Several years ago Tee Jay Blakk (né Colin Johnson) had a music-related epiphany, one he hoped would lead to a major-label deal: marrying the sounds of Vegas’ yesteryear—when Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett ruled the roost—with the lyrical stylings of modern rap. “Lounge hip-hop” he called it.
Ladling 16-bar rhyme schemes over jazz, swing and show beats, Sin City Shakedown marked a departure from previous attempts to create a Vegas hip-hop sound through more traditional means, i.e., songs with city-specific choruses like BDP’s “South Bronx” or regional-pride anthems like Blahzay Blahzay’s “Danger.” On the recent release of an expanded Shakedown, we chatted with Blakk about the project’s genesis, its commercial acceptance and the impact it has had on his street cred.
Talk about your inspiration for Shakedown.
Other regions of hip-hop have their distinctive sound. I studied how Kanye West blended old soul with hip-hop, and I wanted to see how mixing old Vegas soul with hip-hop would sound. It was hard to do. It took several years. I had to buy all the old stuff. I had to pick the right songs to be converted to hip-hop. I had to experiment with different sounds. I had to tone my lyrics down, because swing and jazz in the ’50s and ’60s is different from hip-hop, which is rougher, more street-oriented. Back then, there was more gaiety.
What audience were you targeting?
I don’t really know who I was targeting. It was something I had to get out of my system; it was all about artistic expression. There aren’t many records that represent the heart of Vegas—the old, the new, the constant hustle, the normalness of everyday life. It doesn’t over-glorify Vegas, but it’s totally inspired by Vegas.
Any concerns about not being taken seriously by the folks from Vegas’ bygone era, and/or by your contemporaries in hip-hop?
My street friends didn’t understand what I was doing. They think the music sounds old. My hip-hop friends like it, that I tried something new. But I haven’t had an opportunity to let old-time Vegas folks hear it. When I put the first [disc] out two years ago, it was available at Big B’s and Hiphopsite.com. It was flying off the shelves at Big B’s, so fast that I had to discontinue it. So I rearranged it, added a couple of songs and began putting out the new one a few weeks ago. It’s available at Zia Records in the giveaway section. I’m not selling it because I still have to get all the samples cleared. If I get a record deal, I’ll be able to pay for clearances.
Can this project define Vegas hip-hop? Should it?
It depends on the promotion. If I can promote it outside of Vegas, in other states and countries, it can define the sound of Vegas. As far as the people in Vegas, I’m unsure if they want this to be the sound of Vegas. I’m a little concerned about how my peers feel, only because this was more of a vanity project. Whether it’s well-received or rejected, I feel good about it, because the idea came into my head and I put it together. I would hope that people understand what I tried to do.