REAL HIP HOP SHOW INTERVIEW
PROP DYLAN
1 / Hi prop Dylan. Please let's introduce yourself to the real hip hop fans.
Yo! Prop Dylan is that syllable spitting boombap titan from Sweden . I've pretty much worked with rap music since 1997 when my older cousin introduced me to Hip hop and ever since I've been
2/ what's the Ragin Goblins Group ?
That's my fam, that's where it all happened. Me and my man K-Element formed Rgs in 2001 after we had battled several times on the schoolyard at the lunch breaks. We definitely bonded and recognised each others skills so we decided to build. We've pretty much toured all around Scandinavia wrecking stages with groups as Swollen Members, Loop troop amongst others. We've even won live performance competitions several times. In 2005 we dropped our first real full length album "Travelling Freakshow" on a record label situated in Stockholm , Sweden . We sold a lot of copies of the album and when it was time to collect the check the label vanished in thin air, so we got jacked big time.
As of now we are working on our second full length album. 18 steaming hot tracks produced by international producers such as Domingo, Masse from Latin Kings/Salazar Brothers, Logophobia, JBL The Titan amongst others. We got some fine features on it too such as Esoteric from 7L&Esoteric, Pumpkinhead from Brooklyn Academy , Cymarshall Law(Rawkus) and some skilled Swedish rappers.
3/ what could you say about your label CATAPULTS Entertainment ?
I founded Catapults Ent in 2000 with my man CataOne but the got locked up for a while so it was put on the shelf for some years. But in 2005 me and my brethrens saw the opportunity to go all out on the idea to release our own stuff instead of chasing record labels to release our shit. So worked out a plan for my album and here we are now. We've released around 5 records to this day and we are working on a sixth drop at the moment entitled "Dalarnas Finest" we're we collect all the top lyricists in our region on a compilation.
Catapults core is runned by Me, Nekkidee, FHTEOD, K-Element , Ill -Tick P.O.E, Sidekick Sameal & Don Mind. We have also an extanded fam with other rappers and producers.
4/ Please let us know more about your releases, with the label, the crew and what about your new album ?
You already know about my album with RGS so ima go back even further. I've released about ten demos over the years but i am never satisfied always striving for perfection so i will not mention the titles of the demos in case you gonna go and dig for them haha!
My new album "Garbage Pail Kid" was dropped in June 2007 but I've worked on it for three years. I had a vision of having the best producers from Sweden on it and the most respected underground mc's from New York and i locked it down! I worked at an industrial complex in 2004 just to afford a trip to New York to record with Block McCloud from Brooklyn Academy . Me and my man Nekkidee went over the Atlantic ocean and stayed at Blocks for a while and established some good contacts there. When i got home i had some of the features for the album done and started to dig for some more.
5/ What could you say about the featurings ?
The greatest feature on the album is Wordsworth, i met him in Gothenburg when he did a show there and after that we established a connection and decided to do a track for the album entitled "As good as it gets" produced by the internationally known producer Soul Supreme, and i must say i was blessed cuz his verse is a real piece of art! There's not too many mc's today that lay it down like he do. The track was produced by I try to keep up the pace and if you ask me i did a good job. You can't have features on your album who will totally outshine you. I managed to work with those artists that I respect and also measure myself with. It might sound cocky but that's how I see on that matter.
As you know by now i hooked up with Block McCloud in Staten Island and we recorded two tracks, one for my album called "Clash Of The Titans" also featuring Sekken Thautz from a well known group called "Fjärde Världen" and K-Element from Ragin Goblins and one track yet not released. Block is also one of those diamonds in the rough that never get the shine that he deserves.
Block hooked me up with Pumpkinhead and i am thankful for that. We did a track entitled "No Dime A Dozens" where also an Mc from Sweden called Kashal-Tee features. The track was produced by Masse from the salazar brohters.
Me and Oktober Zero did a track called "Keep It Flowing" produced by Mr Menace from Ragin Goblins extended fam. It's basically syllable madness with some Big Pun inspired flows. The funny thing is; Oktober never heard my verses before the final mix, so when i gave him the track he was like: Yo! Man you totally killed me on the track haha!
6/ What the themes aborded in your album ?
Everything from classic battle rhyme shit to profound lyrics. As I said before I've worked on this album during a long time so I've been through a lot over those years and I must say that you can see a certain development in the structures of my rhyming and themes.
7/ Your beats are very nice some great samples... when i listen to the music, flow & lyrics, i really think that everything come from the U.S. .. Where do you find all your beats ? and how do you work to make a song ?
I would say New York to be more specific haha! Nah, ever since I started listen to rap I've been hooked to the east coast sound, that heavy flavour, boombap shit. But later on I've got into soul after making beats and listening to a lot of soul music so you can hear some songs on my album with a softer touch.
It was a constant chase to get all the producers for the album but I got in contact with the greatest in Sweden and they felt my music and wanted to work with me. That's pretty much how it went down.
It's a little bit different now since I got my name out; there are many producers out there who wants me to spit over their beats. I don't really give a fuck if they've done their first beat two weeks before they've contacted me, if they got that heat and the beats sparks me up ima spit over it. End of discussion.
Its often like I hear a beat and the opening line just pops up in my head, I know it's the one!
8/ I know the trainspotters and a man called C-4 The bomb.... with you, it confirm that there is a big Hip Hop scene in Sweden . How could you define this place for Hip Hop and for all these talented mc's ?
I wouldn't say that there's a lot of talented mcs in Sweden . I feel Trainspotters & C-4s music and a handful of other mcs up here but of some kind of strange reason all these skilled rappers never get to see the light of day in the media. Instead we see all these copycats that sounds like Kanye West or 50 Cent, we got like 100 000 of those already so why even bother copy their music? These rappers are the ones who succeed not those who work hard for it. I think Sweden is a perfect example of that.
It's like you have to take your sound and make it sound like another music genre to get recognition by the media out here.
9/ Where the people could see Prop dylan in a live show and where the fans could find your releases ?
I've done over 100 live shows all over Scandinavia so I am live all the time hehe. But mostly in Sweden though. I am working on a rather small European tour in April so I am talking to a lot of promoter at the moment.
The releases are available at propdylan@hotmail.com and some selected stores in Sweden and Norway .
10/ What's the future for prop dylan ? what's your objectives ?
Next goal is to get out my free downloadable Ep “The Afternoon Ep” produced by Logophobia featuring Freestyle from The Arsonists. At the moment we are recording Ragin Goblins “Guttersnipes” album and I've also started to work on my next solo album. So there are a lot of projects in the making. I am also working on a tour with Professor P & Supersci in Scandinavia in April and also a tour with a high profile name in January/February. You got to work hard to get where you're going.
11/ have u some words to add ? some shouts
Yeah off course! Buy my album on propdylan@hotmail.com and my album will be able for purchasing at ITUNES in a minute and a whole bunch of other net stores. Support that real good music and let it live.
Off course i want to give a big shout out to my man Dj Modesty for hooking me up, much appreciated. Catapults Ent, Stunt Man Mike and his godamn cats, Promoe from Looptroop Rockers, K-Element, Don Mind.
To contact PROP DYLAN :