What’s good Tone?

I’m good, man. On my grizzly without a muzzle.

How has “Archetype” been doing?

It’s performing incredibly on strictly word of mouth. There’s no marketing or promo push behind it. The first pressing already flew off the shelves in the first couple of weeks. And as word keeps getting out about it, sales have been real steady and that’s a beautiful thing.

How did it feel to finally get it out?

I felt so fucking accomplished when I was finally able to hold a copy of it in my hands.

See, a lot of heads don’t realize that – I did EVERYTHING on Archetype – from the beats to the lyrics to the artwork to the DVD editing to the mixing – the album is a true reflection of myself. So, seeing it all finished after all the blood, sweat and tears put into it, was incredibly intense.

Are you happy with the responses you’ve been getting off “Archetype?”

It’s been overwhelmingly positive. It’s like, when you make a record like Archetype, that brings a new sound to the table, cats either hate it or love it. And people love it 8 out of 10 times and that’s overwhelmingly good.

It’s wild cause, For the most part, people are responding exactly the way I figured they would. There’s a lot of cats that ain’t ever heard me spit, but know my name from all the work I put in on cameos and singles and shit like that. I call these “passive fans”.

My real fans know that I sing and play piano and shit like that, so Archetype was something they expected of me. “Passive Fans” thought I was just this dude that rapped fast and spit battle shit. So, they were really the only ones that didn’t “get” the album or couldn’t accept it for what it was.

What is the significance of that title for you?

‘Archetype’ is defined as “an original model or type after which other similar things are patterned”. And one of my goals with the album was to open up a new avenue for MCs to express themselves in 100% self-sufficient way: YOU control the production, YOU control the lyrics, YOU control the artwork, YOU control the video – this is YOUR VISION.

In comparison to what goes on today with the assembly line approach to music, Archetype really allows MC’s to be artists again. THAT’S why I feel this record is important.

“Politics” was the first single, you said a lot of shit on there that’s true…for starters, how hard is it for you getting spins and what do you think of college radio?

There’s a fuckload of hypocrisy in any industry and the music biz is a shining example. The reason I got into the topic on “Politics” was to school the public on the inner workings of “WHY” their favorite artists don’t get into rotation on radio/video and why a lot of albums drop and no one knows about it.

Let’s face it, people are brainwashed by the media, one way or another. They only know what they see. Advertising money drives the media, so that means that whoever got dough, is gonna be in the public eye – talented or not.

College radio, for the most part, follows the same principle in a different way… because the “underground” has morphed into a set of mini-major labels with promotional budgets and publicists. So, whoever spends the most, gets the most run on college radio. Same shit…smaller pond.

What part of Hip Hop has you the most frustrated?

Right now, the biggest frustration has to do with the fact that there is no balance in what’s being presented to us. There’s a place for everything and all types of music to coexist, but that’s not what we’re seeing today. It’s either all “street” shit or all “southern” shit. There’s a gazillion other styles of Hip-Hop music…and none of them are being represented. This is the biggest problem I see.

How did you want that beat to sound to match your lyrics and concept?

Well, I whipped up the beat first, and then wrote to it. I did the whole thing in a night and the lyrics just poured out of me. So, what you hear on the record is literally the sound of aggravation in my head.

“Porcelain” was a real personal song, what made you want to put that on “Archetype?”

As personal as it is, we’ve all broken our own hearts at one time or another. And people feel this song because they can relate to this shit. So, I’m proud that I was able to tap into that part of all our memories through something that happened to me. Also, the song is really the best musical example of the album’s feel, so it NEEDED to be on there.

You say “change is good” on the album, what change are you looking for?

Like I said on the song, “I’m rapping on behalf of balance – the do it all emcee”. I’m looking to help instill a sense of “self” back into Emceeing. This entire culture was founded on individuality, and yet we fast-forward a quarter of a century later, and the culture itself has been splintered into factions, largely abandoned by its own artists and the majority of its music has become a soundtrack for conformity. I hope my work inspires others to be themselves in spite of what the media is telling them to do.

What made you want to make your own beats?

Well, it’s just something I’ve always done. I come from a background of frustrated musicians, so it’s in my blood. When I started recording demos at 12 years old, we didn’t have producers or anything like we have now…you had to make your own shit. So, we’d show up to the studio with lyrics, and I’d make the beats on the spot to rhyme to. My love for the craft of songwriting and production just grew simultaneously from then on.

As far as punchlines go, you can do that shit well, but there’s not a lot of that on this album, did you want to stay away from that?

It wasn’t necessarily a conscious effort to avoid “punchlines” as much as it was a concentrated effort to write from the heart. Regardless, I feel that there’s still a great amount of wordplay and wit contained within the personal tracks, even.

But on the real, I come from the school of cats that perfected that punchline shit. The Common’s, the Wordsworth’s, the PackFM’s, the Rise’s, etc. Half the shit you hear from these mixtape rappers these days is basically slanged-out versions of the shit we came up with in the mid to late 90’s. It’s actually kinda funny, what “new” hip-hop fans are impressed by because 90% of the lines they’re hearing have been said soooooo many fuckin’ times already.

But half them niggas didn’t grow up listening to the same shit we did, so they’re basically just reinventing the wheel.

