Culture Bully - Chris Deline
Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. Here, Phingaz of Minneapolis’ Background Noise Crew dissects the group’s interpretation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Funky Monks.”
On “Funk Yo Monk (We Red Hot)”:
I had the idea to remake a bunch of Red Hot Chili Pepper songs for a while – “Funky Monks” (off of Blood Sugar Sex Magik) was at the top of my list. The original song has such a hard hitting bass and drum line – [it] just cooks through the whole song. So I decided to replay the guitar and slap in a huge kick drum with hand claps. I’d been listening to Camp Lo a shit-ton around that time and loved “Krystal Karrington.” The beat has this nasty chain-like shaker in it, I wanted a similar sound in the “Funk Yo Monk” song. I grabbed my house keys, a shaker and a tambourine and just went to town.
I sang the first part of the first verse of the original song. It’s perfect and I think it works as a hook by its lonesome. I sent it out to the whole crew and said “You have to spit 16 bars on this – no exceptions.” They all came back with the crazy stew of styles and such. It’s a good thing everybody comes so differently – it clocks in over six minutes but you don’t really notice it cause every ones style is so different.
Status Reign is a perfect starter for a song like this – he always has a crazy amount of energy in his verses, so him up front was the most obvious choice. Everyone had to match up to him. TQD’s verse is a HUGE stand out. If people aren’t familiar with his cataloge – he NEVER sounds like this. It’s nice to hear him switch up his style a bit. Tone always cracks me up with his verses – he had this rhyme pattern that was just jumping out of my ears, so I told him we should really capitalize on that. So Analyrical, TQD and I all yelled along with his pattern to give it that ‘large gang’ effect. We must have done about five tracks of us all yelling. I think Analyrical spits my favorite verse – I really dig it when MC’s play around with letters, patterns and sounds. I’ve never heard so many S’s and P’s in a verse before. Phaust is my homeboy – we’ve been though some shit, put out three Albums with Sinthesis and he is part of the BNC extended family. He always blows me away with his verses. He can be super cryptic and vague [or] he can be direct and literal. I picture him spiting this verse with a stupid grin on his face. Like he just stole two packs of cigs from the corner store and sweet talked his way out of it.
Background Noise Crew: Press
City Pages - Nate Patrin
A name like "Background Noise Crew" might seem kind of self-effacing, but it's accurate in at least one sense: this recently-established local hip hop collective's been rocking shows around town so frequently they might as well be part of the scenery. What time they haven't been spending mastering their craft onstage has been presumably spent in the studio, since the crew's new comp Everybody Does This Vol. 1 reveals a dedication to quality hip hop over a wide range of personalities and styles: there's the deluxe shit-talk of ToneKrusher Smith, the classic underground poetic abstraction of T.Q.D. and Phingaz (who collaborate as Green Sketch), the smooth, R&B-infused drama of Status Reign, and the versatility of Analyrical, who covers all those bases and more. Come early to catch some other local hip hop notables, including Carnage, the Watchmen and Kanser's Big Zach, before sticking around for these heirs apparent. They deserve some time in the foreground.
Rap Reviews - Pedro "DJ Complejo" Hernandez
There is no denying the Midwest's ability to create rap stars. Despite there never being a time when Midwest rap ruled the game, there has never been a shortage of Midwest rappers in the limelight. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the Midwest does it in more than one style. MC Breed, Bone, Dayton Family, Eminem, Esham, Common, Kanye West, Twista, Atmosphere, Hi-Tek. Granted, the Midwest boasts a much larger geographic area than other regions, but despite lacking universal love, emcees from the Midwest do have a decent chance at the glory of a rap star. The Background Noise Crew (BNC for brevity's sake) makes no attempt to hide the fact that they've been influenced by Minnesota's biggest rap stars, Atmosphere. They even compare their latest release to the "Sad Clown Bad Dub" series, meaning it is a collection of odds and ends the crew has recorded over the last 8 months. The questions that remains is whether "Everybody Does This Vol. 1" will indeed follow suit and lead to another Midwest success story.
