by Alex Shtaerman
With a resounding endorsement from the legendary DJ Premier, Massachusetts native Termanology continues to build on a buzz that has already carried the Puerto Rican MC’s name far beyond the borders of his Hip-Hop deficient home state. “You know there’s nothing really in Mass, there’s only really been like three or four rappers that have come from here”, explains Term, undaunted by his state’s lackluster standing in the Hip-Hop union. Already a mixtape favorite, Termanology aims to set the stage for his major label debut with the January 31st release of his street album Out The Gate. Recently, we had a chance to catch up with Term and talk some Hip-Hop.
RIOTSOUND.COM: For a new artist such as yourself, how does it feel when someone like DJ Premier, who is a legend in the game, takes notice of your skills and praises you in the way Premier has?
TERMANOLOGY: Feels great man. Just knowing that I come from Massachusetts and there’s nothing really out here, nobody really poppin’; there’s no scene, there’s no labels. So just the fact that I can go out there to New York and gain respect, [that means a lot]. The first time I met Premo I spit like a thousand bars for him. Krumbsnatcha brought me out there to his video shoot, then after that I met back up with him [when I was with] Statik Selektah and he liked my song “This Is Hip-Hop” and started playing it on his radio show. And just last week I got a beat from him. So now I’m gonna go in a couple of weeks to Headquarterz and lay it down. Just seeing that, how I was a young guy spittin’ on the corner and now I gained my respect, it feels good.
RIOTSOUND.COM: As far as keeping real Hip-Hop moving forward in the new millennium, what do you feel are some subjects that need to be addressed by today’s artists?
TERMANOLOGY: Mainly just self-awareness man. A lot of people just rap to rap and that’s cool and I understand when they say – oh, I ain’t trying to change the world, I ain’t trying to be this guy or that guy. They don’t want to be like Dead Prez, they feel it’s a little too serious, or like a Chuck D. But I see people like Saigon and Dead Prez and Chuck D and Public Enemy, all people like that who speak common sense and speak out and actually talk about real issues, I love music like that I and I want to be a part of that.
There’s a whole bunch of issues [now]. Like teen pregnancy, it’s so crazy out here with these young chicks getting pregnant at fourteen years old. They’re still little kids, not even really grown into a teenager yet and definitely not fit to be a mother. And then there’s so much AIDS out here, everybody is running up in all these chicks raw. Everybody’s getting shot, there’s [problems with] incorrect bail where we’re getting locked up. I’m about to go to trial in March for a shooting and it’s crazy ‘cause I’m focused on my music one hundred percent but just being out here it’s so easy to get caught up in some stupid shit. So I like to rap about shit like that and not just jewelry all day. It’s cool too if you get jewelry and you wanna rap about it, I understand and I respect it. Just make it clever, you know.
RIOTSOUND.COM: Can you speak on your trial; do you feel you will be vindicated?
TERMANOLOGY: Yea, I should be fine man. All I know is somebody got shot, I don’t know, I didn’t shoot him. That’s all I know, so we’ll see how it goes. But I’m sure I should be fine ‘cause I know I didn’t do it and my lawyer knows I didn’t do it.
RIOTSOUND.COM: As a Latin MC what are your thoughts about representing your heritage; do you feel that it’s important to uphold the standard of excellence established by Latin artists such as Big Pun, The Beatnuts, Tony Touch as well as many others who have come before you?
TERMANOLOGY: Yea, for sure man. I mean, I just gotta look at like I pay homage to all them guys and we’re the new guys coming in. Like Joell Ortiz, he’s Spanish and he’s real nice, he’s coming up in the game. Fabolous is half Dominican, he’s doing his thing real hard right now. My man Ed Rock, he’s Puerto Rican. Myself, I’m Puerto Rican and French. It’s crazy being that mixture because I’m not only Spanish, I’m Puerto Rican and French. I mean, you never heard of a French rapper; the only white rapper really that matters is Eminem. All the rest of them is just like trying to get on but ain’t never really got it poppin’. Well, Paul Wall is doing his thing right now too.
But [with me], I’m coming from a whole new angle. I’m Puerto Rican and white so I gotta take on what Em took on, with everybody being like – yo, what’s up with this white boy? And I gotta take on what Pun took on like – oh, look at this Spanish nigga trying to rap. So it’s crazy. But I got a lot of respect, I got a lot of black friends, basically my whole team is all Spanish and black. So they know what it is and the fans know what it is.
RIOTSOUND.COM: You’ve been on your grind for several years now, putting out mixtapes for the streets as well as performing all over. At this relatively early stage in your career, what have been some of the biggest things for you in terms of accomplishment as well as personal satisfaction?
TERMANOLOGY: Just being heard on such a broad scale. Definitely the fact that I’ve been on 106th & Park, I’m about to be on MTV on February 2nd. I’ve got like eight twelve inches out, I’ve been on over one hundred mixtapes. It’s just the fact that I’m actually doing it and bringing it to life, this dream that I’ve always had as a kid. I’ve been rapping for a long time. I started dabbling into rapping around nine years old trying to learn how to flow. By the time I was fifteen I was writing full songs and recording at like sixteen. I’m twenty three now and it’s been a long road of rapping and just to see that it’s actually not really a dream anymore and that it’s actually coming true, that’s the best man right there, the satisfaction.
RIOTSOUND.COM: If you could work with any five producers in the world on your next album, who would they be?
TERMANOLOGY: Dr. Dre would be number one. Growing up as a kid and listening to Dre, I’d say he’s like my biggest influence. I’d say DJ Premier second and I already got that one so I guess it’s not really a dream anymore. I made that one happen. Also, I love Timberland, I love Pete Rock, I love Marley Marl, I love Kanye, Just Blaze. I love too many to even name. I love Nottz from Virginia, he’s a beast. I love Swizz [Beats], I love 9th Wonder; and also the new cats coming up like Moss, he just did a beat for Raekwon and Ghost, he’s nice. I like J. Cardim, he’s a new cat from New York who’s real dope; he just did something on Talib’s street album. And my man DC, he’s my partner so I’d definitely throw him on there. But basically Dr. Dre is the number one guy that I would want to work with in the world.
RIOTSOUND.COM: Being from the Boston area, what would you say are some of the biggest differences between Boston and New York in terms of Hip-Hop?
TERMANOLOGY: Hip-Hop started in New York so when you’re in New York you are where it’s at, that’s the real shit. Everybody else has taken Hip-Hop and made it their own way. Like L.A. got their own version of Hip-Hop, there’s Down South, then everybody overseas they all got their own shit. But New York, when I’m out there, I’m so Hip-Hop I almost feel home even though I’m from Mass. ‘Cause when I go out there I see the graffiti everywhere and everybody is promoting and everybody is rapping and doing their thing, there’s labels.
You know there’s nothing really in Mass, there’s only really been like three or four rappers that have come from here. Like Benzino, he blew up real big. Ed O.G., back in the days he was doing his thing real hard; also Krumbsnatcha. So it hasn’t really been too much of a long history in Boston. Everybody has always been underground and never really made it out. In New York it’s easy to get on ‘cause you right there where the biggest radio station is. If you can get someone on Hot 97 to play your record, everybody will play it everywhere.
RIOTSOUND.COM: Your street LP Out The Gate just dropped, what else should the fans be looking out for in the coming months?
TERMANOLOGY: The real album. This is my first album, a street album with my producer DC. He’s a beast on the boards, ya’ll gonna hear him in a sec. But after this, the next album is going to be coming out and I’m going to be working with DC, J. Cardim, DJ Premier, Nottz and Moss and I don’t know who else yet but hopefully Dr. Dre and Kanye [laughs].
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