A Sentence From Independence

“A Sentence From Independence”

Every now and then, an aspiring writer gets an opportunity of a lifetime. That opportunity came for me on a chilly day in March- when a good friend of mine approached me to write a piece about him. His request was simple- ‘FOLLOW ME AROUND, AND WRITE AN HONEST ACCOUNT OF WHAT YOU SEE’. Here is what I saw..

It’s 8:42 am, and one of the most talked about MC’s in Atlanta’s underground scene is picking through a 9yr old white kid’s hair- searching for lice. Trying to mask his nausea, he jokes with his teaching partner about the absurdity of a school-wide lice epidemic.

“Y’all white folks got it bad. I’d much rather deal with discrimination and bad credit, than have a colony of bugs in my scalp!” he quips with a wide grin.

The normal substitute teacher could not get away with such blatant political incorrectness. Hell, the normal MC could not get away with being a substitute teacher. But there are very few things that are normal in the world of Snub Zero.

(cue the sound of a tape rewinding)

The Day Before. 7:00pm Snub’s house (north side of Atlanta, GA)

Judging from the scenery, you’d think Snub was a beatnik folk singer. His “think tank” (the name he lovingly calls his work room) is a hippie’s wonderland. The walls are covered with various vinyl recordings of the artists who inspire him. Jim Morrison scowls down at Snub, as he tunes “Mariah”- one of his many guitars. (He named her Mariah because she is half black, half white- and sounds “crazy”). Snub is new to playing the axe. He will profess his love for it in one breath, then turn around and curse its very existence in the next.

“I quit shit easily when I’m not initially great at it. I’ve always been that way,” he proclaims with a chuckle; guitar pick between his teeth. “Rap is the only thing I’ve ever really stuck it out with.”

As of right now, he can play two melodies: “Smoke On the Water” and “Under the Bridge”. Snub will openly admit to not practicing as much as he should.

“Every time I try to practice, I end up rapping. Rap negates all discipline.”

Discipline. Before he became “Snub”, Jerrell Anderson never needed discipline. He rarely got in trouble as a child. In fact, he was the only member of his childhood “crew” who didn’t have a curfew.

“Before cell phones and GPS-type shit, Ed always knew where I was. And she knew that I wasn’t doing anything that would jeopardize my future.”

“Ed”, is Eddie Mae Scott- Snub’s extremely supportive mother.

“She trusted me. That always meant much more to me than any whoopin or punishment or expensive Christmas gift ever could. She let me learn through trial and error, but she knew that she taught me well enough to where I wouldn’t stray too far.”

He fondly talks about how his personality is an amalgamation of his mother and his father’s. His charisma (from his father) has gotten him into a lion’s share of trouble with the opposite sex. Older brother Jerome Anderson once ordained Snub “most likely to be killed in a crime of passion”. Snub sums it up by simply stating:

“Women love me so much that they end up hating me.”

There’s that charisma again.

It’s that very wit that currently has the underground buzzing. His latest EP, “Dreams Deferred” was lyrically colossal. Songs like “Soldier’s Story” and “Touchdown Cleveland” exhibited his thought provoking, “conscious” side. While “Written Free” and “Stop” proved that he was a force to be reckoned with, when it comes to punch lines. With all of that said, the disc was still sonically miniscule.

Working on a non-existent budget, Snub was forced to rhyme over “jacked” beats.

“I was pumping out verses at a rapid pace, but I ain’t have no beats. None. Period. Niggas aint letting you have tracks for free. Especially when you’re hot. Are you kidding me?”

For the first time, his facial expression becomes dead ass serious.

“I was rapping over any beat I could find. I was desperate for tracks. I swear to God, I found the instrumental to “I Wanna Sex You Up” and wrote a dope ass 16 to that!”

As a result, “Dreams Deferred” fell flat.

“I honestly feel that that was some of the best writing I’ve ever done in my life,” he laughingly says, while puffing a Black and Mild. “That shit was like putting an Armani suit on a musty body.”

Thus, critics had lukewarm responses to the disc. Fans gave Snub the old “Man, you’re a deep dude, but you need some tracks!” More importantly, labels passed on it. Emphatically.

“We’re in a time where beats and hooks sell records. My dumb ass was trying to sell straight up LYRICS. Nothing else. Just LYRICS. In a recession. Niggas with catchy songs that be on the radio 85 times a day can’t even sell records, and I was really believing that my big words and complex social commentary would somehow be the exception to the rule,” he lets out an eerily sarcastic laugh. “I may as well have been making acapella albums.”

With that in mind, Snub went on hiatus. Frustrated with the state of Hip Hop, Snub made a conscious effort to focus on “other shit”. That “other shit” entailed video treatments, scripts, stage plays and the incorporation of ANDERSON ENTERTAINMENT- a brain child of his that was first born when Snub was sitting in 8^th grade English class. Back in those days, Jerrell (Snub) Anderson did not create out of love for the art; rather he became creative out of sheer necessity.

