Motion Man may have been rhyming since the 1980’s, but this West Coast veteran is only just releasing his solo LP “Pablito’s Way.” We caught up with Motion Man to speak about the release.
JD: Hey
Motion Man: Hey. Ok, let’s do this.
JD: Ok, to start off with can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started?
Motion Man: In the music industry or my football career hah
JD: Ha errm just music
Motion Man: Well I started off with a group called "Zero Tolerance" and I used to DJ for this guy a long time ago named who? Money, this was in the 80's. I'm pretty much just a straight up B-Boy. I started more in the break dancing than in graffiti, I probably been rhyming' since the mid-to-late 80's and when I eventually got it up to speed I used to do answering machines. People would call me and I would have like 40 hang-up's. It was basically people just calling me to listen to my answering machine. I was never really a big fan of my voice, but people would say "I like what you're doing, you should rap." So from there, eventually, I sort of started evolving and I ended up moving. I moved to the East Coast and was still DJ'ing for this group. When I was on the East Coast I did a radio promo for a guy in California called King Tech. He had a mix show out here in the Bay Area and I did the promo for him, I mean it was a fluke, it was out the blue and called a friend of mine named Moopy and he was like "Hey, who was this kid on here?" and he was like "Your kid Motion, he's from the Bay actually." I was living in New Jersey and was on my way back to California. From there I came back to the Bay and ended up working with Sway and Tech on the Wake Up show. You want me to run the whole thing from there?
JD: Yeah go for it.
Motion Man: Ok, so after I started doing the Wake Up show I signed with a label, City Area Tommy Boy called Step Son, it was Bill Strefan's label and I put out a single with them, but they never followed-up on it and I can't of got cut-off and pushed under the table and moved out of the mix and during that whole time I was working with Kutmasta Kurt. So me and Kurt were just recording songs and at that time he was just kind of helping me develop my skills as an MC. It was like more than just write a rap and just say it, it was more getting in the studio and working on your vocals, how you want to sound, how you want this to sound and I guess that was when I really started to tolerate my voice as I couldn’t even stand it. So then Kurt got with Kool Keith and decided he wanted to do an album with Kool Keith and he did the album and said here is my brain child, I want to put you and Kool Keith on an album together, so we got down together and came out with the classic "Masters of Illusion" and I was on the "Dr. Doom" also, that was actually the first full project album I was on, but it was like half an album, well it was supposed to be a quarter of an album cos all I did a verse on each song and I did a couple of full songs. Then I did "Clearing the Field" and now here we are with "Pablito's Way" dropping September 19.
JD: Is that album complete and ready to go?
Motion Man: Yeah, the album is done, it’s been a while. I believe "Clearing the Field" came out in 2002, so it's long overdue.
JD: Yeah, how come it has taken so long to do the second solo album?
Motion Man: Well, it’s just the situations. It wasn't the fact of me needing the time to do it, I usually crank out albums pretty fast, life, a lot of things were going on with my life that dictated that, its just time, the time to get it together and be able to do it. It wasn't planned that way, from here on out I plan on having more projects and people's ears. It’s coming up 2007 and depending on how "Pablito's Way" does I might want to drop 3 albums.
JD: So, as far as the album, what can we expect from it?
Motion Man: It’s a variety. It's a nice little rollercoaster ride for you. I think what you can get out of it, you may find that its not, man I can't tell you. People might like the whole thing; some people might not like the whole thing. What I did was give a variety on the album, different flavours, different sounds and different styles where you can get caught up in a song and it’s not like the same sound over and over beating you in the head. I did some variety, a different meal, its a 21 course meal for you, so you can try a million different things and that’s what I have always been about, its not like I have to go way out on a limb to make something new, its just always been a part of me to be a little more creative than I'm just trying to make this to go in cars.
JD: The album has been named because basically, you did it your way, what sort of pressures did you face from making the album how you wanted?
Motion Man: None really, it’s just kind of what I always wanted to do from "Clearing the Field," I think it got better on "Pablito's Way." I have some more projects I want to get out to the public and I think I am just getting better with time and grow and that's the thing about working with Kurt, you can do what you feel and do what you want, its the good thing about being signed to Kurt' indie label, I don't have to come out and do this kind of song. It's like this is what I like to do and if it comes out phat we can put it out.
JD: So you get a lot more creative control over the album?
Motion Man: Yeah I do, yeah.
JD: You mention the album is being released through Kutmasta Kurt's label. Did he handle all of the production?
Motion Man: Yes, Kutmasta Kurt did everything on this album right here; he did all my productions on all the albums I put out. Maybe it's time I start working with a few other producers, its just it took a lot of time to get this album out. Its not like I haven’t wanted to work with other producers, its just I haven’t been able to get anything done, but this next year I got some cats that been sending me beats, we gon make it happen, like my man TomC3? was sending me tracks and we plan on releasing something next year, something hot, "Ernie Drastic."
