Audio Nine:Fifteen
Keep Trying (ft. Radel Esca)

MP3.com: So when did the group first come together? Blake9: Comel and I met in early 2001 through mutual friend Jaysonic. The two of them were doing the Time Machine thing around DC. They had opened for a crew I was good friends with called Defined Print. So, I had seen them around and enjoyed their performances. Jaysonic and I become friends and had gotten together a few times to work on beats. I brought one over to his house that I had been working on one day. Jay liked the beat but wasn't necessarily thrilled; however, Comel heard it playing in the background and really liked it. That beat eventually became a track called "Say What" that I put out on 7-inch later that year. This is before we were even going by the name Nine:Fifteen. Comel, what drew you to Blake's beats? I just thought they were dope. I heard them, I thought they were dope. It was weird because I had just started writing. Like, Jay had been into hip-hop, he had his album Hot Air out, and you know, Blake was over there and he made this beat. And I just thought the beat was just dope. And he was like, "No one's rapping over this beat. Do you want to rap over it?" And I was like, "sure." So, I rapped over one beat, I rapped over two beats, I rapped over three beats, we had a project. How does the latest single, "Walking With Fire," compare to your other releases? Blake9: I definitely think this is our best record to date. Not to take anything away from the "Spilt Milk" and "Deluxe Laminated" projects. They did their thing and the numbers show it, but this recording shows our group to date. A more refined Nine:Fifteen, as it should, we may not sell as many 12-inches as we did the other two. Vinyl isn't selling like it used to. However, we've been making music for some time now and I think we've honed our skills, we know how to get the most out of our talents. I think Comel's rhymes are comprehendible as well as complex. He's become a much more polished MC. He's had a lot more experiences and tells his story's well. Also, both of our guests on this record are super talented. The beats are hitting hard and I think I did a pretty good job on the mix. With that said, there's always room for improvement. And are you guys working on a full length as well? Comel: Yeah, we're working on a full length now. And like, none of those songs on the 12-inches will be on the full length. So, therefore, it's like—they're pieces of themselves, you know, like someone would say, "Oh, I have this project." And then when you get the full length, it'll be something completely different as well. How deep are you into recording? Comel: Not too deep, yeah, we have a couple of songs going. We have a bunch of beats, you know, but that's going to be a huge process because we've never done a full length before, together, so it's going to be a learning process for both of us. When you guys are recording, are you actually in the same studio together knocking stuff out, or are you doing it via email and Pro Tools and that type of stuff, or what? Comel: It depends. Like, if we have a guest on a song, such as the song with Shawn Jackson, "The One I Always Cry For," it'll be recorded out there, because Shawn actually lives in LA at the moment. And then I'm working on a song with Alex Newman from Giant Panda and that'll be recorded out here as well. But, for all the stuff that's just me, then I go to Virginia and we record it all in his studio. There's a lot of people out there that still haven't heard you guys and have no idea what's up. To the uninitiated, how would you describe the Nine:Fifteen sound? Comel: Nine:Fifteen, it's like, hmm, let me see. It's very, very just raw, like very...just a paraplegic on steroids type sound. It's almost dysfunctional to a point, because we just do s*** and it comes out good for us. So, it's very, just very, very raw. Just like a paraplegic, you know. You see somebody with some ill broken style and you're just like, "yo, that s*** looks wild but it's still dope." Blake9: Give us a listen! You might like what we're doing. Blake, your production style is clearly based on the classic, golden era vibe -- you still rock the SP-1200. As a producer, what is it about that era that speaks to you? Yes, I like good hip-hop. Good music is what speaks to me. It just so happens that a lot of the style of hip-hop that I prefer was coming out in the late 80's early 90's. There is a lot of good music out there, it's just too bad that it doesn't have the same vehicle as major label artists have. The beats from that time period speak to me. For sure. What else are you working on, besides the Nine:Fifteen stuff? Comel, you're in the studio with Time Machine right now? Yeah, Time Machine is three-fourths finished with our second album, and I just have to tell you, dude, it's nothing like you've ever heard before. It's completely…we've done a good enough job to transition you through the old style to this new—the new stuff that we're working on which is—I mean, sometimes I think it's not even hip-hop anymore. It's so nuts. Do