My brother, welcome to Mad Good Music! For those who don’t know, who are you, where are you from and what do you do?Thanks for having me. The name is E. Bushido and I’m currently residing in New Jersey. I’m from many places along the Atlantic Coast starting with Atlanta, Virginia and Philadelphia just to name a couple spots. My dad’s job forced us to move fairly often. I think all of those moving experiences, making new friends, new styles and just from being in new areas have contributed a major part to my music. I pride myself in being a versatile artist and I believe a large part of that is from living in many different places. I think not having an allegiance to just one area has allowed me to push the boundaries and make music that isn’t geographically specific.
Last year you released a dope project, Katana Overture. We noticed a lot of the songs had a samurai theme, something often associated with the Wu-Tang. Did you take influence from them? Explain the whole samurai thing.Thank you. I’m a Wu fan, but I didn’t really get the whole samurai idea from them. I’ve always been interested in samurais, whether it was learning about them in school or watching shows like Samurai Jack or Afro Samurai. Growing up, I had some identity issues from moving so often. I’d try to fit in and I’d adjust to my surroundings. Eventually through high school I came to the conclusion that trying to change for people is pointless and I then started to just be me and that’s actually when I started rapping. I was EB at that point and I did a song with my brother KyoTo Jones called “I Against Me”. Then my entire musical mindset changed. To this day, that is one of my favorite personal verses and it set the bar that I wanted to continue to match and even exceed. That’s when my name changed to E. Bushido. I felt like a different artist and I wanted to embody what I was about within my name. The Bushido Code was something I believe in and strive towards, and I believe everyone should. That’s the condensed version of how things came about (laughs).
Listening to the tape it’s obvious you and your peers really focus on the essence of hip-hop; lyrical content. Have you always strove to be a lyricist, preferring subject matter over catchy jingles?I haven’t always strove to be a lyricist. I actually started my musical fascination when I was about 5. I would actually come up with love songs, many of which I kept in my head and would work on them only when I was showering. Then I started playing the trumpet and being in a band has really given me a different context musically. Consequentially, I had a different musical background than most rappers. Because of that, I go into a song with the mindset of making good music. You don’t necessarily need to be lyrical to make a good song in my opinion. Some songs I enjoy most are ones with the least words. That said, lyricism was one of the focuses on my first project and is something I value in hip hop. That’s what I wanted to do, but catchy jingles can have their place from time to time (laughs).
To be fair though, you did sample “Doug” (laughs). Where did the idea for that come from?!This one was funny, I sing a lot. I’m an extremely average, maybe even slightly below average singer and I sing songs from any and everywhere. One day I was singing “Killer Tofu” in the car with a lady friend and she suggested I sample it for a song. I agreed. It was that simple. Then I decided to take the whole “food for thought” theme and compare it to hip hop. ”So now you know that I make murder/ I checked your refrigerator/ like ‘Ima eat dinner later cause all you got is burgers’” is probably my favorite line. It basically summarizes the premise of the entire song. I’m promoting musical health so to speak.
Speaking of lyrical content, what do you think of the state of hip-hop right now? What do you think of songs that rely on catchy hooks and trap beats. We think it’s definitely better than it has been over recent years.I think it’s at a point of no return. There are a lot of clones out there making the same music and that’s all good, but it makes some people feel that they may need to “save hip hop”. That’s not how I think. By thinking that way, your mind is already in a different place, therefore you’ll make music differently. You’ll put pressure on yourself not conducive to making what you want. I think that’s poisonous to the creative process. I approach my tracks with the mindset of making quality music, that’s all I hold myself to. No artist can save hip hop, it’s changing and there’s nothing anyone can do, so get over it. You either make quality music or you don’t. So as far as those trendy songs you’re referring to, I think it has its time and place. Those songs are fun to people and fun is essential in life. So those songs don’t bother me, I just don’t listen to them all that much.
Across the pond you reside with another blog, Relevant Mindset. How did you come to meet these guys and whats it like being associated with them and the artists they house? (If you remember correctly I put you on to RM artist Theodore Grams years a go, back when you were EB!)(Laughs.) You did introduce me to Grams’ music, I have to give you that. I haven’t wok with him yet, but if the opportunity presents itself I’d like to work on something. I’ve met him a couple times, cool guy. As for most of the other artists featured on RM, I met them in high school and we all chilled together. Everyone didn’t rap yet (including myself), but a couple did. Eventually everybody started recording and Baz, the creator of Relevant Mindset, wanted to build alongside all of us. We all met here in Jersey, but all come from different places and upbringings making us an extremely diverse group. Working with these guys has also helped me grow and develop. That’s been important for not only me, but the whole team. If the people surrounding you aren’t making you better, you need to surround yourself with new people. So I’m in a good place right now.
Whats next for E. Bushido. Cooking up anything special?I’m glad you asked. I’m currently working on my second project and I’ve narrowed down my choices for the project’s name, but haven’t made the final decision yet. Also a few of the RM Artists are working on another project that should be released later this year. That’s all I’ll give you for that, just wait for it, you’ll like it (laughs)
Can you give us any insight into the next project? What in life are you drawing inspiration from?I’m continuing some of the themes and stories from the first tape and also introducing new ideas and story lines for this one. I’ve progressed in many areas since the first project and plan to take this one a step further. I’ve been inspired mainly by my own personal struggle, my daughter (she’ll be 2 in a couple months) and just paying attention to what’s going on around me. Whether it’s my family, my homies, or myself, I’m paying attention to certain things and drawing from what I see.
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