Adeem

Take a trip with me through the mind of one of the sickest freestylers to ever touch the mic. Coming straight out of Keene, NH (aka Keensbridge because he says it sounds tougher) is Adeem. The Scribble Jam ’98 champion and full time rapper shares his thought on hiphop and spirituality.

Jbutters: Sole once told me he taught you everything you know is that true?

Adeem: You’re lying and if you’re not lying he’s lying haha

JB: Haha

A: I am a self-taught rapper

JB: Do you think that being from New Hampshire helped you develop a unique style?

A: Yes and no, I think that being secluded has made me my own person but also it has given me the ability to only be subjected to what I choose to give my ears which is pretty fresh

JB: How did your surroundings influence you?

A: It made me sarcastic. Everyone around me really has no idea about the background of what I am involved in. I had to work really hard to get dope music by driving to places and going to see shows, it was difficult but rewarding

JB: How did you develop your freestyling abilities

A: Practice

JB: Just rhyming alone in your room?

A: Yes and at parties, in the car, at open Mics, anywhere I could

JB: When was your first actual battle? And did you win

A: Oh man my first battle was in 94 some kids from Boston they were not very good but neither was I but if it makes me look tougher we can say that I won

JB: Haha I’m sure you can take them out now

A: Probably, but battles are never predictable

JB: As far as knowing how nice the other person is?

A: The other person, the judges, the crowd, yourself there are a lot of variables

JB: A lot of dope freestylers like say Supernatural are incredible off the top but struggle with written rhymes why do you think that is?

A: They don’t focus or care, freestyling can be a crutch what really matters is if you can do both. Conceptualizing a song and learning how to take that from paper to the Mic are difficult things. However they are necessary to be a complete rapper. Freestyling will only get you so far

JB: What type of strategies do you bring to the battle?

A: Well first of all half the people who suck at battling are no good because they take it so seriously. Dudes freak when they lose. There is no progression if you don’t have a “it’s all fun” attitude. There is always a strategy but it varies from person to person I just try to out flow people and make then look dumb. It’s about being more on point i have rarely seen a good battle

JB: Not even your own?

A: I have been in some good ones definitely

JB: What have been some of your most interesting battles

A: When I battled P.E.A.C.E. from Freestyle Fellowship and Virtuoso from Boston those two were pretty interesting

JB: I heard you battled at Braggin Rights how was that experience and was that the first time you performed in New York?

A: Yo man that was horrible

JB: Really?

A: Those battles are no good, Sage and me went and we got ripped off. It’s a joke battle and it’s run terribly

JB: The crowd can be very biased

A: People just bring their friends my experience was funny as hell I got ganged up on

JB: Yea I heard something like that I believe Pumpkinhead was there and Subconscious

A: Hahaha Yeah those guys oh wow it was great we have the video. They set it up so 4 people battle at once sort of you get a minute and a half so of course they were all homies and I had to go first. So I just brought to each of them the best that I could. The crowd actually yells more times for me while I am rapping. Then they decided to take their turns just coming at me. All the responses were really bad but all their friends thought it was funny to play the “one of these MCs doesn’t belong” game so they gave it to Pumpkinhead it was too bad but that’s the way that it goes

JB: Word a bad experience in NYC have you been back since?

A: I have actually been back to NY a couple of times to do shows it’s been pretty cool

JB: Where have you performed?

A: Twice at NYU

JB: Have you been up to 89.9 Bobbitto’s CM Famalam Show?

A: Nope always wanted to though someday I will make it up there

JB: Did you catch that horrible Blaze Battle? Peace to Eyedea though

A: Hahahaha Yo man I taped the Blaze battle and it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen it was not even fair that Eyedea was on the same stage he ripped everyone

JB: My friend in Arkansas knows Eyedea now that’s pretty funny I don’t know how some of those people advanced

A: Haha yeah man Eyedea rules he is an amazing battler

JB: Off the battle topics for a moment I heard you perform with a hardcore band tell me about that?

A: well I was for a little bit, the guitar player that I was working with actually passed away in may

JB: Oh.. I’m sorry to hear that

A: He was a good friend they have been regrouping but have started playing again hopefully I will start back up

JB: Is it true that you also write poetry?

A: Yes I write is constantly

JB: Do you ever enter into any poetry slams or spoken word contests?

A: Actually I never have but I always meant to I will sometime soon.. I just have to memorize something. slams are awesome, have you ever seen Sage Francis slam? He is the master

JB: Nah I haven’t had a chance to see him. What are some of your poems about?

A: My poems are about everything anything that I encounter anything that I feel I try to take simple emotion and twist it into something new and fresh that’s the same way that I approach my songs

JB: Do you DJ as well?

A: Yeah I dabble I scratch more than I rap

JB: Do you ever DJ any shows?

