Tonedeff had just rocked a show for some hype fans the night before and wanted to witness the illness T-Dot had to offer before his 12 hour bus ride back to NYC. So instead of sleeping or moping around his hotel room, this highly energetic, witty, intelligent yet humble MC/ Producer/ Graphic Artist opted to politic with some of the city’s most elitist perverts in a “brass- railed” strip club. He then crossed paths with the drunken ways of many Torontonians at a Keg party and sealed off the experience by chowing down on some lip smacking Chinese food at a late night joint in the city’s Spadina/College area. It was most definitely a very invigorating night at the very least. Nevertheless it was at the Grey hound bus station where Tone had blessed me with the ‘Hyphen’ CD. I listened to his then newest creation with a couple of boys that day and no doubt we were ecstatic by the bubbling hotness that erupted out of the speakers like molten lava. We had to rewind every track at least three times while licking shots and banging walls to every line! We heard Tone spit fresh, crisp, polysyllabic lyrics from the heart on captivating beats (mostly produced by him). Not to mention his inconceivable breath control on every bar made you think there was a hidden oxygen tank stashed in his larynx somewhere. Tonedeff’s intricate lyricism, innovative song writing and versatile production style makes him the quintessence of Hip-hop in the truest form. So to all you Hip-hop lovers out there who are ready to experience what it is like to stay five steps ahead of the game… I introduce you to the one and only Tonedeff.

HHC: So tell us a Little about your self… First off the name why the name Tonedeff?

Tonedeff: I came up with the name when I was 12 years old. I’ve held onto it because it exemplifies my style. See, my actual name is Tony – even my father calls me Tone. So, it just made sense to add the “Deff” to the end of it for some wordplay. It’s funny though, I’m not actually Tone Deaf. Ironically, I do a lot of melodic shit on my records.

HHC: When did you start Emceeing? Who inspired you? What is your reason for Emceeing?

Tonedeff: Growing up in Chicago, I was just born into the culture. I was a mini b-boy when I was six or seven till I fucked up my neck trying to do head-spins (laughs). I started writing rhymes when I was nine. I used to memorize everything I could get my hands on. I had the entire extended version of ‘Rapper’s Delight’ committed to memory when my sister brought it home on 12”. After a while, I started putting my own words to the beats I was hearing from the Def Jam camp. I listened to a lot of LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Slick Rick, Run DMC, etc. I always had that love for the culture, for the music…and once my family moved to Miami in 89, I started recording demos with my squad at the time (RBM Crew). It’s been my passion to make music ever since. It’s in my blood. Not a day goes by without me listening to or making music. Today, I keep doing what I set out to do, cause there’s a whole new generation of kids listening now and it’s an opportunity to school them on the beauty of this music.

HHC: Tell us a little about QN5… the name? How did you get it started? Who’s affiliated with it? Why did you start it?

Tonedeff: I started QN5 Music in 1997 with the limited release of my first solo project, ‘The Monotone EP’. But it wasn’t until 2000 that I refocused the label and recruited the team we have now. QN5 basically just means we’re always working to stay “five steps ahead of the game”. Our current roster of artists are myself, CunninLynguists, PackFM, Mr. Mecca, Session, Kynfolk (from Kentucky) & The Plague (Hydra, Pumpkinhead, Bad Seed, Extended Famm, Mecca, Kameel-Yen & DP-One). Our production team consists of Domingo, Kno, Deacon The Villain, Elite & myself. We have ridiculously high standards for everything we try to do. Even if it’s an EP, we go all out with the enhanced CDs with videos and all that shit. We try to give our fans the best possible product on all fronts, and we’re always trying to push the boundaries of what’s being done right now. We’re carrying the torch for traditional boom-bap music.

HHC: Tell us a little about Extended Famm?

