Wizdom

"3 seconds on the clock and Wiz got the ball. Confident, no overtime needed at all."

Seattle Hip Hop is a bubbling hotbed of talent ready to explode. Local artists Macklemore, The Blue Scholars, Dyme Def, and Jake One have all made national headlines in the last few years. With his sophisticated rhymes and thought inducing metaphors, Wizdom is one of the most respected lyricists to come out of the 206. While hip hop today seems content to be stuck in a creative lull, Wizdom is determined to put Seattle Hip Hop on the map. The Wiz sat with Myxme.Com for a few minutes to discuss his love affair with hip hop.

How did you get into rhyming and hip hop?

I have always been into music, all genres, since I was little. Hip-hop sprouted from all these other forms of music and seemed like something I could connect to. I started rhyming in high school, just writing stuff in my notebook or coming up with clever lines with classmates like Njuguna (Monk Wordsmith of The Physics) and Nate Burleson (New Balance – Wide Receiver on the NFL’s Detroit Lions). It took off from there.

Who are some of the artists who molded your sound and inspired you musically?

There are so many from The Beatles to Paul Simon to Ice Cube to OneBeLo. But I think the one who truly inspired me to write and record was 2Pac. It sounds funny or strange because my style is nothing like Pac. However, where I can really relate is the passion and honesty in which he expressed himself through music. Pac was dope because he WAS a hypocrite and didn’t shy away from it. Anyone who can do songs like, “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up” showcases how human they are. I pride myself on being honest and open with my music because nobody is perfect, and you gotta take the bad with the good. Being able to showcase all aspects in an honest and open way, like Pac did, is something I believe in deeply.

How has the Seattle rap scene changed in the last few years? Man, it’s like night and day! The most amazing part of it is the amount of kids who truly have a deep love and passion for Seattle hip-hop. I was able to perform my “Got Ya Numb” song with Grynch at The Showbox Market on March 5th for Macklemore’s third of three sellout shows. First off, a Seattle hip-hop artist being able to sell out The Showbox once, let alone three times (all in under 48 hours too) is an incredible accomplishment. Secondly, seeing and feeling the crowd reaction and response to all the local performers (including a surprise appearance from the OG of this Seattle hip-hop ish, Sir Mix-a-Lot) was truly amazing. Regardless of what people say, these kids are the foundation of something bigger yet to come. And with so many dope artists out here in our scene getting support and becoming known outside of Seattle, the sky, as they say, is the limit.

How difficult has it been breaking into the music industry? What can you tell aspiring musicians and singers trying to break into the business?

Well I don’t consider myself to be in the industry per say. I think the record companies, like a lot of big businesses in todays technologically advance times, are struggling. Granted, they do still hold the power, distribution channels, radio and TV play, but artists are becoming popular now via blogs, internet radio, free downloads, etc. Not everyone needs to make it into the industry to make it. My advice to anyone who wants to do music and has a strong passion for it is…be honest. Be honest with yourself, realize your limitations and set realistic goals. We all want to be rich and famous but only few can attain that. So work hard at your craft, but also work hard at being a well rounded individual in all aspects of life. Never quit and fight for what you want, but do not get discouraged if that might not be in the cards for you. Life is too short to give up because of disappointment or failure. It took me 10 years to even release my first album and I still have a long ways to go to reach my potential in this music scene here in Seattle, let alone outside of it.

Several of your mixtapes have been very successful. Which one is your favorite one?

I have put out two albums, one EP, and one mixtape as of today. It is difficult to pick one, especially because my first album will always be so close to my heart. But I would say my Bring it Back EP (2009) is what kind of singled me out as a reputable artist in the hip-hop scene here. I showcased different styles over varying kinds of beats and the sounds came out great (the joys of recording, mixing and mastering done at one studio – shouts to D-Sane). Plus two of my most popular songs, the before mentioned “Got Ya Numb” and “Never Doubt Me”, are off that record and are staples in my live sets and on iTunes.

What can we expect to see from Wizdom in the near future? What’s next?

