{"id":430,"date":"2007-07-04T09:23:39","date_gmt":"2007-07-04T13:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ugsmag.com\/interviews\/conspiracy\/"},"modified":"2022-09-11T11:54:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T16:54:59","slug":"conspiracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ugsmag.com\/conspiracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Conspiracy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Conspiracy\"
Photos by Jon B<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
Conspiracy is a no holds barred rapper who\u2019s imagination manifests itself best in his lyrics and intimate conversation, rather than the musings he\u2019s otherwise known for on Ugsmag\u2019s forum. He is Mindbender\u2019s<\/a> twin brother and is probably best described as underground rap\u2019s Robert Johnson (considered the first popular blues musician, Johnson claimed to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mad guitar skills). He is a self-proclaimed slow rapper; he recently left the rap crew LBA (Low Budget Affiliates); he believes unequivocally to have been possessed by spirits and is likely the most creative rapper in the Canadian underground right now. If this seems like traditional music writing bravado, grip his new album \u201cSex Is the Key To Immortality\u201d (Busshaak Records) and read on.<\/div>\n\n\n\n

So you\u2019ve been rapping as long as your brother?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started around the same day. About 1990-91 we started writing our own songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did SBU (Supreme Being Unit) form? Did you want to be famous right off the bat?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SBU was a name that Mindbender invented in 1991. We were in Ottawa with the rest of the Nextraterrestrials. We were all talking about making group names, people were throwing ideas around. SBU stands for \u201cSupreme Being is You\u201d\u2014everyone\u2019s a Supreme Being and everyone\u2019s in our group. We\u2019re an international group: whether you\u2019re retarded or rich or poor, white or black, it doesn\u2019t matter, you\u2019re an SBU. It used to be Mindbender, Conspiracy and the third member was Kelron, our producer, but he changed his name to Nick Knox. He looks like Evil D from Beatminerz, he\u2019s kind of like a Premier type of producer. I\u2019m basically the DJ and Mindbender\u2019s the lead MC because he\u2019s more socially activated. I\u2019m sort of like the Phife Dog of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you do any shows?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was hard for us to get into clubs so we did a lot of talent shows, restaurant shows; underage stuff because we weren\u2019t of age to get into clubs. We did peoples\u2019 house parties. We\u2019d do shows in Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how did you move to Edmonton?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1998 I was traveling across Canada and I was in Toronto with Mindbender and he didn\u2019t want to let me live with him because he was living with his girlfriend; so I ended up being homeless in Toronto, sleeping on people\u2019s couches. It was the only time in my life I\u2019ve never had my own place. I was waiting to buy a ticket in a Greyhound station to come back to Edmonton and they arrested me for trespassing. I think it was racism. I spent a week in the Don Jail, went to court, got totally discharged; they didn\u2019t fine me, they just kept me a week in jail. After that I didn\u2019t like Toronto so I\u2019m like \u2018Mom, I\u2019m moving back to Edmonton.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who did you hook up with when you came back?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I came to Edmonton my first crew that I was down with was the Dungeon Crew: Billy, FBI, Butta, Touch, Tanner Lane and Owen. Shout outs to the Dungeon. From about 2001-2003 I used to hang out with them, before I was part of the LBA crew. The Dungeon guys were cool, they had really good beats, but their quality was high that their output wasn\u2019t good. They\u2019d work on a beat for like 8 months and it would be on the Premier level, but they only had one song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that what happened?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2002 I met Chazmo and Max Prime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\u2019d you meet those guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think I met Chazmo around the clubs. My memories of LBA are kind of hazy. This is how I think it went down: I met Max Prime or Chazmo first, then I met Addvice, then Chris Plus and last I met the Blurb. Chazmo made up the name and we just decided to roll as a 6-man crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s happening now in LBA?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason why I left LBA was because I felt there wasn\u2019t enough love between the members. In Nextra, out east we\u2019d talk everyday, we\u2019d smoke weed everyday and write songs everyday, but we wouldn\u2019t have any money. Out west nobody gets together, but we all have money. Nobody gets together. People have their own lives to live, so I figured that LBA didn\u2019t need me \u2018cause nobody really said much. People were just always doing their own thing. When we did get together to do albums and stuff, it was cool, but it just wasn\u2019t as often as it was out east. Right now LBA is: Chris Plus, Chazmo, Max Prime, Addvice and Nato. Blurb and Conspiracy are not in LBA anymore officially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I never throw songs away. I mean I have a couple songs that are really crappy, but I still have the songs in case someone else likes it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another reason why I left LBA was because they were like \u2018oh, throw this song away\u2019\u2014I never throw songs away. I mean I have a couple songs that are really crappy, but I still have the songs in case someone else likes it. I never lose music, ever. Shout outs to all those people who have all their original songs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened with Blurb?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess they just decided to kick him out because we didn\u2019t really fit the picture of the LBA that they\u2019re trying to make now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are they trying to portray themselves?