Soarse Spoken: Revelations from a Third World Prophet

 Was it difficult to adjust to New Jersey after coming from Columbia?
It was extremely difficult. at the time in which I came from Colombia there were no ESOL or Spanish programs for Spanish speaking kids. especially not in Jersey. I got into a lot of fights and had a lot of trouble adjusting. but, eventually I did and I was the first person ever in my family's history to learn English. we eventually became well adjusted and made it through. Plus, the cold was a mo'fucker! [laughs] Imagine coming from a tropical climate, which is what you're used to because it's what you've known all of your life, to the freezing streets of North Jersey.

Have you always been socially aware as you are now?
Coming from a country like Colombia where there is such political turmoil and poverty to this country where everybody is spoon fed nonsense to keep them happy is pretty eye opening. Even as a child when I first got here, I could pretty much tell there was something extremely wrong with the balance the world is in.

Why did you end up migrating to Florida after New Jersey?
I was still pretty young when my moms moved to SoFlo. I had to come with or perish.

How did you get into hip-hop and what were your main inspirations?
Damn, I guess where I come from has a lot to do with what I let influence me and what I talk about in my music. Hip-Hop was the only music I could relate to when I was young. No other music was talking about poverty and crime and drugs and killings and social issues. These issues are all I knew my whole life, especially coming from Medellin where all those issues are a factor in everyone's life three times over. And the places I lived in Jersey weren't exactly the "nice parts" of town. So hip-hop talked to me directly. Being the only person in my family who spoke English at the time and not really having a lot of friends cause I was a "different kid" coming from South America, hip-hop spoke to me. I could relate.

How did you link up with, Botanica del Jibaro? Could you tell a bit more about the label?
I linked up with Botanica del Jibaro back in 2003. La Mano Fria used to hold an annual event called Infiltrate during WMC (Winter Music Conference). He invited the crew I was with at the time to come perform for that years showcase. He really dug the sound and shortly after when I became a solo artist I asked him if he'd be down to release my first solo ventures and he was more than happy to do so. Botanica del Jibaro is a label that deals with a lot of the issues I talk about in my music as it's owned by an immigrant just like me. It was a natural step to release music through Steve Castro (La Mano Fria) and his label.

Do you think there still are barriers for Latino emcees, especially those who aren't completely involved in the Reggaeton circuit
I think so. I don't think many people realize that Hip-Hop was started by both Blacks and Latinos. But, There have been a great deal of Latin emcees to leave their mark. For example Big Pun, Fat Joe, the cats in the Arsonists, Chino XL, B-Real, Chingo Bling, and even Miami's own Pitbull. I think those barriers are slowly coming down. I'm an optimist in that sense.

If you weren't involved in music, what would you be doing?
I'd probably be involved in some other artistic career. My Pops was a painter and sculptor and so are most of my aunts. My family has always been very creative and before I got into music I was a visual artist.

What are you listening to these days?
My favorite albums right now are Redman's Muddy Waters, Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere and Madlib's and MF Doom's Madvillain. But, I'm always listening to different shit. I don't restrict myself to just Hip-Hop. I like other stuff like Julio Jaramillo which is my favorite songwriter of all time. Stuff like Björk, Johnny Cash, Bright Eyes, Amy Winehouse, Ratatat and other crazy shit. I really dig discovering new music so I'll always keep my ears open for new stuff.

Are there any other projects in the works?
Always, I'm working on another solo project called The Human Project and I am finishing up the Earthworx project as we speak with Punchanello.
I am also going to be working on an all Spanish hip-hop project with a very special producer but I will leave it at that for now.

When you pass away, how would you want to be remembered?
I'm never gonna pass away...[laughs]...nah.
As a person who always had the guts to be brutally honest about life, always had the guts to put passion into everything he did, and as a person who made music because he loved being artistic and truthful more than anything! PEACE!

For more info on Soarse Spoken, check the following links:

MySpace: Soarse Spoken

Botanica Del Jibaro

Myspace: Botanica Del Jibaro

MySpace: Earthworx Music