In the run-up to the release of his Rebuilding mixtape that is set to put Ecks on the map, we had a chance to catch up with the man KRS-ONE dubbed "the future of hip-hop" to find out whats up with the mixtape and his New Regime record label.
JD: Hey how’s it going, can you start by telling us a bit about yourself. Where you're from and how you got started?
Ecks: Yeah, definitely. I'm Ecks, formerly known as Professor Ecks. Been in the game for a second man, started doing this when I was 16. I'm from D.C. originally, most people know me from the work I did with KRS-ONE, I worked underneath him for a little while, did a couple of things on "Spiritual Minded," forged out on my own, started my own company, New Regime Records, basically I’m back, got a new project out, you know, getting ready to take my place in history basically.
JD: heheh, what's the story behind the name and how come you changed from Professor Ecks?
Ecks: The story behind the name, I was originally known as Professor Ecks, I still am I just shortened it up a little bit. Professor Ecks, you know, that’s a name I used to use when I was battling, in my younger days, I just basically shortened it out, you know, I wanna give people something a little easier to remember you know, plus I feel like I chiselled away a lot of the unnecessary things as an artist to be a more better more efficient, more chiselled artist if you will. I felt shortening the name was appropriate, you know, and also out of respect for my man Professor X, who just died, from the X Clan, so you know, a lot of things involved in it, so you know its an evolution into a new thing, I'm still Professor Ecks, you know, but I answer to Ecks, I'm still that young battler Professor Ecks in my heart, but you know, its Ecks the revolutionary boss, you know what I'm saying.
JD: You said you started out battling; do you still do any of that now?
Ecks: Nah, nah, nah, I retired really, I feel like battling is an important step in the development of any MC, like its certain steps I feel like you take, I feel like everybody starts out freestyling, then battle, then you write your first song, then you go on, you know what I'm saying, I feel like I'm at a different evolutionary point than that, like for example, I just stopped writing, you know like Kanye, Common, Jay-Z, they don't write you know, they just basically visualise the rhyme and put it down, I just reached that step, so its all a stepping stone, you know, something at some point to lay down for young MCs, but there’s different stages you go through to become the complete MC, but yeah that’s definitely over for me.
JD: Your music has kind of an old school vibe to it, which is great, but it is something we are hearing less and less of in hip-hop. What are your feelings about the current state of hip-hop and who are you feeling right now?
Ecks: I think hip-hop is going well man, I mean, its making money, we're finally reaping dividends off it, you know that’s a good thing and I think a lot of people wish we could go back to the days, you know, when hip-hop was like DJ Kool Herc and down in the basement, but we was still in the hood starving when Herc was doing that so now its at a point when people are getting paid and have an opportunity to take care of their families. A lot of people don’t like a lot of the stuff that’s going on in hip-hop right now, but I’ll be honest with you, I'm not a fan of it necessarily either, but, I'm a leader, you know what I'm saying and a leader is not someone who is going to sit up and bitch about something they don’t like, I'ma sit up and lead by example and if I truly have a better lifestyle if I'm truly representing the people with something that’s better they'll follow me. I’m not here to try and take food off nobody’s plate, I'm just here to get my share, there’s enough to go around. If you don’t like a lot of the stuff that out here and want some real hip-hop, there’s an easy solution, just come listen to me.
JD: I know you already mentioned KRS, so I just want to quickly ask what it was like working with a pioneer of hip-hop like KRS?
Ecks: It was interesting you know because KRS is a lot of things to me, you know, some good, some bad, but I’d say he’s a visionary because he saw something in me that at that point I didn’t see in myself, like I remember he straight up told me "you're the future of hip-hop man" and I didn’t see it myself, I was like man, damn that’s a cool compliment. He’s a visionary, no matter what he is to me, whether we friends or enemies, a mentor, whatever, I will always appreciate that because he gave me that vision and he was able to see something in me that I now see is about to come to fruition, I’m about to elevate this hip-hop music hopefully, so you know I appreciate that, interesting every time I get in the studio, yo imma tell you something about myself, in terms of the way people do things, like tricks, how they mix things, how they lay down tracks, I always try and borrow from people, anytime I get in the studio with someone, any time I get the opportunity to sit down and make a beat with someone, I always strive to steal their little tricks. One thing that KRS-One does, which you know I kind of took from him, is KRS-One doesnt have anybody else in the studio with him when he is laying down his vocals. Everybody got to leave, its just him, the engineer and the other rapper, who ever is on the track, he even kicked his wife out the studio, you know what I’m saying, he doesnt allow anybody else, but I see why he did that because it allows you to focus, you know what I’m saying and you feel like you're just focused on the track and not necessarily focused on anything else. So that’s one thing I choose to take from him when I record my tracks. Its just me, the engineer, the rapper and that’s pretty much all there is, there’s no distractions, you know, and that’s one thing I was able to borrow from him, a little secret, a little insight into how he works.