With a six man crew, consisting of 4 emcees, 1 producer, and 1 emcee/producer, it is difficult to keep track of who is who, thankfully the crew had the forethought to break that down in the liner notes. They get automatic points from me for that. "Funk Yo Monk (We Red Hot)" is a big posse cut produced by Phingaz. Phingaz puts together some deep, thumping bass and country/rock guitar licks for an unusual, but dope combination. The emcees themselves shine on other tracks. "DNA" features Analyrical where he drops some lines about his love for rap:
"I feel a slight tingle, a slight itch
Only way to see the day with the flick of a light switch
Work a nightshift, my mind takes a slight drift
Caught up in a cipher, wish
Everyday was like this""Wizard of Law" features Status Reign getting his concept song on:
"And that's it, I can't get any closer to home
If I did, I'd riddle fists in the door
No explaining cause it's easy to find guilt in a metaphor, ain't it
So explain why it's my fault that your running out of patience
Deep breaths seem less important in the long haul
And how important is that net when you headed for than long fall?"Tonekrusher Smith uses his solo to explain what it means to be a "Part Time Rapper:"
"All across the room with the confidence of a tyrant
Hijack the stage and snatch your shit up like a pirate
Peaceful man, but don't make me get violent
When you spit those flows, those flows they refine me
All by my lonesome, it's like I'm in confinement
Be original, the best you do is consignment
I should be rich for the service that I'm providing"TQD gets his shine on in the form of "Carry Along" where he drops his flavor of somewhat abstract rhymes:
"It's like standstill standoff
Stand pat, mounted in place
Til I declare I'm back
It's concealed and peeled
Too physically real
And outright lies
By an outward appearance
Paraded out, just like interference"Even Phingaz gets a solo track where he returns with his thick guitar licks and love for bass on "Here For You."
"The scenery we pass we'll never see again
So we store it up as memories and don't let go of them
A wonderful spell, thinking that the river should go straight
Set goals and desires to control out own fate
But all the pain we experience is a result of our expectations
Because it's the river's nature"Despite being listed as part of the group, Egypto Knuckles gets one production credit on the 15 track affair, but he sure takes advantage of it. "5Play" is a funky uptempo mix of deep bass lines, reggae and jazz inspired synths, and lively handclaps. To be honest it may be the best produced track on the album.
After consuming "Everybody Does This Vol. 1" the listener gets a vague feel for who the Background Noise Crew is. Each member has his strengths and weaknesses. Personally, Egypto Knuckle's one production credit made me a fan. As far as rappers are concerned, Tonekrusher Smith's ability to be so nonchalant while talking trash was appealing as was the emotion in Status Reign's voice. To others, TQD's abstract rhymes may be their preference or they might prefer Analyrical's straight forward punch lines. Some might even choose Phingaz as the most talented due to his ability to play double roles and produce the bulk of this compilation. Things get even trickier when you realize this crew also has subgroups, three to be exact, consisting of different combinations within the group. When people encounter large crews they usually rush to the Wu-Tang comparisons, but in this case I think the Background Noise Crew is more like another crew, Living Legends. The left coast collection of emcees and producers started out just as unheralded and overlooked back in the 1990s. Much like BNC, Living Legends has concentrated more on individual efforts rather than crew records over their lifetime. Whether BNC will one day evolve and grow as the Living Legends did is anybody's guess, but the foundation is there.
City Pages (Gimme Noise) - Nate Patrin
For the past several months, one local upstart rap crew has been spending a lot of time and work establishing their name around town. Background Noise Crew is an assemblage of some of the Twin Cities’ up-and-coming producers and MCs – Egypto Knuckles, ToneKrusher Smith, Phingaz & TQD (who work as the duo Green Sketch), Analyrical and Status Reign – who combine a classicist indie-rap D.I.Y. ethos with a tireless hustle and a lot of inter-crew brainstorming. So far their efforts have given us Green Sketch’s debut EP So Long for Now, but there’s plenty more to come later this year. This e-mail interview with the crew outlines who they are, what they’re about and where they're headed.
What sets Background Noise Crew apart from some (or all) of the other crews that are working around the Twin Cities area?
