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22 December 2023
WYLDE TIMES AT WASHINGTON HIGH IS THE PERFECT TITLE FOR THE WYLDE BUNCH’S OFFICIAL LABEL DEBUT. FRIENDS SINCE JUNIOR HIGH, THIS 14-PIECE FUNK AND HIP-HOP CREW HAVE BEEN JAMMING TOGETHER JUST AS LONG. VINNIE BAGGADONUTS TALKS TO TAZZO, ONE OF THE WYLDE BUNCH MCS, TO FIND OUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GO FROM JAMMING IN THEIR HOUSE, TO TOURING WITH N.E.R.D. AND Q-TIP, TO RECORDING WITH A MEMBER OF EARTH, WIND & FIRE.
Vinnie Baggadonuts: So, have you been doing interviews all day?
Tazzo: Yeah. It\'s crazy, \'cause I’m multitasking right now. I’m actually in the middle of a meeting at Sony, and doing interviews at the same time. I’m multitasking, man. I’m like a universal soldier right now!
Both: (laugh)
VB: Well, let’s do this, then. How’d you hook up with all these guys?
T: I used to sell crack, and they’re all crackheads.
Both: (laugh)
T: I’m kidding, I’m kidding. The majority of the people in the band are family, and everyone else is real close friends; grew up together, from middle school on up. The ones that went to college, we supported them then, too. I didn’t go. So, we’re all close friends, like family. That’s how I hooked up with them.
VB: Were you guys always a band, or was it just a thing where you’d hang out together and jam?
T: The thing was, in middle school, we were in the marching band and stuff like that. And then in high school, there was orchestra, marching band, jazz band, and things like that, and we all were involved. We all were friends growing up, so that’s how we got interested in playing music together. After high school, we’d just meet up at the house and get down! We recorded some songs real cheap, and people liked it. We started playing birthday parties and wedding anniversaries. It became a thing to do. And that’s really how it all started.
VB: Well, I really like the album. And before I knew anything about you, and just heard the songs, I could have believed it was a new Fishbone record.
T: We get that a lot.
VB: I think that’s because there are so few funk bands out.
T: Right!
VB: Their last record was one of the last times I heard something that made me feel good, you know?
T: Right on.
VB: How in the world do you guys stay so positive?
T: Perspective. Life is all about perspective. And for me, personally, with that comes keeping God first. It’s so much easier to see the positive. I think it takes extra energy to be negative. It’s harder. My life hasn’t been that bad.
VB: I think it’s cool because it’s so rare. You don’t get a positive feeling from most of the music that’s out there.
T: Right.
VB: I also think it’s amazing that there are 14 of you, and you seem like you’re having the best time ever.
T: Oh, yeah. I mean, like I said, we’re all real good friends, and it’s like a family. You know, you can get mad at your family sometimes, but you still love them because they’re family. Nothing changes that. With this group, I mean, we still get on each other’s nerves, but we move forward. We have a common goal, and we have to stay together to reach that goal. We have to stay positive to reach that goal.
VB: Is it hard to write songs because there are so many of you?
T: Not at all. It’s actually easier because there’s less work to do. We can each contribute individually. I can come into the studio and say, \"Yo, I got an idea for this song.\" And that serves as a skeleton. I have 13 other guys who are very creative and really dope at what they do, saying, \"Well, how about if we do this with it? Or this with it?\" It all just comes together.
VB: When you first got together and were just jamming in the house way back in the day, did you ever imagine it would become what it has?
T: Nah.
Both: (laugh)
T: You have dreams and aspirations, and they might be big, but until it happens, you really don’t think about it. When I have the chance to sit down and really think about things, like where we’ve come from and where we’re headed, it’s crazy! We never imagined we’d be doing the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour with N.E.R.D., Talib Kweli, The Roots, Slightly Stoopid, and The X-Ecutioners. We’re getting ready to do the MTV Rock The Vote Tour with Yellowcard, Q-Tip, and Phantom Planet... and you never imagine things like that can happen for you.
VB: Does doing all these things you’ve never imagined doing feel even better?
