ALLHIPHOP CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCEDelivering the
truth in both context and lyrical poise is Staten Island wordsmith NYOIL. Not a
mainstream rapper by any means, his truth to ear lyrical approach spurns
unworthy MCs that fluster the mainstream Hip-Hop scene. The rapper’s candor,
and lyrical skills, has warranted him the label of a man not to be reckoned
with.
With more buzz
escalating about him, Babygrande Records is re-releasing NYOil’s highly
acclaimed indie album Hood Treason on
July 8th. We got some time to build with the NY rap vet and to pick
his brain on a few topics [read: Nas and that album “title”]. Take note of the
gems.
AllHipHop.com: So for
those who don’t know, what is NYOIL and what does it represent?
NYOIL: Well you know, “NY” represents the
great state of New York and showing in the way I represent that to me –
represents the foundation core of Hip-Hop, and “OIL”… it has a
couple of meanings. One aspect is… one time a brother said to me that the
entertainment business is to Blacks what oil is to Arabs. I was like, “Wow
that’s heavy man,” and so that spoke volumes to the name but this was after I
had began going by NYOIL.
All of us know oil is
black gold. It is considered black gold, but I consider the Black man, the
Black woman and the Black child my black gold. So in the process for getting
oil you gotta dig deep, it’s an intrusive process to extract fossil fuel. Well
NYOIL is an intrusive process. I’m rough on them, I’m hard shining lyrically on
dudes in terms of what I’m saying. I’m digging deep and I’m going deep. My
lyrical content is deep and I’m trying to do work. I’m reaching that fossil
fuel that was the foundation that was laid by the ancestors and the elders.
It’s transcendent in this Hip-Hop, it’s a Black thing.
AllHipHop.com: You’re
pushing a movement, but were held up for a moment when YouTube shut you down
for a minute because of your controversial video for “Y’all Should All Get
Lynched.” What where you trying to accomplish or say through that record in
particular?
NYOIL: Well you know the
thing is man, that’s a question that I’m often asked, “What were you
trying to accomplish?” It’s a natural question, when you look at it from
an industry perspective. But for the sake of answering it adequately, it will
require you to have to change your paradigm and not just look at it from an
industry perspective, but to look at it as just a man. Look at it as a father
and as a Black man that’s living in this world and experiencing this world.
I’m not a thug, I’m not no
drug dealer, I’m not a crook, I’m not no trick, this is not the lifestyle that
I live. I’m a man, I’m a father, I’m a community person. When I came home from
Maryland fam, and I seen the conditions of the neighborhood… I was outraged and
I’m looking at it saying what’s influencing these kids? And the first thing I
see is Hip-Hop because I’m an MC. Hip-Hop is the freaking soundtrack of my
life. I’m sure Hip-Hop is the soundtrack to yours, especially if you’re a
writer. So you see how and you know a lot of people try to fake like they don’t
know, but you know and I know how much of this music influences people.
I spoke as an artist in
that song… that was an artist expressing himself in “Yall Should All Get
Lynched” It wasn’t purposed, it’s just… it was what is was. It wasn’t a plot
and I understand the way it comes across and I ain’t taking no outrage to it at
all. I understand it perfectly, but it just really wasn’t that fam. I was just
p##### the f**k off. I can’t take it no more, so I gotta say something and I
can only speak from where I exist. I exist in Hip-Hop, so I can speak to that.
I can speak to this issue there. I couldn’t speak to it as a teacher because
I’m not an educator. I couldn’t speak to it as a politician, I’m not a
politician. I’m an MC.
AllHipHop.com: How did you
derive your style?
NYOIL: Like the way I
rhyme? I had a hard time with your question just now. I was trying to vibe on
it, but it’s not my style, as much as my person. This is the quality of man
that I am and that doesn’t necessarily say that’s it’s a good or bad thing
because depending on the scenario, that could be a great thing depending on
where in converse it could be terrible. For example, you know… we trying to go
to the party and you too deep and you might be a big ol’ wet towel like… come
on man, you too deep – I’m trying to have a good time. But you know when it’s
time to get deep, and people need somebody that can build on an issue, then you
right on point.
