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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Brooklyn MC D. Julien Chops It Up With BFochs!


BFochs: What's good D. Julien? Thanks for taking the time to do this interview man, it's always dope when an artist takes time out of their busy schedule to chop it up with BFochs. What's good though man, what's goin' down in New York?

D. Julien: No problem man. Everything is smooth out here too.

BFochs: That's what it is, how about you give the kind BBB readers a formal introduction, just incase they haven't caught on to the D. Juilen movement yet. Tell em your name, where your from, what movement your reppin' and your favorite mixtape ever.

D. Julien: What up to all the readers. I'm D.Julien from Brooklyn, New York. I'm the future of music. It may sound cliche but listen to the music and tell me what you guys think. My favorite mixtape of all time would have to be ..... "Let Me Introduce Myself" by D.Julien. Favorite album of all time would have to be Ready To Die though.

BFochs: I can dig it, you hail from New York, the birth place of it all, but the naysayers nad haters claim NYC fell off, or doesn't have the same deep talent pool as it once did, what are your thoughts on these comments?

D. Julien: Being that New York is the mecca, a lot of pressure is placed on New York artists to live up to the "hype" and follow in the footsteps of New York artist that have paved the way. Music in general is just evolving. Different eras equal different music. If listeners just get a little bit more open minded and think for themselves then they'll realize that artist from New York such as myself have accepted this evolution of music and are trying to run with it with a different style of music; not cliche. Music within New York is stable. So is the Hip Hop culture!

BFochs: I agree, music is really evolving, you mentioned that people think you have ot live up to a certain standard because you are from birthplace of Hip Hop. Do you think you have a responsibility as a repper of the birthplace of hip hop to continue on the NYC legacy or do you plan on going in another direction?

D. Julien: Music is worldwide. The ultimate goal as an artist is to get your music to be heard by the masses. I've already gone in another direction in terms of what I'm making music about. At the same time I still keep the grassroots in mind and I won't forget where I came from.

BFochs: I respect that, you have to do what you want to do, but keeping the history in mind is important too. Your from Brooklyn, the home to many infamous rappers. Which rapper from Brooklyn has inspired you the most thus far in your career and why?

D. Julien: I tell people all the time when I heard the Ready To Die album, that's when I knew this is what I want to do. We(Biggie and I) didn't necessarily have the same stories but I knew where he was coming from and I knew I was capable of expressing my thoughts in such a manner.

BFochs: If you could talk to Biggie how do you think the conversation would go?

D. Julien: Oh that's a good one. I think he appreciated people who were real. Not just music, but as a person. I'm 100% real in my music just like he was. I think he would appreciate that I'm doing my thing the right way.

BFochs: Real recognize real, people think you have to be on some wild street shit to be heard, but that is not the case. If you could describe your style in a few sentences how would you go about doing that? What is the main focal point in your music?

D. Julien: My style is experimental definitely to a limit of course. I definitely like to be different from the rest as you see when you hear my music. For me, it's imperative to stand out especially being from New York. I'm just trying to bring the art of lyricism and substance back to rap music in attempts to move music in a forward progression.

BFochs: I definitely can sense your focus on lyrics and artistry in your music. Why do you think the main reason artistry and lyricism has seemly become less important in hip hop?

D. Julien: Balance has been poor. Balance meaning balancing your lyrics and concept to make a great song that the masses would want to hear. Lupe did it with "Superstar" and did a great job. He probably will never sell more than 50 Cent though even though it's clear who's better "lyrically". Most people want something they can listen to and don't have to think to hard about the track. The correct balance can create that. I'll show that.

BFochs: How will you go about it?

D. Julien: The art of lyricism will always be evident in my music. I want to ultimately make global music. The only way I can make music that is liked globally is if I appeal to all crowds with my music. Guys like 50 Cent and Jay-Z just to name two have developed that skill. Jay-Z is obviously a great lyricist that makes great global music. Just the correct balance that I will show is possible.

BFochs: Balance I believe is a good focus. Let's stray away from the music talk for a minute. We got some heavy stuff going down with our economy and a lot of noise is being made with the current election. What are your thoughts on this fuckery? Who are you rocking with in the election?

D. Julien: Lol. I'm actually very into politics. Not old enough to vote sadly, but if I could I'd vote Obama. Not because I'm black either. I could go on and on about why I'd vote Obama. Not here to stray anyone's political views but I'm just stating my opinion. The economy is fucked. I go to school a block away from Wall St. So I get to see everything in terms of the "chaos" as it went down. It's getting better gradually though, but for how long.

BFochs: That's what it is. I too am rocking with Obama. If you could say anything to Bush, what would you say?

D. Julien: You stole your first four years and you ruined the country in your next four.

BFochs: Preach, I'd probably slap him lol. Back to the music. You have embraced the blog culture full steam, you've even gone as far as making songs just for blogs. What is your take on the blog era?

D. Julien: Blogs/Bloggers have made it so easy for artist like me to get our name out there. I'll continue to make songs for the bloggers/blogs. Primarily to help with my buzz and secondly just to show my appreciation. Let's face us you bloggers can say "fuck off" even if the music is dope. You guys "choose" to give artist such like myself exposure which is great. Music on Blogs>Radio!



BFochs: For real, the radio is wack, ya I went there, satellite radio is dope, but regular radio is for the birds. I respect you for respecting us, we aren't the most important people, but we do hold some weight lol. Let's talk about your mixtape "Let Me Introduce Myself." I gave it a few listens through and I thought it was pretty damn dope man. What goals did you set to accomplish when dropping "Let Me Introduce Myself?"

D. Julien: Just what it says. To introduce myself. It was my first project. So far, so good, right?

BFochs: I'd say so, I would have thought it was like your 5th lol. What projects or tracks do you have in the mix now or will be releasing soon? What type of things can we expect to see from D. Julien in let say the next year?

D. Julien: Well besides the almost weekly tracks for the bloggers, I'm still working on my next project. It's ridiculous. I definitely stepped it up. Some projects that you'll definitely be surprised to hear me on, like seriously. In 2009, I see my buzz being even crazier. Few label offers, etc. I got indie offers off of that first tape so, nuff said. I'm shooting high!

BFochs: I can dig it, you are definitely heading in the right direction. I fux with the D. Julien movement. Watch out people! D. Julien is coming and he is not taking any prisoners! lol. Any shout outs, comments or last words before we wrap this thing up?

D. Julien: Shout out to you for the interview and for supporting me. Shout out to everyone making good music. You'll hear the name D.Julien a lot in the near future.

BFochs: I'm tellin' you people, this dude spit something fierce, don't be like a year from now and be all like "whoa did you hear that D. Julien? he's sick!" We warned you! lol. Good looks once again on the interview man, I wish you the best of luck and continued success in your quest for rap supremacy, take it easy!

D. Julien: Thanks man, I appreciate it.


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