COAST TO COAST | NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES: Tone Spliff
TONE SPLIFF | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
INTERVIEW INNOCENT? PHOTOGRAPHY LAURA SANTACRUZ
“I don’t want to work with someone rhyming about pills, money and the trap house. I’d prefer someone with some witty punchlines or can write a story. And the flow has to be on point. Can’t work with someone who sounds robotic and has no cadence on the mic.” - Tone Spliff
VALIDATED: Who is Tone Spliff?
TONE SPLIFF: I’m originally from a small city located in Central New York, called Utica. It’s 45 miles from Syracuse. I was raised there until I moved to Los Angeles, California. I’ve been in LA for almost 10 years now. I started off DJin’ in the mid 90s, then progressed to making beats in the early 2000s.
VALIDATED: Was that TRANSITION from NEW YORK to CALIFORNIA difficult?
TONE SPLIFF: Not really. The hardest part was tossing away a large amount of my belongings. But after doing that, it felt good to not have as much junk. Then I also had the help of two friends (DJ Buck and David Mnemonic) who helped me get on my feet within the first few months.
VALIDATED: When I say transition, I also mean the change from New York City culture to Los Angeles culture.
TONE SPLIFF: Oh no, LA is full of culture. Definitely a bit more laid back, but that’s a good thing.
VALIDATED: So how would you compare the two when it comes to the actual Hip Hop culture itself, between the 2 coasts?
TONE SPLIFF: To me the only difference is the weather and attire. Both coasts got legendary Breakers, Graffiti Writers, DJs and MCs. Definitely different vibes on each coast, but it’s all love on both coasts.
VALIDATED: So to go back, what’s your earliest memory of Hip Hop culture?
TONE SPLIFF: Watching Fab 5 Freddy on MTV in the late 80s - early 90s. Seeing music videos from Run DMC, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Rakim, KRS One and so on.
VALIDATED: How did you get your start as a DJ?
TONE SPLIFF: I got the ambition to start DJin’ after seeing DJs on Yo! MTV Raps, old DMC vhs Battle Tapes, and one of my best friends (DJ Joe Dro) who had a set of Gemini turntables. That combination got me interested to want to give it a shot.
VALIDATED: A lot of Djs that we’ve interviewed say it one of two ways, either they started out DJing then transitioned into making beats, or they started out producing and transitioned into DJing, why is that?
TONE SPLIFF: I started with DJin’. I didn’t really have any ambition to make beats, until about 5-6 years after DJin’. My main inspiration for pursuing production was the likes of DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Marley Marl and all other legendary producer/DJs.
VALIDATED: Was it a difficult transition?
TONE SPLIFF: Nah, I started on the Akai MPC 2000xl. I remember when I first got it, I wasn’t quick to jump right in. I read the manual and started off slow with beat making.
VALIDATED: Was that the cheat code, already having a “DJ ear” when you started producing?
TONE SPLIFF: Yes, possibly. I usually can hear that sweet spot on a song and be like “I could make a dope beat with that”.
VALIDATED: Who are some artists that you have worked with?
TONE SPLIFF: There’s a lot, but off the top: Craig G, Sadat X, Big Shug, Edo. G, Royce 5’9, Saigon, Fatlip, Sean Price (R.I.P.), Krumbsnatcha, King Magnetic, Copywrite, Vast Aire, Skyzoo, Solomon Childs, Ruste Juxx, Apathy, R.A. The Rugged Man, Percee P, El Da Sensei, Big Noyd and tons more.
VALIDATED: And you did the cuts on the Validated Radio Show intro. Definitely appreciate that.
TONE SPLIFF: No question. Shoutout to Stan Da Man who produced the beat too.
VALIDATED: Who are some artists that are making noise on the West coast, that we should be on the lookout for?
TONE SPIFF: LocalBlac is making some noise right now. We just dropped a project called “Masked Assailants” in May. Other dope emcees from out here I’d say: A-F-R-O, XP the Marxman, RhymeStyleTroop, O The Great, Nowaah the Flood, and Heir. I’m sure I’m missing a few.
VALIDATED: Are there any artists that you’d like to work with, be it legendary or up and coming artists?
TONE SPLIFF: I have a bucket list. (Laughs) A few legends would be Rakim, Kool G Rap, Redman, AZ, Pharoahe Monch, Black Thought, and OC. Up and coming or newer artists would be Elzhi, Rasheed Chappelle, Nems, Benny The Butcher, David Bars, and Napoleon Da Legend.
VALIDATED: Have you heard RedMans “80 Bars”?
TONE SPLIFF: I have. It was decent. Redman needs to hit me for beats though!
VALIDATED: When it comes to you picking artists to work with, what’s your major criteria?
TONE SPLIFF: Content and flow. I don’t want to work with someone rhyming about pills, money and the trap house. I’d prefer someone with some witty punchlines or can write a story. And the flow has to be on point. Can’t work with someone who sounds robotic and has no cadence on the mic.
VALIDATED: Who are your top 3 DJs and producers?
TONE SPLIFF: Producers - DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Large Pro and DJs: Q Bert, Grandmaster Roc Raida (R.I.P.), DJ Babu. These lists can change based on the time of day and season. (Laughs)
VALIDATED: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give your younger self regarding the business?
TONE SPLIFF: Be patient. Learn more of the business side. Network more.
VALIDATED: What does Hip Hop mean to you?
TONE SPLIFF: Show love and respect to those who paved the way, carry on tradition, give back to the community and have fun.
VALIDATED: What do you feel your responsibility is to Hip Hop?
TONE SPLIFF: To keep that raw boom bap alive. Staying true to who I am and not selling out for a buck because it’s the cool thing to do. Help others succeed as much as possible.
VALIDATED: Do you feel there should be legitimate sub-genres in Hip Hop?
TONE SPLIFF: Yes, other genres have sub-genres or categories. Hip Hop shouldn’t be any different.
VALIDATED: What does the rest of 2021 look like for you?
TONE SPLIFF: I just dropped a new single with Benny Slumz called “Murder Scene”. I have a few other singles coming in December. One with Bodyping (Utica, NY). Then I got another joint dropping with RhymeStyleTroop (San Diego, CA) and Edo. G. Then I have about 6 projects in the works for 2022. I’m trying to find time to sleep.
VALIDATED: How can the readers find you on social media?
TONE SPLIFF: Everything @ToneSpliff, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Just search the name and I’ll come up!