Rowdy: Global warning.

Nothing but reality

Rowdy, a lot of fans did not see him for a couple of years. Rowdy a rap icon who a lot of fans were anxious for to see him perform or buy the newest tape or album. But an album never came out. And he was gone with the storm that took him of stage for a while. If you wanted to make contact with him, you had to drop a message at 'De Duivel', (HipHop Pub) and he would contact you. Or you just walk in the middle of the night back home from work through the back alleys of Amsterdam's concrete jungle the Southeast dungeons. And who are happy putting poster on the wall for the last edition of Flavor Zone? Rowdy and Radical. You can expect everyone to run into you in the Southeast but they surprised me. It was a good reason to chit and chatter for one hour long. At that time you already saw Rowdy seldom. But could not expect that he would disappear out of the spotlight for so long.

Performing in Amsterdam, like many other cities, you have many MC's ready to jump at you for a battle. The Tripple X soldiers top notch consisted of two solo MC's. You had Cane, the MC with most guts. Jump on anybody who terrorized his ears with a wack show. Large and raw, with punch lines knocking you out. And you have a more laid back, more the silent type MC: Rowdy. The un crowned king. They are going way back. Although many others of the same generations are dropping their work on CD, vinyl or still even on tape, you can't get a hold on a solo release of Rowdy. The illegal many-times-copied-mashed-up-quality 'Funky Tribe' tape from a performance in the Melkweg, some ten years ago, is still popular through out the country.

"I used to loose my grip/so no hope for the future/so many of my brothers all around me turned abusers/had to keep my head straight/didn't got stuck in that trap", 1994
"The game dun drove a lot of niggers insane / but I hold my corner / even when people think I'm gone", 1998

PeeWee from Dukes Bush City wanted to produce his record. "Don't mind if there is no revenue. That is a man who must have a record out. I just want to have a record of him." So I went searching for him. Although our path did not cross often Rowdy and I run into each other across the country or at the supermarket, in the subway or in some back alley, on a steady basis for the last 10 years. I knew at which conjunction he would stop and for which traffic light. But something had happened. Peeps who he used to 'roll' with him looked at me as if they really did not have a clue of whom I was talking about. Well shit happens. But the idea that another talent for whatever reason was lost made me sad. Couldn't find him any more, have to say that I could not search that hard.

Emerald Beryl came with the surprise. Performania: a rap poetry evening including many artists and Rowdy. Yes! The buzz was going around. For many, the beloved man, finally showed a life sign. I was ready to see him and to make video recordings, some classmate called the editorial office: "Hey, how late do we have that exam tomorrow morning?" "What exam?" So the choice was or to see Rowdy. "Yes!" Or to study for that exam I totally forgot. "Nah." Well my dad stood next to me. O.K. some weeks later I finally got to see Rowdy.

Loved the show. After Rowdy and Radical left the stage we, Eric and me, rushed downstairs at Paradiso to get backstage. An interview was a must. But no Rowdy?! We run into every artist that was performing that night (Double Talk 3). Looked in every corner and dressing room but could not find him. Did he disappear again?! Well when we stopped looking, we found him. Relaxing at the stairway behind the stage. Of course he was down with an interview.

"It makes me stick to myself and the nigga's I survived with/get live with/stay alive with"

When speaking of Rowdy, it's of course including Radical. Rowdy' s light shadow. "I'm his black shadow". Mates for life, low life that is. Rowdy: "If I enter someplace and peeps see me alone. They immediately ask where Radi is." They performed at Double Talk 3 with the songs they do together. Radical also got his solo project getting on. And Rowdy got his solo thing going on. You can come up with many questions, but the most straight up question is still: What up (with Rowdy)? Rowdy: "Rowdy is just busy making moves. Get this new material done. Trying to get this papers most importantly. Taking it step by step, regulate. I had only one track out on CD, on the Blockbuster compilation (www.zombisquad.com). Everybody knows that track. You say Rowdy, anybody says: Ghetto Child! But there was no day I could go to the bank and say thank you."

"I'm hip to the game/but not after for the fame"

Rowdy: "Everybody thinks Rowdy stopped. 'Rowdy dead'. Nothing changed but the rains. The skills are still there. We still murder any MC. The rules of the game just changed for me. For me it's just: 'papers first'. If I was meant to blow up, I blow up anyway. We are not all meant to make money, so I have to force it."
AQ: Any album coming?
Rowdy: Well that is basically the whole idea. Trying to get these tracks done, get this album put together. Try to shop the mother-fucker or bring it out ourselves. That is were we are heading. We ain't trying sitting around and waiting on nobody to come around with a fucking sewer rat deal for a nigga. We might as well do the shit ourselves. If it means it takes us a little bit longer, than fuck it, so be it. In the mean time we just get the tracks done. Get the album together.

"Some say it's hard to maintain/but what the heck/ respect is something that you earn/not something that you get/(boo) lick a shot/cause it's Rowdy on your spot".

AQ: For a long time it was Tripple X. You knew if you going to mess up in Amsterdam you gonna find Cane and Rowdy on your path.
Rowdy: Most definitely. And now... That shit even elevated and is even more like that. Like now, we even let nothing slide. We ain't gonna let nothing and nobody slide. I know nigga's are gonna back that shit up. Nothing gonna slide this year, man. It's on now, like I said: it's world war rap to any MC.
AQ: So, Amsterdam is taking over the world, or what...?"
Rowdy: "I'm not saying Amsterdam. Nigga's with skills will prevail. It's behind Amsterdam. We could move. Cane could move to Timbuktu (City in Macina district, Mali, Africa, ed). I can move to fucking Russia. We still be representing to the fullest. It's not all that Tripple X or the Docks. Nigga's are beyond that shit. But of course I represent my turf. We all represent our turf. But it's not about that. It's about skills.

AQ: What can we expect from your album?
Rowdy: From my album? Just me: Rowdy. Life.
AQ: we grew up with you.
Rowdy: Ain't nothing changed. The skills are just a bit tighter. Some of the beats are just a bit more banging. We just gonna keep it, how we always will keep it: real strictly HipHop. Just represent for our people. As long the people are feeling it we keep on representing, till when people start saying: 'Yo Rowdy, we ain't trying to hear that shit'. I've been gone for while. For two/three years. Nigga's still were coming up with 'what up?'. Some nigga's even thought I felt off. They even thought I was doing nothing. 'What, don't you be writing?'. 'Nigga, I'm just not performing! I'm not doing any shows, because I don't feel like doing it.' I did this, because it's Double Talk 3. I was supposed to be here last year. But I didn't show up, you see. So I told Emerald: 'all right, I'm gonna do it this year'. I'm not feeling shows till I got my album straight. It's all in the works. When we leave here tonight, we are right back into the lab. When you see us next time you will see us on a single. So where you looking at? We ain't trying to rush anything. We ain't going no where. The market is right for it now.
AQ: You popped up, now you going back down.
Rowdy: The underground is where we are. If you need us, you know where to find us.

AQ