Did you feel that with Conception, that it was created out of some need that Seattle was lacking? Or is this something you just wanted to do?

Supreme: It's not what I wanted to do, it...it's what I do. It's like, I don't even consider "Seattle" or even think about Seattle; like I said, I just do it because to tell the truth, we seem to get more support everywhere else than in our own city. I can go to a major radio station in New York or L.A. and give them our records and they'll play them. You can't even do that here. It's ridiculous.

When I was in New York last summer, driving on the street and I heard one of my records come on...y,know, that's cool. It made me feel good. Here, I'm breaking my neck to cater to commercial stations and they're not going to play nothing.

But since you work with KCMU, isn't that different?

Supreme: Right. But that's college radio and they play everything. I mean, college radio is the best radio there is period. Everywhere.

Would you say that Conception has a specific sound?

Supreme: Umm...just hip hop..it doesn't matter where you're from or none of that. If it's good, it's good.

So what's your definition of good.

Supreme: Ummm...[laughs]. I think music is very personal. So, what might be good to someone else, might be garbage to somebody else. Y'know what I mean? I mean to me, just good quality hip hop...like it used to be. Not this commercial crap that people get to hear and see on MTV all the time. I always say that I don't think it can get any worse and it does! I can't believe it. It totally went downhill. So, there's always an underground too; y'know where you get the good stuff. It feels that you pretty much have to search it out, to find it.

Supreme: Me too. They're getting onto the internet and listening to stuff...

Speaking of seeking out a long way, how did you get hooked up with Da Grassroots? Toronto's a good 3000 miles away.

Supreme: It's a long story. I deejay and produce all my records and I'm constantly looking for records. And I was in a used record store and the manager of the store was on the telephone and he was like, "Hold on. I'll check for it." And he asked the guy, "Do we have such and such?" And I heard what the guy was asking for, so I knew what was up with that record. I was like, "This must be a producer or something."

What was the record?

Supreme: I don't even remember. It was like Archie Whitewater...it's this old rock record. So I was thinking that the average person, out of the blue, wouldn't ask for Archie Whitewater. So you think, "Oh it must be a hip hop producer or something." But I knew the guy working in the store. So he talks to the guy on the phone and then put me on with him and we just talked and said, "I live in Toronto; I make beats, blah, blah, blah." He said, "I'll send you something." Because he said that he was ready to mix down this album and then when we were talking, I told him that I'd mix it in my studio for him. And we decided that we would do it here. So he sent me some stuff. When I heard it, I said, "Yeah, I want to put this out."

That album's out right now?

Supreme: Yeah; it's doing good. [humbly] It's our best thing yet. We're getting tons of great feedback on that record.

You're working on a solo effort right now?

Supreme: Yes I am.

Supreme: Yup.

How's that going?

Supreme: It's going good. The single is being turned in tomorrow. [Check your record stores for "Run The Show"] It features Al Tariq, who used to be in the Beatnuts. And basically I'm producing the whole thing and featuring different rappers...kinda like a Pete Rock album.

Local?

Supreme: Yeah, some local.

Do you just hear beats and sounds that you want to put into music?

Supreme: Yeah, just sittin' at home and going through my records and listening to music. And just sitting at your sampler too for hours and playing around with things.

When is Soul, Style and Truth coming out?

Supreme: 2000. Probably February.

In conjunction with the triple-X video?

Supreme: Probably. Yeah.

What have you been listening to lately?

Supreme: I listened to Marilyn Manson's album yesterday. That's because I had to. My girlfriend was playing it.

That doesn't count...

Supreme: I don't really even listen to hip hop at all.

Supreme: Old records, old soul and rock. Psychedelic rock and easy listening.

Like who?

Supreme: Bob Azzam. He does a really cheesy thing. If you saw it, you'd just start laughing. But it's good. It sounds like hip hop. I have this CD that I've been listening to. It's like fifty commercials of blaxploitation films of the '70s. I listened to that for two days straight.

As far as Conception goes...what do you want the public to know about you guys?

Supreme: That we work very hard. It's difficult running an independent label. We just do what we do and we put out our records and go along with it.

Are you looking for new artists?

Supreme: Always. I want people to send me stuff 'cuz you never know what's out there...

The next afternoon, I get an e-mail with the addendum to the music that Mr. Supreme currently has on his turntable or CD player:

Da Grassroots
Slum Village
Common (new)
Basement Khemists
Bonnie Dobson
Bob Azzam
Tony Espositio

For some quality hip hop courtesy of Mr. Supreme, listen to Street Sounds, Sunday nights from 6 to 8 pm on KCMU (90.3FM in Seattle).

On the web:
Conception Records

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