Brainpower - Interview

Brainpower

The only top MC with a University degree in the Dutch scene. And yes, in communication science. Wrote many reviews and interviews as a journalist. Built up a reputation as master in freestyling. Hosting a lot of shows these days in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Won the 'Big Prize Of The Netherlands'. His 12" is coming soon. "And now I'm doing what I'm doing best, making music", says Brain Power

AQ: What is your challenge right now?
Brain Power: My challenge right now? What do you mean?
AQ: Well, you reached a level right now. What is your next level that you want to reach?
Brainpower: That is a good question. I reached a certain level. A while ago I was like, "Whatever". I did it for eight years and really freestyle for some nine years now. But when I went to New York. It's so ill out there freestyle-wise. There are so many good MC's. When I also got respect from people outside of Holland I grew less interested in freestyle. It is not that I don't want to freestyle anymore. But I want to focus myself more on writing songs. When you constantly concentrate on the freestyle thing, you can loose focus on writing songs. And just freestyling is not going to get you anywhere, really. But freestyling is in me. I'm always freestyling. But let me get it straight, outside of Holland there are many real good MC's. Maybe you're good in Holland, but outside of Holland you are in a total different market. You're one of the thousands MC's that is real good. That might be a challenge for me to pick up the mic some day with real great cats.

AQ: Why do you want to write rhymes?
Brainpower: It's just a feeling that always was there. Since I was ten years old. I used to write music for the piano, like musical songs. I played the piano. And I studied lyrics. Words and wordplay always fascinated me. And then finally when HipHop came along I was checking it out when I was seven or eight years old. And then, when I was eleven and twelve years old, I was well-equipped to write my own rhymes. It's also therapeutic for me. It's therapeutic for my feelings, my pain, my frustration and my happiness. That freestyle thing is just one of my passions. Throwing out verbs and lines just on the spot. Going buck wild!

AQ: What kind of songs do you want to write?
Brainpower: Well braggin' and boastin' and I also write real deep things. About life and loosing friends. People that you love. Frustration within or what for situations you are in. Punch-lines, you know, funny things. Making funky rhymes. You know like Redman type of stuff. It depends on the moment. One moment I can be real sad and write some suicidal shit. And the next moment I can write braggin' and boastin' type of shit. It's both. All what I want to do is bring the real me out. Rhymes that are really Brainpower, 23 year old Dutch kid. And saying my version of life. My vision. Even when I'm braggin' or when I'm being serious with a deep subject, the main focus is to do it from my point of view. That's how I write my lyrics.

AQ: What did HipHop bring you?
Brainpower: Freedom. HipHop is about being your self. That is what it is supposed to mean.

AQ: You are working right now with TLM. You also work with one of Dutch finest beat creators DJ Oh Jay. What is going on?

Brainpower: Well basically, I'm Brainpower. I'm a self-containing unit, I always was. I did a lot of features. I'm on the next Select Personnel 12" (CMC/Soul Relation/Mass Appeal). I worked with Krewcial. And I'm on the second Spookrijders album. DJ TLM is also a self-contained unit. He does his mixtapes. He is a real good DJ. He got good charisma. So when we hook up, the live shows always work. So we are working together live. DJ Oh Jay (www.xs4all.nl/~dtf/mus.htm), he is making the lion share of my beats right now. He comes from the Funkadelic, Ohio Players and Parliament school. He grew up with the '80's rappers. Like Just Ice, BDP and Big Daddy Kane. So he really knows music. I try to relate with people I feel on a personnel level. And I'm going to make beats myself too. That is important for me. I used to make my own beats till my partner in crime DJ Echo passed away in 1994. After that, my equipment broke down. I was kinda lost in making tracks. When I'm working with Oh Jay we both work on the beats. Or he comes up with something and I arrange it with him. Same thing goes with Krewcial. Some people are saying: "Yo, Brain is checking out everybody." I check out music. I love it so much that I feel al lot of music.

AQ: When will you start bringing a show on the level of DJ Pogo and MC Mell'O from London. Cutting records up and making a beat live on stage. Not only by playing instrumental, but by really cutting records up. That must be a challenge for you.

Brainpower: It is dope what you're saying. Exactly, we are working on some of that right now. But the thing is, right now I'm working on my own songs... We don't have a good reason why we don't do it. But it will happen in the future. You're right. It's a challenge for me, dope.