I am very excited for the future. I had a resurgence so to say starting in the summer of 2010 and hopefully continuing through the release of my next project, Unearthed, a record with my producer from the DC area, Epidemmik. In fact, I am going to be releasing the first single off it, Patience, on April 27 for free download off my bandcamp at www.wizdom80.bandcamp.com. The full length record should drop sometime in June/July and will be my best work to date, no question. So stay tuned and thanks for the support! - myxMe.com

Wizdom cold-cocks corny rappers of all stripes--especially the self-styled conscious kind--in the just-released video for "Salud," off his 2008 collaboration with producer Epidemmik, titled Music: Soul of the Man. Shot in black and white by director Jon Augustavo, the video is a stripped-down affair that centers primarily on Wiz. The style is meant to mirror the song's call-to-arms for a truer, more elemental hip-hop aesthetic, and on that level it works beautifully. The framing, the crisp B&W, the city streets: It all reinforces the song's theme. That said, one can't help but want a little something more thrown into the mix--something that breathes a little more visual life into Wiz's well-chosen words. - Seattle Weekly

Wizdom has prided himself on hard work and perseverance. These principles have granted him accolades on the West Coast, with special recognition in the Seattle area. It's only a matter of time before the Seattle MC's infectious flow blows up the hip-hop market. - URB Magazine

Seattle. Yes, Wizdom is from there. Epidemmik? He's from the other Washington, and I mean D.C. Together they decided to do a project together and it has lead to an album that will hopefully put them on the "essential" list as they create Music: Soul Of The Man (Gemini).

There was no need for Wizdom to up his game, I liked his style the way it is. But for his new album with Epidemmik, his game is something a lot of people should be afraid of on an album where he speaks about what hip-hop, music, and Seattle means to him, and how all of these things give him the outlook and passion he has. While older Seattle fans might question the need for Wizdom to do an album with someone 3000 miles away, he addresses that in "Hollywood", which he describes as the current state of hip-hop negotiations:

I got a e-mail just the other day
From this dude who does beats locally right around the way
Said he been on the grind now for nine months
And this guy was different than them other cookie cutter chumps
Each beat'll cost you only 3-hundo spots
I'll send you the files when you ready to cop
I replied that I'm good, I got this cat from D.C.
He said "nevermind, if you don't want heat, G
I make better beats than fuckin' Vitamin D, see?
I use Fruity Loops, the rest is garbage to me
Fuck Epidemmik and his wack ASR-10
His style is outdated, I was really happenin'"
I told him, dude you put in work
It takes years to make it, jerk,don't get ass hurt
I told him stay on your grind, no hate
This is Hollywood, where everyone pretends that they great

If there's an underlying theme, it's that Wizdom is telling it like it is without fear, the stories and struggles of being an artist and being a fan of music in 2008 has turned hip-hop into a Hollywood-like fantasy world for some, and by the time he gets to "Keep On Moving" and "Bring It Back" one realizes how far we've moved from the great days of '88, when gas was a dollar, clothes didn't quite fit, no one had the internet, and the Chicago Bulls were the only team that mattered. Wizdom speaks on everything we've accumulated since then and suggest what we can do in order to return to those days of innocence.

Like Danger Mouse, Epidemmik is an "appropriate" producer in that he knows how to gear the beats for the lyrics and what samples will fit in perfectly for the occasion. The two of them make a tight combo and he definitely adds to Wizdom's great storytelling here (along with cameos from Thig Natural, Grynch, and Ike James). On his own, the guy has an ear for putting things together, and I could just listen to any of his instrumentals and be happy. I hope both of them continue to work together, which will result in Epidemmik getting more work to put on his resume as well.

Wizdom is the voice, and being from Seattle, one can say that Music: Soul Of The Man represents Seattle hip-hop at its finest. Epidemmik is the producer, and being from D.C., one can say that the album represents D.C. at its finest. As a unit, the album represents rap music at its best. The soul of hip-hop is dead? Not if Wizdom and Epidemmik have a say in things.

(Music: Soul Of The Man can be ordered directly from Wizdom.)

- John Book of okayplayer.com, written for The Run-Off Groove

MC Wizdom Knows You Can’t Win
So he stopped taking himself seriously and got serious about hip-hop.
By Kevin Capp
Published on March 25, 2008 at 7:29pm
"I wanna make it as personal as it can be," says local MC Wizdom of his musical aesthetic. Clad in a Cleveland Indians hat, a Marilyn Monroe T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of vintage Nikes, he is seated in an upstairs booth at Nectar Lounge a couple of weeks ago, waiting to serve opening duties for a lineup of home-grown hip-hop talent with a capital "T" that includes the Physics, JFK of Grayskul, and show organizer/headliner Macklemore.

