Don’t think that Jamal Bufford’s not marketable—he stays freshly-dipped in fly gear, he’s charismatic, and he’s a major component of the lauded new wave of Michigan Hip Hop. But like the title of his album Pure implies, Buff1 is one of the few emcees whose music speaks entirely for itself. Pure made waves everywhere from URB (Next 1000) to OkayPlayer (4.5 Questies) with Buff’s agile, digestible flow and his versatility to switch between blistering bars and well-executed concepts. Not bad for an artist who had been a team player for his entire career, as a member of the immensely-talented Ann Arbor crew Athletic Mic League.
But these days, Buff1 is feeling the pressure. With the success of Pure fresh in his—and listeners’—mind(s), he’s looking to make more “powerful music.” His upcoming LP, There’s Only One, sees him minimizing the temporary pleasures of punchlines in exchange for songs about applicable, topics: guys who let their women restrict their freedoms, giving hope to people trapped in street life, and encouraging his peers to stay accountable for themselves. With consistent, monumental lyrics and his AML groupmates The LabTechs contributing riveting soundbeds that are just as effective, Buff1 says that he’s looking to make a “classic” record—and while it still has to stand the test of time, it seems like he’s gotten pretty close. In an interview with MichiganHipHop.com, Buff1 talks about fixing what wasn’t broken, and making music that matters. Continue reading →
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You have cats from all over Michigan. You got dudes in Detroit, you know about the history with Breed in Flint. You got cats in Grand Rapids and Saginaw and everywhere else. What advice do you have for these cats who are trying to get into hip-hop? What do you suggest that they do?
He doesn’t have the universal love of Eminem or a posthumous J Dilla, but Quest M.C.O.D.Y. has done his duty in representing Detroit outside of the city’s boundaries. He’s been on Showtime as a contestant in its The Next Episode series with Interscope Records, he was one of VIBE’s Top 51 Unsigned Rappers in VIBE magazine last year, and made an appearance on MTV True Life. He’s also established himself as an elite battle rapper, rapping both solo and alongside fellow Detroiter MarvWon in the likes of the storied Rap Olympics, the World Championship Rapping battle with Jumpoff.TV, and other countless competitions.
The adage “You don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been” holds true in virtually everything, but it’s especially relevant in music. Detroit producer/multi-instrumentalist Zo! has followed this mantra throughout his entire career, and it’s served him well. Respect for his predecessors has enabled him to re-play classics as a member of the Guerilla Funk Mob live band, provided him with a palette for his various remix projects and beats for Michigan’s elite emcees, and given him material to educate special education high school students as a teacher in Washington, D.C. Peer-to-peer reverence between him and Little Brother’s Phonte spurred the newly-released “Zo! And Tiggalo Love The 80’s,” an EP that sees the duo covering hits from the likes of Toto and Joe Jackson. In an interview with MichiganHipHop.com, Zo! talks about working with Phonte, the ridiculous album cover, and knowing where you come from. 
Detroit emcee iLLite considers himself a pupil in the Hip Hop game, whether it be from hard lessons taught on the streets or listening to other artists spit bars. Collaborating with a who’s who list of Michigan Hip Hop vets and up-and-comers like One Be Lo, Decompoze and Magestik Legend, only makes him stronger, growing through association. One half of the rap duo Octane and iLLite, there is nothing this west-side Detroit native won’t try, including stepping out on his own. Following last year’s The Forgotten…Chosen bookmarking of the chemistry between the duo, iLLite felt it was time to put his own schooling to the test, with the release of his solo debut Crème de la Crème. In an interview with MichiganHipHop.com, iLLite talks about what he brings to the table, his chemistry with Octane and his place in the Michigan Hip Hop movement and cannabis education. 
Detroit emcee Danny Brown has already gone through the whole “Visit New York to find a record deal” drill. After catching the attention of a Roc-A-Fella A&R in 2003, he went to the East Coast and recorded several mixtapes—his famed Detroit State of Mind trilogy—on other artists’ studio time, with beats from the likes of 9th Wonder and Kanye West handed to him. But the Roc’s untimely demise, along with Brown’s lack of chemistry with the crew’s already-established brand, landed him back in the Motor City.
DJ Young Mase is essentially the heart of the Detroit street Hip Hop scene’s circulatory system—as much as everyone else works independently, they’re still connected to him. .After studying the game while working radio at Clear Channel for seven years, Mase left to build his own empire. And these days, that empire is fully intact: between being a member of The Aphilliates Music Group team with heavyweights like DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon, serving as Obie Trice’s official DJ, and crafting street classics for everyone from D12 to Quest M.C.O.D.Y., he keeps a busy schedule. Last week, he started his Operation Young Mase campaign, in which he plans to release new music from some of the aforementioned artists every week. Fortunately, he had the time to sit down with MichiganHipHop to go into detail about his success, give advice on how the state’s Hip Hop scene can expand, and react to Jermaine Dupri’s “The DJ is dead” comments. 
Dwele’s not exactly an emcee, but he’s as Hip Hop as they come. The Detroit soul singer got his start by working with the likes of J Dilla, Slum Village and Bahamadia, and the past couple years have seen him contribute hooks to superstars Common and Kanye West. Last year’s Grammy Awards serve as a perfect example of Dwele’s dual citizenship between Hip Hop and R&B: both his interpretation of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “That’s the Way of the World” and his collaboration with Kanye, “Flashing Lights,” were nominated for awards. Dwele hopes to capitalize off of his newfound exposure with Sketches of a Man—his upcoming LP that he says is more Hip Hop than his previous two releases. In an interview with MichiganHipHop, Dwele talks about smoky sound sessions with Dilla; revisits the storied Breakfast Club with Elzhi (of Slum Village), Lacks (currently known as Ta’Raach), Hodge Podge (currently known as Big Tone) and 87; and how he would organize his ideal album with no strings attached. 
MC Serch is living proof that success in Hip Hop outside of the booth is possible—and it doesn’t have to be a clothing line. After a successful rap career both as a soloist and with the group 3rd Bass, the Queens, NY native founded Serchlite Music. As head of the company, he helped prime the careers of rap legends like Nas and O.C., helping craft their classic Illmatic and Word…Life LPs. He also discovered Non Phixion, who would go on to be staples of the underground rap scene.
Invincible is releasing her first album this year, but don’t get it twisted: the Detroit emcee has been reppin’ the mitten for years. Moving to Ann Arbor from Palestine when she was seven years old, she learned English through Hip Hop by writing down lyrics to her favorite songs and looking up the words. The rest is history: earning a rep in open mics and ciphers led to her working with Michigan all-stars like J Dilla and Dabrye, and to thriving in New York as a member of the all-female Anomolies crew and a writer/performer of MTV’s defunct Lyricist Lounge Show. She’s also been deeply involved with