Photo Credit: rickeysmileymorningshow.com
From The Bronx, “Headkrack” the moniker we associate with a game played on the streets of New York.
The origins of the game is murky, but its’ said to be similar to craps and a derivate of the French game passé–dix. Still with pretty fluid rules one thing is clear the best rolls are called the “headcrack,” 4-5-6-on the dice or the cee-lo…that’s the winner streak.
HeadKrack has put in a good amount of time within the entertainment industry. He said, “I like hitting the jackpot” and “Everybody would say… here comes Headkrack again…Yeah I‘ve been lucky with my music career and the television career as a whole.
This is true Headkrack has hit many jackpots and knows lady luck intimately. We’ve seen him on the nationally syndicated show on “Dish Nation” as a Co-Host on “The Ricky Smiley Morning Show” bringing his style to the control boards. Still “Krack” finds time to host panels and make music with his music group.
HeadKrack is part of the progressive hip-hop group, called The Bodega Brovas. The group delivers rhyming and wordplay in threes. Maybe it’s that 4-5-6 all over again; Keynote and Travii rounds out that ‘best roll’ formula. The group released “Fancy Anthrax” last year to critical acclaim and this year their newest release will be titled “Loaded Guns & Alcohol (L.G.A)” it’s an acronym the lures the listener in. “When you think of what fuels this country; it’s actually guns drugs and alcohol” HeadKrack lamented. Perhaps, not meaning to sound too political Headkrack explained that the ideas set forth within the title of the new album highlighted the mood of a politically charged society. Where “Lobbyist run the government, gun enthusiast’s sway the votes; alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical companies control America,” he was driven in his statements. Although, these valid are points, Headkrack was quick to agree that this is about the music. So, the music makes the point and the best example would be taking a look at a video; he suggests starting with “The Freshest Facade ft. Astronautalis.” The message is a powerful one as well as the music containing the verses.
Being from the Bronx and living in Atlanta: do you feel detached from the NYC hip- hop culture scene and since leaving; do you feel you’ve adopted other hip-hop influences?
Absolutely, I mean I’m a nomad besides living in Atlanta; I’ve gotten a change to living in Dallas, Texas too. I’ve seen how cats operate in Dallas, and seen how cats operate in Atlanta, and still staying close to my New York roots. You get to study it all and especially as it relates to hip hop. People in New York are kind of like… there from Atlanta anyway, so perhaps theirs no difference musically. There are still some cats from the five boroughs keeping it true to the New York City sound. A lot of what’s going on in New York City just mirrors the south.
Let’s talk about your role in the rap group Bodega Brovas. Tell us about the formation of the group and how the group remains creating music together?
We’ve met during high school. We were in different music groups but got together finally while trying to put together some songs. When I had got booked to do some European show dates, I wanted to bring Keynote and Travii. However, we were not a group at the time but because we had music together I was able to bring them on show dates. We thought we got to call this something…Yo…the Bodega Brovas. Cause…we’re a little bit of everything. You can go to the bodega and get a little bit of everything. You can get [laughing] weed, newspapers, and notebooks anything.
The cool thing about the Bodega Brovas is we don’t live in the same cities. Most groups are around each other all the time. They get to a point where they what to kill each other. We have the ability to leave right before that point. It’s cool. We’ve dropped bread crumbs here and there; a song and or a visual. The “Fancy Anthrax” LP, we dropped last year, and that was kind of our soft opening.
This year we are going to drop are first official LP revealing ourselves to the world. (Loaded Guns & Alcohol) “L.G.A” is going to be the grand opening for us. I can’t wait to introduce ourselves to everyone who doesn’t know about us yet. Now that we got the proper PR and the dope machine that’s getting to get behind us: I’m excited [voice so happy].
The track “Track me Down” is an inspirational single release and personally it’s a favorite of mine. Talk to us about where the tracks’ inspiration came from.
I was sitting on that joint for a long time reviving it many times. As a writer, something will happen to us in our life and we’ll put an emotion into a box. Keep that feeling there and wait for a time for something artistic and creative. I remember while living in Concourse Village (Bronx housing Complex), my friends’ uncle… and this was a man who chilled… in the area was in front of the buildings a lot. He would have beers and I was super tight with him. The New York City Police one night I guess felt tired of seeing this, now I was in the seventh grade at the time. They were a little bet excessive with him and in the process he died [silence]. I always felt like when I got to the point where I had a pedestal from which people could listen I would use this incident. Fast forward, with the increasing pattern of police brutality, I utilized the opportunity. With the Shawn Bell or the Mike Brown incidents now is the time. Yet, the song puts a mirror to us too. It’s a two mirrored record highlighting what we do to ourselves too.
Coming from radio, describe your journey a little. Independent artist and the radio; tell us what frustrates you about that combination today?
Some of these things I’ve walked into and not pursued outright or maybe they’ve pursued me. It began with battling. I was known for that in Dallas. When a new Hip Hop station was forming I was asked to come on board. I turned in a tape got the job and thought I was going work overnights. I thought I would keep my day job, but was told to quit the day job. I worked the 6-10pm shift. I took that and then met Ricky Smiley. We continued to get one city after the next; just knocking them down. Three years later, 60 plus cities and still on radio. With radio being such a faceless median, you hear the voice. What Dish Nation has done helped get my visibility out there. The dope thing about this show is that it’s helped me when I couldn’t typically walk into places.
Radio frustrates me to no end. At the end of the day you have a lot of people who make a lot of decisions based on what they think the shareholders will appreciate. You have a lot of programmers who don’t program from the heart. The DJ, back in the day, heard a song they loved; then play the song. Now, there’s red tape you have to go through. Ask a bunch people what to play. The DJ was the taste makers or the A&R from the street. Now they took away a lot of the power from them. They play a song based on research that says this music is good. I guess it works for the current business model. Yet, overall it’s proven to be detrimental to the sells of hip- hop. That model only shines a light on a small percentage of hip- hop and select artists. When there are many more artists that are producing great music. In most cases better music then what is played on radio today. They deserve that spin as well. Now, the younger generation are utilizing, YouTube as a way to optimize the way they find music. I see what the end game is and people are moving away from traditional radio for other opportunities. Even the radio personalities don’t get to talk on the radio as much as they used to any more. You have to hurry up and play the hit or hurry and play the commercial. So people are opting instead for the podcast, watching an interview on YouTube, and singling in on their favorite artistic.
A3C Stage is a great performance platform. Since Bodega Brovas performed before explain the vibe. What’s the Hip Hop rock life for you?
Actually last year we performed on the main stage and the crowd was there to support and represented. A3C really helped us get a lot of exposure in a controlled environment.
Rocking live on stage is the most thrilling feeling. I like doing shows more than I like doing anything else I do. That time you’re on stage you have no problems in the world. Nothing else matters, you venting, and getting all of the creative energy out. What we like to do at the end of the set is to free style a bit. We will end it special for that particular crowd for that particular night and the moment is never the same. We try to create different magic every night we rock and there’s nothing like it. I like performing live more than actually recording the music. Hopefully people will come to 529 0n Friday to see us rock. We gonna be there in full force to turn up [Hyped].
Panel: SKYYHOOK RADIO presents WHY WE AREN'T HEARING YOUR MUSIC (Panel)
Friday October 9th @ 5:00 PM
Room Two (Loudermilk Center)
Performance: DJ Revolution Presents: ...And Then What? (Showcase)
Friday October 9th @ 10:00 PM
529 (East Atlanta Village)
