bah-Voo, AKV, John's Coffee and Donut

Mr. Blakes

Texas hip hop ambassador Bavu Blakes has BEEN dope. The musician-journalist-minister is hands down the most reputable mic-controller to ever claim Austin and one of the top 10 emcees to EVER rep the Lone Star state. Well, at least for the Nobody Who Knows. Blakes’s commanding, yet inviting intonations of blue collar consciousness have painted paragraphs for well over a decade. Sharp and confident, Mr. Blakes lyrically is both a gatekeeper of information and a muse for the selfless, modern man. Whether it be the skirt lifting of atrocities or his emotive display of spirituality and introspection--Vu’s soulful style has been the archetype for a region of the country whose hip hop is thoughtlessly branded as inane, luxurious brag rap. Blessed with an army of fantastic collaborators throughout his career ranging from Adrian Quesada to D-madness to S-1, this righteous mouthpiece and purveyor of substantive music has also shared stages with De La Soul, the Roots and Guru - to name a few. Currently residing on the west coast, the soon-to-be father took a moment to answer some questions about his forthcoming record.

Soooo, will it be Mr. Blakes/ Rev. Blakes/Bavu Blakes  ??? 

I’m a broadcaster, musician, writer and a minister, a servant, not a reverend. What’s a reverend?

Your body of work speaks for itself and I consider you to be a true preservationist of soulful, conscious hip hop music. What makes you tic as an emcee in 2011?

Habit and sense of purpose. The fact that you, and some others -- I call ya’ll The Nobody Who Knows -- consider me to be anything encourages me to stay productive. I’m thankful to be an emcee and a musician, like the folks I’ve admired all my life. I’ve taken all my influences, mixed them in a bowl, rubbed it all over myself and eventually broke out of my shell!

I jam a lot of old school, Oddisee instrumentals, “Nobody Else” by NickNack, Soul Seekers and all things Adrian Quesada. I’ve turned into one of those “I don’t jam a lotta rap” cats.

Some may be unaware of your writing talent beyond penning beats to bars. How do you disassociate the two OR interweave the two skills in your song writing and vice versa?   

Great question (dap). I don’t disassociate different types of writing. I think efficiency is the key to greatness, including writing. I interweave it all as much as possible.

I’m far more conscious of tempo, melody and pocket in songwriting. Lyrically I try to stay out of the way of the music. But sometimes I write all the lyrics and melodies, and then go get the music to match it after the fact.

Writing is about color and imagery without wasting words or even syllables. I learned that consciously in journalism school and at work with John Bianco and in English class with John Trimble, then eventually I discovered that it’s true in all forms of writing. Check out Easy Lee aka Charlie Peters; he’s a writer!

What do fans of your penmanship have to look forward to with your new work?  

Grind over glory. Faith over fear. And far fewer features.

This new SANCT EP is just an update, an answer to “what’ve you been up to?”. And honestly, after S1 blew up and my Too Selfish album blew away, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be satisfied with my production sound again. I was wrong. Plus I’m down with D-Madness ‘nem.

Who handled production duties?

Reggie Coby. And the bonus track for the CD version is by Fire Winn.

Is there a scheduled release date?

My son’s release date is September 22. So it’s hard to be too specific about the SANCT EP right this second, except to say that I’lI start taking pre-orders on premium packages shortly. When I get to 300 pre-orders I’ll start shipping them out.

This is for The Nobody Who Knows. Y’all are like a members-only support group, and you are my priority as an artist.

Why did you move and how is the ‘scene’ in Long Beach? How do you remain connected to the Capital City?

My wife wanted to do her PhD in a major market, like Los Angeles, and she has family here. I wanted more opportunity, and I’ve found it.

I moved to Cali just to get naked. I’m out here turning my strengths into my weaknesses, and vice versa. So I’m not on the scene like that, especially not until I have the SANCT EP in my hand.

I remain connected to the Casual City through my people. I lived in Austin way too long, but it’ll always be home, and home to a lot of my people. I would’ve maybe named my son Austin if the missus let me, nah...

If you could paint the future, what would it look and sound like for Bavu Blakes? Do you plan to tour? How do you stay fresh in an oversaturated sea?

The future looks blessed, like my son. The future looks like time, energy and money well-spent. The future looks like a great marriage, a movement toward ministry and channeling the power and truth of the most high god. The future looks like multi-tasking through multi-media. The future looks like successful artists performing songs I wrote no matter who knows it. The future looks like a few paid trips around the world.

Touring the world a few times is still my dream.

I stay fresh by staying out of the way. I focus on having a quality life experience, saying my prayers and being professional.

Whatever.

On a different musical note, I don’t understand the hype behind Brooklyn hardcore newbies Cerebral Ballzy. I caught their set at the free Rock Yard concert in BK last week and it left me severely unsatisfied. The terrible sound (the vocals were the loudest thing in the mix) was not their fault, however, front man and unoriginal nasal whiner Honor Titus did not a break a sweat. Now, while we aren’t in the heat wave of Texas anymore, my punk rock co-conspirators, I think we can all agree that a vocalist should be moving around enough to perspire in the month of August. Yes?  The 20-nothing Titus posed and squealed (that's right, not a scream or yell or any other exerted throat force) while standing still, and at one point climbed the speakers to lay down topless while doing his 'thing' on the mic.  I didn't process his antics as any kind of a statement or a new approach to being aggressive. Rather it seemed out of sheer laziness and, in my opinion, an embarrassment to the culture as a whole. Zero pipes and zero emotion. But he did look the part ... I guess. Is that where we are, Brooklyn?! People were moshing and going crazy to these kids, too. I never in my life wanted to play after a band so badly. Surely I must of caught them on a bad day, perhaps??  Cerebral Bore-me.

Stephanie Williams is the kind of young, hustle-hard visionary that maps her own route and then mashes the gas. Stylishly hip from toe to lip; the 23-year-old voguish trend-getter has built an online boutique from the Austin (under)ground up, and her cultivated vision and business sense are quickly turning a hobby into paper and notoriety. The thrift store that is Austin Knight Vintage specializes in fusing aged fashions with modern design and presentation. ‘Let us do the digging’ is the motto for Williams’s well conducted site, whose foundation is built upon a small collection of uncommon pieces (jewelry, snapbacks, dresses, and everything in-between)  that come and go with the quickness. So by commendable design, you are forced to follow the social networking and shopping habits of Williams (side hustles include graphic design, photography, video production, AND Miss Thang is knee-deep in the hip hop game, to boot) for a chance to purchase her affordable, unburied treasures. I’ve copped a couple items myself and have MISSED more than a couple must-buys. You see, Williams keeps the images of purchased clothing posted as ‘SOLD’ (great idea) for proper enticement and a flavor sample of what’s really good with vintage gear in 2011. Did I mention her FREE SHIPPING policy?!! Young entrepreneurs and fashionistas take note… AKV is on it.

Bo knows.

So I must reevaluate my first notation of the shoe game in Brooklyn (see 6/7/2011 post).  While Air Jordans are abundant and to me, never lame (XIII’s and prior, that is), I can’t help but notice that the only other kicks I see are the Air Max ‘95s, the Air Griffey Max or any one of the 20 color combinations of the Air Foamposite Ones and Foamposite Pros.  I’m a little annoyed.  It’s so bad that I even got my girl calling shit out and she is nowhere near a sneaker head!  Are these the only kicks that people think are nice? Are they bootlegs and super cheap somewhere, hence why everybody seems to be rocking them? I copped the Air Trainer Max ’91 (Bo Jackson's) for $70 at Footlocker and I feel super fly. I had those jawns in 6^th grade and I am happy to own them again. I guess I’d rather see the same Nikes every day then have to see another kid wearing earthy, plain boot shoes with a rolled up flannel shirt. The Williamsburg uniform makes me want to vomit, but then again so does Williamsburg most of the time, so I guess that’s fitting.

Bacon with your French toast? Yes, please.

I’m completely addicted to John’s Coffee and Donuts. By far the finest breakfast diner I’ve experienced in or out of Texas, (that’s a bold statement folks) the tiny hole-in-the wall is always packed and seating is limited, but that’s the only negative thing I can say about a place that thrives with two short-order cooks and hand written checks. Waffle House: eat your heart out. JC&D pummels any competition with a greasy spoon, three-page menu that leaves no breakfast base uncovered. And on the cheap.  My lady and I  don't even spend $20 per visit, and that’s after a fat tip and fatter bellies. I cosign with a passion and am infatuated with the speed and accuracy of the cooks, who do it all on a single flat grill. Getting known here is my next mission.

Huge shout out goes to David Reyneke and Andrew Martin over at Potholes In My Blog. I’ve recently joined the team and am happy to be a contributor. Check for me in the reviews section. Speaking of blogs and talented artists; all of Austin needs to peep my boy Bak’s the Feedbak for the latest on local nightlife. Meanwhile, the emcee/b-boy/producer team of Mamba and Kwestro have properly organized their own music blog with Boycott Mag. I would also like to give a huge thanks and bow to photographers Marcos Molina and Miguel Angel. Subcomandante Quito and uLovei respectively are killing the photo game at any and every hot spot in the ATX. If you’re somewhere, they’re bound to snap you and have it posted with the quickness. Bravo, as always, gentlemen.

I’ll probably miss FunFunFun Fest this year, but the rockers-for-life crew over at Transmission Entertainment have out done themselves yet again. I said it a couple years back and now it is so—the Austin music festival rivals any other of its kind simply due to the rare quality and combination of acts involved. This year that bill includes:  Slayer, Public Enemy, Rakim, Odd Future (perhaps the reason it sold out so fast), Hum, Danzig, Murder City Devils, the Damned, Girls, Deathgrips, Boris, Flying Lotus, Black Milk, Passion Pit, and Future Islands, to name a few. If you've got tix, I'm jealous for sure.

Finally, on the day that Watch the Throne dropped, so did the Dow, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and coincidentally (?) the UK riots ensued. Jay Electronica tweeted the circumstances. Let’s not forget that ‘Hov’s Blueprint also was released on 9/11/01--just food for third-eye thought. I hope the outer worldly emcee from the Magnolia PJs does indeed  eventually drop his own album on Roc Nation. Here’s reason to believe it may come soon. Until next time, you can follow me on Twitter @kiLsmizno and I finally completed the Bandcamp pages for Like Dogs and Bohemian Grove Disco. Go download all of our shit for free. I’ll be dropping wax on Plush ATX on Saturday, August 27^th with the homies Digg and Kurupt.

 #theheatgoeson

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