iCON The Mic King: Polymath Of A New Rap Renaissance
Published: Thursday - November 29, 2007
Words by Mike Cooper II
iCON the Mic King (Photo: Uprising Records)
Often being shown the door at work is the beginning of the end for many men. It's at that point where many face a choice between giving up hope in life, finding a similar occupation that will keep him as bored as he was before, or taking the once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream.
icon the Mic King chose the latter, and not only decided to pursue rapping as a steady career, but actually become the "MIChelangelo" of a revitalization of the industry.
icon is fanatical about renovating hip-hop, reinstating the lyrical acumen of days past while maintaining the current appeal of the culture. He is a man who considers himself one of only a handful of remaining artists, who can bridge the gap between the word of mouth spread hip-hop days of yore and today's instant indulgence.
This Philly bred hardened battle vet -- with more victories than Patton's Third Army -- has been sharpening his sword idly for too long, ready now to pierce the flesh of promoters and spill the blood of plunder driven MCs. Now out of work, icon is starving. But his stomach isn't growling for provisions, but rather recognition.
icon, a truth-seeking self starter, has toured every corner of the continent and beyond, and is back with the much related release of Rent Money Music II: C-Notes for the Car Note.
icon's renaissance will be a culture's reawakening, a time in hip-hop where image is replaced by art, covetousness substituted by munificence, philogyny restored in place of misogyny, negligence scrapped for empathy, braggadocio supplanted by self-effacing, inner-enmity swapped for an alliance against corporate swindlers, where conscious triumphs over ignorance and righteous gallantry is more revered than gangstersim, and where an artist raps about his favorite manuscript rather than weapon. If that Third Renaissance does truly come, it's clear whose statue will be the first to be dedicated.
icon recently spoke with BallerStatus.com after arriving in North Carolina for a show, about how his renaissance will revive the good old days of hip-hop while stimulating new ones.
BallerStatus.com: Enjoyed the show the other day. Don't you play over too hundred shows a year?
iCON the Mic King: Actually nah though. I'm trying to. Getting close though.
BallerStatus.com: What charged you to be that dedicated and play so many shows?
iCON the Mic King: I mean I just love to do it. It's like my favorite thing to do performing, that's why I'm trying to do so many shows. At this point, it's like the only thing that separates the winners from the losers in indie rap. You know what I mean?
BallerStatus.com: Recently you called yourself the last of a dying breed. Explain what that means.
iCON the Mic King: As far as like cats that can actually rap and have strong ethics when it comes to... there really aren't many of us left. I treat my music as an art form. I look at it like I'm a painter and I always try to make a masterpiece where a lot of people just throw something together 'cause it doesn't matter to them. Everybody is trying to make microwave music, and I'm trying to serve gourmet meals.
BallerStatus.com: This "Third Renaissance" of hip-hop that you speak of, what exactly does it entail and when will it happen? What was the Second Renaissance of hip—hop?
iCON the Mic King: The "Second Renaissance" was '98 when we had Canibus and Eminem and all types of stuff where there was a lyrical based movement. It wasn't really an official movement, but when you look back on it, all those people were doing similar things at the same time. For artistic hip-hop, it was like the biggest thing going on. Cats were just coming with really ill lyrics. And the Third Renaissance basically combines that artistic outlook with actually making good music. Especially in the underground, there are a lot of dudes that can rap very well, but they don't make good music. So what's going to happen is a lot of people are going to start figuring out what is trash music... there's a lot of trash music in the commercial world. There's a lot of trash in the underground. With the technology we have now, the listeners can find what they like often without even having to buy it, and they'll support what they like.
BallerStatus.com: Some artists say that the album as a complete entity is dying a slow death, and that in the future it will be a single dominated culture. In the Third Renaissance will the album still be pertinent?
iCON the Mic King: Absolutely because I understand what they're saying about things becoming single based, but I think that's going to push heads to actually work harder to make their albums. With everybody dropping singles as ringtones, or tracks for car commercials, the creative album will be much more appreciated. It's a cohesive work of art. You won't just have two good songs on the album, every one will be solid.
