CHIP FU
INTERVIEW: KIM "GOODLOOK" SEABROOK
VALIDATED: WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP, THE CULTURE?
CHIP FU: MY EARLIEST MEMORY WAS WATCHING HOT TRACK VIDEOS AND I WAS TRYING MY BEST TO COPY THE DANCE MOVES IN THE VIDEOS. I THEN LATER BECAME A LOCAL BREAK DANCER IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AROUND THE TIME HIP HOP STARTED GROWING AND GETTING MORE ATTENTION. FOR ME THAT WAS AGE 10. I STARTED TAGGING MY GRAFFITI NAME “VERGE” ON ANYTHING I COULD FIND FROM SIDEWALKS TO BUILDINGS. EVEN MY SCHOOL AND SCHOOL DESKS ‘TIL I GOT CAUGHT. THOSE DAYS WERE THE DAYS AND I WAS THERE TO SEE EVERYTHING IN ITS EARLIEST STAGES FROM PARK JAMS, ETC. UTFO LIVED AROUND THE CORNER FROM ME IN BROOKLYN. THEY AT THE TIME WERE KNOWN AS THE “JAMALOT” CREW AND THEY INSPIRED ME FROM SEEING THEM TO GET INTO MUSIC.
VALIDATED: YOU REALIZED AT A VERY YOUNG AGE THAT MUSIC (HIP-HOP) WAS YOUR PASSION. EXPLAIN THAT MOMENT ONCE YOU KNEW.
CHIP FU: I KNEW MUSIC WAS MY PASSION WHEN MY BROTHER HAD HIS 16TH BDAY PARTY AND I WROTE A RAP FOR HIM. I ASKED THE DJ IF I COULD DO THE RHYME FOR HIM AND I DID IT. ONE OF THE DUDES THERE WAS EDUCATED RAPPER. ONCE HE TOLD ME TO KEEP IT UP IT WAS ON FROM THERE.
VALIDATED: YOUR STYLE IS A COMBINATION OF HIP-HOP AND REGGAE MUSIC. HOW HAS YOUR STYLE SET YOU APART FROM THE REST?
CHIP FU: MY STYLE SETS ME APART ‘CAUSE NOT TO MANY PEOPLE CAN DO BOTH AND DO IT WELL. I BELIEVE I HAVE A PERFECT BALANCE. BEING CARIBBEAN AND GROWING UP IN THAT TYPE OF HOUSEHOLD I WAS LISTENING TO ALL TYPES OF MUSIC... SOCA, CALYPSO, REGGAE FIRST AND THEN HIP HOP. SO MY APPROACH TO MUSIC IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF WHAT I’M LISTENING FOR AND WHAT I AM ABLE TO DO. TO SIMPLIFY MY “MATH” WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC IS DIFFERENT.
VALIDATED: YOUR GOAL IS TO STAY ORIGINAL WITH THE MUSIC YOU CREATE AND TO STAY AWAY FROM COOKIE CUTTER MATERIAL. HOW DIFFICULT HAS THAT BEEN IN THIS ERA?
CHIP FU: I MEAN IT’S BEEN EASY AS LONG AS I STAY TRUE TO MYSELF. THAT DOES NOT MEAN TO ALWAYS USE THE SAME MOTTO WHEN DOING MUSIC BUT TO CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE MYSELF ALSO. BUT I’LL NEVER BE A PERSON THAT’S AFRAID OF THE CHALLENGE AND I OFTEN WELCOME THE CHALLENGE .
VALIDATED: IN THE EARLY 90’S YOU COLLABORATED WITH JOE AND LENNOX TO FORM THE GROUP FU-SCHNICKENS. I HEARD RUMORS OF A REUNION. IS THAT TRUE? IF SO, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
CHIP FU: IN THE BEGINNING WE SET OUT TO DO A TOUR. WE HAD EVERYTHING PREPARED AND ALIGNED BUT I DON’T THINK IT WAS TIME FOR IT. FOR ME, I HAVE TO MOVE WITH WHAT MY SPIRIT TELLS ME TO DO. YET AND STILL ONE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S UP TO GOD TO PUT THINGS IN MOTION. SO IF THINGS DON’T WORK OUT I DON’T QUESTION IT. DO I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT THING FOR PEOPLE TO SEE US RETURN TO STAGE? OF COURSE! IS IT WHAT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPENING NOW? I DON’T THINK SO. ENERGY AND PRESENTATION HAS TO BE PERFECT. SO THAT WILL BE LEFT ALONE. WILL THERE BE SOLO PROJECTS? TONS OF THEM FROM ME. CAN’T SPEAK UPON THOSE THINGS BUT THEY ARE IN THE WORKS. FOR THE RECORD, NO BEEF AT ALL BETWEEN US. WE JUST KNOW THINGS HAVE TO BE RIGHT IN ORDER FOR US TO DO WHAT WE MUST. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I THINK I ENDED IT ON A GOOD NOTE FOR THE GROUP AT THE YO! MTV PERFORMANCE. I REPPED ‘TIL I CAN’T FOR THE GROUP ANYMORE. IT’S TIME ONLY FOR ME .
VALIDATED: WHAT CAUSED THE GROUP MEMBERS TO WORK ON THEIR SOLO CAREERS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
CHIP FU: WELL WE DID IT TO GET OUT OF THE JIVE (RECORD LABEL) CONTRACT AT THE TIME.