The type of person that I
am, I’m introspective and I’m thoughtful. I’m not necessarily always right. I
don’t purport the beef, and I’m not even trying to be always right. I’m just
trying to be sincere. I just want to be 100. I want to be able to say that, you
could write about me or he could listen to my music and you might not agree
with my politics but you could say, “Yo… I f**k’s with NYOIL. Man that dude B,
he mean that s**t. This s**t is not an
act, he’s not acting like he loves his people, he not acting like he loves this
music, he not acting like he wants a better world. This is how this muthaf**ker
gets down.”
I know dudes that’s good
dudes, but they focus be the chicks. I know dudes that they focus be that weed.
They got the smokes, they life is revolved around certain things. They a full
human being, but they life revolve around a certain thing and I think that I’m
a full human being who’s life revolves around a particular thing; making music.
I come from MC’ing and not from rapping, and I hate making the distinction
because it’s going to sound like backpackers but whatever. I can rhyme anyway.
I can do any style of rhyme. I come from where you have to rhyme, you gotta
have a sixteen of any type… you got the sex rhymes. You got the, I’ll kill
you dead rhymes, the punch lines rhymes, the funny rhymes and the rhyme for
your girl. You gotta have all of this. I come from that age of rapping you feel
me? MC’ing. So to answer the question to what’s my influence… my influence is
really just a lot of stuff.
AllHipHop.com: How much
value do you place on being original?
NYOIL: Well in this world
it almost don’t have any value.
AllHipHop.com: How did you
link up with Babygrande?
NYOIL: Son sent me an
email…like, “You want to put out an album commercially?” I was [like] “OK,”,
and that was the end of that. I figured it would be a great opportunity for me
to expand a brand and make more people aware of what I’m doing because I been
on lockdown with my team. We had plans that transcend before Babygrande ever
came into the picture, but we had maxed out a lot of things. For me personally,
I’m responsible for a lot of things that I’ve done, but a lot of things I’ve
done would not have been possible without the team that I have. But from what
I’ve done, I kinda maxed out.
I was thankful to God that
I had my dude YZ on board and my man NES to get on board because their energy
helped to take it further, but when the Babygrande thing came through… I was
like, Wow man thank God. You can’t front on me now, I’m not a dude that just
puts out his music on the internet. My stock reach has more value, if I say
something now people gotta listen more because I’m not just some scam saying
something. I’m a bonafide artist that a company felt strong enough about to
invest they money in to some extent. But it’s a good look and we’ll see how it
pans out.
AllHipHop.com: On your Hood Treason, you got a track called “Soldier” with Chuck D. That’s a
big look—are there any other rappers that you respect enough to wanna
work with?
NYOIL: For him to do that
was like a big look for me because we talking luck because Chuck had like 13
other songs that he was supposed to do that day and he like bumped me all the
way to the front. It was incredible and I can not thank him enough for that
opportunity to do that aside from the fact that he is another big influence on
the fact that as in all that I represent…what I’m representing as graciously
and as focused as he represented in P.E.
[Chuck D] and Professor
Griff are excellent examples of what revolutionary, pro-Black, socially minded
brothers can be in Hip-Hop. That being said, I would love to do songs with YZ
even though he’s my manager, you know, we got to settle some things on a track.
I want to do tracks with a lot of people that are conscious. I want to do a lot
of tracks with people that’s nice…real MC dudes. I would like to do something
with Immortal Technique and Talib Kweli. I really dig Mos Def, I think son is
ridiculous. I would like to do something with Little Brother. I want to be able
to do things with dudes were I can be creative and have fun.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of
Chuck D, how do you feel about Flavor Flav?
NYOIL: Flavor Flav is like
the brother that you used to look up to that got locked up on some bulls**t,
and you’re mad at him. You’re mad because you love him. Flavor Flav represents the
institution just as Chuck D and Professor Griff and Brand Nubian does. So when
Chuck is saying deep s**t, Flav gave it the swag. He was the fly dude, the fun
guy. He was the one that made it illy. So when you see him today allowing
himself to be used as he’s being used, and I’m sure he’s making his bread, I
just wish that it didn’t come down to this. But I’d be a real a**hole if I
continued to speak negatively against someone that meant so much to me without
understanding his plight. I’m learning not to have an expectation of people
when they have already fulfilled something. Flav did his job for me already.