Tonedeff: Extended Famm is the name for the joint-project between myself, PackFM, Substantial & Session. We released an EP called ‘Happy Fuck You Songs’ in November of 2002 that really pushed the idea of the “posse cut” to the next level. We did a bunch of shit on that record that hadn’t been done up to that point and I’m really proud of that. Did a slew of shows to support the record, and really just tested the waters for the new label setup. Our distribution was way too fucking limited though, and most people never heard that record. It’s a shame. Maybe we’ll re-release it in the future. In the meantime, we’re planning on doing another one after all our solo LP’s drop this year.

HHC: Why are you still in the game? Is “selling out” even an option? Why do you stay independent versus signing major?

Tonedeff: I’m still here because I’m a stubborn motherfucker and I still have a lot to say. There’s really no reason why QN5 Music is still independent other than our lack of money & connections to the big wigs. Let’s be honest, if someone recorded themselves shoving a mic up a goat’s ass and it went platinum…every major label would put out 1,000 “goat” CD’s trying to profit off the buzz the original one made. It’s not about the music. It’s strictly about the numbers. The music we make appeals to anyone who loves great music. The major labels just haven’t seen it sell a zillion copies on its own yet. So, eventually, with our new national [distribution] setup in place, I have no doubt in my mind that we’ll be on the radio in a couple years. It’s just a matter of time. Plus, we’ve already built a dedicated fan base. And that’s a beautiful thing that you can’t pay for. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve done so far…because it’s all been done off the strength of the live shows and the music.

HHC: Was emceeing all you wanted to do? Does it pay the bills? Do you have a regular 9-5? Tell us about that.

Tonedeff: My goal in life is to run a successful label and have the resources to do all the different creative shit I wanna do. Right now, the music shit doesn’t really do much but break even, but hopefully that will change by next year. I used to have a regular 9-5, but now I’m solely focused on the music.

HHC: So you’ve been to the T-Dot, BC and Alberta… what are you’re thoughts on all the scenes there? Were all the different Canadian cities different?

Tonedeff: I had a fuckload of fun in Canada. One thing I can say for sure is that the audiences out there definitely know how to get involved. T-Dot was rowdy as fuck and I loved it. (Shoutout to the whole Empire camp & Theology 3!) The BC crowds are definitely there to show love and have a good time. Same goes for Alberta. They know how to appreciate a hot hip-hop show.

HHC: How do the scenes in NY and the T-DOT differ… or Canada in your opinion?

Tonedeff: I love New York, but the one thing I hate about NYC is how jaded everyone is here. EVERYONE here is either an MC, a DJ, a Manager, a Producer, etc, etc, etc. There aren’t enough fans in the audience. So instead of throwing up their hands, they try to play cool and fold em. If you ain’t already famous, then you have a hard time getting people to show love or even come out to a show. Fortunately, QN5 has built our name in NYC, and we’ve managed to establish ourselves here. And that in itself is something to be proud of. Like I said before, Canadian audiences are always down to get live at a show and that’s a beautiful thing.

HHC: What’s next… music wise? What to look out for? Tell us about all the albums you have out now?

Tonedeff: My next release is my debut LP, ‘Archetype’. It’s got production from Domingo, Kno, Elite & myself and a track with Wordsworth, Rise, Supastition & Extended Famm on it. The record is phenomenal and I’m definitely excited to unveil it to the world. It’s gonna change a lot of people’s perceptions of what a “Hip-hop” album should sound like. I currently have 3 EPs available: The Monotone EP (1997), Hyphen (2001), Extended Famm’s – Happy Fuck You Songs (2002) and most recently Underscore (2003). Hyphen is currently out of print, but you can still cop the other 2 CDs from http://www.Tonedeff.com. From the QN5 label, we got PackFM’s “whuduzFMstand4?” LP, Mr. Mecca’s “Sound & Fury” LP, Session’s “Spicasso” LP, a new CunninLynguists LP and Asterisk:Three (our compilation series) all on deck.

HHC: What’s up with all the punctuations as album titles?