JD: Did you find it intimidating though, working with him when you were just starting?
Ecks: I think I was too young to be intimidated, you know what I’m saying, it’s a crazy story, I mean I was on my own at that time, I didn’t have a car, I didn’t have a bike, a skateboard, I didn’t have nothing and the studio was like 5 miles away. KRS called me and was like "man come get down on the album," I was like shit, I didn’t have bus money, What I did, I just laced up the kicks man and I walked five miles to the studio just to get down with this dude and it was crazy, I was that hungry, but I was too young to be intimidated, I was young, I just got there and was like lets go. Now I just look back and think that was a cool thing in my career, but when you young, KRS, Big Daddy Kane, whoever, I just wanna rap, that’s where I was mentally.
JD: Right, you have started your own label, New Regime, what are your goals and visions for the label?
Ecks: It’s a different thing, its part business and its part love, you know but I think any good business I like that. From a business standpoint, we just trying to get a piece of that pie in terms of the industry, just trying to put out projects, put out production, you know, put out different things that can be commercially viable, so I can take care of my family and all the people who work with me can take care of theirs, but its more about like I been a hungry artist with no opportunities, no goals, no ins, so now that I have some of those ins myself, from different people I work with and my reputation, I try to spread that out and find new talent along with my man DubMD, who helps me run the label, we just trying to take it to that next level by just bringing mad raw talent into the game and I really feel like its really a movement in terms of the people I am gathering around me to try and bring that real music back because a lot of records come out and you know as fans, I know as a fan when I put some money on a record I’d be like man, this is what I paid for? You know because I be thinking a lot of artists be playing right now, they not appreciating that the fans put in their hard earned money to go support their record and I wanna provide an alternative, something where every time you pick it up, its got New Regime on it and you know this is official, you can count on it like clock work.
JD: How many artists have you got on at the moment?
Ecks: Haha, actually that’s a difficult question. I got 2 dudes I am talking to right now, 2 real crazy crazy dudes I’m looking at bringing on, so if you ask me that question tomorrow, my answer might be different, but right now I got 2 rappers, I got a producer and of course my man DubMD, you know what I’m saying, DubMD the capo, he’s just a real industry great. He works with me so we just building it, we building a team piece by piece, we got street teams in a couple of different cities, we just trying to do our thing.
JD: Are you looking to get picked up by a major label or are you happy with the route you’re going?
Ecks: Well that’s the ultimate goal man, I was talking to, I won’t mention any names, but I was talking to a label last year, a pretty major label, but I chose not to go that route right now because I’m looking to go with a major label, but I’m looking to keep what I got right now in terms of the best outlet for Ecks is to have a major label to try to get as many people to hear the music as possible, but I also want to have an avenue for these producers that I have, these other artists I have, to help them get deals so now that’s a long term goal, you know I definitely want to sign with a major, but the short term goal, we got Rebuilding the mixtape coming out, just try and kill that. We got things coming out. Every project I’m focused on that, at some point me and the labels will talk, we’ll put something on paper.
JD: How are the streets of DC reacting to the mixtapes you are putting out at the moment?
Ecks: Well they haven’t heard from me in a second, last thing I put out in DC was The Middle East mixtape, that’s a classic man. I put it out, that was a real crazy mixtape back there. We getting ready to drop Rebuilding and they haven’t heard from me in a while, basically I was just working on getting this label started, went away for a second, but I’m back and I’m hitting em with the releases like taxes man, I’m hitting them every pay period, every month, every 2 weeks we gon keep hitting them with them release so you know, I know they gon love it.