Jerrell’s adolescent years were awkward. He was “niche-less”. Good at basketball (according to him, he had the “ugliest”, most deadly jump shot in the hood), he once had aspirations of being like his idol- Kevin Johnson.

“He was a little nigga, shittin on EVERYBODY- no matter how big they were.”

His dreams were thwarted when he learned that he was “too little” for organized ball.

“I was skinny as hell”, he chuckles as he munches on a bag of Smart food White Cheddar Popcorn. “You think I’m skinny now? Imagine me as a teenager.”

Skinniness has been his arch nemesis for years. By his calculations, being underweight was the root of all of his problems. He figured that if he could get bigger, he could be in the NBA-, which would make him rich, which would attract girls.. What else does a teenager need? Subsequently, he went through a series of hair brained schemes to gain weight.

“Man I used to take those nasty ass shakes. All they did was give me diarrhea. Then, I started working out obsessively. That ain’t work because I just got muscular on top of bones. No Fat!!” His mouth emits a hearty laugh, but his eyes show a glimpse of sincere pain. “The doctor told me that my metabolism was so fast, that in order to gain the weight I wanted to gain, I’d literally have to eat ALL day long, and do nothing else but sleep. I had what I call a ‘reverse eating disorder’. Every time I felt hungry, I equated it to losing weight, so I’d stuff myself until I felt physically ill.”

Subsequently, the aforementioned self-esteem issues affected his creativity, as he constantly searched for acceptance. Every verse of every “song” served almost as an audition to sit at the cool kids’ table. (I used parenthesis on the word “song” in the previous sentence because Snub insists that he has never made a real song before this project).

“I was doing glorified karaoke- finding popular beats and adding my own spin to them. Don’t get me wrong, it was dope- but it wasn’t…”

Snub is at a rare loss for words, so I chime in- offering a grammatical stimulus.

“..Complete?”

“Yeah. My shit was incomplete.” Snub once again brandishes that trademark wide grin, then assures me that that will not be the case on “Lyricism Lives”. He proudly proclaims that the new LP will be his opus, as he points to one of the chalkboard walls. Next to a picture of him rocking on stage alongside KRS One is what at first glance appears to be chicken scratch. Upon further review, I discover that it is the track listing for the aforementioned LP. Snub unstraps Mariah, and causes a horrific thud from the amplifier.

“My bad,” Snub states. I’m not sure if he’s talking to Mariah or me- due to the fact that he is making a B-line straight toward the chicken scratch/ track listing. Snub clears his throat and points to the wall as if he were in a classroom, explaining the Theory of Relativity. For the first time, I realize that this Negro is absolutely insane.

“See these symbols? The triangle means the song is written but not recorded. The star means it still needs a beat, I just wrote it accapella. The square means it is recorded, but waiting to be mixed. Now, a triangle plus the number one means it’s written, but I need to tweak the first verse..”

The passion in his voice is undeniable. He begins to stutter (something that he admits to doing when he is excited, or nervous), when he talks about the new tracks.

“Yo, this song called “Crying” is soulful as hell. Hectic produced that joint, and Crea is on the hook… um, um, “I Love You” is produced by Webb- who also produced ‘This Way’ and ‘Cold’. Then, Cupafull produced ‘The List’ and ‘Last Laugh’”.

He then goes off on a twenty-minute tangent- talking about Cupafull (pronounced Cup-half-full). Snub reaches for a stack of loose CD’s, which are laying on the computer table, adjacent to the overcrowded ashtray and empty pack of EZ Wider rolling papers. After fishing through what appeared to be 75 instrumental beat CD’s, he finds the one he’s looking for. On the CD, written in Sharpie are the words “The Jew ‘fro is the new ‘fro”. We laugh at the title, as Snub pops the disc in the boombox. Judging from the title alone, I assumed I was about to hear another quirky “white boy rap” CD. Boy was I wrong. Metallic guitar riffs leap out of the speakers. Snub instinctively runs back over to Mariah, and straps her back on- just in time to play along with the chorus of a song he calls ‘Unfair’.

Snub shows an extra bit of enthusiasm when speaking of Cupafull, a fourteen year old beat making phenom, whom he met while teaching at an Atlanta middle school.

“He’s dope. Flat out. To be a fourteen year old, (white kid, mind you) who is able to talk about why J Dilla was great- or how “Grind Date” by De La Soul is his favorite album of all time is something special. I’m 100% sure that ten years from now folks will be talking about Cupafull as one of the greatest producers ever.”

Saturday, 4:28pm

Snellville, Georgia is far- far away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Atlanta. A 45 minute drive on Highway 78 will take you past Stone Mountain, and seemingly into a whole ‘nother world.

