The Jus-Buckingham.com Mix-Tape includes previously released material from past albums, So don’t trip if you’ve been a collector of my stuff for a while.
Both my beat tapes “Chloë Sevigny” & “Money” are now available for immediate download! If you don’t have both you are slipping! Both are albums full of hip hop instrumentals. Made as stand alone albums for your listening pleasure, but especially made with rappers and song-writers in mind. There are three planned beat tapes that will be released. I also plan on releasing a compilation album featuring people that have recorded to the beats. Don’t get left out on this one! Download today, and pay if you can! I am a 100% independent artist. KEEP ME IN BUSINESS!!!
I sat down with Las Vegas MC Hassan on January 18, 2010 at a bookstore in Las Vegas. I got the pleasure of meeting Hassan playing with him in the Las Vegas live hip hop group Cloth and Canvas. I always felt that he was one of the best MC’s I had ever heard, excluding no one! I got the pleasure of previewing his new album “Menace 2 Sobriety,” and I was blown away. Mark my words, this will be one of the dope-est albums to drop in 2010. You may wanna get you a copy son!
We were able to talk about where Hassan is from and putting together the album among other things. Check it out!
Jus Buckingham: First question I’ll ask you is where are you from?
Hassan: I’m from Rialto, California. Right there in Southern California. Out there by LA. Reppin Cali and been out here in Vegas for going on like five years. So, West Coastin’ it Dogg.
Jus: OK. So how did you get your start rappin? When did you get to a point where you felt like that was something you wanted to do?
Hassan: Well, I started rappin when I was twelve or thirteen. All my life I would see my oldest brother Rob do it with his groups and a bunch of break-dancing crews and all that. I was always involved with that and listening to him do his thing. Listening to all these other rappers on the radio like LL, NWA, RunDMC. And I was always interested in that. Basically I started re-writing other peoples songs and one day I just wanted to start doing my own thing. It’s been on ever sense. I really started taking it serious around seventeen or eight-teen. At that point I was doing a lot of freestyle battles, and doing a lot of other stuff. I really wanted to get into song-writing. That’s when it got to the point where I said hey this is what I want to do you know? This is life right here.
Jus: So coming up in California. Who where some of the people you first started fuckin with?
Hassan: Well, I started with my home-boy DJ Noreaga who lived out in Marino Valley. I used to fuck with him a lot. Then my boy Ron and my boy Eric and my boy Jason Sodo. And a couple cats from this crew “Multiple Carisma” in high school. “Rain Forrest” and a couple other cats. “Urban Clan” just a lot of dudes from the early days when that West Coast Underground was really taking off. With “Freestyle Fellowship” and “Pharcyde” and people of that nature. So those were a lot of the early guys I was messin with. Back in San Bernardino I was messing with this crew “The Knuckle-head Family” just a bunch of boys I knew back in San Bernardino. We used to put out mix-tapes and we did little albums and stuff on little rinky-dink equipment, but it was dope though. You know it was all for the love? No matter how drunk and high we got. We just did it. It was all about the music. But those were some of the early dudes I was fuckin’ with. Also can’t forget my boy Show. He has a beat on my new album. So be on the look out for that. One of the early dudes I was fuckin with. So much props to him.
Jus: So how did you end up in Vegas?
Hassan: I been out here for going on five years. I first came out here to move with my brother Rob. He started a business out here. I was helping him with it. We were successful while it lasted, but of course when things folded I just started branching out on my own. Trying to establish myself in music and shit. Met a lot of people along the way. I’m feeling Vegas at the moment.
Jus: So how we met each other is from the “Cloth and Canvas House Band.” How did you get involved with all of those people?
Hassan: Well, actually it just happened suddenly. One day I was with my boy Sheldon from “Thoroughbreds,” what up Sheldon. He told me there was this shop around the way called “Cloth and Canvas.” He said it was some real cool cats up there and I would go by there after going to Sheldon’s shit. And it was the whole fam like Cindy. What up Cyncha! And my boy Rico and the boy Tim. They was up in there painting and shit. They asked me what I do and am I into the arts, because that’s how they got down. They let me know they do first Friday every month. An art showcase and an open mic. I was like “word? Well I MC.” Then the dude Tim was like “bring some stuff.” I came back with a couple demos I did and they was blown away by it. And I was fuckin with Cindy ever since. Then I met dRew going to the open mics. Eventually I met Mikal. Cindy always had a vision of wanting a band. They hollered at me one day in the summer of 08. It just clicked from there. We started doing shows and then I eventually met you through Mikal, and it was on from there.
Jus: That’s what’s up. Ok. Tell me a little about your up coming project “Menace 2 Sobriety.” Tell me who you’re working with. Everything.
Hassan: Ok, well “Menace 2 Sobriety” is an interesting project. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. To really do something “legitimate” you know? I’m working with a lot of different cats. First and foremost my man Marion Wright. Just wanna say what’s up to him and the whole Flo Deep campaign. 9 Grand and all that. Because he has been really instrumental and welcoming ya boy with open arms. I mean I met him one time through “Cloth and Canvas” and a bunch of other shows and he showed nothing but love. He did the majority of the production. Working with other people like DJ Final, Dubb Knox, who’s out there in San Diego. What up my nigga! My boy Show from the I.E. He’s a dude I grew up with. My boy Trade Voorhees. He slid me a track finally! Of course you gotta track on there and you featured on one. So, there a whole lot of people on there. I’m just really looking forward to the whole project.
Jus: So, I also want to get into the project you’re working on with Las Vegas hip hop group Mob Zombie. Tell us a little bit about that and when should expect to hear it.
Hassan: Well, hopefully you can expect that soon. Spring or summertime. I’m working with Mob Zombie’s main guy Phil A. What up Polo and Bambu. You know me and Phil A man. We known each other since I met him up at Cloth and Canvas. We always clicked. They some real cool dudes. One day we talked about it like we should do a side project. So for the past month we’ve been recording and doing a lot of tracks. Hopefully we’ll have a track from my man Phil Da Agony from Strong Arm Steady on there. Got a lot of stuff happening. 2010 looks promising.
Jus: When it is all said and done. Twenty or Thirty years from now, what do you want people to say about Hassan?
Hassan: Ultimately at the end of the day, I just want people to say that dude was one of the most creative and versatile MC’s there ever was. He wasn’t scared to be himself. He wasn’t scared to challenge authority or social standards. Hassan made it cool to be you. I also wanna be known for making great music and not compromising and kissing these labels asses. That’s not what I’m about. I want this shit on my tombstone man: “That Nigga Hassan Danced To The Beat Of His Own Drum!”
Jus: I hear you. Well any parting words? Shout-outs? Anything you want to promote?
Hassan: Well, first and foremost shout out to my man Jus B! Not just cause you here and everything, but you my nigga! Shout out to Cloth and Canvas. Wish it could have lasted, but you know it is what it is. Much success to everybody. To my family back home in Cali, Florida, South Carolina and all over the world. Shout out to all the homies that were a part of the project and who’ve been instrumental in my life. And like I said hopefully early March 2010. Menace 2 Sobriety! Gotta pick that up!
