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Musab (formerly Beyond) Interview

Musab

Contributed by Alex Viard on 8/10/07

You may have seen or heard Musab alongside fellow Rhymsayers like Atmosphere and Brother Ali. Formerly known as Beyond, he is one of the pioneers of Midwest hip hop and has been putting Minnesota hip hop on the map for over a decade. We caught up with the original Rhymesayer and talked about his relationship with his former labelmates, Freeway, Islam, and much more. Musab’s new album Slick’s Box is scheduled for release on September 25 on Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings.

Drop: Your one of the first serious hip hop artists from Minnesota to come out on independently orotherwise. Walk us throught the history of Minnesota hip hop and where you fit in for those who aren’t familiar.
Musab: When I was younger I wasn’t into rappin too much and I decided to get into it when I was about 19. I met my man Ant back in 93′. I was just in a little local group back then and he started producing for me doin all my music. He was the first producer I’d ever worked, the only producer I worked with for the first six seven years of my career. That’s when I met my man Sean - Slug - through my roommate at the time. They had a little collective called Headshots and we started freestlying all the time. Just met an group of ambitious guys about 15 other kids and they asked me to join Headshots. I joined Headshots, and just rhymed, just made noise really, just had fun. We were just freestlying and battling cats. We did a Headshots mixtape back then and me and Ant had a about 70 songs because we were recording. I was like “why don’t we just put out a real record” and that record turned out to be Comparision, which was the first record to be released under Rhymesayers, 1996.

Drop: How would say you differ from from your Rhymsayers associates?
Musab: I’m a different cat, I differ from anybody in the industry at this point in time. If you listen to the music my experiences are different from theirs. I bring my experiences to the table. In the end I think the people can hear it for themselves.

Drop: What’s your status with Rhymesayers, personally and business-wise?
Musab: We’re all good. As far as musically goes, obviously, I’m over here it with Hiero. Business-wise I’m probably gonna always work with Rhymesayers. I’m a co-founder of Rhymsayer and it goes a little deeper than musically. Personally, they’re my boys - Slug’s my boy, Ali’s my boy, Ant’s my boy.

Drop: How’d your relationship with Hiero come about?
Musab: I first met Hiero in Chicago probably in ‘97 and ever since then we’ve been cool. Being independent artists we’d just bump into each other, on the road or whatever it be.

So I met Hiero and me and my man A-Plus we stayed close. When it came time for me to do my record and it didn’t work out over here (at Rhymsayers) as far as releasing it, I call A-Plus ’cause that’s my friend too. It kinda just worked out naturally like that. Musically, its just great, I feel it’s where I should be in the first place.

Drop: Are they’re any producers in Hiero you feel you work particularly well with?
Musab: I haven’t worked with any producers in Hiero, a kid named King Karnov did my whole record. I know he just did some joint’s with GZA and RZA, he’s doin some things right now.

Drop: So Hiero’s just business?
Musab: They’re my friends but it’s all business. I had the record done before I came to Hiero. That’s one thing I don’t think people understand - Rhymesayers didn’t help me with this record. I did the record out of my own pocket, just me and Karnov. I take the record to Rhymesayers and say, “I got the record done. I wanna put it out pretty soon.” For some reason they don’t get back to me, and I don’t feel like waiting around on it so I just called up my man over here at Hiero.

Drop: You converted to Islam at age 14. Are you still a practicing Muslim and how has that play into your music?
Musab: I don’t bring it up a lot because there’s no reason to bring it up a lot. Islam is just my personal life, that’s just who I am as a human being. One day this world will stop turning and none of our music careers will matter, entertainment wont’ matter, our jobs won’t matter. I bring it up from time to time in personal songs but that something I just deal with on my own level. It’s a personal thing, like you see Freeway who said he’s thinking about quitting rapping cause he just took his Hajj (Islamic holy pilgrimage to Mecca). We take Islam so seriously that the average person doesn’t understand our connection with it.

Music is just the world I live in, the game I’m in at this point in my life but Islam is the serious deal. I might speak about it to someone on the bus personally but I’m not gonna preach it to you in my music. Damn right I’m practicing but I don’t do it for the public eye.

Drop: How did you make such a decision at such a young age?
Musab: In Islam they say you don’t choose God, God chooses you. I can remember being in the 6th grade and they’re trying to expel me from school ’cause I didn’t want to pledge the flag. So I guess I’m just a dramatic person, that’s just how I do things. So when I was 14 I was just blessed to come across that knowledge and be accepted into them folds.

Drop: Did the influence of the Nation of Islam and 5 %’s in the late 80’s/ early 90’s hip hop have in effect on your decision to convert?
Musab: I was Muslim way before then. That stuff doesn’t really have much to do with Islam. That 5% nation is totally opposite of what I am. I’m a Sunni Muslim. Those were the cat’s I used to battle in my hotel like - “black man’s not god!”

Drop: Your name was previously Beyond. What did that mean and what made you shift to Musab?
Musab: Beyond came from my favorite comic book character, I used to read a lot of Marvel. In Secret Wars there’s a character called The Beyonder and I took the name from him. It got to the point where I grew into myself. Like I said, I’m a dramatic person. I had to be the peacock with the brightest feathers! (laughs) I got to the point where I wanted to be really original so what is the most original thing? - my name. I felt I couldn’t grow as an artist and give you the full scope of myself as an artist. You know what Musab means, “one who goes through a struggle for good.” In the context that just sums up my life.

Drop: What are your top five albums ever?
Musab: Black Moon, Enta the Stage (1993) - Album I listen all the time, I work out to it.

N.W.A., Straigt Outta Compton (1988) - I don’t think that record gets its proper due for what its actually done for hip hop. It taught every rapper how to curse and has been the blueprint for most music you hear today unless your Will Smith. I remember first hearing it thinking, “these guys say what we be sayin’ behind our mom’s back!”

LL Cool J, I’m Bad (1988) - That album is the reason I rap. LL was the reason I rapped. That album is the blueprint for how to be an MC, a solo artists, a superstar in hip hop- he’s the first. He doesn’t get his proper due for that at all. Any superstar in hip hop is emulating LL, his charisma, anything he does on a record. He taught you how to sell records. “I Need Love” is just being duplicated by everybody from Ja Rule to 50 Cent to whoever.

Notororius B.I.G., Ready to Die (1994) - He taught people how to balance the act. Keep that underground level but take it up another notch and get your album ready for the masses. Everybody right now is copying B.I.G.

Redman, Whut thee Album (1992) - I always rapped for a hobby and in high school I remember I was getting tired of rapping, I never looked at it like persuing it as a career but I loved the art form of hip hop. I can’t break, I can’t DJ - I got heavy hands, I can’t paint, I was getting bored with it. This is the reason you see Musab today. When first heard it I was amazed by his lyrical skills, his delivery, his charisma, his personality. It was so different at the time. He made me pick up the pen again.

Drop: Any final words?
Musab: My focus right now is to get my music into the hands of the people so they can hear and evaluate it, and really get to see who Musab is as a person. I don’t think that’s ever really been done in my career and so now’s the time to do it. I’m a little older and I know how to do things now. I took a few years off and now I’m back even stronger.