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The Capital Q - Exclusive Interview with Rock Steady Rhymer Q-Unique
Q-Unique portrait by Salvador Rojas Photography | Brookyln NYC
BrownPride.com: Who is Q-Unique?
Q-Unique: I'm from the Brooklyn New York, also the Bronx, been a student of Hip Hop since 1979, and when I say student I mean a fan, a follower. We started making demos around 1985,86. I got my first
record deal in 1988 and never stopped making records from 1992 and on. I've written for C&C Music Factory, I've done work with Fieldy from Korn, worked with the Rock Steady Crew... you name it... been there.
BrownPride.com: So you have been involved in other aspects of Hip Hop??
Q-Unique: Well, I've been involved with breaking, I've done graffiti. I'm not gonna say that I'm a legend like Crazy Legs or anything like that. They mastered that, but growing up in the Bronx that
was the thing to do. We didn't have little League or anything like that. So yes, I've been involved in every aspect of the culture.
BrownPride.com: How long have you been a part of The Rock Steady Crew?
Q-Unique: Since 1989.
BrownPride.com: And their influences...
Q-Unique: For me it was more like finding Yoda. I grow up in New York and saw the graffiti train going to school, it didn't dawn on my how important it was. Then as those things started fading and
different things started happening then when the Rock Steady Crew came and thought me how important it is. Then I met Africa Bambaataa and he introduced me to the Zulu Nation and I learned even more. From
there I started learning about being a Puerto Rican and learning to be proud and find out who I am. You know it became like a whole new re-discovery of myself.
BrownPride.com: You have been blessed?
Q-Unique: Yes, now again as a kid these people were always on my block. I was star struck. One time, Crazy Legs came to my house when I was 12 years old for my birthday, I was with my grandma. It was
like the equivalent of having a big celebrity coming to your house. I go to Europe and I have cats tell me "I wish I had your eyes".
BrownPride.com: The Rock Steady Crew has a lot of influence, like in Japan, kind of have like branches around the world, do you see the influences you guys have traveling around the world?
Q-Unique: Yes - I definitely see the influence, but I don't mess around with the influences when it comes to making my music. As I got more serious with the music I kind of kept it more true to
myself. I'm not trying to be the Hip Hop cop talking about break dancing in my rhymes. I don't do that. There are people that do that, I don't, I talk about my life.
BrownPride.com: Can you describe the influences on you music?
Q-Unique:You know as far as the musical influences I can go with the obvious ones like Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, but then I can go outside the box. Influences like Slipknot, Red Hot Chilli Peppers,
System of a Down, you know music that has edge and punches you in the faces, that's what I go for. Then it always goes outside of music see what they have done and how it influences my life?
BrownPride.com: You have Worked with Korn?
Q-Unique: Yes, I did a beat with Fieldy of Korn, and it came out Incredible.
BrownPride.com: Do you see any paralles between Punk and Hip Hop, it seems like you have the Punk / Rock spirit?
Q-Unique: Yes, of course - because in my mind Hip Hop is suppose to be Anti-Establishment. Although today a lot of Hip Hop seems to be getting paid off of the establishment. For me it was always
anti-establishment, I remember me getting yelled at by my pops. Specially growing up Puerto Rican, your an alien for doing "Moreno Music". They differently did not understand where I was coming from.
BrownPride.com: As far as what you say about "Moreno Music" that stigma seems to be affect the older generations, but that seems to be disappearing?
Q-Unique portrait by Salvador Rojas Photography | Brookyln NYC
Q-Unique: First of all it's not true, in my mind. I was in the Bronx in 1979, 1980. I remember Puerto Ricans there, I remember Latinos there. I say see it as like we came up at the same time, but for some reason when the business side started someone just pushed us back and we just stood for it. In my eyes, we just stood there like "okay we'll wait". I know we were there from the beginning, I know because I seen it with my own eyes. I've seen Puerto Ricans rappers in 1979, 1981, etc...
That's the shame of the business too, because I'm an odd ball, because I do very little in Spanish. I'll do a little Spanglish if Tony Touch invites me on a track. I was born here in New York so I speak English and I rap in English. So, my color is not right and my language isn't right. It's sad because I go Europe, I'm good, I go to Japan, I'm good, I go to Australia, I'm good. I come home and it's you know, rough. It's a shame!
I love telling this story that happen to me one time, I was chillin' at a club and this other rapper, this kid came up to me and was like "Yo Q - You rap in Spanish?" and I was like "Do you rap in African?" I'm like what does that mean kid I was born here just like you. Jay Z raps in Spanish I don't see anyone trying to cut him a reggaton deal? It's a crime (but) if you want to rap in Spanish I definitely have respect. I go to Spain and I do records with Spanish Speaking rappers - that's all they speak. is Spanish and I have a blast. I've gotten contacted by Colombian artists as well. I definitely love it, I'm just not incredible with it. I do English, that's what I'm good with.
BrownPride.com: What do you think of Los Angeles and New York cats hooking up?
