I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Cymarshall Law, a recording artist on the new label HipNOTT Records (which was founded by SOHH creator/blogger Kevin Nottingham). He embodies the spirit of our “new golden era” philosophy (the creativity of the classic golden era artist with a modern sound), so it’s a pleasure to spotlight the brother here on the site. I did this interview in late Decemeber in conjunction with our folk at Hipster Overkill so you’ll find this interview on both sites (as per our very friendly sharing agreement; see kids, sharing IS caring…ha). We wanted to wait till it was up on Hipster Overkill, so that the article would “debut” on both sites at roughly the same time. So, here it is!
Oh, and the recorder I used died mid-interview, so we had to do it all again via e-mail. Read the results below…
1) What was it like being part of the Rawkus 50?
I was honored. Rawkus put out some of my favorite albums from Desire to Soundbombing 1 to Train of Thought, so I was happy to become a part of their legacy. Even though it was short lived, I made some good
connections with other artists and was happy for [that] time in my career to get down with a lot of like minded people.
2) Have you collabed with any Rawkus 50 alum and where could people find the resulting songs?
I’ve done a song with Mr. Met…I don’t even know where to find the song (LOL, its very old). I’ve done several songs with Silent Knight. We actually did a whole mix CD together called Silent Law and I think
that might be all [as far as my collabs] from the [Rawkus] 50.
3) How did you get hooked up with the Snowgoons?
[I met them through] Myspace….thats it. They hit me up and asked if I wanted to do a joint for their album. They heard of me from my buzz, [said] “we need [you on] the track” and it came out great. It’s called
“Iceman”.
4) How did you hook up with Kevin Nottingham?
I always knew Kevin from his website and he would post my songs, videos etc. When we first started to look for a new situation to put out my upcoming EP, my mananger mentioned [Kevin] had started a label. We sent him the EP and about 5 days later I signed the contract to put out the Creator’s Kid EP on his HipNOTT Records. [It] comes out Jan 26th!
5) Do you fear being branded an “Internet rapper” due to your association with Kevin?
Brand me what you want as long as you buy my music. I’ve been doing this for a while; I have done shows from Cali to Canada [and] from [the] UK to [the] Czech Republic and I was never online while performing on those stages. Aren’t Internet rappers those who only put out music on the Internet? “Oh, he’s an internet rapper”…how? When I was on stage in Sweden, I didn’t see you there…why? ‘Cause YOU were at home on the Internet! I got bars for those that say I’m an internet rapper, [say that and] you’re asking to [be] seen as a fool. My tour game is serious, [in fact] my next show is in D.C. Jan 5th.
(editor’s note: As previously noted, this interview took place at the end of December, but we hope our DC fam was out there at Cake and Kisses on the 5th!)
6) The All Music Guide bio on you says you are of Jamaican descent.
The All Music Guide is right. Both of my parents were born in Kingston, Jamaica and most of my family is from JA. I, however, was born in [the] UK and moved to America when I was 9.
What do you think of the position taken by several hip-hop historians that hip-hop has its origins in Jamaican soundclash culture?
I take the same position. Hip Hop started with Kool Herc and he was as Jamaican as they come.
7) How has Jamaican music influenced your style, if at all.
Jamaican artists clearly inject a lot of soul into their music and stage show. I’ve learned from them to do the same. They are masters of style and pattern in vocal recordings. I’ve learned to do the same.
8.) How did you come up with you name?
I have a song on my upcoming album, “Freedom Express”, that explains it, but here we go: my original name is Cymar (my dad invented it, it’s original). When I began rapping, it was around the same time
Playstation came out. I had this game called Tekken and there was a character named Marshall Law [in that game that] I always used to whoop people with. So, around that time I was looking for a name. While flipping through a Game Pro magazine one day, I seen ” Marshall Law“. It just jumped out at me. So I thought about it [as a possible stage name]. I liked the meaning of the words martial law (”martial law” is like when things are bad and the army comes and shuts everything down until its safe for everyone again). Well, I felt I could be like the “Martial Law” of Hip Hop . Then I heard there were a few other ” Marshall Law” rappers or DJ’s and I didn’t like [the idea of having the same name as other rappers and DJ's]. Luckily, Cy goes on the front of Marshall nicely, so I became Cymarshall Law *and* now it’s like a sentence: Cymar Shall Law.
9) Any last words?
Yes, my new EP “Creator’s Kid” comes out Jan 26th!! I have my ”Creator’s Craft” mix CD set to drop next week: Monday, December 28th! Then, later in 2010, I have my “Everliven Sound Freedom 2″ album
coming out and [I] also an album I’ve done with the Beatnikz called ”Freedom Express Line” [coming out that year as well]. Thanks for all the support, I wish the best for everyone in the New Year. Bless!!