JD: "Ernie Drastic," can you tell us a bit about that? Have you done much work on it?
Motion Man: Yeah, "Ernie Drastic" is in the holding pen right now, I gotta let "Pablito's Way" come out and let it breathe and let it have its legs and do what it needs to do and then I’m gonna follow that up with "Ernie Drastic." I don't wanna give away all the secrets of "Ernie Drastic" out now, just wanna let "Pablito's Way" come out first.
JD: So going back to "Pablito's Way," what is your favourite track from the album and why?
Motion Man: Probably "Dat Ass" because I am fascinated by them, I like looking at them so. It's a funny song I have had wrote for a long time. I like it because it was pretty basic, it’s a nice little drum track, not too much going on, just me talking about ass. I was really feeling that track. I like the "Gift of Gab" track also. I like every song on the album, every song has a personal meaning, but that is just the first track that I think about because as I said I did "Pablito's Way" my way and that's one thing I would say I am addicted to it. I can't help it, I like looking at that ass.
JD: You already mentioned you are working on "Ernie Drastic," but are you actually recording anything or working on anything at the moment?
Motion Man: Right now, no, I'm trying to save my vocals, I'm getting ready to go out on tour and I had some equipment failure at my house. I am just now getting my own recording studio. Usually I would just fly out to L.A. and that just wasn't working anymore. The way the world is changing now, you can record and email my vocals to people, I just basically got up to speed with the game, and I went out and brought a Mac book, my family and everything is what's going on. I got fallen behind in the game and right not I am just catching up.
JD: Is there any chance we might see another "Master of Illusions" project in the future?
Motion Man: It should have been done a while a go, it should have came out just after "Master of Illusions." We've talked about it a lot and hopefully we can get it done, me an Keith have continued to record songs, I think that was pretty classic, if we come together and do it, we need to do it right.
JD: Over the course of your career you have collaborated with some big name artists, who would you say was your favourite and why?
Motion Man: That I have worked with? I would have to say Too short and Kool Keith. The reason Short, well I grew up listening to both of those cats, I have been a big Too Short fan, I grew up listening to his music and I have been a Keith fan also. I would have to say those two, although E-40 is not far behind that. Planet Asia, especially Gift of Gab, doing a song with Too Short, once I found out it was available to do; I was like I have to do it. I mean "You got Short dog on your album," that’s what people say they like "You got Short dog on your album? Oh shit!" You know.
JD: So what music are you listening to at the moment?
Motion Man: Right now I am listening to Sports Talk radio because it is football season. Actually I listen to Sports Talk radio year round, but it is football season so there is no one really getting any runs. I am listening to strictly Sports Talk.
JD: You already mentioned plans to tour the US, but are you planning on coming to the UK and Europe?
Motion Man: Yeah, we will see how it goes when the album comes out, but I need to get out there. Usually we do Europe every year, we do the festivals, we go to London, Belgium, Germany, but we got something in the works, I gotta get out there and see my peeps.
JD: OK, and finally, is there anything you would like to say to our readers?
Motion Man: Yeah, check out the "Pablito's Way," it might be a little something for your ear when you first get it; I don't know how its gon hit you. In time after you have listened to it and I follow it up in the next year you will realise that you no longer want to sleep on me. I've been out in the music industry for a long time, since the eighties I’ve been doing my thing, and it’s a rough world out there in the music industry and its something you just can’t stop doing. When you love something, it’s hard to let it go. I will be around for a minute for all my fans, email me through MySpace, they always like, "what is this? You gon quit? What’s goin on?" I just want to let them know I got kind of busy for a minute and sometimes life does take stabs at people, but I bounced back and I’m dropping "Pablito's Way" and I have ammo for you, readily available, even if its just on the Internet BAM download this, its always ready for you and that way you can always get new Motion stuff and I can build my library and have like 3,000 songs in 2 years.
JD: Sounds good, thanks for your time; I know it is like 6 a.m. over there at the moment.
Motion Man: Oh yeah, I had to get up early and stretch out, tomorrow is a big day, I had to use today as a trial run to make sure I can get up this early. Tomorrow I will stretch out, probably get the family out to church and get home, have my meat already marinated and get the grill started. I got the NFL ticket so I can watch every game, can't watch it all at once, but I get to watch which game I want to see. it's rough, Week 1 in the NFL a lot of teams win that don't end up doing anything, other teams lose that end up going to the Superbowl, its just the whole hype around it, there’s going to be so much going on in this one day. It's pretty draining, so I gotta make sure I am ready for it, make sure I am awake. It might not sound like it, but you can probably tell from my voice.
