Nu Amsterdam

by Will Hernandez

DJ Hones Q/A’s:
How did the project come about with Barron Ricks?
Me and ricks meet back in 2000 thru a mutual friend – and knew right away i was going to work with him in the future. He’s energy and persona was just real live…
after almost a decade of beatin’ around the bush, we feelt the time was perfect for the colab.

What was your approach to producing the album?
I wanted to give people something fresh. beeing that i am from Europe, i feel that my musical aproach was much wider than other producers that b ricks worked with in the past.
So when i started I just had the rule that it had to be fresh and “out the box”.

Equipment-wise what did you use for production? logic and all it’s wonders …

How did you get into DJing?
worked for a local radio station when i was about 16.
started scratching ol’ funk records etc.. got my first gig as a fill-in some moth later – when the club owner heard me, he fired he’s regular dj, and hirred me. Been grindin’ hard ever since

What are you using now as far as DJing? 1200’s and serato –

Who are some of your influences as a producer and as a DJ?
my first influence dj wise where grand master flash,Jam Master jay and mr magic just to se them rock i was like – I wanna do that too…..
production wise i like Neptunes, and timberland for their diverse approach.
crookers for their remixes, and madnes 4 real for beeing some of the most overlooked cats in the game.
dj wise i respect cat’s like : Neil armstrong, bobby trends, A-Track, and dj Kut just to name a few..

What’s the meaning of the name Nu Amsterdam? It’s a tribute to the place we meet – uptown.
harlem, and the heights has a impact on everyone that get’s to walk thru it’s streets
Now we’re taking that fly ass uptown vibe worldwide
It also reps. a Nu beginning- NU Harlem – nu heights – a Nu time -Nu Energy, Nu Paper

Do you have any collaborations on the album?
Not as of yet. I don’t know if we’ll have any on this album. I feel that people really need to se what Nu amsterdam Project can hold on their own.

Barron Ricks Q/A’s

1. My impression of Dj Hones when we 1st met was like alright, where they get a funky
ass Danish cat like this. He was straight from the Heights swags was from Uptown
and he played a Hip Hop set like we was in the Tunnel. Then I find out hes got a
sister for a wife it’s a wrap… we’re partners. Hahaha

2. Well Hones and I were workin together for a minute now performing, creating
etc..And Hones gets this idea of a Urban Pop group and felt that I could really
embody the essence of what it would be all about.

3. My approach to writng the Nu Amsterdam Project was to be free. I had no restraints
no scrutiny, so I agreed with myself to stay “Outside the Box”. I broke free and used
my visual interpretations to have a lyrical ball.

4. Well my influences are beyond what your normal MC would listen to. Growing up of
Course Kane, Rakim, KRS, P.E., The Get Fresh Crew etc…But now I admire cats’
ingenuity and perseverance, So I’m drawn by instinct to G-Unit, and Jada.

5. So yo check this out, I’m only going to address certain aspects of ya questions so as
not to give any light to Muggs and his negative lyin persona. Everything I say and do
is from the heart and you can ask anybody WORLDWIDE as to the character and
actions of Barron Ricks. You will never hear of 1 negative word, only Love
Creativity and Fun. So whatever I tell you is 100. Now the “Call” was born in 87-88
uptown Harlem, we was doin our thing years before S.A. came into the picture, I was
Djing a spot called Mecca audio @ the time when Cypress came out an my man Bear
knew them so we all met eventually. that’s was early 92, I think a lil after Juice came
out.

6. Yo I just gottta say this -that that interview you did was nuts!! I brought Cypress Hill
to the Polo Grounds 155th 8th ave My Nigga.. I took Muggs to Harlem juice spots,
weed spots got that nigga choclit from dreads we rocked hard together. So much till
The dude sponsored a baseball little league team for my moms, Harlem wildcats. We
went to the Harlem Parade My Nigga – I WALKED THAT DUDE THRU
HARLEM!!!! I can honestly go on, but that Nu Amsterdam Project is soooo good.
You Know he Lied to you about all that shit right. HAHAHAHA. You know you
never cross a cat that knows everything about you. But no negative energy just light.