You sing too, how important was it to you to show your fans that you can do that as well?

Well, I’ve sung on every single one of my ep/lp projects. So, it wasn’t really a surprise to any of my fans. It’s just something they’ve always accepted as part of the territory in terms of who “Tonedeff” is to them. They expect me to push boundaries. So, when it came time to build Archetype, I felt it was important to evolve the sound of my vocal work- melody heavy, human and somewhat classical.

What’s it like working with Domingo?

Domingo’s one of my best friends on the planet, so it’s like working with my brother. Still, I personally consider him a legend and if you look at his track record, you would too. [see QN5.com]. So, on some real shit, it’s always an honor to be able to collaborate with the man, because he’s worked with some of the best lyricists EVER. So, I’m always on my grind to make sure I lace his tracks with the utmost precision.

You also got Elite in your camp, both Domingo and Elite have done major tracks, yet they work with QN5 as well, what makes big producers want to work with you and your camp?

Yeah, man. I’m really proud of my team. It’s kind of ironic, because Domingo kinda discovered me and later I kinda discovered Elite.

They’ve been down with the QN5 production team (along with Kno & Deacon of CunninLynguists) from the jump. The reason they rep is because they know the potential of what we’re doing. I feel like I got the most talented team in the game – period. Even my producers rhyme better than half these rappers out here. Hahah. And our MC’s are incredibly talented and well-rounded. Even though we’re all different people from really different backgrounds…the musical chemistry is what has always bonded us. I feel that’s why people say we sound different from everyone else. And that’s something you just can’t buy.

The DVD was real dope…well put-together and all that…how important was having that DVD to you?

I appreciate that. Well, it was a two-pronged thing. First, I wanted to make sure that the fans had something “extra” for their patience in waiting for the album. Secondly, I wanted to give them an unprecedented look into all the little things that make the album what it is. I’ve gotten so much feedback about how the DVD has helped cats appreciate the album so much more. That’s why it’s packaged with the album, because it really is part of a bigger experience along with the music and the album artwork. It all needs to be soaked in at once to really feel this album.

Do you feel like you got a lot off your chest with “Archetype?”

Hahha Definitely. But as with life…you change, you experience new things
and you move on. So, there’s a lot more shit I wanna get off my chest
on the next one.

We had talked awhile ago about how a lot of people won’t let older Hip Hop go, and how “The Golden Age” is always gonna be the best…what’s your take on that?

Well, I think it’s a reaction to the trash we’re seeing now. But, the whole “golden age” generation is getting older and they’re already becoming a non-factor in what’s “relevant” and all that. It’s a double-edged thing. They have this emotional attachment to a time period that doesn’t exist anymore and won’t ever again.

Ironically, there’s a whole “Revivalist” movement going on, and some artists are going out of their way to “bring back” that golden-era sound and vibe. While it does serve nostalgic purposes, I feel that it’s basically a poor mimicry of what’s been said and done already. Kinda like Cival War Re-enactors.

With the amount of cloning already going on these days, I feel that the mimicking of a bygone-era is a step backwards for the music. We need to build on what’s been done and push forward, or this music’s gonna hit another stalemate.

Our youth is mislead as fuck right now – a generation of kids raised on bullshit music. So, as artists, we have a responsibility to preserve the “principles” of the music… NOT the sound. Cause if we don’t – the shit’s gonna continue to slalom downhill for the next 10 years and off the side of a cliff.

What do you like better, working on other people’s albums or being a solo album?

I love music, period. So, I’m happy with whatever role allows me to create and help others evolve their sound. It’s definitely easier and faster to work with others, but the benefit of my solo projects is that it’s a real reflection of where I am in my life, even though it’s a lot more work. So, I’ll probably always just dabble in both.

Do you ever want to get into any other genres of music?

I’m a music fanatic. I listen to damn near everything, so I have a diverse range of influences that shape my sound already. But, I will definitely keep pushing whatever boundary I feel is next. Still, no matter what I do, Hip-Hop will always be the foundation of whatever I’m doing.

Are you still battling?

Not in organized battles. I already earned my stripes, man. Still, it’s fun to watch and I run EmceeBattles.com as a forum for the new blood to do their thing and get exposure. But as for me, I’m focused on my music. Much respect to the hungry battle cats out there!

Are you still rockin’ the baby blue?

Absolutely. You know how QN5 gets down!

Finally, what do you want people to take away from “Archetype?”

Well, I want people to bond with the album. There really is something there that will accommodate every mood. I hope that cats see listen to the album and it inspires them to express themselves FULLY and not be afraid of how others are gonna respond. I hope people see the DVD and get amped to come to the next QN5 show. But overall, I hope that people see that Hip-Hop is not one-dimensional and that they should demand more individuality from artists.

What’s your next move?

Right now, I’m about to hit Europe and promote the new album. I’m currently putting the finishing touches on PackFM’s new album, whutduzFMstand4? and wrapping up production on Session’s Spicasso LP. My next project will be a full-collaborative LP with producer Kno (of CunninLynguists) called Chico & The Man. He’s doing all the beats…I’m doing all the rhyming. It’s gonna be insanity. Everyone can stay tuned by swinging through to QN5.COM. I’d like to thank HHG and all the QN5 fans for their support. Hollerate.