 Photograph By Patrick Jacobs |
Phatmag: How long have you been doing this hip hop thing for?
Amad-Jamal: I sat down with a purpose to write my first rhyme in 88 - it's 2001. We're talking 12/13 years
Phatmag: That's a long time
Amad-Jamal: I love it
Phatmag: Do you think you've learnt anything along the way that had....obviously made you better or made your rhymes or whatever you do better?
Amad-Jamal: There's joy in repetition baby you what I'm saying as my man Press Rogers Nelson would say. There's joy in repetition. I mean, yeah I've gotten better from that but I'm learned from a lot of good artists in LA. People who have hot shows as well, though being in LA like being in London, the best of the best come to town you what I'm saying so I've learned just from watching a lot....that's what I do. When I'm at home, I don't necessarily club. There's a couple of bars that I like to go to that I have friends that promote or members only clubs like you guys have in London. They're not really so big, so special - those things are kind of unique right now on our scene anyway and our kind of music. I just learn from going to concerts - from going to the House of Blues and checking out the best of the best rocking and rocking right. 'Cos LA is a hard crowd, like London is a hard crowd to move, people have so much of the good stuff around, they're really blasČ to anyone who's not on point or great so yeah man, I've learned a lot from everything, from underground to mainstream to everything in LA. But mostly from home people as well as traveling artists who have come in town.
Amad-Jamal: 57 Jermyn Street reminds me of LA except it doesn't have the size of a spot in LA but it has the excess of some of the people in LA....buckets of Champagne everything, people are trying to drink, they're double fisted and stuff like that, girls are very fashionable, and stuff hanging out like that. It's a good place to go and meet people - it's a great singles spot. MoMo's had the vibe of stuff like I go to - laid back, relaxed, good people, a mixture of industry people along with just models and good looking people. Hanover Grand was like compared to LA, was like OverSuvious or what we used to call Bar One. Basically a lot of top 40 - just the hottest of everything.
You guys have the hottest of reggae and the hottest of what you guys call 2 Step, RnB and everything like that. In LA, we have a lot of top 40 clubs where you hear what's on the radio - a lot of Snoop, a lot of Ice Cube but also a lot of Jay-Z - whatever's hot, whatever's hot on the charts worldwide that's what they play at these clubs. I went to MASS...well I performed at MASS which is a spot out here that they call Deck FX. The DJ that I used here, DJ NU who's actually the house DJ at Deck FX, that was like the hip hop concerts at home....packed room, people are there for the energy and just doing it. You know London is that kind of place where it has everything in it. It has the perfect blend of the concentration of people and culture from Europe with the spread out and get away from people like LA, the driving and going long distances to get to places LA. Like the energy of all the different mixtures of cultures and everything.
I've done some radio shows- I went to 279, I went to Choice, I went to Greenpeace over at Capital One, you know what I'm saying XFM. I went to Shortie Blitz over at Kiss FM, and Big Ted, the Chubbie Kids. I'm involved with Darker Than Blue.com and of course yourself you what I'm saying so I'm really getting exposed to London and I'm liking London. I also performed a record signing and performed at Mr. Bongos, I did a small spot at The Social, Reading University, I did the Fares which is also in Reading. I performed with JaRule, I performed with Mr. Complex, L Fudge and Rubics who was down with Talib Kwali from New York
Phatmag: So you've been busy
Amad-Jamal: Man! I've been trying to rock my ass off everywhere that I can and as well, get around Europe. We've been to Switzerland, Amsterdam, Paris linking up with my man Soul William's. You know just making it happen. I'm enjoying Europe and going where ever people want me, but I've been stuck in London or going somewhere and getting right back to London because that's where they're showing me love. My records have been sold out all across England and I'm glad that people are feeling it over here because I'm feeling London for sure.
