About Me
The rebirth of the Atlanta hip-hop scene can be credited to the duo known as RAW FOOTAGE, a veteran two-man crew. While late '90s hip-hop had gotten to be mostly party-oriented and at times downright corny, this duo's goal was to always show the 'other' side of ATL Hip Hop music. RAW FOOTAGE were one of the first groups who can geniunely claim much clout and influence on the ATL Hip-Hop scene, from touring with a young Usher, to doing shows with Outkast and the entire Dungeon Crew Family.The spirit of the RAW FOOTAGE sound is their New York birth origins which can be felt in the gritty weight of this duo's pioneering sound, giving them a unique balance in the Atlanta music scene. But the albatross of making unadulterated rap music is that it sometimes costs a crew acclaim, and for RAW FOOTAGE this has been their story for more than a decade.REALITY's prolific and unpredictable rhyme partner, Q ROC, also constantly strives to increase buoyancy. "I feel people have high expectations of us," he says. "That's why I always have the hunger to always still bring it right. Hip-hop as an artform is in chaos right now, REALITY and I feel a responsibility to protect it from being completely destroyed. It started as an alternative to gangs and the streets, as a way for people to free themselves. And now that its a billion-dollar industry, it's being exploited and controlled. We've always tried to maintain hip-hop's founding values, and that's something about us that will never change."Sustaining the art within a crumbling artform, RAW FOOTAGE has recorded four previous critically acclaimed albums from 96-05. These classic collections, praised for their heartfelt consciousness and soulful execution, were drowned out by the growing commercial scene. With the classic songs "FINAL CALL" and "WATERED DOWN EMCEES" from the acclaimed 04 mixtape "Beats, Rhymes, Revolution", it still was apparent the industry wasn't ready for this duo's movement, at least in 'industry' terms.RAW FOOTAGE always stayed true to the their own unique mode of expression helping to build the next steps toward a culture that's more unified, mature and spiritual."This year our goal is to stay focused, and promote conciousness while still entertaining the masses, that's what RAW FOOTAGE is about," says REALITY. "A lot of people aren't trying to see a future like RAW FOOTAGE does. Our purpose is to let them know that, yo!, a future does exist for you, no matter what your current circumstances."Writing in the Village Voice, critic Greg Tate stated, "Raw Footage goes outside of the box delivering some of the dopest sounds of our time.... They treat hardcore as an evolved idiom with verities that speak for themselves."And REALITY calls their highly anticipated new album, "INSIDE STORY", a survival kit for the urban junglist: "It represents the continuation of something that's supposed to be strong, opinionated, peaceful, and understanding--but with a warrior mentality," he explains.Songs include "Fly High", which colorfully describes that rich & shameless ghetto celebrity lifestyle; "I Used To Get It," a cut produced by veteran producer Nick Fury (T.I, Nas, Lil Flip). The song embodies how RAW FOOTAGE grew in their names in the streets of the Dirty South, and how the struggle still continues. The album also features other veteran talents such as MALLY G (Def Squad) on New York mixtape favorite "3 Tha Hardway".Each song perfectly embodies the RAW FOOTAGE spirit of the principles of street knowledge, intellect and spirituality. "I put myself in a position at all times to know what I am gonna be rhyming about", says REALITY, "I felt if I was gonna do this right, then I've got to LIVE it." While it's somewhat ironic that RAW FOOTAGE has never attained status of stardom because of their uncompromising, conscious laced style, something tells me that it may precisely be the reason why their influence in Hip Hop will prove to be timeless in the near future. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
