Saturday, July 9, 2011
Cons' Billboard.com Interview
Consequence Talks Beyonce, G.O.O.D. Music and New Music
Last May, rapper/songwriter/producer Consequence gave an intimate interview to MTV's RapFix Live about his conflict with Kanye West, former label G.O.O.D. Music and even cousin Q-Tip, whom he worked with in A Tribe Called Quest. "It was like a situation where it was a breast reduction," Consequence said of his appearance on the show. "I needed to get it off my chest."
In the middle of recording his follow-up, "Cons TV," Consequence left G.O.O.D. Music, feeling that Kanye, who served as executive producer, left the project, and didn't give him credit for his contributions to Ye's music.
Consequence talked more about the situation to Billboard.com's The Juice. He also provided the backstory on writing and producing "Party," a track on Beyoncé's album "4," and offered a sneak peek into his new mixtape, "M.O.D. 3" (Movies On Demand 3) (late July) and album "Get Even" (late 2011).
Song Premiere: Consequence Debuts New Track, 'On My Own,' Feat. Kid Cudi
The Juice: Is there something you want to say now that you haven't?
I definitely didn't speak on [Beyoncé's] "Party" record [on MTV RapFix]. When you create the kind of catalogue that I've had, I think it needs to be celebrated and respected. The Sway situation was for people to understand that [I'm] just moving forward with my career. I didn't want all of the things that I've accomplished to be devalued because of shadowing, or lack of association with anybody. When you have started a career with a number one record on Billboard -- I was on "Beats, Rhymes and Life" [by A Tribe Called Quest] that was a number one record in 1996 when it dropped that week and today I'm appearing on another number one album -- as an artist and as a businessman you can't let there be a disconnection with the respect level.
Beyoncé's 'Party' Featuring Andre 300 Leaks
Do you have a couple other missions to accomplish?
I'm one of the premiere songwriters in music over the last decade and it hasn't fully been exploited out of loyalty and out of business structure. I wrote a plethora of records that people are familiar with... I wrote the verses to "Paranoid" with Kanye. It's a lot of people's favorite record from "808s and Heartbreak."
(Consequence also shared that he contributed to "Amazing, "Say You Will" and "RoboCop" from "808s and Heartbreaks;" "Gone" from "Late Registration;" "Spaceship" from "The College Dropout;" and "Welcome to the World" from T.I.'s "No Mercy"album.)
Why do you feel that you didn't receive acknowledgement?
It was just structure. It won't happen again. It's like when you're in somebody else's totem pole, so to speak, of course, the head is to receive the glory.
Let's talk about your second album. Why do you think it was delayed?
Once again, this is a matter of business structure. Look at it from my standpoint whereas Kanye is an executive producer of the project. I gave him the respect of being leader of G.O.O.D. Music. I didn't want to make a move per se without him knowing. It was a respect thing. Now, if I would have took the initiative to say, when the Taylor Swift incident happened, 'I'm done. I don't approve of that'… I didn't want to bust a young buck move and say, 'Hey you disrespected the woman, I'm gone.' And when he came back, he came back with a different dynamic. I definitely don't believe the same person who made "The College Dropout" is the same person who made "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."
The second album will still be released, it's just a matter of just having changed business structure.
So you changed the title from "You Win Some, You Lose Some" to "Cons TV." Explain the change.
[With] "You Win Some You Lose Some,"I was just coming off of "Day Job." I was thinking about making a part two. So I have records [from] "You Win Some Lose Some"that didn't bleed into what I was doing with "Cons TV." The songs exist but the popularity of my Internet series, "Cons TV," is why I opted to change the title. The sound of the album wasn't going to be as cohesive and continuous of what "Don't Quit Your Day Job" was.
How many tracks will survive from "You Win Some, You Lose Some" and even "Cons TV" and make it on to "Get Even?"
"Get Even" is a whole new project. You will hear some of "Cons TV" but it will be sporadic at best... I have hundreds of records, I have 50 "Party's" in my iTunes because I continue to work and so even with the red tape of what the music industry is, that's why I've been able to put out "M.O.D. 1" and "M.O.D. 2." I have records with Asher Roth. I have records with three of the "Freshman Class"from XXL -- Diggy Simmons, Mac Miller and Kendrick Lamar and honorary mention XV.
What is the sound of "Get Even?" Different from the mixtape, I assume?
I guess the thing with "M.O.D. 3," it's so for the fans and it's such an explanation [and] for people who want concrete hip-hop and that dark club, tunnel feel, and just something that's rewind city: 'I can't believe he said that.' That's what "M.O.D. 3" is. It's chock full of quotables. With "Get Even," it's taking the whole collection of experience, sonically, and showing the world why I'm one of the premiere wordsmiths, lyrical architects, musicians in the game at this point.
Tell me about "M.O.D. 3."
"M.O.D. 3" is really me unhinged. It's very expressive, it's very direct, it's darker than some of the things I've done in the past, and I think it's going to shake the music industry up.
Why did you decide to put out the mixtape before "Get Even?"
I promised the fans that I would. When I was on MTV, I was dead ass serious. Honestly, I would never cross a friend or a family member. That's not who I am as a person, but I'm definitely a reciprocal person so I give what I get. It's just time for some really eye-opening hip-hop and clarity on a lot of misgivings.
Q-Tip was also an exectuve producer on "Cons TV"…
I don't want to talk about that. He's not relevant. I really want talk about the inception of "Party"... I have a clip that's on Youtube and on my channel, "Cons TV," and it says "You Win Some Session 2." If you look at that, you'll see that was the session where "Party" was made. You hear the beat for "Party" playing in the background for literally five seconds, and that was the session where I put the chorus on it. I suggested that I wanted to put the Slick Rick [sample] -- because it was my record -- that you hear on the Beyoncé record. Fast forward, Beyoncé cut the record. I went over to meet with Kanye. Beyoncé and Jay-Z come over, we all go upstairs and they say 'Hey, we have to thank Consequence for this.' And I'm like 'Okay, thank me for what?' So Beyoncé hooks up her computer and hits play and I hear the beat to "Party." So I hear the Slick Rick joint on it. Jay is like 'Yo,' he points to me when I'm doing the chorus. And this is the same night that we actually all four wrote Beyoncé's part for "See Me Now" [leaked Kanye West song, featuring Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson].
She paid me one of the greatest compliments. She said, 'That record inspired my album.' And it's not too many things that throw me for a loop or flabbergast me, but I was damn near blushing… that was like a magic moment for me. And to be here and saying that record is number one, it's verification.
Beyoncé Notches 4th Billboard 200 No. 1 with '4'
Would you work with the members of G.O.O.D Music in the future?
For what? I just worked with Beyoncé, I'm not going down. I'm not a trapeze artist.
Tell me about Band Camp Records.
It's just a great place to be for new artists. What I want to try to do with it is make it an incubator and a cultivation station for people to really get their sound developed and get to that peak where they are a part of monumental or magic moments. We have a lot of records coming via the Band Camp vehicle later on in the summer.
What has Kanye's reaction been to this?
The thing is that if I talk, I'm going to be vilified because he's not going to say anything and that's his right.
So if Kanye wanted to reach out to you, would he be able to?
I'm sure Bruce Wayne could figure out a way to find any villain that he wants to find in Gotham City. You know what he's probably doing? He's probably 'Watching the Throne.'
But as far as reconciliation…
I'm not married to nobody. I don't got to reconcile nothing. Ain't nobody my wife.
If they were to reach out…
Ask them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment