ROYAL SALUTE (Mindbender interview)

The Real 136 presents: MINDBENDER SUPREME

By now you know it, we only fucks with the real around here. Meet Mindbender, a Toronto space alien veteran MC. This guy is about to drop a whole fucking planet on your head this year with "Jupiter", as well as the Supreme Being Unit (MB and twin brother Conspiracy) sophomore album "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rhyme", so you know 2010 will be an extra extra extra-terrestial year for this man.
The Real 136 congratulated him. This is the biggest, realest, most extensive Mindbender interview yet. MB addresses controversies, hip hop memories, the love of the game, puts together his DREAM album, talks about rappers and hip hop's future, and much more. ANYTIME YOU'RE READY, CHECK IT:

You know what time it is

 

Sup MB, this is The Real 136 live and direct on the speakerphone. FINALLY connecting with the one and only Mindbender Supreme out of motherfuckin’ Toronto Heaven. This is big right here, don’t even front! I’m The Frankest, and this motherfucker right here is The Flyest. We're The Real 136 and you know we have a worldwide audience so go ahead and introduce yourself.

What up, earthlings and all other creatures tuning in! This is the one, the only, the grand exalted humble magnificent emperor Mindbender Futurama Supreme of the mighty mighty Supreme Being Unit, the most ancient futuristic group of all time, representing live and direct from Toronto, and sending love and wisdom across Canada, to Europe, and everywhere on this puny little blue marble some drunken explorer called Earth! I'm happy to speak to you all through the invisible rhythm showcase special accessory I like to call the sonic soul/skull-connector. These here words are not appearing on a computer screen at this very moment. This already happened in your head, and your eyes are choosing their favorite memory to gaze upon right now... awww, you chose The Real interview with Mindbender! How kind of you.

WORD! Now, on the infamous Philaflava forums you've been a controversial figure for years, basically for keeping it way real to the maximum. We respect it, but a lot of simple-minded motherfuckers don’t know how to deal with it so you catch a lot of heat. I saw a thread where 30-40 people attacked you, and word is they are all now hospitalized. Damn... what happened?

This is the first time I have ever publicly spoken on that incident. They were introduced to their own Godliness by my supernova reflection, but they decided to let their inner Devil drive their body vehicles into the abyss pit of shame and psychotic embarrassment. It was like some hari-kiri clock reached zero. At that very moment, synchronized everywhere around the world, they all got up from their computers simultaneously, and, whether it took hours or days, they all walked to Jigga Gloss's Florida funplex. Then these message board mongrels all stood outside his window, lurker silent, and lined up in single file. Then at the snap of my E.T.-like fingers... they all viciously stabbed themselves in the sphincters. I told them to cut their bullshit out or I would make them, but they didn't believe me.

The Philaflava mansion

A damn shame, yo... Actually we may or may not have acquired footage of that (peep the exclusive in the coming weeks). Anyway, let's get really real: this interview came about out of respect because we see you're one of the realest, coolest, most honorable motherfuckers out there. Going for your dreams is what it's about, and can’t nobody knock it. Listen to the intro to Nas - Nothing Lasts Forever and say word.

Yo, I LIVE by the words Nas said on that record. Honestly, if I could only listen to ONE rapper on Earth, without even thinking about it, my mind/body/soul reflexively says "Nasty Nas" when that question is asked. Nas. Best rapper ever. Fuck the bullshit. GOAT. King of New York. Living Legend. All that good shit. I don't go as hard towards my dreams as I could, cause my dreams are extremely extreme and my way of going is really fucking hard to deal with for the people around me, but I still don't build the dreams of these Babylonian devils, I don't help others get their nightmares manifested. I appreciate anyone who recognizes what I say and do, because it's not the average approach. I wake up this way, and lay down at night in my hyperbaric chamber this way. I don't say "Have A Nice Day". What an empty cliche. All day I say (if not think): "Create Another Beautiful Day In Heaven".

We hear you on that. So you’re a well documented hip hop fiend, artist, journalist, encyclopedia, ambassador, entreprenour, aspiring legend, etc. Basically you’re the most enthusiastic motherfucker to ever listen to hip hop, yeah I said it. So let’s it break down: What is hip hop to you? And what are you to hip hop?

Hip hop is simply my way of interpreting the universe. It's everything I can imagine, as well as everything I have yet to imagine in the future. Hip hop is a nebulous, poly-morphous, intangible word and idea that represents something that some of us share. This thing called "hip hop" can have wisdom, music, money, sex, truth, knowledge, lies, drugs, alcohol, fashion, art, color, culture, information, hatred, love, and/or all kinds of other shit in it. They are sometimes called "elements". But let's clarify one thing: I love the MUSIC of hip hop. I love the beats and the words that the geniuses (and stupid people) know how to pattern to the beat properly (or improperly). Hip hop to me is everything in the world when it becomes self-aware and aggressive and honest. Barack Obama is hip hop, and so is Jay-Z. K-Naan is hip hop, and so is E-40. Drake is hip hop, and so is the internet. Martha Stewart is hip hop, especially when she goes to jail for trying to cheat the system. That's SO hip hop. But in its core, at its essence, I might suggest hip hop is a cultural vehicle for oppressed people to create freedom... by any means necessary.

You’ve been to thousands of shows, huh? You’re notorious for wilding out the most in the crowd and also rapping along to all the lyrics. In fact, last time we came through and performed you knew all our words too, we appreciated that. But anyway, have you ever been to a show and embarrassingly not known the lyrics to a hip hop classic?

I have probably seen a thousand shows BEFORE I was paid to be a journalist for Canada's biggest independent media publication. Then for 3 years, I covered damn near every single major event in this multimedia-saturated little burg called Toronto. I've seen damn near EVERYBODY, and I'm only just getting to the point of being like "I've seen them 5 times, maybe I don't need to see them this time... because I really should be at home preparing to release my new Rich Kidd album." Like tonight for instance, Cypress Hill is playing down the street from me, and in 2010 (or in 20T.O. as we like to call it around here!), Mindbender says "stay home, finish your own albums and prepare your own shows so you can open for Cypress Hill next time they come."

But funny you ask, I was just telling someone a few days ago how during the fifth or sixth time I saw De La Soul, it was at the Harborfront in Toronto, a beautiful waterfront open air venue. They were in a really good mood, and just having fun with people, and I was there, just giddy with joy. I'm a huuuuge De La fan. Da.I.S.Y. Age/Stickabush type-a shit, nahmean? But once, I was just zoning out, having a blast. So what the fuck is up with me turning my head and seeing Posdnous with a microphone at my mouth, while 'The Bizness' was going for 4 bars, without me rapping along to it?! I was just caught off guard. I normally watch and rap along to every word, but sometimes, I close my eyes, on some "lovely how I let my mind float" shit, and this was one of those times. I open them, and Plug Wonder Why is in my face with a mic, there is no lyrics being spit, and the whole crowd is like "ohhhhh! ahhhhh!" (cause everyone in Toronto knows I know the lyrics to damn near everything I love), while I'm like "yoooooo!" I knew the words, I just was totally caught off guard, and I froze when I saw that Pos was in my face all of a sudden. I know the words to "The Bizness", I know Common's lyrics too. The kid in me was just caught off guard for a split second and didn't get it together in time to rhyme. I actually got to see Posdnous after the show, and he goes "I got you!"

We laughed.

Haha, nice. So let’s talk about your career. You’ve been in the game for a long time, dropping one classic album after another. How long have you been at it and how long are you gonna keep on going?

Real musicians never retire. They can even take 10 year breaks like D'Angelo or Lauryn Hill, but they never retire. I will keep making music forever. I hope to die on stage. Or after having sex at an afterparty for one of my concerts, ha. I wrote my first song at age 11, did my first show at age 14, released my first cassette at age 19, released my first CD at age 20, and will do a lot more for the rest of my life.

And that's nice of you to call my albums "classics". I know some people will agree with you 100%, and others will debate you to death about how atrociously wack I am. I feel that actually qualifies my work to be closer to classic. I love extreme emotions. I'd rather be Andy Warhol, and people love or hate my work, and not really have much of a neutral opinion about it. Actually, I'm just getting into a few other artistic disciplines that I feel are just going to make my music a better experience to behold. I'm dabbling in photography, and I've been doing acting for a few years now. I've always been a visual artist as well (I drew the album cover to "Beautiful Mutant"), so being multi-disciplinary is nothing but normal to me. But I'm going to make music until the last day of my life, and then keep making more.

Yeah but that’s a deep catalogue you got there already. A lot of achievements. Anything in particular you’re the most proud of?

Besides this interview, I have barely done ANYTHING with my life. But opening for Def Jux in 2006 was a highlight for sure. I got to share the stage with Camu Tao (RIP), DJ Big Wiz, Cage, Mr. Lif, Aesop Rock, and El-Producto, some of my heroes.

I also performed at Project Blowed in Leimert Park and got respect from Abstract Rude and Aceyalone, which meant more to me than damn near anything. They are also my heroes.

And a third great accomplishment? Interviewing almost everyone I ever wanted to learn from, including Nas, Kanye West, Raekwon, Kool Keith, Kool G. Rap, Method Man, RZA, Ghostface, Prince Paul, Pharrell Williams, Common, Chuck D, Atmosphere, Talib Kweli, The Pharcyde, Jadakiss, Vast Aire, O.C., Heltah Skeltah, Buckshot Shorty, George Clinton and a whole bunch of other amazing artists...

I've had a decent life so far. But it's only going to get waaay better.

No doubt, we got you on that. As for live performances, we hear YOUR shows are fuckin' wild too, man. What are some crazy things you’ve done on stage?

Yeah, I don't gives a fuck. I've jumped into the crowd and kissed women during songs, done dirty dancing with two girls at once (as her boyfriend watched angrily from 3 feet away), poured water all over people, jumped on speaker towers, rapped blindfolded (I didn't steal the idea from iCON!), punched things, injured myself, done random damage. I mostly stay within the edges of the most extreme boundaries. I'm not GG Allin YET. But soon, blood and semen might make guest appearances in my concerts, yikes! I'm working on fire and magic being my two hype men right now, actually. I'm so very serious.

I was possessed by the spirit of Ol' Dirty Bastard when I grabbed the mic to perform AFTER KRS-One and RZA at the Opera House. I went up to KRS, after he just got finished rocking a ravenous room of 1500 people, and said: "I've been waiting 16 years of my life to share a stage with you, and I got cut out of my timeslot (long story). Would you mind if I performed after you, KRS?" And he said "Sure!", so I proceeded to angrily tear the stage a few new assholes AFTER KRS-One had his sermon at one of the most amazing hip hop shows ever seen in Toronto history. I still did the damn fucking thang, I did.

My wardrobe malfunctions are going to be legendary, much less my wardrobe itself. Shoutout to CE, BVD and Ghetto Panda for suppling me with the mad phat gearz for the '10! That gold snakeskin sparkling jacket I'm wearing in the 'P.I.M.P.' YouTube clip is tame compared to what's coming next! Mindbender shows are going to be the godchild of Parliament/Funkadelic when the stars are aligned right!

Rowdy as he wanna be (SBU show, 2010).

NOW, LET'S HAVE SOME HIP HOP FUN. Describe the album you would make if we provided access to the best producers in hip hop (oh, and this is not hypothetical). Should we holler at Premo, man? RZA? Dre? It's on you, what are you gonna do with it?

I would make the BEST FUCKING ALBUM EVER CREATED, I shit you not. Hip hop means ALL music to me, ha ha, sorry.

Aight, let's hear it.

"Mindbender Supreme: Heavenly Love"

Beats by:

Stevie Wonder

(he'd sprinkle everything with live pianos, harmonicas, drums, etc., etc.)

RZA

(First Killa Bee Swarm era/1993-1997 era, with a touch of the 'Supreme Clientele' RZA)

DJ Quik

(Balance and Options era. Funky and colorful West coast G shit)

Kanye West

(Late Registration era... epic like 'We Major', nothing less. I want 3 of them, ha)

Dr. Dre

(Chronic 2000 era Andre. I want a beat like 'Kill You')

DJ Premier

(Jeru the Damaja/early 90's era shit... something like 'Unbelievable' by Biggie)

Quincy Jones

(Thriller outtakes, I'll take anything, Q)

Rick Rubin

(I want a '99 Problems')

DJ Khalil

(heeeeeat. something like 'Kinda Like A Big Deal', oooh yeah)

Saukrates

(Toronto, what?! This guy is the fucking BEST artist you probably never heard.)

Rich Kidd

(Torontooo, whaaaat?!?! Same as above, but double ditto. Wait til you learn.)

Timbaland

(one of those Aaliyah-era quirky ass space slappers. Nothing else!) 

Just Blaze

(one of those big ass banging-ass bangers that makes blood boil. Yes.) 

Just for starters, ha ha... I know I'm forgetting people I love that should be on here...

Dope. And the MCs?

Nasty Nas

(pull out that 'Illmatic' era rhymebook and throw me a pile of bars, dun!)

Lauryn Hill

(I love her and think she's the best rapper ever some days. Sometimes.)

Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, Royce the 5'9"

(Microphone murderers. 32 bars each. Death. Destruction. Demolition. Joe Buddens can just be moral support, go cop us some trees, plz)

Andre 3000 and Big Boi

(would sound awesome with Mindbender and Conspiracy)

The Nextraterrestrials:

(my Ottawa/Toronto rap crew. Best crew to never make history... yet)

KRS-One and Chuck D

(with Mindbender?! Holy exploding head full of wisdom, Batman!)

Shyne/ Saigon/ Styles P/ Boots Riley/ Scarface/ Beanie Sigel

(now that's a reality rap gangsta classic fucking crew track right chea.)

Eminem and Dr. Dre

(a dream come true. Genius gangsta shit will manifest its destiny.)

Pharoahe Monch and Mikah Nine

(probably my two favorite -vocalists- in all rap. Classic!!)

Talib Kweli/Mos Def/Boots/Busta Rhymes/Q-Tip

(a unique session, oui oui.)

Redman/Outsidaz/Eminem

(you god damn right I'm doing this! Zee! Marshall! Reggie!)

DEL the Funky Homosapien

(me and this guy gotta make a record one day! My brother.)

El-Producto/ Vast Aire/ Vordul/ Mr. Lif/ Cage/ Metro/ Aesop Rock

(Def Jux dream come true.)

Maestro/Michie Mee/Kardinal Offishall

(Canadian history crew track right here, boyee!)

Lil Wayne/Kool Keith/Jay Electronica/MF DOOM

(best space weirdo rap record ever!)

Drake

(yeah motherfuckers, I said it. A Mindbender and Drake record would be ILLLLL!)

And that's just on disc one. ha ha, of course it's gonna be a double disc!

Ha ha, you're wildin' out, MB. We're diggin it already. Proceed.

SINGERS (Yeah, cause I love these voices. Fuck it):

Michael Jackson

(Where there's a will, there's a way to do it and not get sued... SHAMON!)

Erykah Badu

(she's from a planet near my home planet. I'd get her to rap, ha ha)

Lauryn Hill

(damn right)

Mary J. Blige

(I'd get her to rap too, and get her to sing some soulful suffering)

Alicia Keys

(some singing and piano playing from her, thank you very much)

Elliott Smith

(I'd sample him, I don't care.)

Jeff Buckley

(Sample him too. 'Grace' is my shit!)

Sia

(Goddess. Sing weird with me.)

Christina Aguilera

(YES, I said Xtina. I LOVES me some Chrissie Aggie, FTW)

Tanika Charles

(you will discover her one day and know what I mean. She's a phoenix rising.)

Stevie Wonder

(yeah, he'd be doing some hooks for me, too... and I'd be in heaven on earth.)

I haven't even talked about how I have to have DJ Q-Bert, DJ Revolution and DJ A-Trak, among other DJs on it... plus DJ Incizion (high school homie) and DJ Cutslinger (my brother). Maybe I should stop there... this budget is getting a little Axl Rose-ish, ha ha.

Mindbender is all about merging worlds, and I think that this record would be CLASSIC. You get me on Universal and it's going down :) 

Ha ha, a boy can dream, can't he?

Oh, no doubt. First step to making it happen... We'll get back to you on this, but let's get to the part our more casual fans have been waiting for. You might wanna light a blunt for this one, while we take a trip back down MEMORY FASTLANE, ya digg?

For starters, can you pinpoint exactly what got you into hip hop?

The year was 1982. Breakdancing by my big brother Dale at Sports World roller rink, and 'The Message' by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. They were some of the very first hip hop ideas to enter my skull and teach me to see and hear the world in a new way. Run-DMC and LL Cool J were next.

What’s your take on G-funk?

Love it. I'm a huge George Clinton fan. I have seen him perform twice. I love funk. I love off beats. I love weird shit. I love creativity. Stretching, exploring, experimenting, fucking up. George Clinton is the motherfucking man, and then some. Fuck that music up. My name is Mindbender. You know I'm gonna like crazy ass shit, ha ha.

When’s the first time you heard Gangstarr? What’s your relationship to Premo?

Uh, first time I heard Gangstarr might have been the video for 'Just To Get A Rep' if not 'Manifest'. It wasn't perfectly sequential how I discovered them... I know I heard 'Daily Operation' before I heard 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' as a full record, and I liked the second one better. But personally, my favorite Gangstarr era is actually 1994, I liked 'Hard to Earn' the most. Primo had his best and most diverse sounding beats on that album to me, and GURU (R.I.P.) was spitting crazy inspired. Truthfully, I was more of A Tribe Called Quest guy, to be honest though. I still love and respect Gangstarr and their legacy, and got to see them open for Rage Against The Machine at Maple Leaf Gardens a long time ago. Ah, that was a fun little riot.

I never really met Primo, but I saw him DJ with Pete Rock, and saw him rock a party insanely (like REALLY insanely) by himself after ManifesTO in Toronto a few years ago. I have extreme respect for DJ Premier, but I also will say that I think he's been resting on his production laurels for the last few years. Besides the Christina Aguilera music he did (which I think is fucking dope as fuck), I haven't been blown away by one of his beats in years... except for that new joint he gave Joell Ortiz, 'Project Boy'. WOW. That's the Primo I want to hear, that 'You Can't Stop The Prophet' type shit. Not just a two bar loop. I love and can criticize all my heroes, it's been a lot of life and music together. I don't even love all MY shit, why would I love all of any one else's? I love Nas to death and back from sleep's cousin's house, but that don't mean I love all his records. He does need to make some shit with Primo again though, ha.

Tell the story of when you first heard Enter The 36 Chambers. How did it change your life?

Yo, I could go ON about that. It wasn't that much, actually. It was a small moment that grew into the life I live now, the path I walk here, and the way I think, totally. My brother Conspiracy brought the '36 Chambers' cassette home, and I took it to the basement of our house, and popped it in. When it started playing I thought: "This is all fuzzy and fucked up. Is this a defective tape?" Then I rewound it again and listened over. I said "Yo, they can't have REALLY let this tape go from the studio with all this crazy sounding shit on it?! Is this really the final version of the album? Did we get a damaged copy of this cassette? There's something really fucking bizarre about this beat, man. Why is it so fucking fuzzy and demo-quality sounding-like on this song 'Bring The Ruckus'?! Do I even like this shit like this?"

It took a few days for it to set in, but once it did, I was never the same person again, on the most elemental, molecular level of life. I wasn't even sure if I liked it when I first heard it. That's how I eventually knew that I LOVED IT.