BallerStatus.com: The last album you released, Mic And The Fatman, was like that. It had bunch of songs that could stand on their own two feet. They were very well crafted. From start to finish it was a very good album. When did you start focusing on that and not necessarily blowing people away with each verse?
iCON the Mic King: Honestly I wouldn't consider that album my first testament to the renaissance. When I got with Chum... he makes a certain kind of music. I make more lyrical based music. We tried to meet in the middle. So it was like "Alright maybe I won't write verses that are 100 bars." When we made that record, we were trying to make a cohesive project. I wasn't trying to wow the world or anything, we were just trying to combine forces for a greater good musically. The next record will take more risks. It won't be your average record with a bunch of 16 bar verses. I'm trying to make music that is more dynamic now. It might have like a drum and bass change in the middle. It's just something that will keep you guessing. In this renaissance, we will need a progressive change because the music is not taken seriously by a lot people.
BallerStatus.com: What made Chum such a versatile DJ, especially on the last record?
iCON the Mic King: He has a lot of influences, he doesn't just listen to hip-hop, but he does listen to all hip-hop. He has classical training as a regular musician as well. I believe he plays the trumpet. He has a better worldview than most.
BallerStatus.com: You grew up in North Philly? What was life like growing up there?
iCON the Mic King: That's right. For me it was a stereotypical inner city upbringing. You see all the types of stuff that rappers rap about. At the same time though, I had parents that were looking out for me and wanted me to achieve in life. They tried to keep me away from the rough environments in hope of one day getting me out. They took me to school downtown as opposed to going to elementary school in the hood. They tried to get me into all the mentally gifted programs, just trying to keep me busy and keep me away from it. I saw everything but never got too involved in it.
BallerStatus.com: So did that expose you to the music early on?
iCON the Mic King: I remember it was like 87' and my aunt used to play whatever the newest record was. The first song I can really remember memorizing was "Criminal Minded" and that stayed with me, so it was always around me.
BallerStatus.com: Did you start writing verses and rapping them in high school?
iCON the Mic King: Yeah I started when I was 14 during my freshman year in high school. My aunt's daughter, my cousin, rhymed too back in the day. So I was always looking up to her and what she was doing. I was always around it and exposed to it. I didn't really get into it until later on.
BallerStatus.com: What caused you to drop out of Howard University? Did it lead to better things?
iCON the Mic King: I didn't feel like I was learning anything. My major was computer science and that was something I had been doing since I was really young. I taught myself how to program when I was in seventh grade. So I really didn't feel like I was learning anything. My passion for hip-hop had become a lot bigger. I was doing internships and stuff, and I was meeting all these really stressed out Dilbert like people. I realized it wasn't fun anymore. I used to make games and stuff like that. And it wasn't fun but I really liked making hip-hop.
BallerStatus.com: Is that when you decided to pursue being a rapper on a full time basis?
iCON the Mic King: Yeah it was 2002, and I went on my first tour. It was called "Spring Break Your Neck Tour" and from then on, I felt I had to do it full time. Another semester went by and it felt like I was running in place. I talking to my dad and he knew I was half-assing in school and he told me to pick one or the other. I was like "Yeah I can go to school anytime. I could be forty going to school."
BallerStatus.com: Is that when you first when out on the battle circuit?
iCON the Mic King: Nah, I was battling before that. I starting battling in '99, and I did that real hard until 2003. That's when like I officially quit.
BallerStatus.com: What was you proudest moment from the battlefield?
iCON the Mic King: I can't even call it anymore because I'm not really as mindful as I used to be of it. There used to be a time when I could tell you every battle I've been in and everyone I went up against, and everything I said to them. Now it's like "I'm not even sure anymore." There were a few dudes I beat that really made me say, "Wow, I can't believe I beat him." Other than that I can't really think of much. There were moments where I really felt I killed it, out of nowhere.
BallerStatus.com: What caused the delay of releasing your first record, that first EP?
iCON the Mic King: Yeah that took awhile because I didn't really have anybody to get behind what I was doing so. And finally Beyond Space hit me up and told me they wanted to do a record with me. I agreed and gave them what I had and it came out.
BallerStatus.com: Did it make you humble touring like that and spreading the word at times by yourself? What was you first big break?
iCON the Mic King: The first break was when I got a 12 inch deal and that was one of the biggest records I've been involved with. That made me more official than that dude running around battling everyone.
