October 30, 2012

Skittles Room: Interview with 319

ugsmag

Kay the Aquanaut did a little interview with me about UGSMAG for his new site, skittlesroom.com.

Interview with 319Heads (UgsMag.com)

Not considering, or even analyzing our late plunge into this world….The era of the indie blog site has been quite bloody of late.

A once thriving scene of inspired to-be-journalists, web designers, and just flat-out music fans, in which changed the game of music in the early-to mid-to late 90’s…the actual dates are a little blurry…, has quietly now become a thing of the past.

In reality, blog sites like Pitchfork, etc…are still very influential in music and pop culture. Yet like the rest of the world…there has been an amalgamation that has taken place. When funds and time are depleted, and the energy runs low, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify the continuation of a d.i.y. lifestyle. So, when the major sites continue to enhance their reach and influence, d.i.y. becomes increasingly self-defeating. Blogs are dope, but being able to live is quite a bit more dope…and justifiable to a significant other.

In Hiphop, blogs and forum beefs were at their peak in the early 2000s’…but, over the years the sites began to thin out. A once thriving scene is now just a footnote in the crazy history of the underground.

Fortunately for fans and artists alike, there are still a few dope sites remaining.

Our post today is an interview with 319Heads…formerly Noyz319. He is the world renowned founder and operator of underground hiphop’s greatest blogsite, Ugsmag.com .

We wanted to show our love to him for his many countless hours of contributing to the fostering of the music we love. Without people, and blogs like his…my life as an artist and fan would not be the same.

Although most people take the Internet for granted, it’s important to understand that there are people behind the scenes putting in a lot of work to make your favourite site dope. So support them!

Ugsmag.com

Kay: ‘How, when, and why did UgsMag come into existence?’

319Heads: ‘In 1999 I started an underground Hiphop site that mainly featured downloads of hard-to-find indie rap songs; artists started contacting me for exposure, so in 2000 I switched to a magazine format…and ugsmag was born. A couple months after that, the online store part of the site was created…and I spent the next few years going to the post office everyday.’

Kay: ‘What have you learned from being a part of, and running such an influential artists site/blog?’

319Heads: ‘I’ve learned to ignore both artists and listeners who are stuck in the past.’

Kay: ‘Name 5 things in indie Hiphop that have changed the most during your time with the site?’

319Heads: ’ – A lot of people have stopped buying music.

– There’s an annoying amount to sift through, but in general the music is better these days.

– Many of the people who back in the day embraced change and progression are now stagnant in their taste.

– Artists started making cassette tapes.

– Ugsmag is still alive, but pretty much every other indie-rap magazine died off: Hiphop Infinity, Rebirth Magazine, Urban Smarts, Fool Blown, Triple Bypass, 4th District, etc.’

Kay: ‘What’s left for you to accomplish with UgsMag?’

319Heads: ‘There was never an end-goal in mind, so it’s definitely the love of the music that keeps it going. It wastes a lot of my free-time and there are moments when I feel like calling it quits, but I would miss it too much to stop….although it felt good killing off our forum earlier in the year. At the very least it’s always a way for me to stay up to date on the music I love.’

Kay: ‘What’s your biggest artistic influence?…not limited to any art or artistry.’

319Heads: ‘Prince.’

Hell yeah!

-Kay

One Response