Mindbender says with bulletproof wallet millionaire authority: The Wu-Tang Clan is the #1 BEST IDEA to ever be created by hip hop culture in the 35-odd years this subculture has existed on earth. They are not only the best group, with the best songs, the best rhymes, and the best beats, but they represent the single most creative and innovative idea to ever come to hip hop and make history. Public Enemy is a close second, and Outkast is a very close third to me. Nas and A Tribe Called Quest get special shoutouts, they are some of the best things New York City will ever offer to world hip hop history. But when it's all said and done... Wu-Tang is here forever, motherfuckers!

Oh yeah: ODB is God.

Name some of the most inspiring rappers to your personally.

Jesus, how long do you want me here? Do you know how much hip hop I listen to? Let's assume all the MCs I named above have already been named... then let's add these random rappers I love, who all have influenced me in one way or another in my life:

BIG LAMONT COLEMAN (Big L is one of my favorite rappers of all time)

Ras Kass

Saafir the Saucy Nomad

Killah Priest

Jay-Z

Beanie Sigel

Freeway

Cassidy

Xzibit

Casual

EPMD

Canibus

Black Thought

Eyedea

Nature

Wasun (Canada)

G Knight (Canada)

Marvel (Canada)

Buck 65 (Canada)

Eternia (Canada)

Adam Bomb (Canada)

Scandalis (Canada)

fuck it, the whole Empire Crew (Canada, son)

Abstract Rude

Graph

Cam'ron

K'Naan

Treach

Ludacris

Corey Gunz

Ali Vegas

Fat Joe

Sean Price

Kurupt

The Clipse

Mobb Deep (peace to Havoc, holding it down)

Lloyd Banks

50 Cent

Poetic

Eazy-E

J Dilla

Proof... I could go on forever.

Oh, go on forever? We said to keep the lists short, but you like to re-negotiate as you go along, huh? NAH, fuck that, we're gonna cut it short right here, THIS BUSINESS CALL IS OVER. *Laughs* Fuckinwhichu. You got some good names on there, we see you. Now let’s get more in-depth, talk about these rappers we mention right here:

Prodigy

Secret King of New York City. Illuminati wants my mind soul and body. Secret society, trying to keep an eye on me. The first song on HNIC 2, "Real Power is People", is one of the best songs to come out of NYC in 10 years. I have 'Juvenile Hell' on cassette. I actually have heard 'Shook Ones Part One'. Mobb Deep is one of the best things to ever come out of New York City. Not all their stuff is equally amazing, but I've been a fan of them since before they were beefing with Dogg Pound. Prodigy is the fucking man, dog.

Dr Dre (DETOX feature next week on thereal136.com)

First gangsta rap hero after Eazy-E. I could talk about Dre forever. I love him. The first moment I heard 'Straight Outta Compton', my brain was permanently exploded and altered forever. Dr. Dre is one of my biggest musical heroes in life, and the day I get to meet him will be a day I never forget. He's made so many beats that blew my mind I can't even begin to talk about it. I love the ideas he brings to hip hop, and I love how he does his gangsta shit. 'Forgot About Dre' is immaculate music making to me. Efil4zaggin truly changed my life as a child: it was a ghetto murder music masterpiece. If that album had Ice Cube on it, there would never be a better gangsta rap LP, period, case closed. Dr. Dre just needs to get more confident in his creations and participate in hip hop more than once every decade, ha ha. I love him forever though, and I jam to him through the ups and downs of his career. I wish he made albums with Freestyle Fellowship and Ras Kass though, ha ha. And I hope Crooked I is on 'Detox'! Peace to the strength of street knowledge.

Crooked I

All things considered, I think he's damn near the best lyricist on planet earth right now. Not quite the best song maker, but the best lyricist, ESPECIALLY out of the new generation of new millenium MCs. I love his merging of gangsta shit and genius shit, I simply love it. Crooked I is my favorite kind of rapper, to be honest: one that is keenly aware of multiple dimensions and realms of reality, and can control how much time and space he spends in each. He OWNS the 'Grindin' beat from what he did on it on the Wake-Up Show ("young jacker/ Gucci hat-tilted gun-clapper/ I'm every artist Suge ever signed in one rapper!" WOW.) and then on '8-11 Part 2' he fucking said: "sit low in your 'Vette/ you can pimp hoes, bet/ but you don't know the secret mysteries of Imhotep/ Jim Crow, can't follow in big bro's steps, kinfolk/ didn't know I'm a sick flow vet?" That's what the fuck I'm talking about! Now drop that 'B.O.S.S.' album, Crooked!

