From John Lennon to the Wu-Tang Clan, New York City has always been the city cutting edge artists want to call home, and up-and-coming hip-hop crew
Folk & Stress are proud to carry on that proud tradition of Empire city creativity. As they prepare to release their upcoming debut album 'The Box", coming soon, the dynamic duo join RefinedHype to talk about their NY roots, the end of Wocka Flocka foolishness and what it was like to work with rap luminaries like Aesop Rock and GZA.
RefinedHype: If I didn't know, how could I hear in your music that you're New York emcees?
Folk & Stress: Much of our lyrical content has direct references to the culture and places unique to New York City. "85 Booth memorial / Second coming metaphor / Last of the Mohican rap / Call me James fennimore" -stress. Our beats are very new york as well. Kinda like most Premier records, our snares are always grimy, hats are always loud, the flow is always on point . It's just new York shit, kinda hard to explain..a style that has evolved over many years boom bap is New York, heavy drums no bullshit.
RefinedHype: From Gza to Aesop Rock you've got a lot of stellar New York rappers on your new album. What was working with them like?
Folk & Stress: It was a learning process and we got to see first hand how it's done in the professional realm . Working with all the artists was smooth and the communication level was definitely there. Aesop and Vast came with a unique sound and helped elevate the album... Working with Vast and Blu was interesting. We worked with nothing but professionals on the record and it helped us raise the bar. Choco ("36 Chambers", "Wu Tang Forever") engineered the record and helped us bring put our full potential while Dreddy was at the helm..Working with the Gza was refreshing We got to the studio played the beat, drank a couple of beers. He went in I think three takes and nailed it. Touring with the gza was another level, crazy time. We also received an unbelievable amount of support from many people while making this records. Peace to Harry Fraud, Push, Preservation and Dreddy, Shawnell, Dro, Brett Hart, etc...
RefinedHype: Where do you go to get inspired?
We get inspired by everyday life and the things we see.. The news, media, everything. The city, the weather, people, food, family, the working class, long island, particularly Suffolk county, I mean holy fuck have you ever been out there?! Um, Guy Fieri, Justin Tsimfuckis, Peter Gabriel, Thomas Leer, GG Allin. You know a lot of people and things.
RefinedHype: If I'm rolling through New York where can I find you?
Folk & Stress: If you're rolling through NYC you can find us in Williamsburg or the LES or if we play a show, you can come see us. Or you can find us In Woodstock for the summer where we hibernate in our solar powered, hydroelectric recording studio in the woods.
RefinedHype: Last words?
Folk & Stress: Hopefully the shit will clear and real hip-hop will once again emerge in the mainstream. 2010 is about lyrics no adlibs, no wocka flocka flame. No oohs and ahhs no more dancing. Everything's gonna end in 2012 so we gotta come extra hard. Download our singles on itunes ("New York Ginseng" feat the gza. Look out for "The Box".
Shoutout to Dreddy, Peter Oasis and Live n Direct, Jayson Williams, and come check us out live February 27, Saturday night at Santos party house (100 Lafayette) for DJ Babu's record release party with Pill, Corey Gunz, and yours truly.
Shoutout to Peter Rosenberg and Sucio Smash and all the college DJs that have been playing our shit. Also, the majority of emcees in the game aren't saying anything. I mean a lot of you can flow and form basic rhyme couplets, however, when it comes to making people really go oh shit! a lot of you are slacking. Start saying something. Shoutout to DJ Woze.
