HHP Exclusive Interview: Now On

 

Hey what up Now On this is Mookie from TheHipHopost.com, for those
unfortunate readers who aren’t aquatinted with you guys, could you give us
a brief description of the group and your style?

Jackson – What’s good homey. Yes, you said it, those “unfortunate” readers haha. We’re Now On, the transcendent, post-futuristic, experimental music group hailing from the small town just 30 miles west of Detroit in great state of Michigan, currently residing in the metropolis known as Los Angeles, which we call home. Now On is comprised of DJ Haircut, IX Lives and Jackson Perry. Our music is soulful, electronic and probably not like anything you’ve heard before.

 How and when did Now On officially form?

Haircut – We formed circa 2004 – originally as a collaborative project
between two different groups. It worked so well, we decided to make it a
permanent thing.

 Are there specific artists that have influenced your music?

IX Lives- We definitely have specific influences. My biggest musical
influence is my Pops ,who was an original member of The Dramatics. The dope
thing about being a part of Now On is that we each have a unique set of
influences that fit together when we sit down to create. That is a key part
in the development of our sound.

 Ultimately, what did you want people to come away with after listening to Tomorrow Already?

Haircut – Hopefully they had fun. Fun is important. And I think almost
anyone who listens to the new album will agree that it’s different. We
wanted people to feel like they knew us after hearing it.

 When you are not writing or recording, what are you guys’ favorite pastimes?

Jackson – Running A-Side Worldwide. Living The New ModelT. Meditation,
eating bomb foods, working out, celebration, new business endeavors. Grown
man games.

Haircut – diggin for records, cooking, baking, eating, travelling.

IX Lives- Art, Grilling, Basketball(watching NBA or playing), Digging up
records, Building with the crew.

 Who were each of you supporting in this year’s election?

Jackson – Obama, although it must be noted that I don’t associate with any
political party.

Haircut – I’m voting for Obama – but the important thing is that I’m
voting.

IX Lives- Obama

 What would you guys say is your genre or classification as musicians?

I would say experimental Hip-Hop. I mean, the truth of the matter is that
we make Hip-Hop music, although we can’t name a single group in Hip-Hop that
we sound like. In that sense, it’s just music. It’s genre-defying and
genre-defining. It’s very New ModelT.

 I know that on Tomorrow Already you worked with some pretty renowned
producers such as Jake One and The Lab Techs. Which producer was your
favorite to work with?

Haircut – 14KT (pick up his new album “The Golden Hour”!)

 I noticed a lot of different things going on in the covers. Can you give
us some insight on the representations or meanings of the background in
each cover?

Overall the covers represent change, the passing of time, movement into the
future, letting go of the past, celebration, fun, and beauty of the human
race. There are a lot of meaningful symbols in each cover, but it’s up to
you to interpret them.

Huge thanks to Now On for taking some time out of their busy schedules to answer these questions with us. Props to Stephanie!

Check out more from Now On Here

HHP Review Of Now On’s 2008 Release, Tomorrow Already

Album Review: Tomorrow Already – Now On

Now On is a progressive LA hip hop trio consisting of emcees IX Lives, Jackson Perry, and Haircut (Of The Athletic Mic League). I am coming into this review completely unbiased as I had never heard of them before until this.

First off let’s talk about production…

Beats in Tomorrow Already range fall into the downbeat, headbanger category. They aren’t big and complicated which provides a simpler sound to the album. And while scratching and mixing is apparent, it is not overdone. In other words, the beats and lyrical style are balanced rather than one overpowering the other.

The only downside of the production is that I felt like they tried too hard to make it follow the “theme” by being futuristic. For example “The Return”, has some kind of synth pattern and distortion in the background which just gets annoying after awhile.

Laid-back lyrics and vocal choruses are steady throughout the album which I think is an aspect that goes well with the theme. If you look at popular mainstream hip hop artists like Kanye West and Lil Wayne you see a trend. Yes, they both rely on the autotune effect to cover up the fact that they can’t sing, but the more important thing is that they are singing!

The age of hardcore gangsta rap is coming to an end and this more RnB influenced rap seems to be growing more popular by the day. Now On, as a group, represents what is is next to come in the future of hip hop.

The album’s lyrics are not radio qualifiable. (Good thing, it means they have content)

Overall this is something you pop in at the end of the day at home and just vibe to. Definitely worth a listen.

B+