Full Name: Tomas Tommy Tom Tom Woolfolk
Age: unknown (between 25 and 30)
Hometown: L.A. (born in Ingelwood)
Currently Residing: South Central L.A. fool!
Currently Listening to: Little Brother "The Minstrel Show"
Current Release: Living Legends "Classic" (But I'm working on 2 new solo albums, I promise*)
Label: Legendary Music/ Sony RED
Written by: Jo Ann B. Duggins
**all comments in red are mine!
So, one day I was browsing around My Space, looking for new talent, sniffin'
out what I feel is music worth listening to, and to my
surprise I stumbled
along this featured artist named "Luckyiam." I took
a listen and I was hooked! I'm not a huge hip hop fan, but I am
a fan of a certain type of hip hop (Tribe Called Quest, Neptunes, Outkast,
Missy E., etc). I'm going to be honest here because that's who I
am. I really am sick and tired of listening to rap that contains
the most inane and unintelligible lyrics possibly known to the modern
world. I know it's all about the beats these days and how much platinum
you can fit in your mouth, but I'm sick of it. I think it makes
a rapper look stupid and I think rubbing in someone's nose how rich you
are is just shallow. It's not about the "hood" and it's
not about the "gangstas", it's about making that money and that
includes the white population. Anyway, I'm going off on my own tangent
here. So, I'm listening to Luckyiam and I'm thinking, "Man,
this is good shit, this is where hip hop needs to go and needs to progress
to." I can understand what he's saying and I like the beat,
and I'm dancing and I'm listening. I'm hearing what this guy is
saying and that to me is what rap started out being...A VOICE.
After contemplating a moment and with my limited knowledge of this scene, I decided what the hell...I'll send him an email. To my disbelief he very obligingly agreed to be interviewed for Anti-Mag and I am honored to present to you, Mr. Luckyiam PSC!
So how "Lucky"
do you think you are?
Wow, that depends on what day of the week it is and the hour of the day,
the minute and the second, the month and where I'm standing on the earth
and exactly what I'm doing. I dunno, I have more good luck than bad. I
got the name Lucky from Special K of the Treacherous 3 when we were out
in England for a b-boy festival in '97 with J5 and Scratch Piklz.. There
was nothing but b-boys at this thing in a small coastal town and I ended
up having sex with this fly ass girl from Hong Kong (which used to be
under British rule*).......(Sigh, don't you love
reminiscing!)
When I heard Lucky, I didn't think West Coast,
I was thinking southward, Ludicris style, Andre 3000 style - so asked
him, You don't seem to have a West Coast style, how would you describe
your style of rapping?
I don't have a West Coast style?? Yes I do. It's West Coast limbo. It's
not East Coast. But it's lyrical and on point. It definitely came from
out here. I came up on early Freestyle Fellowship and Ice Cube. I'm from
the school of O.G. Pharcyde and Hieroglyphics...you know, the best skilled
rapping ever recorded! I call my style limbo because it's not region specific..shit,my
momma and daddy are from the south.
How long
have you been doing this and how did you begin your destination?
I have been in this 10 years plus. It began with me moving to Oakland
and joining a group called Mystik Journeymen and then us throwing rent
parties and light bill parties at our warehouse loft in between recording
demos and a plot to control destiny and smash the industry on a broken
4-track machine. Then we bought Eurail passes and plane tickets.
We were real "backpackers"!
I feel as
though there needs to be a change with the whole hip hop scene. How do
you see it and how are you going to make your mark?
I feel you.. A change or at least more balance. The topics that a lot
of these guys come with lately, suck. The rapping ability is very limited
and elementary.. I gotta be careful about what I say cuz people get their
feelings hurt and the only defense is to label someone a hater or shoot
or jump them. But here we go, I'm personally sick of raps about selling
crack and murder and bitches and yelling on the mic. My mark will be made
by becoming insanely famous off of being positive and fun and being the
first rapper to have sex with Jessica Alba. (The
man has dreams!)
What rappers
do you think are breakin
g the barriers of hip hop?
Kanye West, Slug, Andre 3000, Murs, Me and my crew Living Legends, Rymesayers,
Justice League, Mickey Avalon.
Who would
you want to collaborate with?
Kanye West, The Killers and Bjork with Devin The Dude* and the production
team for Portishead. (I knew I liked this guy
for a reason)
I see you've
toured Europe and Japan...describe that experience compared to touring
the U.S.
The crowds get wild out there like they do in the US. In Japan they
get really quiet between songs out of respect, I think. It's really weird
and cute. The hotels rooms are really small too and it's almost
impossible to get girls out there anymore since The WU went out there
and fucked everybody! In Europe I almost always have a tour
manager that gets us lost every day. But the venues we play had very good
sound techs. (Sound guys don't give a shit about live hip hop in the states)
it's rare. I dunno, different food and older buildings and language
barriers.. I like foreign soil and to soil foreigners. (He's
a funny guy, no?)
Who influences
you the most in your life and how do you get your material out?
That's a tough question because I draw influence from so many sources,
ie. from my kids to parents to Stevie Wonder to my little league coach
that beat the umpire's ass at one of my games. I record my albums now
with my producer/engineer friend Amy aka The A.M, then she helps mix it
and master it..Then I send it off to the pressing place, then I send my
label manager Kevin to get it and then we put it out.. (that's a condensed
non professional example minus a marketing plan/single release, publicist
and etc) (and here I thought, the aliens just
brought it down from above...)
Do you play
with a live band and what are your thoughts on that?
I do not play with a live band. I play off the Instant replay machine.
But I'm not against the live band thing.. It would have to be with a awesome
group of musicians who could combine the sound of our beats with what
they do and sound better than than the Roots nightly.
How do you
feel producers are helping or harming hip hop?
The only harm I can see is by charging too much money so I could never
afford a track in my life. And the sped up soul samples and vocals are
getting a bit played these days.
What's in
your wallet?
I always give quirky answers so here's a straight one. I don't carry a
wallet. I have crumpled up bills in my front pocket and my passport
in the back one. But, my wallet is right here, lemme check: absolutely
no money, a couple of pics of my kids, a Sears card and a Game Stop card
and a expired gold
Visa. (man, that's more than is in mine!)
So this concludes my interview with the charming and very talented Luckiam. Lucky is part of the collective The Living Legends. He is a member of 3 inner crew groups (Mystik Journeymen, The CMA and The Underbosses). He is a father, a man of great taste, and an incredible rapper. Check him out while he's on the road! To find out more about Lucky, check him out on My Space: http://www.myspace.com/luckyiampsc