If indie record stores vanished from the face of the earth, hip-hop might be more affected than any other music strain. This is how Knowledge, of New Jersey rap trio Parallel Thought, breaks it down:
“The foundation of hip-hop is sampling off of used vinyl. The fifth element of hip-hop should be production, and within that element vinyl and record stores go hand in hand.”
As a producer, Knowledge, born Adam Calman, is as apt to sample ’60s-fuzz guitar (“Molly”), organ bleeps (“At Your Own Risk”) or blaxploitation grooves (“The Night Cap”), say, George Clinton. Parallel Thought—which includes another producer, Drum, and an MC, Caness—is putting the finishing touches on its “Sick With the Art” LP, following previous collaborations with MF Doom and Del tha Funkee Homosapien. “We’re working on two solo albums with Del. One is done, and the other we’re waiting for him to lay vocals on,” Knowledge, 24, says. “The one that’s done is called ‘Tract of Sin,’ and it’s 100 percent a West Coast record. The other one is darker and more emotional and spaced out.”
Where did you make your earliest hip-hop purchase?
It was either Wu-Tang’s “Enter the 36 Chambers” or Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic.” I got it at The Wall. They were a CD store that went out of business years ago. They had a guarantee, where if anything ever happened to the CD, you could bring it back and they’d give you a new CD free of charge, which is probably why they went out of business.
Who’s a producer outside of hip-hop you admire?
David Axelrod. His sound encompasses everything from jazz to funk to psychedelic to Krautrock. David Axelrod can make anything sound incredible.
Do you think most people who think hip-hop sucks do so because many of the biggest selling rappers are also some of the lamest?
Definitely. You have your ringtone rappers and your one-hit rappers, and people my parents’ age, they don’t know Pete Rock or DJ Premier, these really talented artists. They just know the mainstream.
Caness, your group’s MC, is from Alabama. Does that manifest in his flow?
You can tell New York has changed him, but when he first came out he had a slow drawl. He was more influenced by stuff like Outkast and Organized Noize. He still loves his Southern stuff.
What’s an album you know front-to-back—the lyrics, the arrangements, the running order, everything?
Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” soundtrack. It’s so perfect. It sounds like one song.
Parallel Thought’s 2005 debut was called “Drugs, Liquor, Sex & Cigarettes.” Which of those vices would you give up first?
I can give up cigarettes, but I don’t know about the other ones.
Who do you feel is the most overrated producer in hip-hop?
Timbaland.
What’s the last guilty pleasure song you left on the stereo when it came on?
Young Bleed’s “How Ya Do Dat.”
You fit 30 MCs onto one, 15-minute track, 2007’s “Chorus Collection.” What kind of chaos did that entail?
From the initial list, it might have been 50 (MCs); we got 30 different verses. There were all eight bars. No one rhymed on the same part of the beat. We had people from Australia, California, good recordings, shitty recordings. It took over 24 hours to mix that.
What was interesting about working with MF Doom?
All the rumors you hear about him are true. Shady guy, great artist, love to work with him again.
Shady how?
He’s very elusive. I never talked to the guy…e-mails, IM, nothing. I mailed him the beat CD and he sent back vocals.
Parallel Thought opens for Reigning Sound and Tame One at 10:45 p.m. April 17 at The Handlebar to celebrate Record Store Day, presented by Horizon Records. The show is $8. For more information, call 864-233-6173 or visit www.pthought.com.