“Are we still in Georgia?” Snub’s rhetorical question interrupts the sound of his own voice blaring from the speakers of the red Chevy Blazer we are riding in.

“I know, right. This shit is hella far,” Adisa Carter responds from the driver’s seat. He is ravaging a bag of turkey jerky and nodding his head to Snub’s underground classic “The Epidemic” (which was released in 2005, the same year Snub officially moved to Atlanta).

Adisa handles Snub’s business ventures, and also advises him on everything from what to or not to say in a verse- to what to/not to wear on stage- to who to/not to do a song with.

“This used to be my shit!” Adisa declares when “Third Shift” comes on.

From the backseat, I notice an uneasiness in Snub’s body language. His face is pensive, and flashes an occasional whence as the music bumps. The untrained eye would assume he has a stomach ache- but from being around him for years, I know the real reason for his current “gas face”. Snub HATES listening to his old shit.

“I can’t take it no more,” Snub makes his declaration as he presses eject on the CD player. “This shit is painful to hear. I was spittin’ hard as hell- over those janky ass beats.”

Adisa proceeds to explain to Snub why his old mixtape material is still relevant. He expounds on how people still react positively when they hear it. His words are falling upon deaf ears. Snub is not budging in his stance that all pre-2009 material should be scrapped. They have a brief debate about whether or not songs from “The Epidemic” should be included in the demo packet that they are shopping to labels this summer. They become so engaged in their point-counterpoint discussion, that it is obvious that I am absolutely invisible.

“I want to do all new shit! I might recycle a verse here and there, but for the most part- fuck ‘The Epidemic’”, Snub is dead ass serious, but he also values Adisa’s opinion. So inevitably, the old material in question will probably end up in the demo packet.

Personally, I agree with Snub. His old mixtapes, “The Epidemic”, “Day One”, and “Dreams Deferred” were undoubtedly entertaining. They were lyrically astounding at times- but they were not the best representations of his ability to make hit records. “What We Do” was a great example of his gift for turning rhymes into narrative. A music critic from Cleveland Scene Magazine called the song “..as thought provoking as anything by Tupac.” Fans said the beat wasn’t hot enough. I also agree with the fans. Snub hates when I agree with fans’ criticism.

So that brings us back to Snellville, Georgia. Snub and Adisa are en route to a studio session/ rehearsal/ meeting with the lyrical conglomerate known as “The 5ive” (pronounced FIVE). The supergroup is comprised of five of the most talked about MC’s in Atlanta’s underground scene. Today’s meeting is at a studio owned by Reo, an easy-going writer/producer/engineer who built his studio by hand, literally.

The 5ive has been making a lot of noise in the A. Since its conception in February of 2009, the group has rattled off a series of buzzworthy performances- making its forthcoming LP one of the most anticipated projects of 2010. The five members are somewhat of a ‘Voltron-ic” amalgamation of lyrics, energy, and raw talent- bound by a brotherhood that rivals only that of a fraternity.

Big Rec is considered to be the “good guy” of the crew, although he physically appears to be the most likely to whoop one’s ass. Right now, he is practicing verse de jour- in between jokes about Shred’s on-stage mannerisms and comments about the exquisite taste of “Cape Cod” jalepeno cheddar potato chips. His deep voice resonates as if he is constantly on the mic.

The target of this particular line of jokes is Shred the Verbal Tongue (or as he is known amongst the group- “VT”). North Carolina born and bred, Shred has an up top demeanor- and a distinctly down south dialect. He is the deep thinker of the crew- consistently crafting socially “aware” verses that evoke memories of vintage Nas or Kool G. Rap. It was his idea, initially to form The 5ive- after years of rocking with fellow Dungeon Family representative Jawz of Life.

“Fuck y’all niggas, I go HAM!” Shred declares, amongst a roar of laughter from every other person in the room. They are all clowning the fact that anytime there is an unoccupied microphone, Shred is grabbing it and ripping it. No questions asked.

Jokes are commonplace at a 5ive session. Their comradery is that of a band of brothers, or five teammates on an NBA team- a team that has 5 captains.

KP lets out a hearty laugh, between sips of his signature “fruit juice”. It is rare to see KP without a notepad in his hand- and today is no different. He has rhymes written in composition pads, legal pads, loose leaf paper, napkins- KP writes a lot of rhymes. He seldom speaks- but when he does, 9 times out of ten whatever he says rhymes. He is a freestyling machine, with a reputation for dismantling all potential competitors. He puffs a Blank and Mild, with his Atlanta Braves cap pulled low over his half shut eyes.

Snub is in the middle of telling the story of how he met KP. He’s forgetting a lot of details, so I’m interjecting- filling in the blanks (because I, of course was there 3 years ago when they were introduced by mutual friend T-Bag the Herbalist). Just as the story was getting good- the self proclaimed “O.G. Godfather Charlie Harper” enters.