T: Yeah. I think, more than anything, you just stay in amazement. I mean, it was amazing to us then when we’d play the hole-in-the-wall clubs we was playing. It was just fun to us. Now, it’s all about the journey and the experiences. We still can’t believe we’re doing the things we get to do. It’s like, \"What?!? We get to do this?\"
Both: (laugh)
VB: What’s the craziest thing that’s come out of all this so far?
T: I don’t know. I never really thought about it. I think having an album out and playing somewhere, and having the people know the lyrics to your songs. People who don’t know you personally know the lyrics to your songs, and they’re singing them with you! That says a lot about you and the music you’re putting out for people.
VB: Does it freak you out to go out and see your audience be even bigger than it used to be?
T: Oh, yeah! You just stay in amazement! The more we progress, the more I’m like, \"Wow!\" At first, I was like, \"Well, maybe people in L.A. will like us, and that will be cool. We’ll be local celebrities.\" But then we started touring all over the country, and people remember us and they come out. People talk about us. It’s crazy!
VB: Was it like that when you recorded with [Earth, Wind and Fire\'s] Maurice White? Was it insane just to be in the studio with him?
T: That’s the first time in my life I’ve been starstruck. I’ve met a lot of people, but Maurice White? That’s a little different.
Both: (laugh)
T: You’re talking about a man who’s made mountains. You might be climbing over these mountains, but he built them. Him and Earth, Wind and Fire. You’re talking about a guy from one of the greatest bands ever. He’s written some of the greatest songs ever written. So, to have that guy take any interest in us at all, enough to sing on the record, that, to us, is a really big deal. I was so excited; I was like a little groupie chick, man.
Both: (laugh)
T: Seriously, though, I don’t think a lot of people in my generation-- I’m 25-- and I don’t think younger people understand what Earth, Wind & Fire means to music. They don’t know what it means to do a record with Maurice White.
VB: Yeah.
T: It was such an honor. He’s musical royalty, to me.
VB: When I read that, I was like, \"Whoa!\" I mean, this is a guy who pretty much helped create a style of music--
T: Exactly!
VB: And to see them recognize what you’re doing enough to want to sing with you, that\'s pretty cool.
T: Definitely. Dame, my cousin, who’s one of the other rappers in the group, he likes to refer to \"Cat Daddy\", the song Maurice sung on, as the \"pass the torch\" record.
Both: (laugh)
VB: Well, now that all this stuff is happening and you’re getting more attention, is there anybody else you want to collaborate with, who you’ve always wanted to play for?
T: Man, I want to play an arena for 100,000 people! In hip-hop, that’s a very rare thing to do; a crowd that big. And we are very much hip-hop, even though we do have live band elements to us. Your Aerosmiths and, back in the day, your Earth, Wind & Fires, they’d play for 80,000 people! I want to be able to do that one day. As far as playing with other people, there are a lot. The Roots are one. A lot of people compare us to them, just because we’re both live hip-hop. I think we both have our own sound, but I’m a really big fan, and would love to just get down and have a jam session. I’m also a big fan of N.E.R.D. I’d love to do some live stuff with Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Method Man, and Redman. And then, crossing over, I like Maroon 5. I’d love to do something with those guys. A whole bunch of people.
VB: You had the Earth, Wind & Fire influence, and you got a member on your record. Is there anyone else like that?
T: It really don’t get much better than Maurice White, man. No disrespect to Jigga, \'cause I’m a real big fan, and he’s been an amazing inspiration to our music and to our MCs. To do a track with him, that’d be great. That’s dope, you know? But to have Maurice White featured on the record; to have someone from back in the day hear us and say, \"Hey, that’s what I’m talking about,\" I think people pay attention to that.
VB: Definitely.
T: The only thing that might top a Maurice White feature is a Prince feature.
VB: Oh, man.
Both: (laugh)
VB: Are you dropping hints to the label while you’re there today?
T: Yeah.
Both: (laugh)
T: That would be big.
VB: So, now that you’re out there playing your music, putting out this positive vibe, is there something you want to tell people? Maybe not words of wisdom, but something similar to what you believed, like, \"You can do it, too.\"
T: Yeah. Basically, it’s just that. There’s always another way. I like to remind people that they have choices. I grew up in the hood, straight up: gang-bangin\', shootouts, all that. But if you listen to our album, you don’t hear us talking about that. We don’t sing about it at all. And we all grew up in the hood, but we want to tell people that it didn’t overcome us like that. We realized we had choices, and we made another choice. Life’s not always bad. People aren’t always against you. I come from the perspective that you can make a different decision.
