North Carolina is rife with musical talent. The local hip-hop scene in particular has grown very strong. Cesar Comanche is one of the forerunners of Raleigh hip-hop. The rapper/producer (along with 9th Wonder) was the founder of the Justus League. He has independently released four critically acclaimed albums, and his fifth album, Die in Your Lap, will be released in late 2009.
Technician sat down with Comanche to ask questions about his life, experience and values.
Technician: Which are some of your favorite venues?
Comanche: Around here, one of my favorite places to perform in was called King’s [Barcade]. It doesn’t exist anymore. The Brewery was real fun. It had a real solid sound in there. Around the world, there’s a place called Noveaux Casino. That was real dope. A place in Copenhagen called Loppen. That’s in the Christania district. That place is real dope too. It’s just these certain places that have a middle ground. They are not too fancy and not, you know, not just completely gritty, but some type of edge to them. It gives it a more intimate feel. The people get into the music more. There are just so many places. Those are just the ones that came to my head.
Technician: Tell me a little bit about the Justus League.
Comanche: Justus League was different individuals who make music — not with the same sound. It was more sample-based, hard drums, things like that. At the time it was put together, people around here were more into [mainstream] beats, keyboard, Korg Triton. We were just those other cats. We just started making music the way we made it. Fast forward to now, people branched off and are doing their own things and stuff more now. It was just a springboard for individuals to network with each other and see what we can make happen.
Technician: Who are you working with on your new album? Any guest MCs? Who’s producing?
Comanche: It’s just me as far as MC-ing on the record. The producers, some of them, are people I’m used to working with anyway, like 9th Wonder and Khrysis. A cat named Science Omega who lives in Philadelphia now he did a joint. A cat named Quest Innovations who’s out of Toronto, Canada. Actually, he did the title track for Die in Your Lap. Actually, Apple Juice Kid did a joint up there too. And then, I did two joints myself too. I just keep going a step higher with my sound.
Technician: Can you tell us a little bit about The Jam that you host with DJ Ill Digitz?
Comanche: I’m part of a company called True School Corporation. It celebrates pop culture between the years from 1979 all the way up to 1996. Like it be movies, music, T.V., everything. It’s more for an age group of 28 and older, maybe to 38. I know there are people who are younger than that who enjoy that kind of feel too. So The Jam is more like a situation where you got people in their 20s who can hear that type of music. It’s not that strict — we go a little bit into more modern stuff that has that feel. True School is for an older crowd. Me and Ill Digitz decided that we could make this jump off for younger people that like that type of stuff too. It’s right at Ruckus [Pizza on Avent Ferry Road]. This is the third one we’re about to have next weekend. Each of them has been real successful.
Technician: There’s been a strong trend of collaboration albums like Gnarls Barkley, Murs, 9th Wonder and others. Who would you pick for a collaboration album?
Comanche: That’s a hard question. Maybe Pete, maybe Pete Rock. I mean I don’t think he’s ever done an album, him and someone else. Other than him and CL [Smooth], because you know that’s the group. Pete is the first person to come to mind.
Technician: What’s your opinion on Raleigh’s recent increase of gangs?
Comanche: I feel we kind of failed the kids. It has to do with a lot of factors, as far as the media, as far as the adults have to work so much to support kids and don’t have time to spend time with kids. It’s a lot of factors where I feel we failed them in different ways. To me, the whole thing about gangs is that they feel they don’t belong in anything, and they don’t have any self-worth, and that’s the first thing that showed them a sense of belonging, a sense of worth, a sense of purpose. They feel like they would do anything for that. Nobody ever made them feel that way.
The economy is obviously going down. The more that happens, the more people feel that they are in a sense of desperation. The whole family networks becomes less of a priority and survival becomes more of a priority. As far as media, I’m thinking that if I was 15 years old right now, I’m not trying to preach on some older bitter type stuff, but the stuff on the T.V. and radio, there’s nothing that makes me feel like I want to be smart or want to accomplish.
Technician: Do you have a message for the N.C. State community?
Comanche: When you go to college you get to learn how to maneuver around different types of people. When I was in high school, it seemed like people were the same, you know the same neighborhood, and same town, you [and your peers] grew up together. When you got to college, you get people from all over. That gives you a more realistic view of the world. You’ve got to make it happen yourself. College is that good transition where you’re still in school. You’re getting your adult training at the same time. That was the best part, the interaction with people. You learn who you are. I would say don’t be on the Internet so much, go socialize, fraternize with the chicks. Get from behind the screen!