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like a 4-man crew of perfectionists. Blurb\u2019s kind of sloppy and I\u2019m kind of sloppy, so they just got rid of the dead weight they didn\u2019t need\u2014that\u2019s how I view things. I think they\u2019ll do better off without us because they are perfectionists, they work hard at their craft: they rewrite songs, work out songs and memorize songs for shows. I was sort of like the Cappadonna or Moka Only member of the crew: where I\u2019m not really there at all the shows, I wasn\u2019t memorizing all my songs; I wasn\u2019t fully participating \u2018cause I didn\u2019t feel like there was a lot of communication for me to know what to do. I like being asked or told to do something\u2014I can\u2019t read minds. I hope all the best for the LBA crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Conspiracy\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are you working on?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have my \u201cConspiracy Theory\u201d album; it\u2019s a 4-part album. I named each CD after my favorite artists and actresses. CD 1 is: \u201cTyra Banks, Abstract Rude and Black Thought\u201d; CD 2 is: \u201cVivicia Fox, Busta Rhymes and Method Man\u201d; CD 3 is: \u201cPamela Anderson, Cage and Eminem\u201d; CD 4 is: \u201cJenna Jameson, Ill Bill and Apathy.\u201d No Canadian artist has ever put out 4 full CDs in one project, so I\u2019d like to claim a historical first. It\u2019s like a double-double album project: black man (the black Christ) on the front cover and white woman on the back cover (Jenna Jameson).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“one time I did like 2 grams of crystal meth and I wrote 3 albums over a 7 day period, perfectly written, sequenced, edited, everything.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How do you write so many lyrics?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weed and coke. Without weed, coke and alcohol I wouldn\u2019t write anything. \u2018Cause I don\u2019t get high and just sit around and watch TV and do nothing. Me, I\u2019m a productive drug user. When I used to do crystal meth\u2026one time I did like 2 grams of crystal meth and I wrote 3 albums over a 7 day period, perfectly written, sequenced, edited, everything. I\u2019d just like to shout out all the drugs I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Drugs fuel] the imagination. If you have a vivid, active and childish imagination; whatever it takes to get you to create, usually you have endless potential. I just smoke a joint, I have my 10 or 12 free beats, record 3 beats, record 3 songs in a day, I got 3 new songs. At the end of the week, I got 15 new songs and 20 empty beats kickin\u2019 around. It all just adds up. Shout out to this Jeru the Damaja line: \u201cOrganization kills more devils than bullets.\u201d I have never lost a song, a lyric, a CD, any artwork. I think there\u2019s 1 out of 450 solo songs I\u2019ve record as Conspiracy, only 1 I don\u2019t have on my computer, my brother has it. I cherish my music as much as a diamond thief cherishes the diamonds he steals. I look at creation as like a reflection of my responsibility; so if I\u2019m sloppy with my creation, then I\u2019m an irresponsible bum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell me about \u201cSex Is the Key to Immortality\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSex Is the Key to Immortality\u201d is based on the metaphysical magic experiences I\u2019ve had in my lifetime. I have a book called The Necronomicon, which is a demonic spell book, like a real evil black magic book. I opened it up and it cursed me. There\u2019s two magical beings that listen to my conversations (they\u2019re listening right now probably); I think they\u2019re either Vampires or Succubuses (female version of Incubus), so like sexual energy leeches. They came because I opened The Necronomicon. That\u2019s why I wrote \u201cSex Is the Key to Immortality\u201d; the first song is \u201cI\u2019m Cursed By A Demon\u201d and the last song is \u201cDemon Slayer\u201d; so the first song I\u2019m cursed by the demon and by the last song I slay the demon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Conspiracy\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When did you pick up The Necronomicon?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bought it in 1997 and I got cursed probably two weeks after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made you think you got cursed? Creatively, is it a good or bad?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I look at it as a balance. It could be worse and it could be better. It\u2019s like a prank caller. You know what a medium is? They\u2019re using me as a medium. They channel my thoughts through stream of consciousness and they basically feed off my energy or cause random communication. They create lucid dreams or talk to me during the day; they\u2019ll be like: \u2018go catch your bus\u2019 or \u2018don\u2019t drink that juice, drink some milk,\u2019\u2014they want me to be like them basically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You don\u2019t have to believe in god, even god knows that.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I suggest that people believe in themselves and follow their own instincts. What I\u2019ve learned from being cursed is that: belief is a feeling from the heart and thoughts are feelings from the mind. You gotta separate the two. You don\u2019t have to believe in anybody; that\u2019s my religion. If god\u2019s not going to save me, I\u2019m not gonna believe in him because I\u2019m just as cool as anybody. I know that there\u2019s a god, but I don\u2019t have to believe in him because I believe in freedom of religion. You don\u2019t have to believe in god, even god knows that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why is it called \u201cSex Is the Key to Immortality\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shouts to\u2026I can\u2019t give his name, I\u2019d be divulging a secret. Just some dude. He said it was his favorite saying he goes: \u2018don\u2019t you think that sex is the key to immortality?