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Who I is?Traygod, hip hop artistI've always been intrigued by music, getting my first set of drums @ age 2. Growing up w/ all sorts of instruments around from that point and singing n tha church choir, I was ingrained w/ a love of music. Around '80/'81, hiphop, tha music, began merging w/ my psyche and b4 long tha culture had engulfed me. so it was a natural progression 2 wanna emulate what I was hearing coming out tha speakers, listening 2 tha only local radio station playing hiphop music, KAZI. I started writing my little raps n 87, and shortly thereafter formed my first rap group w/ L.A.W., Shaman, and DJ Jazzy Jeff(local cat but crazy nice on tha cut), Dominant Force. We got as far as putting a few songs together and performing @ a few local talent shows. What is significant is that this is when I made my mind up that music was my path.N 1990, as a member of my next group, Modest Pawns, I started performing @ clubs n downtown Austin, Tx. We recorded our self-titled demo @ a well-known local recording studio @ tha time. Modest Pawns consisted of myself(mc), Jason Craze(producer), D.O.N.(mc), and Kevin Smith(dj). Our most significant show was @ a local university in Chino, CA, where I had my first encounter w/ Cali police. Fun times.Thru tha departure of one member(D.O.N.) and addition of another(Paul) n 1991, Sockeye was formed. Sockeye capitalized on the small buzz generated by Modest Pawns and very quickly secured a show opening for House Of Pain @ The Back Room. Shortly after that, I changed my name to iiii (pronounced "four eyes"), Paul became Hakim, Jason became J Craze, and we added DJ S.O.O.P. As Sockeye, several demos were recorded and distributed hand to hand. Our signature song was "Bigga". Our biggest show was what was s'posed to b as tha opening act for Masta Ase Inc @ Emo's on his 1991 "Slaughtahouse" tour. The Source van was passing thru town carrying tha Alkaholiks from Houston To Dallas, and heard about tha show and worked their way onto tha bill as an opener. 2 make a long story short, Masta Ase's mgr moved his act up on tha bill 2 capitalize on tha Liks hype, and we ended up "having 2" headline, playing after Masta Ase and his crew. Noone left and we headlined 2 a packed Emo's outdoor stage, and rocked it. Between 1992 and 1995 we performed most often @ Flamingo Cantina, Emos, and Club Exodus n Dallas' Deep Ellum club district w/ Mad Flava, Heads N Dreads, Sons Of Soul, MYK, Shabazz 3, and others. It was also w/ Sockeye n 1992, that I started performing regularly @ SXSW. Other significant acts we opened for include: Tha Gravediggaz(Rzarecta from Wutang Clan, Fruitkwan from Stetsasonic, and Poetik from Too Poetik, RIP), Black Moon, and Souls Of Mischief. Thru tha many private and public ciphers(freestyle sessions), open mics, and battles we hosted @ flamingo cantina, and live on-air sessions on House Of Phat Beats(91.7fm), we developed our freestyle abilities and incorporated freestyle sessions into our live shows. Freestyle is the art of rhyming spontaneously about whatever comes to mind, often incorporating elements of what's happening around you.1995 marked the next major development w/ the departure of producer J Craze and me taking over production duties after adopting my pops' record collection and being schooled on the EPS16+ and later tha ASR10 by DJ Snoopi from Heads N Dreads. Me(now having adopted tha moniker, Traygod) and Hakim Tafari retained tha services of DJ SOOP, who had joined Sockeye a year earlier n 1994, and became X Factor. X Factor created an abstract, message-oriented and hypnotizing beat-driven style of music, while remaining true 2 our love of the art of freestyling. One of tha concepts we introduced was to freestyle 100% when performing live, and save our written
material for the eventual album, which worked well because we both loved tha spontaneity of live energy and felt it was best expressed by an emcee thru freestyling. This would prove its significance n years 2 come.As X Factor(1995-2000-pres), Hakim and myself opened for many national acts @ various clubs throughout central Texas incl: Boot Camp Clik, Hieroglyphics crew, The Roots, Big Pun, The Beatnuts, Common, Gravediggaz, Organized Konfusion(Pharoah Monch and Prince Poetry), and more. One of tha most special moments being @ one of our Catfish Station shows around 96 or so where Austin was introduced 2 a young Erykah Badu. We had no idea tha heights she would rise 2, but everyone present thoroughly enjoyed tha special, early glimpse she gave us. As X Factor we continued to perform annually n the SXSW music festival. But tha highly-anticipated X Factor album would never come 2 fruition.Hakim moved 2 Florida in 2000, @ which point I decided to work solo, doing shows @ several clubs n Austin incl: Electric Lounge, Empanada Parlor, Steamboat, and The Mercury, 2 name a few, My most significant solo show
was opening up for the Gza @ a standing-room-only Steamboat on 6th St, n what was 2 b the legendary club's last major hiphop show before permanently closing its doors. I've also opened for Cappadonna, of Wutang Clan fame, @ The Mercury. I released my solo debut, 7 Link Circle, independently n August of 2001. It was produced by myself and DJ Hannibal, and recorded @ The Living Room studios n Austin, Tx.Since early 2001, while remaining a solo artist, I have had the opportunity 2 work and perform live w/ some of Austin's finest musicians and emcees, most notably w/ Hip Hop Humpday for 3 1/2 years. Hip Hop Humpday could
best b described as controlled pandemonium. 4 extremely talented emcees freestyling all night w/ a live band improvising hiphop beats on an insanely high level every wednesday night. Tha emcees were bavu blakes, tee double, element7d, and myself. Tha band members tended 2 rotate, but incl tha likes of Rudy Eccles(bass), D Madness(bass, drums, keyboards, and anything else he could get his hands on), Ephraim Owens(trumpet), Andre van buren(saxophone, percussion), Bruce James(Rhodes), Brian Mendes(drums), and others. During the H3 years, many artists came and sat n, whether it b musicians, such as ?uestlove from tha Roots, or emcees like Inspektah Deck, Supernatural, etc. The Mercury, now called The Parish, eventually had to move to a larger location to accomodate tha growing crowds, so it moved to tha present location atop Roux restaurant, formerly Jazz. One night, n particular, it got so packed and hyped that tha crowd's jumping cracked a support beam n tha floor and tha club was shut down 4 a month for repairs. Upon completion of repairs, H3, as we called it, picked up right where it left off and continued to make its mark 4 another 2 years+, until we had massive grand finale show and just like that *poof* it was gone.I'm presently performing w/ BoomboxATX, a band which also consists of a who's who of local musicians w/ Carlos Sosa(sax and band leader), Fernie Castillo(trumpet), and Ralo Vallejo(trombone) forming tha Grooveline Horns,
Boombox's accomplished and well-known horn section, Les Fisher on drums, Stefano Intelisano ..s, Brad Hauser on bass, Charles Reiser on elec guitar, DJ Rapid Ric controlling tha turntables, myself on tha mic, and w/ tha recent departure of mc Overlord, we've added Zeale32, a well-established mc n his own right. We hold down a long-running and very popular weekly residency @ Lucky Lounge n Austin, Tx. I've been a member of BoomboxATX since 2004.N researching Austin hiphop history, u'll find that all 4 groups I've been a part of have all been extremely important and influential n shaping the local hiphop scene dating back 2 1991. My first solo album, 7 Link Circle, released n '01, has been considered by some an underground classic. I am also currently working on my second solo release, tentatively titled "Visiting Hours". It is sure 2, once again, usher n a new era of Austin hiphop, and people and powers willing, introduce Austin hiphop 2 tha world.Peace, and thanks 4 taking tha time 2 do tha knowledge. One.T7