“Y’all niggas ain’t rapping yet?” Jawz of Life quips as he daps everyone- with the now infamous “Regime” shake. Two slaps down. Back hand next. Then a military style Salute.

Decatur native Jawz is a member of a crew considered to be Hip Hop royalty- The Dungeon Family. His rap style mirrors his demeanor, laid back and to the point- profound and fucking hilarious at times.

Today, The 5ive is recording vocals on a song that Snub developed the hook for. The track is called “Salute”, and the hook is simple:

..Two slaps down, back hand next- then Salute to the troops, The Regime is the set…

I was with Snub when he wrote the hook, sitting on stage at Apache Café’s Tru Skool Tuesday. I wanted Snub to write something deeper, but when Snub’s creativity kicks in, it’s impossible to suppress.

Two hours later..

The vocals to “Salute” are complete. Everyone is pleased. The 5ive’s recording sessions are always remarkably efficient. All 5 MC’s are extremely professional- and they love to rap.

Snub is feverishly typing on his Blackberry, telling his big brother- Jerome (nicknamed “Bro”) about how dope the song turned out. Bro (pronounced “Bruh”) is busy preparing for his role as Tupac Shakur, in a production of “Before I Die”- a stage play about the last days of Hip Hop’s fallen legend. Although he is 4 states away, he and Snub talk more than most siblings living in the same house and sharing the same room.

“That’s my dog,” Snub says when asked about his brother- who is 5 years his senior. “He taught me how to write in cursive. He taught me how to tie my shoes. He taught me how to talk to women. I’d be nothing without him.”

The Anderson Brothers are odd young men. If you are in earshot of one of their conversations, you’ll run the gammit of emotions. It is common to be shocked by their blunt, often raunchy brand of humor. It is just as common to be confused by their coded, inside joke-heavy language- exclusive to the two of them. Through all that, it is also very likely that you will be absolutely amazed by some of the stuff that comes out of their collective brain. Due to their individual pursuits of creative success- they have not lived in the same city for more than 3 straight months in their entire adult lives.

“I think the world would spin off its axis if we were in the same place at the same time,” Bro once responded when asked about their long distance collaborations. Thus, Snub tells Bro about EVERY moment of his rap career- and Bro continues to be his biggest fan.

An hour after the studio..

After another long ride back into the city, we arrive at Snub’s apartment. Adisa gives Snub his weekly assignment: “..streamline ‘Dreams Deferred’. Add some new shit, subtract some wack shit, and prepare to re-release it.”

Snub daps him up, and we retreat inside. Once inside, Snub talks to me directly- for the first time today.

“That was good shit, homie- huh?”

“Yup. It was tight,” I respond. I hate when I use words like “tight”. Snub often laughs at my corniness.

If you haven’t guessed by now, Snub and I are virtually inseperable. Although we never communicate when around others, we share everything. We share thoughts, dreams, fears- hell even our reflection is exactly the same. I am a bit more contemplative than him (shit, I use words like “contemplative”). He is far more out going and witty. Early in his career, we clashed a lot. He surpressed my opinions, out of fear that “the masses” would laugh at my existence. I constantly tried to talk him out of using gun references, vulgarity toward women, and lifestyle falsifications. He told me to shut the hell up, so I did.

The untimely death of our best friend and partner in rhyme, Marlon “44” Harper was just tragic enough to make Snub listen to me more. It’s funny how a moment of emotional trauma can do that to a person.

“That shit made me realize that death ain’t funny, AT ALL. It’s not entertaining- and it’s not something I want to rap about,” Snub explained when asked why he omitted all of the guntalk from his catalog. “I felt myself growing up mentally, thus I knew my rap style had to grow up too.”

Now we have found a happy medium. My politial stance on “Bang” gets countered by Snub’s bravado on “Talk to Me”. His blatant ignorance on “Justin Slayer” is accompanied by my heart felt openness on “I Love You”. The two of us converge on tracks like “Lyricism Lives” and “This Way”, concocting the perfect mix of wit, charm, social relevance and flat out raw-ness.

“Thanks for writing this article about me,” Snub laughs sarcastically. “You’re the only writer who would give me the time of day.”

I accept his gratitude, but nonchalantly shrug it off. Snub thanks me as if he has never been there for me before. He was there for me when I directed “Up the Mountain”, a play that starred homeless men. Snub inspired me to incorporate Hip Hop in my lesson plans when I worked as a teacher. He is currently helping me to write “Bliss”- my first full length novel. So, it’s absolutely no big deal for us to “look out” for each other. Besides that, let’s face it- who better to write an article about you than YOU.

We share a laugh and a blunt- and call it a day.

by Anderson Scott