HARD WORK: BACKBONE
ATLANTA, GEORGIA | BACKBONE
INTERVIEW REALIFE PHOTOGRAPH CARLOS HILL
VALIDATED: BEING FROM ATLANTA, GEORGIA, WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP CULTURE?
BACKBONE: THERE WAS AN OG ARTIST BY THE NAME OF MOJO THAT HAD A HIT RECORD ON THE RADIO. THE NOSTALGIA OF KNOWING SOMEONE WITH A SONG ON THE RADIO FROM ATLANTA WAS BIG STUFF SEEMINGLY. SHORTLY AFTER KILO, RAHEEM THE DREAM AND THE HARD BOYZ CAME OUT. THAT WAS WHEN I FIRST SAW PEOPLE I ACTUALLY KNEW PUT OUT POPULAR MUSIC.
VALIDATED: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START IN HIP-HOP?
BACKBONE: I COME FROM A MUSICAL FAMILY. MY FATHER PLAYED WITH A LOT OF KNOWN ACTS. I PLAY BRASS INSTRUMENTS AS A RESULT OF THAT LEGACY. MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND’S “CHE” AND “JOHN JOHN” WERE THE FIRST ONES I RECORDED SONGS WITH. WE WERE BEATING ON “CHITTERLING” BUCKETS WHILE RECORDING OURSELVES WITH MY GRANDFATHERS TAPE RECORDER. HERE I AM NOW.
VALIDATED: WHAT ROLE DID YOU PLAY IN A LOT OF THE HITS BEHIND OUTKAST, GOODIE MOB AND OTHER DUNGEON FAMILY MEMBERS?
BACKBONE: IN THE BEGINNING WE USE TO CREATE AS A COLLECTIVE MORE SO THAN NOW FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. I WAS FEATURED ON A LOT OF SONGS THAT DIDN’T SAY “FEATURING BACKBONE” SO A LOT OF PEOPLE NEVER KNEW IT WAS THE “PURE MC” BEHIND THOSE VERSES, TRUE DF FANS KNEW THOUGH.
VALIDATED: YOUR DEBUT ALBUM “CONCRETE LAW”, WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE RESPONSE TO THE PROJECT?
BACKBONE: I HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN A GREAT RESPONSE FROM THE PEOPLE BUT I RECENTLY DID A SHOW ON THE EASTSIDE OF ATLANTA AND THE PEOPLE WERE SHARING STORIES OF APPRECIATION, QUOTING LYRICS, REQUESTING SONGS ETCETERA. IT DAWNED ON ME, MAYBE I SHOULD DO AN EXCLUSIVE “BACKBONE” SOLO SHOW STRICTLY FOR THE “CONCRETE LAW” FANS.
VALIDATED: YOU’RE SOON TO BE RELEASED SOLO PROJECT “THE ETERNAL TRILOGY”, A THREE-PART EP, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT IT TO DROP?
BACKBONE: THE VIBRATION, EMOTION AND ENERGY IS STARTING TO ALIGN, SO SOON COMETH, SOON COMETH.
VALIDATED: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT AS FAR AS THE PRODUCTION AND ARE THERE ANY FEATURES?
BACKBONE: IT’S A STORY OF EMPOWERMENT, CHANGE, CALMNESS, MINDFULNESS AND SELF-ACTUALIZATION PLUS YOU CAN GROOVE TO IT.
VALIDATED: HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU’VE GROWN AS AN ARTIST SINCE THE RELEASE OF YOUR DEBUT ALBUM “CONCRETE LAW” AND THE SOON TO BE RELEASED “THE ETERNAL TRILOGY”?
BACKBONE: I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THE FACT THAT I HAVE TO COMPLETE A THOUGHT SO TO SPEAK. ALLOWING THE ENTIRE BODY OF WORK TO COEXIST. A PHILOSOPHICAL MESHING OF MELODY, RHYTHM AND RHYME IF YOU WILL.
VALIDATED: IN RECENT VENTURES YOU LAUNCHED “PLATEAU ENTERTAINMENT GROUP”, GIVEN NEW ARTIST A PLATFORM TO EXPRESS THEIR TALENTS UNDER YOUR TUTELAGE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
BACKBONE: IT BRINGS ME PLEASURE TO SEE AN ARTIST VALUE THEIR CRAFT. THAT’S A LOST ART. OVERNIGHT SUCCESS HAS SHIFTED THE DIRECTION OF THE CULTURE FROM AN ARTIST STANDPOINT. NO DIRECTION INITIALLY UNLESS THERE'S A STRONG BUSINESS MIND INVOLVED.