\u2019 I just jacked it. \u2018Love conquers the demon,\u2019 that\u2019s what the album\u2019s about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell the people about \u201cScrew the Underground, I\u2019m Going Commercial\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first solo album came out in 2001 it\u2019s called \u201cScrew the Underground, I\u2019m Going Commercial\u201d recorded on Chazmo beats. I had a lot of people giving me a lot of positive feedback on that album. I feel that next to \u201cSex Is the Key to Immortality\u201d\u2014most perfect album, easily. Front to back, top to bottom\u2014flawless. It sounds like a robot made the album, it\u2019s just completely and absolutely perfect in every way. I did an outro called \u201cAn Important Discussion\u201d; I break down how politics is based on haves and have nots and what if the roles were reversed? That\u2019s where real justice in life comes in. God always says \u2018the last shall be first,\u2019 if you\u2019re poor: don\u2019t really worry and if you\u2019re rich, you shouldn\u2019t really care; no matter what, everybody gets what they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I don\u2019t want to be around a freestyle battle where they\u2019re selling liquor to underage kids and 8 guys have guns.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What are thoughts on the Canadian rap scene?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best city to do hip hop in Canada is Vancouver because there isn\u2019t a lot of violence in the city. For some reason a lot of ignorant people are involved in hip hop. The smaller the city, the safer it usually is. I mean Toronto\u2026I live in Edmonton \u2018cause I left Toronto. I don\u2019t want to be around a freestyle battle where they\u2019re selling liquor to underage kids and 8 guys have guns. That\u2019s the Toronto scene, people pack gats to shows. I don\u2019t want to be around that shit. Second best is Ottawa or Montreal. Edmonton third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason why hip hop in Canada sucks is the population. America has 300 million people and Canada has 32 million people\u2014just think of the numbers for support; they have 10 times the support we do? You could sell 10 times as many CDs. That\u2019s why there are guys like Master P going platinum from their trunk\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway the Canadian hip hop scene: shout outs to Swollen Members, Saukrates, who is signed to Redman\u2019s label. I\u2019m happy \u2018cause it goes to show that Canadian artists can network with the biggest American artists. Even Classified. Classified is not bad, I don\u2019t mind the guy. He\u2019s like an average rapper; to me he\u2019s sort of like a Juelz Santana or Camron type rapper. Just some guy who\u2019s got something to say; there\u2019s nothing special about him, he\u2019s not that extravagant or super fast with the tongue like Twista; he\u2019s just a nice guy who likes to make music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about gangsters in rap? It seems sort of irrelevant in Canadian rap\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it\u2019s because America is older than us. Most real gangsters are 35-40 years old; in Canada if you\u2019re a criminal, you\u2019re probably 15-25 and you\u2019re not really economical enough to make a difference. You got the snot nosed Canadian kids or the old gangster. There are a lot of older dudes in the US who make gangster music, pimp hos, sell crack, pack guns, and drive a Lexus. Age 30 is where the bar is drawn. Canada has to age about 7 or 8 years; we\u2019re probably 9-12 years behind America in terms of social structure and just musical accomplishment. Canada\u2019s just like\u2026we\u2019re searching for an identity; we don\u2019t want to be known as the nice guys anymore; \u2018cause I mean \u2018nice guys finish last\u2019 as they always say. Everyone wants to be known as rough and tough and big and rich and powerful\u2026America\u2019s got that image down-pat; I mean super powerful, monstrous, big huge corporate entity sort of country. Canada\u2019s looking for that corporate support; in Toronto there\u2019s a lot of corporate power and there\u2019s a lot of thug rappers in Toronto. There\u2019s a lot of gangsters in Toronto and they have a lot of corporate support, but they don\u2019t have the true creativity that New York had. Ghostface has that song \u201cCriminology\u201d; Gangstarr\u2019s \u201cJust To Get A Rep\u201d\u2014they\u2019re interesting with their crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shout outs?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My twin brother Mindbender<\/a> who I love forever; God\u2014who is a really weird person; my favorite 5 artists: Black Thought, Ill Bill, Busta Rhymes, Cage and Eminem; Project Blowed and Def Jux\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is my one wish: get signed to Def Jam or Aftermath. As a rapper, those are my two basic goals to complete my careers progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are you going to do that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By making enough noise to make them call me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But don\u2019t you need to call them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll call them, I got their numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d like to say that officially Conspiracy and Rewynd are the only two artists on Astral Majesty Creations (AMC Records) which is the label of SBU and Nextraterrestrials. Peace to Jon b and all the cats at ugsmag and to all the people who will die for hip hop music\u2014we\u2019ll party on in heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on Conspiracy check out: myspace.com\/conspiracysbu<\/a> & supremebeingunit.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Conspiracy is a no holds barred rapper who\u2019s imagination manifests itself best in his lyrics and intimate conversation. He is Mindbender\u2019s twin brother and is probably best described as underground rap\u2019s Robert Johnson…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100021,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","filesize_raw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[157,250,251],"series":[],"coauthors":[3115],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/ugsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/conspiracy1.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ugsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ugsmag-podcast-3000-2021.png?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ugsmag-com\/id1342014871","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6n634oIghsT6zqg8PrDRvx","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/ugsmag.com\/feed\/podcast\/ugsmag-com","embedCode":"

Conspiracy<\/a><\/blockquote>