VALIDATED: YOU HAVE YOUR OWN RECORD LABEL AND FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY, BLAQ-INK INC, WHICH YOU RELEASED 2 OF YOUR OWN ALBUMS UNDER. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER ARTISTS ON THE LABEL? IF SO WHO?
CHIP FU: YES, BLAQ-INK IS MY COMPANY AND RIGHT NOW I’M WORKING ON SEVERAL PROJECTS OF MY OWN. DO I HAVE ARTISTS? YES, I DO BUT WE ARE IN CONTRACT STAGES NOW AND I CAN’T REALLY REVEAL THAT. BUT I GOT A FEW DOPE PRODUCERS, WRITERS, VIDEOGRAPHERS, ETC.
VALIDATED: YOU HAVE WORKED WITH ARTISTS SUCH AS QUEEN LATIFAH, SHAQUILLE O'NEAL AND MINT CONDITION JUST TO NAME A FEW. WHO WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH THAT YOU HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YET AND EXPLAIN WHY?
CHIP FU: THERE ARE SO MANY ARTISTS TO NAME. ON THE REGGAE SIDE I’D SAY AIDONIA ‘CAUSE HE IS AN INCREDIBLE WORD SMITH, ALONG WITH BUNJI GARLIN AND A FEW OTHERS. ON THE HIP HOP SIDE I’D SAY BUSTA RHYMES, ‘CAUSE HE WOULD PUSH ME. I KNOW WHAT WE WOULD COME UP WITH WOULD BE THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING THAT PEOPLE WOULD LOVE AND HAVE BEEN WAITING TO HEAR!
VALIDATED: TALK ABOUT THE PRODUCTION ON YOUR ALBUM "WAR PAINT". YOU HAVE SOME HEAVY HITTERS ON THERE.
CHIP FU: WAR PAINT BECAME A TWO PART MIXTAPE SERIES THAT I RELEASED. I’M NOW FOCUSED ON THE BRAND NEW PROJECT THAT I REALLY CAN’T SPEAK UPON.
VALIDATED: YOU HAVE AN ORGANIZATION CALLED M.A.A.T.H (MUSIC ARTS APPRECIATION TIME AND HEALING). DESCRIBE THE MISSION AND GOAL.
CHIP FU: MAATH IS MY BABY, IT WAS CREATED TO HELP PEOPLE IN GENERAL, ADULTS AND KIDS WHO JUST NEED A PLATFORM FOR CHANGE. TO BE PUSHED, TO BE RECOGNIZED, TO BE MENTORED, TO BE CHALLENGED AND TO BE HELPED. MY MISSION IS TO BE THAT ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS PEOPLE HELP THEMSELVES. SOMETIMES IT’S A SIMPLE THING THEY MAY NEED, LIKE A KIND WORD OR JUST DIRECTION AND INFORMATION. I STARTED IN HOUSING FIRST WHERE IT WAS FIRST INTRODUCED AND THEN IT SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOLS AND EVEN WITH KIDS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES. IT’S MORE A GIFT THAN ANYTHING AND I’M GOING TO USE THIS GIFT TO UPLIFT AND EDUCATE MY PEOPLE.
VALIDATED: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WANT TO PURSUE A GOAL IN GETTING YOUR DEGREES IN PHYSICAL THERAPY AND REIKI HEALING? HAVE YOU OBTAINED THEM GOALS YET?
CHIP FU: AS A FATHER I KNEW MY SON WOULD WANT TO FOLLOW IN MY FOOTSTEPS. WHEN MY DAD CAME TO THIS COUNTRY FROM BARBADOS ALL HE HAD WAS A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. I DIDN’T WANT HIS WORK EFFORTS TO GO BY THE WAYSIDE, ‘CAUSE HE RAISED US ALONG WITH MY INCREDIBLE MOM TO BE BETTER THAN THEM AND TO COMPLETE WHAT THEY DIDN’T. I HAVE A DEGREE IN PHYSICAL THERAPY SCIENCES AND A MASTERS DEGREE IN REIKI ALONG WITH CERTIFICATION IN DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE. I JUST WANTED MY SON AND FAMILY TO UNDERSTAND EVEN THOUGH I MAY ALWAYS BE SEEN AS AN EMCEE, WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT MY HISTORY AND WHAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IT WOULD INSPIRE PEOPLE AND MY FAMILY MEMBERS. I BELIEVE I’M A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR MY SON NOW, ‘CAUSE WHATEVER I DID HE SURELY CAN AND EVEN BETTER.
VALIDATED: WHEN LEAVING YOUR LEGACY BEHIND, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED MOST FOR?
CHIP FU: I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS BEING THE MOST HUMBLE PERSON YOU HAVE MET YET. ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS WORDS SMITHS TO EVER TOUCH A MIKE FIRST. ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT I GENUINELY LOVE PEOPLE AND WANT TO SEE THEM PROGRESS. I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE, I WANT TO SEE YOU WIN! ALONG WITH BEING A GOOD FATHER, SIBLING, HUSBAND AND FRIEND.
VALIDATED: ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR UPCOMING ARTISTS?
CHI FU: NEVER CHANGE WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON, ‘CAUSE THAT HOLDS MORE WEIGHT THAN ANYTHING. BE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR CRAFT... FIRST IMPRESSION COUNTS!
VALIDATED: WHAT IS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA INFO?
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