BallerStatus.com: I've heard some stories about your ego, is that just with your music or are you arrogant all the time?
iCON the Mic King: (laughing) Let's put it this way. I'm the oldest male on both sides of my family as far as my generation goes. My family expects a whole lot from me. They've always put me on a certain level. When I was born, my great grandmother told everyone that I was the chosen one. I've always had that label on my shoulders. My family really believes in me. I developed a confidence of myself because my family had showed me so much love. I don't even see it as an ego thing, but sometimes that's the way people take it. I just happen to believe in myself that much. When I get asked about what I do, I'll tell people that I love what I do, it's great. I guess some people can take that the wrong way.
BallerStatus.com: You're being honest though. If you hate the music you're making you shouldn't be in the game. There are lots of artists out there -- not only in hip-hop -- who are not necessarily sell outs, but there damn near close.
iCON the Mic King: If you're not your favorite rapper then don't rap. Quit now. I'm my favorite rapper because I do what I do. I do what I like better than anyone else does.
BallerStatus.com: It seems like the unparalleled perspective that you put in your lyrics is your calling card. How were you able to develop that kind of angle?
iCON the Mic King: It's a culmination of a lot of things. My parents represent the breadwinners on both sides of my family. They were the chosen one of their generation. Then they came together and made me, so it was amplified. So everything they believed was instilled in me, and I read books and had my own experiences.
BallerStatus.com: You've almost made a career out of just being an opening act, have you ever opened for one of those artists previous mentioned or one you were star-struck by?
iCON the Mic King: Um, only Ghostface. And I really like Aesop Rock, but by the time I opened up for them, I had becomes used to being around artists like that.
BallerStatus.com: Have you ever opened a show and killed it, thereby stealing the thunder of the opening act?
iCON the Mic King: Um, yeah. (laughing). It's happened a lot of times where I feel that, but it never feels official until someone in the crowd who came to see the headliner was like, "Wow you killed it better than them."
BallerStatus.com: You're not the typical Philly rapper. You seem to be part of its underground, but not exactly like most of those performers either. What's the status of Philly hip-hop and where do you see yourself in it?
iCON the Mic King: Philly is kind of strange. It's very... it's a real big crabs in a barrel scene. There's crabs in a barrel, then there's two scenes going on at the same time. It's like your street mixtape rapper heads, and then like me and Chief Kamachi, Jus Allah, Jedi Minds and so forth. The problems is there's no support at all. Other than for Jedi Minds and whoever runs with them, there really is no other support.
BallerStatus.com: What do you attribute that to?
iCON the Mic King: Well, everybody's a rapper. That's like the biggest problem, everybody's a rapper. Nobody wants to come out to shows and support anybody else.
BallerStatus.com: Do you consider that a product of the internet age where anyone can put their stuff online?
iCON the Mic King: It's a real big problem and it's contributing to the saturation of hip-hop. It's hard for the cream to rise to the top because it's hard for everybody to sift through everything to find the good stuff. So that's why the good has to be even better, at this point, for it to even make it through. It's like who's going to be the last man standing. A lot of the props I get... of course I'm great... stems from the fact I've been around for so long. I've become like a veteran.
BallerStatus.com:Rent Money Music II: C Notes For The Car Note, what can we expect from this release?
iCON the Mic King: It's just a bunch of great songs (laughing). I'm not into to doing collaborations all the time on my regular records, but this has quite a few of them. I got Jus Allah from Jedi Mind on there. A lot of people that I work with that are actually my people, and enjoy making music with, are there. There's also plenty of solo material. Most of the stuff that I perform at shows are on that record. I had a kid come up to me the other night at the Immortal Technique show who told me I was so great live, but that he bought the last record and only liked three songs. I told him to grab the next one.
BallerStatus.com: What's the most respectful thing a dedicated hip-hop head can do to ensure that a talented person like you, who's on the brink, can make it over the top?
iCON the Mic King: Just support. Come out to the shows. If you hear something you enjoy, don't hesitate to pick it up, like actually go and buy it because that makes a really big difference in whether I can move forward or not. Those record sales determine what type of shows I can get. Just spread the word, that's the biggest thing you can do for me right now.
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