If you haven't heard of Monte Smith, that's because he designed it that way. But if you google the street poet, you get pages of praise, clippings, track listings and blog chitter chatter. Not only should Monte Smith be famous, he could be. Monte Smith has been praised by the likes of Mumia Abu-Jamal, William Upski, Chuck D and T La Rock. He has recorded with DJ Vadim, Breeze Evahflowin and MF Grimm. And he says things you're too afraid to...
Monte recently completed his new book, Don’t Shoot the Hostages:
Poetry for the New World Survivalist, which features contributions from Abstract Rude of Freestyle Fellowship, J-Dee of Da Lynch Mob and Carlos Andres Gomez. Expected release date: September 2009. (Purchase Link below.) Monte Smith appears on World View, the AWKWORD 100% nonprofit global hip hop album/project. It's a secret track, so go find it.
To listen to Monte Smith's "Talk the Talk", click
here.
MONTE SMITH TALKS TO LEWIS HEGEMANVitals1. Stage Name: Monte Smith
2. Birth Name: Monte Smith
3. Age: Old enough to know better.
4. Zodiac Symbol: The Archer.
5. Birth Place: Babylon.
6. Current Location: Babylon.
7. Relationship Status: In a relationship.
8. Religion: Anti. At this age, I find it hard to believe in fairy tales, especially when the tales include torture, enslaving people and murder.
9. Ethnicity: Human. Continuing to think in terms of race, religion and nationality is how poor people of the world are kept separated. We are one race: Human.
10. Political Affiliation: I would rather shoot heroin into my eyeball than pledge allegiance to any political party in this prison colony/mega mall we call Amerikkka!
Fill in the Blank 1. Childhood Ambition: Stay alive!
2. First job: Washing Dishes.
3. Favorite City: Don’t have one.
4. Soundtrack: Gang Starr – "Daily Operation".
5. Inspiration: My brother blowing his brains out!
6. Indulgence: Words.
7. Most Fucked-Up Thing I've Seen in the Game: There’s been so many, I’ll go with… the present day!
8. Biggest challenge: Getting fellow poor people to realize that we are our own worst enemy. We need to focus on solutions... But how can we when the majority of poor, working class people can’t or won’t see that we’re equally at fault for our present living conditions as are the bloodlines behind our cardboard government... The New World Order is right on schedule.
9. Question: Why is the sound of rebellion seldom heard?
10. Answer: Because our silence is too loud.
Multiple Choice (choice: in italics)1. My biggest fans would say I am: a) prolific
b) honestc) lyrical
d) revolutionary
2. My biggest detractors would say I am: a) naiveb) self-righteousc) afraid of beats
d) afraid of success
3. The Cool Kids are:a) talented MCs/Producers
b) leading the way
c) not my thing d) not that famous
4. President Obama is:a) a revolutionary
b) a puppetc) on both sides of the aisle
d) caught between the aisles
5.) Facebook, Myspace, etc., are:a) the death of hip hop
b) the birth of hip hop
c) the re-birth of hip hop
d) meaningless Q&A1. How does spoken word/street poetry enter in hip hop?Street poetry helped define the rap in rap music. Malcolm X, Amiri Barka, H Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, these civil and human rights heroes were street poets, who influenced James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and so on. Think of the KRS ONE tracks "Necessary" and "The Real Holy Place", or Killah Priest’s "Heavy Mental," these are poetry tracks, not rap tracks, but they still fit with the flow and direction of the rap albums on which they appear. I believe street poetry is rap’s nucleus.
2. What is hip hop? First, hip hop is not rap. Rap is a part of hip hop, along with DJs and wax, breakdancing and aerosol art. For me, personally, hip hop is Kool Moe Dee telling Busy Bee, “How can I take a title you ain’t got?” Hip hop is WBLS and K-DAY; late night mix shows; Frosty Freeze (RIP); Phase 2, Lee and the TATS crew; DJ Flowers and DJ Dirty Harry; T La Rock, Spoonie Gee, Public Enemy, BDP, J Dilla, Schooly D, Gang Starr, Rakim, Stretch & Bobbito, Big L (RIP). Today, in 2009, I can't help but think the days of being on point are over...
Further, Black people in the United States of Advertising have never had their own pop category when it comes to radio formatting. That’s why everything you hear is labeled, Hip Hop or R&B, when, in fact, 90% percent of what you hear on Power, JAMZ or KISS radio is pop music. When you hear Lil Wayne, Souljah Boy or Kanye, you need to think corporate pop formula, not hip hop; when you hear Jeremih, Beyonce, or Keyshia Cole, you should think corporate pop formula, not R&B!
3. How does Monte Smith play a role in that world? (How should you be remembered?)Only the people I’ve touched with my art can answer that question.
4. Did you find hip hop? Or, did hip hop find you?We found each other, in my parents’ living room. My mom and dad were record collectors, so I grew up with lots of music in the house. They bought old blues, soul, R&B and rock, and they bought many of the Sugar Hill records when they first dropped. So, for me, hip hop was a natural progression.
5. How did you find out about AWKWORD and World View? What was it that attracted you to the cause/project/album? DJiPerfection from Philly introduced me to the World View Project. When I found out it was directed to be the earth’s first 100% non-profit global hip hop project, I was impressed –- and then I learned about the album’s non-profit recipient, Guns for Cameras, and I was sold. I’m always excited to work with artists, like AWKWORD, who are also activists.
Listen to Monte Smith on Satellite Radio, speaking on AWKWORD and World View by clicking here_______________________________
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About the AWKWORDrap.com FlipbookIn advance of the release of AWKWORD's
World View album,
www.AWKWORDrap.com will host a digital flipbook featuring interviews with the MCs, producers and other artists, who, along with AWKWORD, are making World View possible. The flipbook will include photos of -- and links to free mp3 downloads from -- each of the artists.
About the InterviewerLewis "LH" Hegeman is Manager for New York City-based indie rapper AWKWORD. He also serves as Director of Promotion for AWKWORD's 100% nonprofit global hip hop album "World View", as well as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Guns 4 Cameras, the 501c3 registered nonprofit to which all proceeds from
World View are directed. An award winning writer (New England Press Association) and photographer (Reebook), LH proves eclectic and adaptable, having written and/or shot for the likes of MTV and AOL; LIFE, Grolier, and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; Elemental Magazine, Mass Appeal and YRB; Big Daddy Kane, ILL BILL and Block McCloud; Miss Ecuador; and The Gear-Up Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of America, and Visiting Nurse Association.