EGYPTO KNUCKLES: Our relationship with crews and the scene as a whole represents our drive to show off the diverse scene and the many different styles that are represented within the scene. My whole production ethic is built from such forefathers as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, El-P, and Madlib. I want to be at that point where every song I make is somewhat poignant and reflective of the thoughts of the specific songwriter at that time. The way a rapper utilizes onomatopoeia or syllabic structure has always been a thing for me, and I certainly want to bring that out of an artist. One thing I regret is not using my DJ muscle to scratch records within my tracks, but that will slowly change within time.
TONEKRUSHER SMITH: The Frugalis McSpiteful album coming out on April 1 is going to be different because the whole album is sick. Literally. The beats are as dirty as the lyrics. The album will make you laugh or wince with uncomfortability.
PHINGAZ: My production methods are unorthodox and I don't fear new territories or sounds. The Green Sketch EP doesn't show that as much as I would have liked it to, but there are sprinkled moments here and there. Looking back on my previous projects I feel like I've pushed myself each time in new creative ways to write music. So of course I will continue to do that with Green Sketch and the rest of the Background Noise Crew. TQD is a little more known for his quieter (pun intended), darker, softer side, while I usually come off as a fool. With time and some growth our vocal and lyrical play can turn into a dual sided mash-up, me tipping the scales toward a more carefree fun loving side, while TQD can keep us grounded in emotions and feelings we all have.
TQD: Since anything can be labeled, I'm sure you can find a pigeonhole for each member of Background Noise, but I think you'd be hard pressed to lump us together as "all sounding the same". Individually, we all make music that sounds a little different from each other, but what ultimately bonds us is the fact that we respect those differences, and occasionally find ourselves somewhere in the middle.
ANALYRICAL: I think Background Noise is the first crew in a while to be extremely innovative and unique with our promotional tools and our live performances. When we put on a show, it involves so much more than grabbing a mic and rapping to a crowd. We support each other so much and really try to make things interactive for the audience. We have sketches, we have props, we have live guitar remixes of songs, and the list could go on and will continue to grow as we get more comfortable and experienced as a crew.
STATUS REIGN: I think the biggest difference between Background noise crew and most other cliques in Minneap right now is that everything that we do is done by committee, and then once a decision is made it undergoes trial by fire. With so many individuals focused in on the "for the good of the team" mentality, more often than not we have very solid plans and directions no matter what the project is, but more importantly we have a group of individuals willing to sacrifice for the success of others.
Could each of you give a brief summary/breakdown of your personality and what you bring to the group?
EGYPTO KNUCKLES: I started out producing the Beat Box on 770 Radio K, and then hosted the show for 7 more years. Aside from that I’ve been working at large, building different friendships within the scene and trying to help network with folks on a daily basis to help the scene build more of a unity. With my production style, I bring more a sense of the good feel of the Golden Era of Hip Hop, which is between 1987-1996 as a whole, where the beats and samples were rugged and overflowed with mood and presence.
TONEKRUSHER SMITH: Egypto Knuckles and I came up with the character Frugalis McSpiteful together. We thought it would be funny to make an album about an anti-hero. Hip hop now is about how fly I am, how fly my girl or car is, so we thought about making an album that was to the contrary.
PHINGAZ: I've been a part of many projects (Sinthesis [just released our 3rd Full Length!], The Mixed-Up Tape, Vividend, Capaciti), they all vary quite a bit from one another. I'm constantly pushing myself to find new and interesting ways to make/write music and to promote it and share it with people. I don't really feel comfortable referring to much of my music as a certain 'genre' because I don't try to write music for any particular one. It all gets blended together into a large melting pot that demands quite a bit from the listener, but it’s usually worth the journey. I'm one of Background Noise's 'in house' producers and I run the studio. I record all the music and mix it. I'm usually joking, but often take things way too serious at the same time. If you get me and Frugalis in a room together, we will rarely say anything worth writing down. Or believing for that matter. Good ish.
TQD: I am probably the most serious of the crew members, personally and musically speaking. I tend to gravitate towards things that are dark and I think that provides a balance to some of the other members of Background Noise who may come with a lighter sound of music and/or personality. I think it's fair to say that regardless of who we all were before forming Background Noise, we've managed to rub off on each other. I also bring record keeping skills to the crew. I serve as the secretary of Background Noise, so I plan our meetings, update everyone on news, and make sure I'm keeping what we discuss and plan to do well documented.
