On this episode of People's Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with musician, rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, and icon of the underground, El-P. They dig into a wide range of subjects -- including El-P's signature "noisy" production style, how Run The Jewels with Killer Mike came into existence, Zack De La Rocha living at El-P's house after Rage Against Machine broke up, and what led to the breakup of El-P's own group, Company Flow, around the same time.
Later Talib and El-P trade their stories on how they got signed to Rawkus Records -- the mecca of the underground scene in the late 90's. El-P also opens up about his song "Last Good Sleep," which outlines his own experiences dealing with domestic violence as a child. His record label Def Jux is also discussed, as well as what we can expect for his up and coming album "Run The Jewels 4" with Killer Mike.
The whole interview is filled with moments that are insightful, introspective, and often hilarious. (You have to see El-P's Björk joke.)
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Interview Timing:
1:47 -- Talib reminisces on blazing a blunt with El-P at the late 90's Gavin Convention event in San Diego. El-P responds with concerns about early-onset dementia.
5:19 -- El-P explains the origins of his unique production style, finding its roots in the sounds of the city. He also gives his take on "old New York" vs. "new New York".
7:57 -- El-P speaks on meeting Killer Mike, which quickly turned into them forming their group Run The Jewels and connecting over shared influences like Ice Cube and Run DMC.
10:55 -- Talib asks El-P about Zack De La Rocha living at his house in Brooklyn after disbanding from Rage Against Machine. (The tracks they recorded are still not available to the public.)
13:20 -- El-P talks about he and Killer Mike finding their shared vision for what would be Run The Jewels' political angle.
16:01 -- Talib asks El-P if the testosterone-driven sound of his music is intentional. El-P opens up about the multiple lanes that Run The Jewels takes on lyrical content, evenly balancing politics and comedy.
20:28 -- Talib shares the first time he met Killer Mike, and dubs El-P The Björk of hip-hop. El-P speaks on growing up listening to film scores and mentions the soundtrack he did for a yet to be released movie called "Fonzo" starring Tom Hardy as Al Capone.
23:46 -- Talib asks El-P why his group Company Flow broke up after one album. El-P gives some detailed history on the group's early start -- sending their CD's through the Tower Records mail room while employed there.
29:46 -- Talib asks El-P if he ever felt any level of competition with him at Rawkus Records, both being members of leading acts there, even though they were worlds apart in the sonic sense. They trade stories of getting signed to Rawkus and zone in on its role as the main conduit in rolling out the late 90's independent hip-hop scene to the masses.
40:52 -- Jasmin brings up El-P's mentioning of liking to do things that scare him creatively and asks him what his next venture is on that front.
43:06 -- El-P reflects on his father's occupation as a lounge jazz musician, playing passionately with sometimes little to no applause. He tells how that visual never let him forget the love of music always comes paramount over anything else.
49:13 -- Talib asks El-P if he ever felt obligated to address race issues in his music. El-P wonders how people can be fans of hip-hop, but not be empathetic to the black experience.
1:01:52 -- El-P opens up about the lyrics to his powerful song with Company Flow titled "Last Good Sleep", stemming from his own personal experiences with domestic violence as a child.
1:09:23 -- El-P fills us in on how he came up with his name, then speaks on his record label Def Jux that he co-founded in '99, expanding on how the attention that it received didn't necessarily reflect the project's original intentions.
1:14:34 -- Talib asks El-P about self-care now, after years of not being a priority. He also talks about Mac Miller reaching out to collaborate a year before his passing and Talib asks El-P if he has any veteran advice for young emcees coming up.
1:18:11 -- El-P gives us insight into the next Run The Jewels project "RTJ4" and leaves everyone hyped for its release.
1:20:53 -- Jasmin puts El-P on the spot by asking about his stance on the upcoming presidential election. He conveys in detail how Killer Mike helped clarify his own participation in the political process.
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