AQ



		Brainpower The only top MC with a University degree in the Dutch scene. And yes, in communication science. Wrote many reviews and interviews as a journalist. Built up a reputation as master in freestyling. Hosting a lot of shows these days in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Won the 'Big Prize Of The Netherlands'. His 12" is coming soon. "And now I'm doing what I'm doing best, making music", says Brain Power AQ: What is your challenge right now? Brain Power: My challenge right now? What do you mean? AQ: Well, you reached a level right now. What is your next level that you want to reach? Brainpower: That is a good question. I reached a certain level. A while ago I was like, "Whatever". I did it for eight years and really freestyle for some nine years now. But when I went to New York. It's so ill out there freestyle-wise. There are so many good MC's. When I also got respect from people outside of Holland I grew less interested in freestyle. It is not that I don't want to freestyle anymore. But I want to focus myself more on writing songs. When you constantly concentrate on the freestyle thing, you can loose focus on writing songs. And just freestyling is not going to get you anywhere, really. But freestyling is in me. I'm always freestyling. But let me get it straight, outside of Holland there are many real good MC's. Maybe you're good in Holland, but outside of Holland you are in a total different market. You're one of the thousands MC's that is real good. That might be a challenge for me to pick up the mic some day with real great cats. AQ: Why do you want to write rhymes? Brainpower: It's just a feeling that always was there. Since I was ten years old. I used to write music for the piano, like musical songs. I played the piano. And I studied lyrics. Words and wordplay always fascinated me. And then finally when HipHop came along I was checking it out when I was seven or eight years old. And then, when I was eleven and twelve years old, I was well-equipped to write my own rhymes. It's also therapeutic for me. It's therapeutic for my feelings, my pain, my frustration and my happiness. That freestyle thing is just one of my passions. Throwing out verbs and lines just on the spot. Going buck wild! AQ: What kind of songs do you want to write? Brainpower: Well braggin' and boastin' and I also write real deep things. About life and loosing friends. People that you love. Frustration within or what for situations you are in. Punch-lines, you know, funny things. Making funky rhymes. You know like Redman type of stuff. It depends on the moment. One moment I can be real sad and write some suicidal shit. And the next moment I can write braggin' and boastin' type of shit. It's both. All what I want to do is bring the real me out. Rhymes that are really Brainpower, 23 year old Dutch kid. And saying my version of life. My vision. Even when I'm braggin' or when I'm being serious with a deep subject, the main focus is to do it from my point of view. That's how I write my lyrics. AQ: What did HipHop bring you? Brainpower: Freedom. HipHop is about being your self. That is what it is supposed to mean. AQ: You are working right now with TLM. You also work with one of Dutch finest beat creators DJ Oh Jay. What is going on? Brainpower: Well basically, I'm Brainpower. I'm a self-containing unit, I always was. I did a lot of features. I'm on the next Select Personnel 12" (CMC/Soul Relation/Mass Appeal). I worked with Krewcial. And I'm on the second Spookrijders album. DJ TLM is also a self-contained unit. He does his mixtapes. He is a real good DJ. He got good charisma. So when we hook up, the live shows always work. So we are working together live. DJ Oh Jay (www.xs4all.nl/~dtf/mus.htm), he is making the lion share of my beats right now. He comes from the Funkadelic, Ohio Players and Parliament school. He grew up with the '80's rappers. Like Just Ice, BDP and Big Daddy Kane. So he really knows music. I try to relate with people I feel on a personnel level. And I'm going to make beats myself too. That is important for me. I used to make my own beats till my partner in crime DJ Echo passed away in 1994. After that, my equipment broke down. I was kinda lost in making tracks. When I'm working with Oh Jay we both work on the beats. Or he comes up with something and I arrange it with him. Same thing goes with Krewcial. Some people are saying: "Yo, Brain is checking out everybody." I check out music. I love it so much that I feel al lot of music. AQ: When will you start bringing a show on the level of DJ Pogo and MC Mell'O from London. Cutting records up and making a beat live on stage. Not only by playing instrumental, but by really cutting records up. That must be a challenge for you. Brainpower: It is dope what you're saying. Exactly, we are working on some of that right now. But the thing is, right now I'm working on my own songs... We don't have a good reason why we don't do it. But it will happen in the future. You're right. It's a challenge for me, dope. AQ ©1999 ART12/VanderHoek Publishing. All rights reserved.