ANALYRICAL: I think I bring a positive sensibility to Background Noise. I love and respect the origins of hip-hop and thankfully Egytpo Knuckles has really helped me tap into my love for the history and cultural relevance. As the rest of the crew would tell you, I wear my heart on my sleeve. There's no doubt about it. I'm a pretty passionate guy and it is reflected in my music and the way I carry myself. Lyrically, I am still wavering in between straightforward honesty and philosophical wordplay. I sometimes just say exactly what is on my mind, then on another song I will bring up questions and ideas, and leave it to the listener to decide for themselves. It's fun and thought-provoking to explore both routes.
STATUS REIGN: As far as my personality goes, I'm a big fan of finding the devil in the details. I really try and be the best at everything I do, and whether or not that ends up being the case, I think my end products show the markings of working toward something specific. I'd much rather cut down from 100 tracks to find 15 good ones than make 20 and keep them all for an album. Right now Case Of The Mondays (consisting of myself and Analyrical) is working on our album for release in mid July. It’s gonna be a collection of jazzy and fun music that goes over well for live shows, mixed with some more serious introspective tunes that shed light on who we are as people. Following that, the release of my solo album Brutally Honest which is more or less self explanatory in terms of content is slated for Nevruary of 2018... proving further more how much I'd like to put into it before I consider it finished.
What's the weirdest thing about you?
EGYPTO KNUCKLES: The weirdest thing about me, sometimes it’s the samples I use and sometimes it’s the way I utilize the samples to my advantage. People in the crew found out recently that I chop everything manually, which earned me a crazy look. That and I probably claim permanent residency at Yafa off 41st and Central.
TONEKRUSHER SMITH: I have a hole in the crotch of almost all of my underwear. I don't know. I've been trying to figure that one out for years.
PHINGAZ: Although I have no relation to Wisconsin, I love cheese.
TQD: For someone who doesn't say a whole lot, I'm rather opinionated.
ANALYRICAL: The weirdest thing about me I can think of is my meticulous cleanliness and organization. My apartment has no posters or anything on the walls. I separate pens and markers. Everything is lined up in a linear fashion. I have all my socks facing the same way in my drawer. I don't know how weird it is to me personally, but every time a person who has never been over before sees my place there is always a comment or two about it.
STATUS REIGN: When I'm on a video game playing kick my basic necessities are narrowed to Vault soda, pizza, profanity and cigarettes.
The Great Adventures of...Prince Fat Money - Jordan Selbo
Give 'em Room: Background Noise Crew doing it BIG
For all my uninformed trawlers out there not from Minnesnowta, the Twin Cities is so thick with rap royalty that I have no reservations calling it the center of Midwest Hip Hop (Fugg Kanye). You cain't throw a medium-sized stone on the southside of Minneapolis without hitting a dope MC. In that vein, the Background Noise Crew is just a group of six young men that just wants to make dope rrrap. Putting it work for a minute, their simmering (on the low-low) activities have recently boiled over into plenty of creative product for a listening public eager for something hype.First check out their site for the really real and concert updates: http://www.backgroundnoisecrew.com/
_________________________The latest heater is "Room to Operate," another raw yet refined platter of illness. (unfortunately this techno dinosaur still hasn't figured out how to post audio to the ole blog, so go to the Web site and listen for yerself herbs)
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If that weren't enough, the multi-venomous unit is releasing a series of six "webisodes" (more like clever visual commercials definitely worth checking out), the first two of which are already up on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/backgroundnoisecrew. Floss at least once a day kiddos._________________________
All this is centered around Background Noise Crew's newest series of releases, a "Sad Clown Bad Dub-like series" called "Everybody Does This." Self-awareness is sorely lacking in the game.
The Fat Money gives love to all who are out there working hard to give the world good new Hip Hop. Extra propers
The Mad Bloggers - Q
Background Noise Crew, Sampler Vol. 1: The Background Noise crew reached out to us with this free sampler. The crew out of Minnesota, describes their sound as, “pretty different since we all got a bit of diversity in the crew. When we form together, you'd be hard pressed to say we sound the same when together cause we all bring different styles to the pot,” said Egypto Knuckles, part of the Background Noise Crew. Other members include: ToneKrusher Smith, Analyrical, Status Reign, Phingaz and T.Q.D.