Now it’s my turn to do my job and so I can’t be wanting and needing that
expectation any longer.
AllHipHop.com: What did
you think about Nas campaigning to name his new album “N****r?”
NYOIL: I would like to say
the same thing about Nas that I said about Flav, but I think in Nas’ case I
feel a little differently. I think that from his interviews, there was a real
tone of disingenuousness, if that’s a proper way of putting the vibe that I get
from him. I don’t believe him and when I listen to the lyrics, I don’t hear the
insightfulness and the introspection that I would expect to hear from Nas
considering the stature that he has as in some people’s case. In some people’s
book he’s the greatest MC, greatest lyricist, but I don’t hear it.
I don’t believe that he is
going to adequately handle this issue. This is an issue, when you get to
talking about certain things…for example, if I start talking thug s**t right,
the expectation is that I better be prepared to live that thug s**t because
when you talk that thug s**t and you go to different towns muthaf**ers is gonna test your mettle. If I was talking
that pimping hoe s**t, I better be prepared to do what a pimping hoe do. So if
you’re trying to be this conscious dude, you gone speak on conscious issues not
just lyrically but o##### and be able to articulate your position. If you can’t
articulate that position, you don’t got no business building on that s**t.
Leave it alone, it ain’t for you.
AllHipHop.com: Do you
think continuing to use n****a in music is taking us back?
NYOIL: I think the fact we
continue to perpetuate the uses of that word is taking steps back as a race. I
mean when do we stop looking at ourselves a n****s and coons and shines,
spades, hambones and s**t like that and start seeing ourselves as freemen,
International Black men and women or the father and mother of civilization?
When will the Black man decide to be civilized and stop blaming the White man
on the s**t that’s happening to us – when we’re perpetuating the greatest evils
upon ourselves?
So when you name an album that
type of thing, it’s bulls**t in the highest order. This dudes name is Nasir…that
name has meaning in Islam. This dude could have named his album Black Man. He’s
such a lyricist, he could have changed trends. You can’t diffuse no word by
perpetuating its use. You diffuse a word by saying f**k that word. I reach out to
you, I say what’s up brother, how you? Have you ever walked into a room where
brothers don’t call each other n****s and call each other Black man… “What
up brotha how you?” That s**t feel warm, it feels good. “Like
you alright”… yeah I feel comfortable, I feel dignified.
This brother could have
perpetuated that knowledge and raised the consciousness of the people. But
that’s not what he brought to the table. He ain’t building no discussion. Some
shorty listening to his s**t ain’t discussing this matter. The only thing he
did was co-sign Eminem and cats like that to call us n****s. He just cosigned
for White people to call us n***a. He had some chick to walk on the red carpet
with a “N****r” shirt on. Him and his wife and not only did [they]
have three other chicks wearing it he had a White girl, an Asian girl and I
think like a Puerto Rican girl. They was around all these famous personalities
wearing these “N****r” shirts you understand. This dude gave no clear
bill, a bunch of mumble mouth s**t. It’s f**ked up, but it just shows you how
major corporations can dress up an artist just to make him appear to be
something that he really ain’t. He ain’t that dude to take on that issue…
that’s why I don’t like talking about dude because I get p##### off because
it’s just f**ked up man. It’s f**ked up that a dude like this could be in a
position like this to be speaking on these matters and sound ill equipped to do
it.
But they listen to this
dude because somebody else told him that he’s one of the illest, so automatically
they just d**k riding the dude. It’s the “Stan Fan”… Stanley
and them that’s on his nuts hard, but you already know that this dude is on his
way out. He doing these flashy things…it’s timing. All these dudes like that…
that perpetuate that wickedness, they falling out of favor. The fact that a
dude like me is coming out with a song “Y’all Should All Get Lynched” talking
about these type of mutherf**kers and people loving the song and this s**t
rocked for two years now, and I ain’t doing nothing but elevating [and] showing
they time is up.
