SUPERNATURAL - 1997 INTERVIEW

by Bevan Jee


BEVAN: What is your definition of a freestyle?

SUPERNATURAL: My definition of a freestyle is coming from the deepest realms of improvisational skills. Just being able to formulate and make rhymes on the spot that's the definition of a freestyle. Freestyle is the highest form of expression through one's self.

B: What do you think of the rapper's who go onto the radio shows who say that they are freestyling when they are just written rhymes?

S: It doesn't matter. There's two forms of freestyle, there is such thing as a written freestyle but then there's freestyle, freestyles. I don't get upset because other guys sing the words to their songs. It's funny and it makes me laugh when they say that they are freestyling and you know they are not. Other than that it's no big conflict of interest, it doesn't bother me.

B: What happened with your record that you were going to put our a few years back?

S: All of the statistics that you read about the industry, One of those guys who had immense talent, super talent, recorded three albums and numerous other things and wasn't allowed to put anything out. I still to this day actually really don't know why because they never gave me a specific answer to why they wouldn't release anything. I have a strange feeling it was more than one thing, it was some of the concepts I was speaking about and some of the music I used. I was just a little ahead of my time, personally, that's how I feel. MCs are just catching up and doing skits and routines I was doing four or five years ago.

B: You released two singles, "Buddah Blessed it" in the U.S.A. and "Underground Connection" in France with Rocking Squat. Were they both totally freestyle?

S: Yeah, every bit of it.

B: Do you think your can rock a freestyle about any topic?

S: Oh come on man! You know that, you seen the Bomb Hip-Hop Tour - Part II Video tape, you asking a silly question now. Do you want me to kick a freestyle on the phone is that it? You trying to be slick, if I was there I would have socked you right there! [Lots of laughter]

B: From your live shows, what can people expect? Do you always do the Aqua Land and different impersonations of rappers?

S: It's not always like that, the live shows are always different, every time you come to a Supernatural show you never know what you might to see, It's unpredictable. Just when you think you seen me do some dope shit and you think I'll never do it again I do some totally different shit, some dope, doper shit!

B: What are you feelings on the New World Order and the Illuminati?

S: [Laughter] first and foremost The New World Order means nothing to me. I am not afraid of The New World Order. I'm totally aware of it and I'm very well versed on it. In a casual conversation over the phone I wouldn't even speak to you about it. My father always told me a saying "The ones that know never tell and the ones that tell don't even know what the fuck they are talking about." So for me I wouldn't even sit on the phone with you and elaborate on how I feel about the Illuminati. I know that they are an Anti-Semitic hate group for all people. I know this conspiracy has been going on for years. I am aware about what the Illuminati is about. My comments on them are very minimal.

B: Hip-Hop culture hasn't changed but you don't see it in full force that much, you just see the rap music. What are your feelings on hip-hop culture?

S: Hip-Hop is at a stage right now where it needs a Savior. Not even Savior it needs Saviors. It just needs a conglomerate of MC's to come out and elevate where it's at right now. Hip-Hop to me is lost. There are certain people who have embraced it but Hip-Hop has changed, the raw essence of it is still there and it will always remain but the surface of the whole thing has changed.

B: What happening with your crew Alien Nation?

S: All of them are still around. We still deal which each other from time to time. We don't roll as tight as we did in the beginning because everybody is doing their own separate projects and living their own lives. They are still doing well and they got some good shit coming out this year.

B: Have you battled any MC's lately?

S: I try to avoid battles at this point. At the end of the day I have about 50,000 MC's that want to battle me just because I'm Supernatural and I go around battling all day long, so I avoid battles. I haven't battled anybody since I battled Craig-G, that particular evening let me learn a lot about myself always wanting to be in the limelight and wanting to battle. I didn't even want that battle, I didn't issue that battle, that thing went down on it's own. I am trying to make a career not fame. I already have ghetto credibility it doesn't matter if I go around and slay 10 or 20 more rappers, it's not going to make me any better.

B: What MC's do you admire and look up to?

S: I admire the Pharoe Monche from Organized Konfusion, Rakim, KRS-One, Slick Rick, and LL when he was dope back in the days. Some of these new groups are dope too, I get inspiration from a lot of new groups that are around like The Boogie Monsters, O.C., and I like Tracey Lee a little something.

B: It's like a new movement of Rap Music?

S: Yeah, consciousness.

B: What do you think about the DJ?

S: I love the DJ and I hope the DJ never dies. Without the DJ, the MC, he really doesn't exist. Through the birth DAT it killed a lot of the DJ's. I love to see vinyl, it's better than CDs, it's better than anything and the shit is dope.

B: Have you ever seen the Invisibl Skratch Piklz or any of the DJs from the West Coast perform?

S: I haven't seen the Skratch Piklz but I have seen Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike, 8-Ball, Shortkut, and DJ Honda. We got our crew out here the X-Men, Roc Raida.

B: What can we expect from you in 1997?

S: In '97 you should expect an up-rise in one of the most lyrical onslaughts on records that can ever be put together with an Arsenal of beats backing it that's just insane.

B: Who is going to be producing the album?

S: There's a few different people; Casper from the O.C. camp, Buckwild, Sage and at the top of the list Djinji Brown. I got a nice roster of producers. There's more things than just the album that's coming out from Supernatural in '97. I'm going to be doing some acting this year. I'm really trying expand my career beyond the realms of just rhyming and hip-hop. I'm trying to get in to some commercials and things like that. If there's anything I could tell you to expect from me this year is would be lots of hard work and success.

B: It was just like you disappeared. There was a big surge of electricity about Supernatural and then it just faded down and people were like "Where the hell is he?"

S: It kind of became a little mystery to everybody. Whoever is going to be reading this, write this for me, Supernatural never died out. I had to take a break from the game and realize how valuable my talents and my gifts were before I ever sell myself short again.

B: What record label are you on now?

S: As far as labels right now I'm just dealing with my management company, they have been putting me in and out of the studio so when we step to the label's we have a complete and finished product to present instead of shopping demos and stuff.

B: Is the album still going to be called Natural Disasters?

S: I think we've changed the name since then. I don't even have a name for it at this point.