“Cuz I seen something. And God told me to tell y’all what I saw.”
That was Malice’s open invitation for all to read his book, entitled Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked. That quote could also be considered a theme to his entire career. From the beginning of the Clipse in the early 1990’s, to their rise to fame alongside Pharrell and Star Trek, to their newer projects and solo work, the common denominator throughout Clipse’s existence has been reality, plain and simple. Gene Thornton has been under all sorts of scrutiny as of late, in relation to his continuing career as the emcee known as Malice. His brother got signed to G.O.O.D. Music. Meanwhile, Malice’s music has taken a sharp change in direction from his earlier years. Many have questioned his recent moves, but they must not have spoken with him. Because through his words, everything makes a lot more sense.
Click “read more” for my interview with Malice.
First of all, thanks so much for giving me the time to rap with you for a little bit.
No problem man, I’m blessed and it’s definitely worth it.
May I ask what to expect from your most recent studio time?
I’m wrapping up my audio book, and working on some crazy music. I’m getting ready to release the audio book, and it’s nothing short of phenomenal.
If you were talking to a complete and absolute stranger, how would you describe yourself in ten words or less?
God-fearing, extremely competent in everything I do, very analytical, definitely driven.
Who are your greatest inspirations?
Jesus Christ is number one. My parents. Outside of that, I don’t know. In terms of music, my greatest inspirations are definitely the Juice Crew, Big Daddy Kane. KRS One. Run DMC. Public Enemy.
Do you feel a conflict between your music style – street hip-hop, as you say it, and your resurgence in religion as of late?
From the music that the world knows me for, there is definitely a conflict. My current mind state has a much sharper awareness of God. The music that I make now is in total harmony. It makes total sense. It’s just as aggressive, just as entertaining. It sheds a lot of light. I also wanna say that my music has always been that thought provoking music. I didn’t just lead you down an ignorant path. I gave you both sides and expressed my regret over things I had done.
You’ve clearly been through a lot in your life and your music career. How would you compare your mind state upon the release of your first album, Exclusive Audio Footage, to your current mind state?
Exclusive Audio Footage was total rebellion. We were very hungry, putting in work to get a deal. I was very excited, and it was time, after rapping amongst my friends, and knowing I was good at it. The excitement is measurable, to be able to share your talent with the entire world. That was definitely an awesome experience. Now, it’s about the message now. It’s about speaking on what you believe in, and conveying it in a way that it’s felt. I’ve definitely been given a gift for that. I’m confident that my followers will still love my new stuff.
Do you feel that your outlook will continue to change, or do you think that you have reached a level that you will remain at for a while?
I feel that as long as you’re breathing, you should always be growing. Some people just don’t grow, and they stay stagnant. I feel like if you want to evolve and you’re exploring new things, they’re always something to learn and there’s always room for growth. As soon I write a song, I feel like the next one is going to be even better. There’s too much out here to learn. If you’re not seeking to continue learning, you’re just stunting your growth.
If you could work with one artist, past or present, who would it be?
I would love to have rapped alongside the Notorious B.I.G. I could relate to him wanting to have things. He always talked about his daughter. And he talked about what almost every young black kid wanted to have, the American Dream. He talked about finding that dream through rap. He was the epitome of that dream. He definitely has the “nothing to something” story based solely on his talent. He was definitely a hustler, so you know I relate to that. His sense of humor and his wordplay always shone through. To me, B.I.G. was just a real dude and a person I feel I would have bonded with.
Why don’t you feel that you would do a good service to Christian hip-hop?
When I say that, I’m saying I can’t just jump into Christian hip-hop. I am not looking to undermine true Christian hip-hop artists. Just because a person finds God doesn’t make him a true Christian hip hop artist. I don’t want to be disrespectful to true Christian hip-hop artists. I also don’t want a label. I’ve come to find that you can’t box God in. He has a place in every nook and cranny of life. I don’t wanna take what I do now and let people throw me in a certain box. I respect everything that brings glory and honor to God. But I am an emcee. And a Christian.
What’s one thing that fans would be surprised to know about you?
That I skateboard. And that I have a mini-ramp in my house. I’ve been doing that since I was about 13.
So you and Skateboard P, huh?
Haha, Yeah man. Yeah.
You said that you are looking to change your rap alias because you are not a malicious person. What led you to pick that name in the first place, and are you still looking to change it?
I picked that name in the first place, because that’s how I said that I attacked the words I use. Now I feel that it’s a moniker that’s stuck with me. My new name won’t be too far off from what I go by now. You’ll hear it very soon.
What can we expect from your upcoming mixtape, Hear Ye Him?
Purpose-driven lyrics. Lyrics that have substance. It will have the same, if not more intellectual wordplay and imagery. I’m still painting those same pictures. It’s gonna take a lot of people by storm. It’s very powerful. When you’re an emcee and rhyming is your passion, I feel that there is no greater force than believing what you’re saying and wanting it for the betterment of music. I stand behind it and will not be swayed.
If there was one thing you could tell the world right now, what would it be?
I just wanna let people know what I have in the works. Of course the book “Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked” the audio book w/ all the characters in the book. It’s not just me narrating, you’ll hear all the characters.
Also, watch out for Chalk Out Lines of Snow Angels by Jasmine Mans. She’s like an internet sensation. Her cause aligns so well with my cause, just to bring awareness and definitely bring more positivity to what we do. Look for her book coming out under Thorn10 publishing. That’s like my first venture really, my second book that I’m publishing. If you check her out on youtube you’ll see how phenomenal she is. I just want to let people know what I’ve got coming in the works.
What is the ultimate goal you have for your music?
My ultimate goal for my music is to open someone’s eyes. Encouraging someone to think for themselves, to inspire people to be true to themselves and not to follow what everyone else is doing.
A manifesto is a declaration of intents and principles. What is your Artistic Manifesto?
My Artistic Manifesto is, to put things short, just to express. Not to preach, but just give my point of view. A lot of people feel the way that I feel but haven’t seen the options that I have. I wanna offer something different. Not saying you have to agree with me, but you can weigh one against the other and choose, as opposed to just following what’s already out there. Not taking a dump on anything that’s out there, but my life has been an open book from the beginning.
To be honest with you bro, Clipse music is very real music. It’s so non-fiction, it’s crazy. I listen to a lot of other emcees, and Clipse is the real thing bro. If you believe in the things that I was saying then- and we definitely lived it- I think that gives me credibility now that I’ve changed up.
0 comments:
Post a Comment