Hip hop in Baltimore is finally redeeming itself with Greenspan. He's the newest Emcee on the scene, and is literally embarrassing his Baltimore predecessors (K-swift aside). Naturally I'm inclined to support local artists because I believe in community, but I’ve lost faith in recent years. A lot of rappers from the area aren’t saying anything worth listening to. All I hear are vulgar and offensive lyrics, over OBNOXIOUS club beats. There. I said it.
Then I heard Greenspan open for The Clipse last weekend. I'm a sucker for beats, and he’s got dope beats. He has an ear for great samples, like LLCool J’s ‘Doin it’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ which he remixed with that signature Baltimore Club. Greenspan executes his rhymes with a certain finesse that makes you wish you were that clever. I got a chance to catch up with him after his set. Here’s what he had to say:
Where did the name Greenspan come from?
In 2003 I was in High school, I took an interest in politics and money. That’s where my company Federal Reserve Music came from. The former chairman of the Federal Reserve was Alan Greenspan, and it just stuck with me.
Who are some your biggest Musical influences?
Marvin Gaye, Corrine Bailey Ray. A majority of my musical influences are not Hip-hop. I listen to AZ, I love UGK, but I also like Fleetwood MAC. I’m a composer, when I was growing up I would play the piano, I just didn’t have the discipline. I can figure stuff out, but I’m not nice with it, and I like working with singers, Ill sing the tune to them, and Ill lay down the harmony for them.
Did you start out producing?
No, I mostly do writing, performing, and rapping. Right now I have a great team of producers, so I don’t really have to do that right now. I have enough on my plate.
Who are some of the people that you are currently working with?
Live Beats, Misfit Sounds, particularly GQ from Misfits. I’ve worked with DJ Booman, and I’m about to work with DJ Excel. In the future I would like to work with M.I.A and Snoop to name a few.
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I enjoyed his show, and It’s always a plus when the artist turns out to be fun and interesting to interview. Check out Greenspan at www.greenspanmusic.com
Here’s a clip from the show. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
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