Eazy E

'Nobody Move' was one of the first songs I ever memorized off listening to it over and over alone, as was 'We Want Eazy'. Ruthless Records and Jerry Heller (who I also have interviewed, he's a remarkable man) were some OG's in this rap shit, and they had my respect since I was a child. I love Eazy's voice, it is the best. I love 'Automobile', 'Find 'Em, Fuck 'Em and Flee', and '100 Miles And Runnin'', as well as the first classic mainstream gangsta rap album: N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton. I have some very controversial views about how he died and what not, and they might involve Suge Knight and Jimmy Kimmel episodes and conspiracy theories beyond the norm. Either way, I love Eazy-E.

Tupac

The most passionate artist of all time, very possibly. I love what he represents as a Black man more than what he said on some of his records. I liked him as a rapper, but LOVED him as a political figure and a revolutionary. I could go on for days about Tupac, but I'll keep it brief: nobody new in hip hop has his devotion or his community spirit, and all these rapper dudes who invoke his name on record need to hush with that mess. Tupac Shakur also got fucked over by the justice system in ways that fools today have no understanding about. I was deep into hip hop when that bullshit rape charge came down on Pac, and he became a pariah. It was such bullshit, and then he went to jail, came out on Death Row, and the entire culture of hip hop music, politics and life was never the same again. Tupac's death is extremely suspicious, and I still sometimes don't even WANT to believe he's dead. I like the idea that he's in Cuba, plotting some resurrection takeover. I also love that song he did, "I Get Around". Tupac Shakur is one of my all-time motherfucking heroes, that's for god damn sure. Panther Power to the people.

Nas

Greatest MC of all-time. I want to hear "The World Is Yours" on my last day on Earth. "Can't Forget About You" is one of the first songs to ever bring me to tears. "The Message" altered me like few other records in life, when it dropped in 1996. "I Can" made me so happy I couldn't express it in words, I can't believe he murked Beethoven's 'Fur Elise' by injecting 'Impeach the President' into it and dropping those eternal jewels onto it. God's Son, f'real. And that song 'Heaven' featuring Saukrates, Jully Black and Agile is one of the best songs of all time, period. Nas murked Jay-Z with 'Ether' and sent invisible ripples through hip hop's subconsciousness with that super-deep elevation of all things competitive, and Nas simply represents the wisdom and vision of the best ghetto griots alive today. I could go on and on about how much I love the rhymes of Nasty Nasir Olu Dara Jones (yes I take it back to the days he was still called 'Nasty'), but I'll just say that QB's finest is truly rap's royal highness. Oh, and 50 years from now, history will look back on that 'N!gger/Untitled' record Nas did and understand how far ahead of his time he was with it (even though it wasn't a perfectly executed concept... it was still conceptually phenomenal and so very bold. You hating? N!gga please). Nas is the King of New York City, and with this 'Distant Relatives' record with Damian Marley, he might just be the undisputed king of the world of hip hop. No head deserves the crown more than Nas.

And don't get me started on how Columbia fucked up what would have been the best double album of all time, if 'I Am' came out how Nas planned it to. Damn homie: rap is outta control.

Slick Rick

Love him. Don't know why he doesn't drop more music. Is it Def Jam's fault? The Warren G/'Behind Bars' remix is one of my favorite jams. Slick Rick's storytelling is unsurpassed. I did listen to more KRS-One than Slick Rick in the 80's, but I still love Ricky Walters, and still have yet to see him perform, actually! I have seen Doug E. Fresh, who is... fresh. But Uncle Ricky and I have yet to make a concert acquaintance.