Tonedeff: (Laughs) I don’t know. They just sound cool. Just Kidding! There are actually meanings for them, but it’s a long explanation for each. For example, the ‘Asterisk’ series represents our annual “footnote” of material. Remixes, freestyles, cameos, etc. Non-Album stuff. Plus, our logo contains an Asterisk (5 points). So it all ties in and shit like that.

HHC: Where can we buy your albums? Who distributes for you?

Tonedeff: Right now, it’s tough to find QN5 CDs if you don’t buy music online. Some mom & pop shops around the country carry our releases, but you can’t walk into a Best Buy and pick our shit up like everyone else’s CDs. We just set up distribution with Cedar Park, which goes through EMI so you’ll finally be able to go a national retail chain and pick up my next album. :

HHC: So you started out battling? Why did you stop and do you still battle? Do you prefer battling versus making songs?

Tonedeff: Yeah. I think battling is a rite of passage for all MC’s. When you’re making a name for yourself, you gotta step on some toes to get out there. When I first came to NYC, it was the only thing I wanted to do. After a couple of years on the battle scene with that particular class of battle cats (Pack, Pumpkinhead, Sub-Con, Technique, Many Styles, Jin, C-Rayz) etc…. we all just got sick of the shit and decided to make records. I “retired” from the battle circuit in 2001. But I still go to the big events every now and then to see all the new blood duking it out. It’s entertaining when GOOD MCs are on point. Otherwise, it’s a dick joke contest. In the end, your record is what you’re truly judged and remembered by. Battling is just one way to create a buzz for your album. Cause you can be a sick ass battle MC, but if your record doesn’t deliver…you’re fucked. Simple as that.

HHC: What’s your most memorable battle of all time?

Tonedeff: There are a few that stick out, but a couple of my favs were with Pumpkinhead at the Spiral Lounge battle in 2000 and the battle with Pack @ The Source Unsigned Hype battle in 2000. Those were a lot of fun.

HHC: If you could work with artists today… Who would you work with? Who have you worked with in the past?

Tonedeff: In the past, I’ve worked with Masta Ace, Rahzel, KRS-One & a lot of underground vets. In the future, I’d love to work with Common or Pharoah Monch at some point. I think we’d be able to come up with some real wild shit together. There are a lot of artists I’d like to work with, but I’d rather end up working with them due to mutual admiration, and not just cause I paid them $XXX to drop a verse on my shit without them really knowing who I am and what I do. I think too many people are getting on by association and not talent. And that’s definitely something I can’t stand.

HHC: Do other genres of music influence you too… tell us about that? Do they influence the music you make? How?

Tonedeff: Absolutely. I’m a fucking music fanatic. I listen to just about anything I can get my hands on. I’m a big Radiohead fan. I also listen to Tori Amos, Interpol, Bjork, DJ Shadow, Ferry Corsten and a slew of other musicians. There’s so much great music being made out there…why limit yourself to one genre, ya know? The great thing about Hip-Hop is that it’s incredibly flexible as a style of music. You can mix it with just about anything to make something new. Unfortunately, most artists don’t explore this enough. Everyone’s scared to try anything different. Muffuckas do cookie cutter music now. What I’m looking to do in the future is expand “what you can do” with Hip-hop. I’m trying to step the bar up musically for what we allow in our music. There’s a lot of bullshit rules that have been developed over the years that I feel are stagnating the artform. But I see a BIG change in the music coming within the next couple years. Hopefully, I can be one of the catalysts for that movement.

HHC: On the production tip… I know you produce… Who else produces for you? What artists would you like to produce for? The biggest contributors to my personal music have been Domingo, Kno & the rest of our production team. I have a couple spots on the new album done by a cat out of Philly named Versifier and a cat from Sweden named E-L. I’m down to work with almost anyone. It’s just a matter of getting that opportunity, ya know?

HHC: Whats the most memorable show you’ve ever had?