you guys have a working title for it or a street date? No, we don't have anything. It's still so loosely, like, we have songs that aren't done because we need someone to say this, or we need like, you know, sound effects that haven't been included yet. So, we have so many songs that are like, ninety percent done.But it'll definitely be available next year and we're all really excited for it. It's the best stuff any of us have ever done. Whats up with your other projects Blake? The Acorns continue to make music. We're working on our second album now. We have about 8 tracks recorded. I'm trying to work on a solo album as well as a project with Prego 3.5 from the Forest Fires Collective. Hoping to get a few of them out next year too. Being 100% indie, and running your own label, do you feel like it helps or hinders you? Or both? Blake9: Definitely both, for the obvious reasons, we have no money in our budget. We struggle to get releases out. I can't pay our artists. However, we have the freedom to do whatever we want. Make the music we want to make and put it out. However, nobody is putting pressure on us, except us. I may put a little pressure on the artists to produce, but I feel that expectation is mutual. The artists I work with expect me to come through and do what I say is going to be done. Deliver the beats and make sure the releases are promoted. What is the best thing about hip-hop right now? and the worst? Blake9: Despite what the rumors may be, hip-hop is not dead, you might have to look a little harder to find it, but it's still out there. The search for and finding of good hip-hop music is the best thing. I do enjoy looking for talented folks that are making good hip-hop. I'd say the worst thing is what hip-hop is really about is being blurred. There are people making good music all over. You just have to put some time in finding it. It may not even be found on the radio. Comel: I think people know, for the artists that are popular, I think they know what their audiences want, and I think people, for the most part, want to go to a club and they want to hear something simple. The bottom line is people want to dance. And, that's cool, you know. Like, do your thing, be creative, be an artist. As far as I'm concerned, I consider myself to be a writer and I consider these other cats to be writers too. And at the moment, this is what's popular. Like, I have [Young] Jeezy's album. I think for me, I can see how things have their place in history and time. And I feel like everything right now has its place. And for me, you know, I don't know if I'm answering your question, but like, Nine:Fifteen, we have our place too. And we're doing our thing too. A lot of the songs to me, some songs, it's like, "what are you talking about?!" Like that "A Bay Bay" song, some songs I hate, that "Throw Some D's On It." Some songs I hate. Some people love it. Like, you know, my roommates love that song, I hate that song, you know, and it's like...it's hit or miss you know. Someone will put out a single and you'll be like, "wow, I like it, [or] I hate it." For me it's like, "Do your art," you know, I'm going to do my art, and what happens from there, if people happen to like it then you're talking to some sort of group of people somewhere. And for me it's like, yeah, you know, I'm going to do my art and I'm going to talk to my audience. But at the same time it's like, I don't know. It kind of sucks that kids don't understand that it's art, it's not real. So when is the Nine:Fifteen full-length dropping? Blake9: I'm pushing for a 2008 release date. So where can we find you online? Blake9: Candlewaxrecords.com, myspace.com/ninefifteen, our records can be purchased through UndergroundHipHop.com, AccessHipHop.com, as well as many other on line shops. Our MP3's can be found on iTunes, and pretty much any other mp3 provider. We're pretty well spread out on the net. So I got one more question for you then I'll let you roll. You know, you've been doing this for a minute now, you've got a lot of different projects out. You're not a millionaire off of it, but you've got an opportunity to travel a lot and tour overseas, pressing the vinyl and doing this and that. You definitely have a following. With the environment being the way it is now where every kid out there wants to rap, or wants to make beats, or start a label or a movement, or whatever, whatever, what advice would you give to all those cats out there that's trying to like, to do it to get into the rap game? Comel: I would say just be honest with your art, you know. Like, there's a lot of trends going on right now. Like, for me, there's a trend that I've noticed that it's cool to be wack. It's cool to have bad music. And it's like, if you're expressing yourself honestly and that's what you're doing, cool. So be it. But just watch out for trends and express yourself honestly and come original. No matter what you do, make sure you are being original. No doubt man, that's good advice. Well, thanks for taking the time and good luck on all the new projects. Comel: Word. Blake9: Thanks MP3.com.