JD: When is the new mixtape coming out?
Ecks: Rebuilding, that comes out June 30, we actually putting that out free to the people, they can actually download it at www.weinthebuilding.com/itunes that’s dropping June 30.
JD: Have you been in the studio recently recording tracks for it or just tracks in general?
Ecks: Oh yeah, I’m definitely still in the studio, we wrapped up Rebuilding a couple of days ago, I got a project coming right behind that with Big Mike so I’m in the studio recording for that right now so doing some different things. Just finished the video for the mixtape. Right now I’m recording for Big Mike, me and Mike are working on something, you know what I’m saying, no real breaks in-between the projects so I definitely got some real heat I been working on.
JD: Dub actually sent me a couple of the tracks, I got “Ski Mask Music” and “Take My Place” and I really like them. Are they on Rebuilding?
Ecks: Yeah, both of those joints, “Ski Mask Music” and “Take My Place” yeah they are two of the first songs we are going to put out so yeah.
JD: Where do you draw your inspiration from when you write your lyrics?
Ecks: Ha that’s a good question man; I don’t really know man, know what I’m saying? I just kind of reached this level where I don’t write anymore, its crazy, I never thought I would get to this level because I’m a mad forgetful person man, I have to write everything down else I forget, you know, this interview I had to write it down in my book so I didn’t forget it, so its just kind of a crazy situation where I’m not writing and I just visualise the lyrics then I just lay em down. I don’t know where it comes from man, I don’t know really know, ill have a better answer for you in a couple of years, right now your guess is as good as mine man.
JD: That’s probably the best way, just let it happen.
Ecks: Yeah man, definitely, just keeps it organic.
JD: You said your long term goal is to get picked up by a major label, but what do you see yourself doing in the next two years? Like touring and putting out studio albums?
Ecks: Definitely, the tour situation, I’m not sure when I’m gonna get back on the road again, but as soon as I know I’m definitely going to let you know. I got an album coming out in spring 2007 its called “American Hunger,” its really goin to be something serious, its gone be like an opus, its gone be hard, its gonna be something that bangs for the streets, but its also gon be soulful and its also going to be deep and meaningful, so hands down its going to be the best work of my career. I got a lot of people betting on me and I think they gon cash in.
JD: You’ve toured with a lot of big names in the past, like Talib Kweli, The Roots and 50 Cent, but who would you say your favourite was and why?
Ecks: Hmm, who would I say my favourite was, erm, I usually say Dead Prez, The Roots are real dope although I haven’t done anything with them for a long time, I did that back in the day, even before I started working with KRS. I would say a lot of the rock groups I have opened for like Fugazi and Good Charlotte a couple of times when they were real local because its crazy like a lot of the rock groups embody that hip-hop spirit like a lot of rappers is Hollywood, there’s nothing wrong with that, just being real, real talk, but them rock groups, they got that hunger, even Fugazi who are legends, they may not be national legends, but in the DC area they are legends in terms of that rock stuff. They are just humble, I mean you see them dudes passing out their own flyers, carrying their own equipment, you know its crazy to see that hunger, that do it yourself spirit, you know that inspires me. Someone who has reached that legendary status and still doing that, so they were probably my best experiences.
JD: Cool, and finally is there anything you would like mention?
Ecks: Yeah definitely, just wanna tell the people, go pick up Rebuilding on June 30 www.weinthebuilding.com/itunes or www.myspace.com/EcksNewRegime and just go check it out. A lot of people feel like I talk a lot of shit, but you know, I got that Muhammad Ali shit talk game, its all true, so you know, just go pick up the music, go pick up the mixtape on June 30, its absolutely free, it cost you nothing man, I guarantee you, you listen to it, you’ll be a fan for life, or a hater for life, either way, go pick it up, support the movement, its real music, its refreshing, June 30 www.myspace.com/EcksNewRegime or www.weinthebuilding.com/itunes holla at ya boy
In the run-up to the release of his Rebuilding mixtape that is set to put Ecks on the map, we had a chance to catch up with the man KRS-ONE dubbed "the future of hip-hop" to find out whats up with the mixtape and his New Regime record label.