lead to a cut throat mentality, and some people feel like they have to go away to make it. I think because of the cause and effect the pros and cons can somewhat be looked at as one and the same.”
∆: Right. I think the pros you just mentioned address this somewhat, but what is it about Michigan that has you guys hitting the hip-hop market with so much dope music? Where does the creativity come from?
“There’s so much dope music and competition it forces you to be dope and hold up your part also. For those that are from Detroit, some may see the D as desolate, not much there. That can lend to some of the creativity that comes from there. I know being from Ann Arbor, there’s really no traditions here. Nothing to fall back on, so we had to kinda make up our own foundation. AML and couple of our comrades were really the only ones making music back in the day so we had no one to look up to making music.”
∆: Duos are iconic in hip-hop. what is one of your favorite duos in hip-hop and why?
“I know u prooooobably mean producer/emcee duo but… OUT…. KAST. My all-time favorite musicians ever. Why? Every album they ever put out has been in-house produced, they made “underground” classics, they made “hits”, sold tons of records, change it up everytime from album to album, and Big Boi is extremely slept on as an emcee and (Andre) 3000 is the greatest of all time. Period.
Ok, I’ll give it a rest now, haha.”
∆: I’d like to go through your discography and ask what were circumstances, stories, etc surrounding their creation. Pure.
“I look at that album as if no one never heard me before or may never hear me again, that’s what I want to represent me. AML asked me to do solo stuff and I was a lil’ hestitant at first, but after 2 mixtapes I got in a groove. That album is just very human, good, bad, highs, lows, all that. I said before it came out if it wasn’t well received I may call it quits. Here I am, 2.5 years later still at it, haha.”
∆: Why do you think they asked you to do solo material?
“I’m still tryin to figure that out, haha. If I had to guess, it’s ’cause I kinda encompass all aspects of AML. The humor, the showmanship, the content, the delivery. And at the time I was the only one who had the time/drive to go 110% since other cats had kids, wanted to go back to school full-time, had girls, was working, wanted to focus on production, whatever the case may have been.”
∆: “Pretty Baby” is very vivid in it’s storytelling. What for you goes into telling a good story in song form?
“It has to sound like a real conversation that either you’ve had or you’re having when you’re telling the story. I try to communicate like I’m talking to you when I rhyme anyway so I try to do the same when I tell a story. And it has to sound real and believable even if it’s somethin spaced out and sci-fi or just fiction, or a real event.”
∆: The One & Only Mixtape and Small City Big Name.
“Both were kinda me warming up on the solo thing, starting with The One and Only Mixtape. Both were about having fun and just letting people see what my voice is as a solo artist.”
∆: Why did you go the route of original material vs. covers of other songs?
“Well, I did a lil’ bit of the popular instrumentals, but I also wanted people to know me and I don’t think you can properly do that over someone else’s beats. I wanted to mix it up and make sure you got some of my original material.”
∆: Athletic Mic League Thrill Of Victory, Agony Of Defeat.
“Wow, we goin waaaay back, haha. That was AML’s introduction, really our introduction to Ann Arbor, just to let everybody around the crib know that we rapped, haha. That was just on CD-R burned cds. Then we got good feedback from that so we remixed a couple song and added a couple new ones and made that into The Thrill Is Gone, got it pressed up for real and started to reach out to Detroit and other cities around the Midwest and started getting love on the internet.”
∆: There’s Only One
“My last album was kinda me throwing my hat into the realm of the greats, wanting to be mentioned as one of the best doing it right now. I wanted to stop looking up to the posters on my wall and become the poster on somebody’s wall. It was a lil’ more hubris on this one, but that’s just hip hop, haha. I also continued along the path I already started of speaking on things that other people don’t really speak, trying to again show the many sides of me and humans in general.”
∆: What’s on the horizon for and from Buff1?
“I got another mix comin out next month titled It’s a 1derful Life. Free download mix of a few of my guest appearances from this year and a few exclusives. Then Crown Royale early next year, then a new AML album. And shows/tours all up through and around those.”
Massive Thanks To Buff1 For Participating In The Q&A!
Big Up!
∆