Drake

The leader of the new school, thank God he's from Toronto. I LOVE the raps this guy comes up with. Seriously fucking amazing new generation rhyme genius. Sometimes, he's better than Lil Wayne with the bars. I know he can go bar for bar with the Jiggamayne and hold his own. He's got a shitload of great songs, and can really sing quite well. I ain't mad at his TV upbringing. That's like getting mad at Will Smith. Fuck this whole credibility shit, Drake don't gotta be from the street to make rap music. He doesn't run his mouth about crimes he never did like some of rap's more popular game-players lately, and his wit is sharper than a muhfucka. Oh, and big up to that song 'Congradulations', that's my sheeeeit. That song is a partial inspiration for my new album with Rich Kidd, word life. Drake is going to open the door for Toronto and Canada, and the rest of the world is going to discover what the hell we been hiding up here and sitting on top of for so long, ha ha. But seriously, I enjoy Drake when he's spitting fireball rap. "with a canvas, I'm the Group of Seven/ I'm the one twice over, I'm the new eleven" and "I should leave earth, nothing left to do here/ every day is Christmas and every night is New Year's!" I could go on an on. I'll just say Drake is a very nice guy in person, and I got nothing bad to say about the homie. He's even checked out some Mindbender music. Another case of "Thank Me Later". One day it will all make sense.

Too $hort

I like $hort Dawg, but I'm not the biggest biggest fan of him. I respect his pedigree (no pun intended) and am glad he's out there doing his damn thang, but... I was more of a Ice-T kinda guy.

Talk about hip hop’s future and your future. How will they intertwine? What does the game need?

New cities, new countries, new languages, new inventions... and WAAAAY MORE WOMEN VOICES AND ARTISTS. New everything! And new ways to see the past creations, too.

The game needs new energy, mostly. New people not afraid to do new things, say new things, go new places. A lot of our heroes are afraid to innovate or break out their images. Not me! I will always be in danger of losing my fans, I probably experiment TOO much, and am never stable enough to keep a large group of people consistently interested (not until I get to the Andre 3000 level, ha.)

My future is to keep picking up new instruments, new songwriting techniques, new ideas, and new levels of commitment to artistry. As well as new rhyme styles, that's for damn sure. I have not yet begun to rap! You think you heard the hot shit? You haven't heard nothing yet!!

Last question. The hip hop community is listening. Is there anything you would like to add?

Toronto is the future, motherfuckers. We got a gang of things here that y'all need to get up on right quick. MCs, DJs, producers, dancers, artists, hustlers, fashion designers, weed carriers, and random mans dem who are the next generation of this hip hop culture that has been subliminally defining life on earth for the past decade-plus.

Canada is the final frontier of hip hop. It started in the East (well, really: super-East of here, as in Africa), went West to Cali, travelled South... and now, it's coming North. It's our time. The last place on the planet to have their hip hop discovered, embraced, enjoyed and heard.

But it's 20T.O. aka 2010, like I said, and I know this city has finally come of age. We can go toe to toe with anyone, for anything. Competing or co-operating, Toronto can match anywhere on the planet with it's hip hop energy and art. I look forward to helping the movement expand, and doing what I can as Mindbender Supreme of the Supreme Being Unit to make Toronto hip hop history manifest its destiny.

Create another beautiful day in Heaven, my fellow creators of life's dreams. And most importantly it's true like how Jesus do: remember that Mindbender Loves You!

YEAH, YOU HEARD HIM, THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK IS UP... AND OH YEAH, get yourselves a copy of that new SBU album "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rhyme" when it gets in stores (some preview tracks). That shit is classic, next level, innovative hip hop music and wisdom for the world. Also, the 'Jupiter' album featuring Mindbender on the rhymes and Rich Kidd on the beats. Don't sleep when that one drops, because from what we hear it's gonna be fucking amazing. This is The Real 136, thank you Mindbender for coming through and keep doing what you do, we definitely see you on the positive tip. Kick that shit for the universe, and consider this a ROYAL SALUTE!

Mindbender Supreme.
The Real 136.
It is 2029 to us, get widdit biiiiitch!!