Tonedeff: That’s a tough one. We’ve done so many shows and most of them turn out really well. Overall though, my favorite shows are the QN5 Megashows that we do once a year in NYC every summer. We have the whole label on hand to rock, and it’s just PACKED to the gills up in these spots. We get hella rowdy and the show is ALWAYS off the chain. I’m really looking forward to doing shit from the new album at this year’s Megashow.

HHC: How do you feel about the Hip-hop scene now?

Tonedeff: Amazingly, I’m really excited about Hip-Hop right now. The possibilities are endless. You can just feel the change coming. People are absolutely fucking sick of the trash they’re being fed right now. Even people that only listen to the radio are bored with the same diet of bullshit club tracks. It’s just time for a change and everyone is ready for it. So I have a much more positive outlook about things than I did, say, a year & a half ago about the music. It’s good to see cats that I came up with making moves. It’s inspiring.

HHC: HEHE… I heard about beef with you and some artists… such as Masta Ace… tell us about that? Petpeeves… what are they?

Tonedeff: Firstly, I have no beef with Ace, nor did I ever have any. Not sure where that came from. Anyway…I don’t get involved in too many entanglements with people. Shit’s a waste of time. And to top it off, people are too stubborn to admit when they’re wrong anyway. Any problems I’ve ever had with anyone has always been from some other cat running his mouth on some bullshit or someone just trying to sabotage me in some way. Shit happens. My biggest pet peeve is when people fuck up my name and spell it all wrong. I’ve seen Ton Def, Tone-Deff, Tonedef, Ton Deph..I mean, the shit is ridiculous already! Haha. Is it that hard? Tonedeff. No spaces, no capital D, two F’s!! It’s the worst to get a review about your album and they misspell your name OVER and OVER again. It’s just an annoyance is all.

HHC: Any advice for artists up and coming?

Tonedeff: Rule #1: Please make music from your heart. Don’t make records that you THINK will help you fit in, or whatever. Listen to what’s out there and culture yourself to other forms of music and you’ll end up a “smarter” musician. Make music from your heart, because if you don’t you’re just a parrot mimicking everyone else’s sound. Oh, and be prepared to suffer. A lot.

HHC: When are you going on tour?

Tonedeff: According to a couple things in the works right now, we might be back up in Canada this April for a string of shows. We’ll be out in Europe in May and back in the USA for the summer festivals (Rocksteady & Scribble). After that, fall looks like the best time for a national QN5 tour. We’re working on it. We’ll see how it all pans out.

HHC: Hey you were on Arsenio Hall ? Tell us about that?

Tonedeff: Ahhhh. Yeah, that’s a throwback for real. I was 16 at the time, back in 93 and The Arsenio Hall Show had this national talent competition for an episode called “Flava of the Future”. I submitted my video and I got picked out of 10,000 acts to perform on the finals. I won that night with one of the cats from that group All-4-One. It was a really memorable experience.

HHC: Apart from music what other projects have you or are you working on? (such as web designing etc)… other past times/ hobbies…. ??

Tonedeff: Honestly, 95% of my time is spent on music. Anything else I do on the side is basically just to pay the bills. I’m a freelance graphic designer by trade, and it helps pay the bills… but I really don’t get much enjoyment out of it. It’s a job to me. As soon as I get the label rolling the way I’d like it to, I’m going to produce as much as possible. But before that, I have a separate joint-project I’m doing with Kno called ‘Chico & The Man’ where he handles all the beats and I stick to the rhymes. It’s going to be bananas. After that? Who knows, I might get back into painting.

HHC: Any shout outs and parting words?

Tonedeff: I’d like to thank you for this interview opportunity. And I wanna send a big shoutout to ALL OF CANADA! Y’all are wild. If you ain’t ever heard my shit before…take this moment to do so at http://www.tonedeff.com and PLEASE support innovative Hip-hop and pick up all the QN5 Music CDs. Check out the label: http://www.qn5.com. PEACE & RESPECT. Tonedeff