VALIDATED: THE COLLECTIVE OF “DUNGEON FAMILY GENERATION X”, WHO’S INVOLVED AND WHAT MOVED YOU TO CREATE IT?
BACKBONE: DUNGEON FAMILY GENERATION X IS A REVOLVING ART FACTORY. THE FACES OF DFGX WILL FOREVER CHANGE. LIKE WE HAVE 1ST AND 2ND GENERATION DF, GX HAS CHAPTERS. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM ENTITLED BACKBONE PRESENTS: DUNGEON FAMILY GENERATION X “GLOBAL WARNING” ON BANDCAMP FOR FREE RIGHT NOW. CLASSIC JEWEL. MAKING THAT PROJECT WAS SPECIAL TO SAY THE LEAST.
VALIDATED: YOU’RE ACTIVELY PURSUING A BACHELOR’S OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY AT LIFE UNIVERSITY, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION?
BACKBONE: I WANT TO FIRST HEAL MYSELF AND THEN OTHERS THROUGH MUSICAL AND HOLISTIC MODALITIES. I’M GETTING INTO TRADITIONAL HEALING PRINCIPLES MORE.
VALIDATED: COMING UP UNDER THE DUNGEON FAMILY, ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MOVEMENTS IN HIP-HOP HISTORY AND PROBABLY THE BEST COLLECTIVE OF HIP-HOP ARTISTS OUT OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, WHAT DO YOU FEEL IT MEANS TO HIP-HOP CULTURE?
BACKBONE: LET’S BE CLEAR, I DIDN’T COME UP “UNDER” THE BRAND, I WAS ACTUALLY A PART OF THE CONCEPTION OF THE ENTITY. HOWEVER, I WASN’T ON A LOT OF THE EARLIER RECORDS BECAUSE I WAS AWAY IN COLLEGE. I ATTENDED ALABAMA A & M UNIVERSITY; HENCE THE REASON I’M NOT ON “WATCH FOR THE HOOK”.
VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE BUSINESS SIDE OF HIP-HOP MUSIC CURRENTLY... SPECIFICALLY 360 DEALS AND STAYING INDEPENDENT VERSUS SIGNING TO A MAJOR LABEL?
BACKBONE: IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HIP HOP BEGAN AS A HUSTLERS GAME. ALL THE LABELS WERE INDEPENDENT WHICH MEANT THE LABEL AND THE ARTIST/PRODUCER OWNED THE MASTERS. THAT’S WHERE THE BUSINESS IS NOW. AS FAR AS 360’S, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A MEAN DREAM TEAM, LEGAL AND LOGISTICS, TO MANEUVER THROUGH THE TECHNICALITIES.
VALIDATED: THE CURRENT STATE OF HIP-HOP IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
BACKBONE: ATLANTA HAS GREAT MUSIC SCENE OF COURSE. WE KNOW THE BIGGER NAMES BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD EMCEE’S ON THE UNDERGROUND SCENE HERE AS WELL. ATLANTA IS SAFE I’D SAY.
VALIDATED: WHICH NEW ATLANTA, GEORGIA ARTIST ARE YOU FEELING AT THE MOMENT?
BACKBONE: I’M FROM CASCADE, THE WESTEND AREA, ZONE 4 SO I’M ROCKING WITH “LIL BABY” RIGHT ABOUT NOW, SHOUT OUT COACH K., HIS DELIVERY IS NICE.
VALIDATED: AS A MEMBER OF THE LEGENDARY DUNGEON FAMILY AND AN ATLANTA, GEORGIA NATIVE, HOW IMPORTANT HAS ATLANTA BEEN TO HIP-HOP OVER THE LAST DECADE?
BACKBONE: IT HAS DEFINITELY OPENED THE MEDIA GATES. FROM MUSIC IN THE 90’S TO FILM AND TELEVISION TODAY.
VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS?
BACKBONE: I CAN BE REACHED DIRECTLY AT 404 692 2096 FOR ANY AND ALL FEATURE AND BOOKING SCENARIOS. YOU CAN CHECK FOR ME ON INSTAGRAM AT @BACKBONE_DUNGEON_FAMILY, THE CLOTHING LINE INSTAGRAM IS @THEBACKBONESTORE (THE STORE LINK IS IN THE BIO SECTION OF ALL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS) AND ON TWITTER AT @BACKBONE_DF1G.