Courtesy of MC Wizdom

This is how rappers from Alaska look.
On this night, Wiz debuts new tracks from his upcoming sophomore release (look for it in late spring/early summer), the content of which indicates the already introspective lyricist has decided to further open up his insides on the autopsy table.

"A lot of people might be like, 'He's such a bitch. This guy's just banking on the whole honesty-is-the-best-policy,'" Wiz says. But, he continues, if you go the commercial route, "People are like, 'Fuck that. He sold out.'"

So Wiz being Wiz, he wrote a song about that dilemma called "You Can't Win," which revolves around a riff on Black Sheep's "The Choice Is Yours." As in: "If I go pro—nothin'/If I stay low—nothin'/... It's like this or that."

However, all of this honesty stuff seems like some left-field shit when you first meet Wiz. He cuts an imposing figure, like a shorter Fat Joe, complete with a heavy head shorn of most of its hair and shoulders that could carry a family of four. Thing is, for all his physical heft, the dude is sensitive. Not in a cries-during-Bambi way, but like a nerve ending forever flicked, aware of the bane and pain of everyday existence. Macklemore, whose studio served as ground zero for Wiz's 2007 debut, Book of Wizdom, says that Wiz knows "it's important to be personal and to also address music and a social context." But, he adds, "He doesn't take himself too seriously."

Although the 27-year-old Alaska-born, Seattle-raised Wiz (aka David Mazzeo) started rapping in 1997, he didn't start, well, taking it seriously until 2003. "Up until then, I would write and record just for fun," he says.

The result of his newfound focus was a solid debut that shows an artist comfortable with the often uncomfortable truth. While Dream Team's production on Book of Wizdom is solid throughout, there are times when it sounds a little too anchored to the Kanye West school of sampling. That said, when the beat and lyrics complement one another, the cuts are something to behold.

And it's no surprise that such balance comes when Wiz is reveling in the raw data of his own perceived inequity. The standout in this vein is "Just a Person (Insecurities)." The bluesy beat moans with the faint breath of a winded crooner and disturbed guitar, as Wiz admits: "I stand five-eight/Well over two bills/Hairy as shit/You can blame my Italian build."

With the help of D.C.-based producer Epidemmik (they met through Wiz's girl and the magic of MySpace), Wiz says his follow-up album will get even closer to the heart of the matter: "I feel like I had to just open it up."

Says Epidemmik: "The reason why I wanted to work with him is because he had a hard time with people taking him seriously." So he decided to help Wiz craft a theme that centers on the current state of hip-hop and ensure that the beats were not prefab knockoffs but made-to-order gems. "I feel like I could bring him out, you know?"

Later that night at Nectar, after powering through about five half-tracks (for his live sets, he often only does one verse before moving on to another song), Wiz is joined onstage by Grynch to perform one of the new Epidemmik-produced selections.

Other than that they're both white, the two MCs couldn't be more different. Grynch is short and slim, with a bass drum for a voice, whereas Wiz looks like a lion but sounds like a gazelle—light, airy, and quick. In short, they're the perfect odd couple to handle Wiz's "N.A.W." (aka "Not Another White Rapper"), a quasi-tongue-in-cheek examination of the stereotypes attached to those who dare wander over to the other side of the musical lunchroom.

Over a pared-down beat tickled with a little piano, Wiz asks the crowd, "Should I flow about beer pong tables?" Yeah, it's hypothetical; no answer necessary. Besides, we already know it: Beer pong is just the beginning of what he'll rap about.

music@seattleweekly.com

For more on MC Wizdom, visit www.myspace.com/wizdom. - The Seattle Weekly

The sports- and shoes-obsessed MC Wizdom spitting at a crowd of twenty or so at Market Street and spotting an audience member who was wearing an Oklahoma sweatshirt. When Wiz got to a line about the “Oklahoma Sonics,” his guy Kevin pointed his finger at the Oklahoma fan’s shirt. The fan seemed unsurprised (and — it must be said — unapologetic). Wiz brought a lot of energy to his set, which was great to see. His live show keeps improving, though maybe next time Wiz will either omit the clothing change in the middle of the set or make it a lot quicker. At least one element of his new outfit, the Seattle skyline/microphone themed fitted hat, was admittedly worth the wait. - Seattle Sound Mag