1. What exactly is the Hip Hop Trading Card Series?
Collectibles. A series of trading cards with legendary TRUE hip hop that artists featured on
them. They can be purchased in packs of 50 at http://www.facebook.com/l/76911Nugl1KA2s0NX3940oKM8zw;crmnlelements.blogspot.com and are also packaged
randomly in the clothing when purchased online.
2. What made you want to start making hip hop trading cards and how do you choose who is going to
be a part of the series?
Honestly anybody can get down if they're serious about hiphop. I mostly want independent artists
and hiphop legends because all the mainstream artist get enough shine as it is. Most of the
artists I ask to be a part of it are artists that I listen to when I'm doing art work or working
on a project, etc. Then they usually bring other people in that like the idea. Series one was
basically an experiment. I reached out to my close peoples that are down for whateva and then it
got bigger than I expected.
Its basically something I started from constantly hearing myself say "there are 100 artists for
every one of the 12 artists who are being forefronted on TV and radio, all of which are way more
talented".
I always say that in music discussions and people look at me like only 12 hiphop artists exist or
something just because the Radio & MTV/BET only forefront 10-12 artists. People will say shit
like "what ever happened to so and so" meanwhile that artist is right on my friendslist and just
dropped a fire ass LP or something. People's attention spans are so short these days that you
can name all the artists you want, they're not gonna check for them unless they have something
physical to represent it.
Alot of the innovative artists from back in the day who were overlooked back then are now in
people's personal music lists 10 years later so I figured why not appreciate the artists that are
pushing the envelope and trying new sounds NOW instead of 10 years from now.
That's another reason why I decided to do the collectible trading card thing. People like to
collect rare things. Plus I'm bringing back the collectible element to hiphop. There's always
something collectible that signified an era of hiphop (tapes, vinyl, stickers, action figures,
etc) but now the game is so watered down and robotic that nobody collects anything because a
million MC's are dropping a million mixtapes over other people's beats, etc. Its getting to the
point where the shit ain't fun no more.
3. How do you feel about the state of hip hop, both mainstream and the underground/indie side of
things?
I feel like the state of actual HIPHOP isn't threatened. Actually true HIPHOP is stronger than
it's ever been. What happened is that it generated alot of commercial success over the years
which resulted in corporate America using the genre of music as a vehicle to influence the youth
into doing things. They saw how influential it is and decided to supress anyone that was
providing a positive influence because 99% of the time positivity/intellect does not go hand in
hand with Corporate American agendas. If you arent convinced of bullshit then you will not
behave like a consumer.
Corporate America then slowly used media supression to stifle every hiphop artist that does not
want to put out certain self destructive messages that the artists whom are being financially
back are willing to do.
Eventually it got to the point where the commercial hiphop became a whole different genre of
music.
People haven't grasped the concept that what is being played on the radio and on MTV and BET is
NOT HIPHOP, it's just a series of corporate entities trying to piggy back off of the invention of
hiphop which was never SOLELY about radio, fame, cars, material things, pimping, selling drugs,
etc. People didn't get into hiphop when it first started thinking that they were going to be
rich and that being their ONLY motivation. People behave like Hiphop is dead and actually think
artists fell off who have still been active for years and took their talents abroad and are
selling records overseas, etc.
If a music genre deviates from its original purpose it becomes another genre of music in my
opinion.
Hiphop is the only genre of music that is grouped into one category with no sub categories. If
you go to the record store you'll see that there are sub genres for just about every other form
of music BUT hiphop.
In truth the underground and indie scene is no more because technology is so advanced that nobody
is truly underground. Underground used to mean that their voice isn't being heard because
they're in the basement with no way to get their music out there. Media suppression really
fucked with people's minds as far as what is considered hiphop and not.
REAL hiphop is actually more worldwide. Alot of people in other countries know more about TRUE
hiphop and artists that still do it, than Americans do.
The mainstream hiphop music of the 90's would be considered "underground" now, but in reality
what was hiphop then is hiphop now. What people consider hiphop now radio-wise wouldn't even be
respected or considered hiphop back then so why would that form of expression suddenly be grouped
into the category of hiphop years later.
Mainstream and the Industry has nothing to do with hiphop anymore for the simple fact that the
elements of hiphop are the least relevant thing in the industry so its like taking a guitar, and
drums away from a Heavy Metal band and then still trying to call it Heavy Metal. It's music just
not THAT kind of music anymore.
4. Do you believe the internet has hurt the music business or just presented a different way for
people to express their talents to the world?
All the internet did was basically take away the purpose of having or obtaining a record deal
because someone can accomplish the same goals without a label stealing their money and there are
artists who are on labels that take home the same amount of money that an independent artist
would but meanwhile selling more records and having to give away a portion of their money to
people who didn't truly work for it.
An independent artist takes home all of his or her money and is the sole controller of releases,
promotion, etc. With both situations you get out of it what you put into it.
People have always shared music so I honestly do not believe that record labels saying that
downloading music hurts the industry as severely as they claim it does. Everyone has dubbed a
tape and none of those old school artists complained. People are living in million dollar houses
and driving $100,000 whips talking about how downloading is hurting their sales, so......
5. Do you have anything else in the works planned after the trading card series?
In the future I may drop a compilation album featuring alot of the artists who participated in
the trading cards only for people who support real hiphop though, it's not something that I would
do to impress corporate America or anything. It will probably be something that is obtained
through sending certain items back that would be packaged in with the CRMNL Elements clothing.
Sort of like the Bazooka Joe stuff from back in the day.
Also I'm going to release way more gear, jackets, fitted caps. All products are sold on my blog
and on http://www.facebook.com/l/76911kabQP0b6Zay-jZCmpTZbVw;thecoralreefclothingco.com, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Me(163).
The graphic novel will serve as a storyboard for a 3d animated movie that I will release
featuring alot of these artists as voice overs. There will also be vinyl action figures to
support the movie and graphic novel eventually. The figures will happen when I find the right
situation and get together what I actually want to mass produce. The 3d movie is not solely
about hiphop but addresses alot of issues that are brought up in hiphop.
There are ideas for 5 or 6 3d CGI movies actually, I'm just taking one step at a time. There's
also a hiphop based animated movie that I'm working on with my cousin, Phil Gordon. He has his
own clothing line as well called Memory Lane. Phil is tight with alot of people in the game too.
Other than that anything can happen, many ideas are spontaneous and then later form into
something developed. In working with creative people anything is possible.
The compilation CD, new gear releasing, and the initial graphic novel/CGI movie are the things
that I'm certain about as of now.
6. What would you like to say to the hip hop world and the world in general about yourself and
what you do?
I would say just keep doing what you're doing. Don't let anybody tell you how to do it because
there is a market for EVERYTHING. If you can think of it there's a market for it for the simple
fact that you as a human thought it up and you may be one in a million but multiply that one in a
million by the population of the world and there is going to be an audience for it, now with the
way technology is, it's easier and easier to find that pocket.
To the world: Don't believe anything you see on TV or hear on the radio. ALWAYS question.
About Me: I don't want to be TOO long winded as I probably already was on some of the answers so
here's my links:
facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CRMNL-Elements#!/pages/CRMNL-Elements/136269556390821
twitter: @Me163
facebook:
facebook.com/lateef.a.reid
blogs:
http://www.facebook.com/l/76911Nugl1KA2s0NX3940oKM8zw;crmnlelements.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/l/76911OZ0UIkdTfsfvPOcrXjkfFw;thecoralreefco.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/l/76911BRLUYpBWJeN7dM3NSFQAiQ;thecoralreefclothingco.com
Thank you for not selling out.
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