VB: And there aren’t that many examples like that out there.
T: Other than eventually being the greatest band ever, that’s one of our things: being a different kind of influence.
Vinnie Baggadonuts: So, have you been doing interviews all day?
Tazzo: Yeah. It\'s crazy, \'cause I’m multitasking right now. I’m actually in the middle of a meeting at Sony, and doing interviews at the same time. I’m multitasking, man. I’m like a universal soldier right now!
Both: (laugh)
VB: Well, let’s do this, then. How’d you hook up with all these guys?
T: I used to sell crack, and they’re all crackheads.
Both: (laugh)
T: I’m kidding, I’m kidding. The majority of the people in the band are family, and everyone else is real close friends; grew up together, from middle school on up. The ones that went to college, we supported them then, too. I didn’t go. So, we’re all close friends, like family. That’s how I hooked up with them.
VB: Were you guys always a band, or was it just a thing where you’d hang out together and jam?
T: The thing was, in middle school, we were in the marching band and stuff like that. And then in high school, there was orchestra, marching band, jazz band, and things like that, and we all were involved. We all were friends growing up, so that’s how we got interested in playing music together. After high school, we’d just meet up at the house and get down! We recorded some songs real cheap, and people liked it. We started playing birthday parties and wedding anniversaries. It became a thing to do. And that’s really how it all started.
VB: Well, I really like the album. And before I knew anything about you, and just heard the songs, I could have believed it was a new Fishbone record.
T: We get that a lot.
VB: I think that’s because there are so few funk bands out.
T: Right!
VB: Their last record was one of the last times I heard something that made me feel good, you know?
T: Right on.
VB: How in the world do you guys stay so positive?
T: Perspective. Life is all about perspective. And for me, personally, with that comes keeping God first. It’s so much easier to see the positive. I think it takes extra energy to be negative. It’s harder. My life hasn’t been that bad.
VB: I think it’s cool because it’s so rare. You don’t get a positive feeling from most of the music that’s out there.
T: Right.
VB: I also think it’s amazing that there are 14 of you, and you seem like you’re having the best time ever.
T: Oh, yeah. I mean, like I said, we’re all real good friends, and it’s like a family. You know, you can get mad at your family sometimes, but you still love them because they’re family. Nothing changes that. With this group, I mean, we still get on each other’s nerves, but we move forward. We have a common goal, and we have to stay together to reach that goal. We have to stay positive to reach that goal.
VB: Is it hard to write songs because there are so many of you?
T: Not at all. It’s actually easier because there’s less work to do. We can each contribute individually. I can come into the studio and say, \"Yo, I got an idea for this song.\" And that serves as a skeleton. I have 13 other guys who are very creative and really dope at what they do, saying, \"Well, how about if we do this with it? Or this with it?\" It all just comes together.
VB: When you first got together and were just jamming in the house way back in the day, did you ever imagine it would become what it has?
T: Nah.
Both: (laugh)
T: You have dreams and aspirations, and they might be big, but until it happens, you really don’t think about it. When I have the chance to sit down and really think about things, like where we’ve come from and where we’re headed, it’s crazy! We never imagined we’d be doing the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour with N.E.R.D., Talib Kweli, The Roots, Slightly Stoopid, and The X-Ecutioners. We’re getting ready to do the MTV Rock The Vote Tour with Yellowcard, Q-Tip, and Phantom Planet... and you never imagine things like that can happen for you.
VB: Does doing all these things you’ve never imagined doing feel even better?
T: Yeah. I think, more than anything, you just stay in amazement. I mean, it was amazing to us then when we’d play the hole-in-the-wall clubs we was playing. It was just fun to us. Now, it’s all about the journey and the experiences. We still can’t believe we’re doing the things we get to do. It’s like, \"What?!? We get to do this?\"
Both: (laugh)
VB: What’s the craziest thing that’s come out of all this so far?
T: I don’t know. I never really thought about it. I think having an album out and playing somewhere, and having the people know the lyrics to your songs. People who don’t know you personally know the lyrics to your songs, and they’re singing them with you! That says a lot about you and the music you’re putting out for people.