A: Umm some, me and Shalem and a friend have a routine that we do around here I DJ some parties. DJ Hairy Manilow, a dope DJ who’s my favorite right now

JB: Are you a local legend?

A: Something like that haha

JB: Haha that must feel great

A: People don’t know how to react they don’t really know any better but some of them really like the music others just think that I am a weird person who they can’t understand

JB: Do they come up to you in awe just to shake your hand?

A: Hahahaha no not quite yet, they drool and pass out

JB: Haha

A: Some people fall out of there wheel chairs just to give me dap

JB: Hahaa Do you have any girls crying when you walk by and wave?

A: Nope I ignore all that jazz, teenybopper girls are useless

JB: Has there been any growing resemblance of a hiphop scene in New Hampshire since your days of driving far to see shows and buy records?

A: There is a little one mostly thugged out but cool

JB: Thugged out New Hampshire rappers?

A: I have found some other kids who are amazing as well yeah man life is trife in the sticks ever heard of Passage and Bomarr Monk? Those are 2 of NH’s finest

JB: Nah never heard of them I thought that you were the only one

A: Nope these are some new kids that are working with Anticon they are really dope

JB: Speaking of Anticon do you see yourself moving to Cali with the other Anticon crew?

A: Nope i do my own thing I will be going to Cali in January to record an album with Moodswing 9. Me and Shalem roll 2 deep

JB: My friend said Moodswing is born again now

A: Yeah so am I, it will be a religiously toned album

JB: What brought about the change?

A: I have been a Christian since 1991 it’s a hard thing to put into words. I just realized that there was a God and a Jesus and that he died for my sins it’s a lot more detailed than that but you know… being a Christian is a scary word for a lot of people

JB: I think it depends on how the ideas are brought to them

A: Yeah it’s hard

JB: Some people are more forceful with there beliefs which can turn some people off

A: Yeah that is no good

JB: Do you go on any retreats to clear your mind?

A: No I haven’t in a while. I have tried to be able to do that in my own head it’s hard but sometimes you have to. Life piles up a lot of junk for you to deal with but you to just sit and think and realize where you are going and what your goals are. If that means taking it one day at a time then that is what you have to do..

JB: Do you ever see yourself leaving Keenesbridge to develop your career more?

A: Yes when I am ready at some point it will be necessary but my goal is to live in the country with a studio in the basement and enjoy life..

JB: Musically and personally how do you feel your life would be different if you grew up in a large city?

A: It’s hard to guess this music and who i am as a person are very based on my beliefs and what I have seen so I am not sure how that would be effected. If it had not gone the way that it did I would like to think that I would be still doing the same music and be the same person because I am proud of both

JB: So what is Adeem’s day job?

A: As of last week Full time Rapper

JB: Oh word quit or fired?

A: Quit, I had a great job that I enjoyed but it took to much time away from music. I wanted to devote all my time to making my art better and more polished focusing on recording and performing live

JB: Do you feel music will be enough to sustain you financially?

A: Hopefully, I have three projects in the works plus I have saved up money to be able to do this

JB: What are those three projects?

A: Dorian Three, Moodswing 9/Adeem Album, and the Shalem/Adeem album…and anything else that comes along the way Dorian Three is selling well

JB: Will the Moodswing9 Album be more thought provoking written material or pure freestyle?

A: All written it’s all poetry and song

JB: The Shalem/Adeem album is that the “First Few Inches”?

A: Nope the “First Few Inches” was never meant to be anything. It was just supposed to be sold at scribble 99 but people really like it apparently and keep buying it. The Shalem/Adeem album is what I have been working on the past year

JB: What’s the name of the album and when can we expect it to be released?

A: Your guess is as good as mine

JB: That would be a pretty good title right there

A: ha yeah maybe

JB: Who is in the Dorian Three and what do you guys have planned for the upcoming year?

A: The Dorian Three is me, Shalem, and Adverse we have a CD that is already done, we may release it on a bigger level

JB: I read in one of your interviews that you never kicked a written freestyle what pushes you to keep your rhymes strictly off the top?

A: I owe it to the people listening to me. If I say it’s freestyle then it will be freestyle damn it. It’s a rule that I live by

JB: Do you feel that being such a good freestyler will overshadow anything you put on paper? If so how do you feel you can overcome that

A: Well yeah that becomes a problem because if you get to used to freestyling it’s hard to concentrate on written material. I am hoping that people will enjoy it when things are more thought out and well executed

JB: Will you be as active in battles now or are you going to concentrate on doing shows?

A: Shows for the most part but I will battle when I can

JB: I’m out of questions is there anything else you want the fans in cyberspace to see?

A: Yea shirley temples are the best drink in the world and that the dorian three is about to take over the world and manifest on da gawds on da errfff..plus the the vinyl monkies rule the universe