7. My man C.Camps aka Chic Malik from Da Call o Da Wild was a lyrical word smith.
Very much so before his time which put us in a lil industry purgatory. So Intell. Dons
was a release and at that time Da Call was fresh blood for the S.A. camp and B Liked
us and we banged that joint out.

8. NY undercover was a lyrical survey of my block at at that time. I was just all about
delivery at that time cause my senses were overloaded and I wanted to get it all out.
The beat I felt was what made the songs mood so surreal, so it allowed me to paint a
very graphic and intense tale.

9. Again there are so many intangibles regarding Muggs and his problems I can only
give you a proper answer, without blowing my man up- ya figgadills me? Its out of
me growing as a man in this Game we call Da Music Business and in Life that I can
now speak without malice and state obvious truths that could be validated by anybody
you ask in his “Camp”(if they didn’t get paid they’re not going to speak) and outside
who has been looking in for a number of years.

10. Tequila great song. Being on the road makes you imagine of being a Pirate or
maurader going into towns getting that money and leaving. So equated it with this
title of this movie that was out etc…Remind you Muggs an me was always in the
studio, I was always writng looking through samples with dude, that was our routine.
So Ya man had me on a lot of the Cypress songs. I did the scratches on the album the background voices on the album Dr.Greenthumb included. So my grind was his grind being that – shit it felt like
the Hill was just Me an Him cause for real… nobody was around dude like that.

11. N/A

12. There was such a comradery with those dude at that time. House of Pain, Cypress,
Funkdoobiest, there was an Immortal management family team, Headed by Happy
Walters, the cats in Philly at Ruffhouse was good to me and my man C.Camps. We
had a lot of good times. Everlast paid for my 1st tattoo, the tours-banaanas, the fans
incredible, the trees biohazard us, The Experience unforgettable.

13. Harlem river drive came about as a homage to one the major arteries flowin’ through
my hood. As with all great artisans throughout Harlem’s history has paid tribute to
this thoroughfare, I figure I would do it in a rhyme, sponsored by the Alchemist. I
remembered jazz versions of the song being played on 8tracks an I got sentimental.

14. Know you should know that answer already. Hahaha

15. N/A but for tha Call O da Wild fans it was going to be a Uptown Two man
Wu/Mobb/Baby Cypress.

16. Yeah well I knew Al since he was like 14, so I kinda watched him grow up, and how
negativity has had an influence on him and has almost threw him off. Let me tell
you how that dude is, has and always will be one of(my favorites – people included) if
not eventually will be THAT PRODUCER. I watched Al we be on the road together-
Hes going to a record shop in every state,Hes listenin choppin scratchin you name it
shit since around 93. Al’s quick in the studio a lot of freakin fun that kid. Haha

17. Like I said…never shit on someone who knows everything about you. Nu Amsterdam
Project is really good. Sorry Uptown swag was misrepresented for being Hollywood.
Harlem Niggas Stay Fly Period. you gotta excuse the ignorant. My man I signed a
contract relesing the call o da wild from their agreement on Columbia due to my man
and I having artistic disagreements over the groups direction. You see so after that
Muggs and I continued our long relationship as creative partners, but according to his
story the “Call” was cut off never to be seen or heard from ever again, besides him
selling our music online for his profit. WOW. We really fucked up Huh? Haha

18. Well I’m good with whoever Muggs says can be friends with me. HAHAHAHAHA.
Seriously the relationship has been fractured. But let it be known – I’M GOOD!!!!

19. Right now all of my and DJ Hones’ energy is into the Nu Amsterdam Project and
helping to reduce Hip Hop’s carbon footprints, bringing a lot of Earth consciousness
to the forefront.