VB: Does it freak you out to go out and see your audience be even bigger than it used to be?
T: Oh, yeah! You just stay in amazement! The more we progress, the more I’m like, \"Wow!\" At first, I was like, \"Well, maybe people in L.A. will like us, and that will be cool. We’ll be local celebrities.\" But then we started touring all over the country, and people remember us and they come out. People talk about us. It’s crazy!
VB: Was it like that when you recorded with [Earth, Wind and Fire\'s] Maurice White? Was it insane just to be in the studio with him?
T: That’s the first time in my life I’ve been starstruck. I’ve met a lot of people, but Maurice White? That’s a little different.
Both: (laugh)
T: You’re talking about a man who’s made mountains. You might be climbing over these mountains, but he built them. Him and Earth, Wind and Fire. You’re talking about a guy from one of the greatest bands ever. He’s written some of the greatest songs ever written. So, to have that guy take any interest in us at all, enough to sing on the record, that, to us, is a really big deal. I was so excited; I was like a little groupie chick, man.
Both: (laugh)
T: Seriously, though, I don’t think a lot of people in my generation-- I’m 25-- and I don’t think younger people understand what Earth, Wind & Fire means to music. They don’t know what it means to do a record with Maurice White.
VB: Yeah.
T: It was such an honor. He’s musical royalty, to me.
VB: When I read that, I was like, \"Whoa!\" I mean, this is a guy who pretty much helped create a style of music--
T: Exactly!
VB: And to see them recognize what you’re doing enough to want to sing with you, that\'s pretty cool.
T: Definitely. Dame, my cousin, who’s one of the other rappers in the group, he likes to refer to \"Cat Daddy\", the song Maurice sung on, as the \"pass the torch\" record.
Both: (laugh)
VB: Well, now that all this stuff is happening and you’re getting more attention, is there anybody else you want to collaborate with, who you’ve always wanted to play for?
T: Man, I want to play an arena for 100,000 people! In hip-hop, that’s a very rare thing to do; a crowd that big. And we are very much hip-hop, even though we do have live band elements to us. Your Aerosmiths and, back in the day, your Earth, Wind & Fires, they’d play for 80,000 people! I want to be able to do that one day. As far as playing with other people, there are a lot. The Roots are one. A lot of people compare us to them, just because we’re both live hip-hop. I think we both have our own sound, but I’m a really big fan, and would love to just get down and have a jam session. I’m also a big fan of N.E.R.D. I’d love to do some live stuff with Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Method Man, and Redman. And then, crossing over, I like Maroon 5. I’d love to do something with those guys. A whole bunch of people.
VB: You had the Earth, Wind & Fire influence, and you got a member on your record. Is there anyone else like that?
T: It really don’t get much better than Maurice White, man. No disrespect to Jigga, \'cause I’m a real big fan, and he’s been an amazing inspiration to our music and to our MCs. To do a track with him, that’d be great. That’s dope, you know? But to have Maurice White featured on the record; to have someone from back in the day hear us and say, \"Hey, that’s what I’m talking about,\" I think people pay attention to that.
VB: Definitely.
T: The only thing that might top a Maurice White feature is a Prince feature.
VB: Oh, man.
Both: (laugh)
VB: Are you dropping hints to the label while you’re there today?
T: Yeah.
Both: (laugh)
T: That would be big.
VB: So, now that you’re out there playing your music, putting out this positive vibe, is there something you want to tell people? Maybe not words of wisdom, but something similar to what you believed, like, \"You can do it, too.\"
T: Yeah. Basically, it’s just that. There’s always another way. I like to remind people that they have choices. I grew up in the hood, straight up: gang-bangin\', shootouts, all that. But if you listen to our album, you don’t hear us talking about that. We don’t sing about it at all. And we all grew up in the hood, but we want to tell people that it didn’t overcome us like that. We realized we had choices, and we made another choice. Life’s not always bad. People aren’t always against you. I come from the perspective that you can make a different decision.
VB: And there aren’t that many examples like that out there.
T: Other than eventually being the greatest band ever, that’s one of our things: being a different kind of influence.
artid
2624
Old Image
7_1_untapped.jpg
issue
vol 7 - issue 01 (sep 2004)
section
untapped