Q-Unique: I think it's really necessary. I speak a lot with Sick Jacken from The Psycho Realm you know, that's my boy. We're suppose to be doing mixtape things together and to me its real necessary you know, because the industry trys to divide us. Now we are divide by coast so it's up on us to get together to and do what we gotta do.
BrownPride.com: So the labels are putting the barriers?
Q-Unique: I feel like it is, that's my opinion. I've been in meetings with big labels like in 1991, where they would get in my face and tell me "yo you need to do what Gerardo is doing" and laughing I
would be like "what? chill out man". I've been in situations where the label would get the tape, the manager sends the pictures and they be like "A yo the kid sounds great, but Puerto Ricans - they don't
sell and we will never make money so forget it..."
BrownPride.com: Did Big Pun alleviate that?
Q-Unique:
Of course, he kicked down the door. For a second it gave us a sense of pride, but it's almost fading, because again for English speaking rappers it's still a challenge. Because no one is running out English
Speaking (Latino) Rapper, and another thing is that all of a sudden there is this Latino crave and we all just landed on the planet like "Yo let's welcome them, they just got here"
BrownPride.com:But Big Pun
didn't want to be known as a Latino rapper?
Q-Unique: But he never denied it, and he would come out on stage with his Puerto Rican bandanna and he used Spanish here and there and if you looked at his face he didn't look black, and Fat Joe too.
He trys to blend it in, he isn't gonna come out with a flag on his back and it's a shame to say it, you got to, you got to. There is no why the industry are gonna let it slide, unless our own people stop
being scared and let it slide. In today's industry people are just not willing to take the risk that's why a lot of the music from the 60's and 70's is probably some of the greatest music ever recorded on
the planet, because those people were willing to take risks and do crazy shit.
BrownPride.com:Did the Reggaeton movement set back Hip Hop?
Q-Unique: Nah, I'm cool with it - I'm cool with it. It definitely gave jobs to our people, it employees people - our people and it kept them eating, it kept them touring, so I can't be mad at it. It's
not something that I do, but it keeps people busy and doing things. How can I hate that? It's funny because in when I did the Arsonists albums - the group I was with before I did the solo stuff. It's crazy
because all the Latino rappers were rapping in English, and you had a few that rapped in Spanish but for the most part they all rapped in English. Now that Reggaeton "Hit" they are all doing Reggaeton and
they forgot about English rap and that's where their head is at. They are just trying to get in some how. I'm stubborn, I'm gonna stay my ground until I get it...
BrownPride.com: Do you think it's about finding a formula?
Q-Unique: I think it's more of the industry putting down the iron fist saying "This is how you're gonna get paid". If someone would have came and just gave a few cats the opportunity it would have
happen. Psycho Realm, they're Latino and a lot of their stuff is in English right? Their shit is hot to me, so I don't know. Why can't it? Delinquent Habits put out hot shit back in the day. Why couldn't it
have been big like the other stuff? It's English? It's hot, so what's the differences? The skin color? Their background? Isn't that a shame? Isn't that kind of crazy when you really look at it?
BrownPride.com: I've heard people say that there is
problem with Latinos not supporting Latino produced music?
Q-Unique: Yeah, that's true too. Look at Fat Joe, to me he is a star. Look to see if he sold platinum? That's a shame because I've seen him on the red carpet, I've seen him at the Grammy's, I've seen
him in movies, I've seen him in cell phone commercials. The list goes on you know? You know what it is? There is a program for 20 years that tells us this is what rap music looks like, make sure you know
what rap music looks like because it can't look like anything else but this. So anything else - what kind of chance do I have? What kind of chance do I have competing with a skin color man? That's crazy!
But, since I'm more of a stubborn person, I don't give a damn! I'm gonna stick to my grind, I'm gonna still go out to Europe and then come here and have my little fan base and tour the U.S. and have my
little van and do what I gotta do until someone says "you know what give it to this guy already man."
BrownPride.com: When in Spain I seen the The Beatnuts
perform out there and they loved it and they didn't understand the lyrics.
Q-Unique Yup! And you know what's crazy when I went out there this last time, I went out there with Mobb Deep and Pitbull was there. When he came out he had a hard time, because when he came out he
was trying to do the Reggaeton on stage and the (crowd) wasn't having it. They were like "No, No, No.. We want Hip Hop". It's no disrespect to him, but it's just to show you were there mind is at?
And I'm Puerto Rican, I say some Spanish on stage, my Spanish is chopped. I say some words just to get them hyped, but my whole show is in English. And they were jumping like crazy - like if it was a
Slipknot show, Mobb Deep too. They don't speak no Spanish and they had the crowd going crazy.
BrownPride.com: So, what you got going on right now?
I have my album out right now called Vengeance is Mine, its out on a small independent label called Uncle Howie. You can check out the website www.q-unique.com
BrownPride.com: Q Capital Gracias Homie!
Q-Unique Thank you man!!
Interview and Photography by Salvador Rojas Location: Brooklyn NEW YORK CITY / Transcribed by Danny B
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