A. LEON CRAFT INTERVIEW 2/5/09
I2G kicked it with one half of Da Backwuds, A. Leon Craft for a interview. We discuss his upcoming solo album, his new single, Hover, which you can check out below, and his thoughts on the music coming out of the South right now. Decatur is in the building.
For audio of the interview, click on the link below:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/551786399aaa270f/
Illuminati 2G is here with A. Leon Craft how’s it going?
Man how you doin man. Like I am sitting here right now actually right about to go in the studio. That’s crazy, that is what’s happening right now. Music man, music is my life man.
Tell me about how you got your start in hip hop and some of your musical influences out there.
I am a part of the group Da Backwuds with my cousin Sho Nuff, shout out one time to him. Wood Shop project coming soon. I had alot of fun with that, hip hop is just taking over right now so I am just happy to be a part of it. I started off with that and we did the Lab Rats project which is Da Backwudz and Soul Messiah. At this moment I am doing my solo project until we finish this Backwuds Woodshop situation. We making it make sense. I love to make songs so I got to make it make sense. As far as my influences, my grandmother was a DJ at the Elks Lodge, she was a Eastern Star. We was around alot of funk, classic R&B, traditional gospel, we was around all that. So I was influenced by alot of different genres of music as well as certain artists. Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Bootsy Collins, Parliment, Funkadelic, Uncle George, it was alot of Brothers Johnson and when hip hop came it was just like wow. You hearing some of this old stuff you are used to hearing like looped up with drums over it and dudes just doing something different. It blew me away. I knew one day that I wanted to do that and be a part of that. In school, I was in the music program and I played the saxophone from 6th grade until I graduated and I am here now, making songs. A. Leon Craft (laughs).
Let’s get into your new single called Hover, real nice track. How did that track come together for you?
Aww man that dude Soul Messiah I call him the Beat God man. He is real potent when it comes to the beats and the vibe we share is special musically. He had the track and I just went there on it. We like to ride good down here, we futuristic, we tend to think we are, so ATLiens, we hovering. UFOs man (laughs)
Is there any details or anything that you can give about your solo album? Release date, guest appearances?
Well you know I got Fishscales from Nappy Roots on there, Bobby Creekwater he showed me some love and a couple other cats that I am still working. I don’t want to put it out there just yet because it might not happen. Fishscales that is like family and Creekwater he came through and Messiah on the drums we looking to drop the album real soon and I don’t want to throw a date out there yet because we are not sure. We looking sometime this month but we are just moving right now man. It is almost finished, it sounds good, it’s banging and it is coming soon man, A. Leon Craft man for real. It’s a good look, I have not felt this good about making music in a long time so I know it is about to be real special.
How would you say your solo album is going to be different then the work you did for the group Da Backwuds?
Every song I do I elevate. It’s just me by myself, me in my own element, me just doing what I do I my own mind. It is going to be more space age, just being on some other stuff. Really taking it back to that feel good hip hop that we did with Da Backwuds album but just from my perspective by myself. Real music with concepts also.
What is your thoughts on hip hop coming out of the South right now?
Alot of people tend to have negative views about music that comes out from the south, but from a artist’s standpoint I love all of it. People finally are turning their ear this way. We been making music in the south, whether you don’t like snap music or you like this or you like real lyrics, we got all of it. I look at it like it is art. You got some people that paint urban images, some people that paint nature images, other images etc. It’s all art at the end of the day. Same with music, it is all music. That is how a artist feels when they go into the studio and make those kind of songs and I love it. People are paying attention now to this region of the country. As far as the music goes.
Do you have any upcoming shows or tour dates coming up that you want to let the people know about?
Yeah I am working on a couple tour situations right now. Trying to get on at least a couple tours, so I am going to work on that. I got some local shows here around Atlanta that are coming up. I will be posting them up on my myspace page and Facebook so it will be out there. I appreciate yall too, Illuminati 2G for showing me this love. I appreciate that so much, because without people like yall, what we do would be in vain. We would just be making songs everyday (laughs). I appreciate yall man for real.
Not a problem. What is your myspace or Facebook information for people wanting to check out your music?
http://www.myspace.com/aleoncraft. Facebook A.Leon Craft. That’s me, or you can just Google me (laughs)
Well that is all the questions that I have for you, appreciate you getting down for the interview. Is there any last words or shoutouts you want to get out there to the people?
Shout out one time to Soul Messiah, shout out one time to my cousin Sho Nuff. Da Backwuds, Woodshop album coming soon, live and direct. Shout out one time to Roundtable Kings and the mothership Decatur man we about to blast off. For real.
Alright appreciate the interview
Aight man.
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