Front Page
US Music News
UK Music News
UK Interviews
Nightclubs
Events + Concerts
Album Reviews
Games
Feature Articles
Music Videos
Chat Room
A Pakistani-American MC, Grand Scheem is famed for voicing post 9/11 life through lyrics. He spoke to The Situation about how he made a name for himself, his duty to hip hop and his rise to prominence.
Hip hop has lost some of its fundamental characteristics. With the number of artists using it as a communications device dwindling, Grand Scheem felt it was time he stepped up to give people an insight into life through his eyes.
A Pakistani-American who has adopted the culture whilst trying to reinstate and hold on to this ideal, Scheem’s respect comes from being an integral’ behind the scenes’ player from the age of 17, as a promoter under the Interscope umbrella. With influences ranging from Melly Mel to NWA, Scheem has gained notoriety for his love for hip hop and his dedication to becoming the mouthpiece of his people, who have been criticised for being deafeningly silent, often leading to media misrepresentation. Through a westernised, American perspective, G Scheem has created a movement, leading to a wordwide fanbase, taken by his gritty, real life inspired lyrics. He uses hood mentality to convey his message and is reviving rap’s foundations to give back to the hip hop industry what hip hop has given to him. He is hoping you will understand the ‘Grand Scheem’ of things.
His first release, entitled ‘The Greatest Scheem’ was intended for use on the ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ movie soundtrack, but after Scheem had poured his heart into the track it was deemed too controversial for use. The result was a defensive, angry record that had Scheem’s inner emotions laid across the bars, gaining him instant recognition. His second release was produced on a mixtape level entitled ‘Blowin’ Up In America’, which again reflected his current state of being. Thirdly, his upcoming drop off is entitled ‘Despairica’, a track more suitable for the airwaves that will see him injected into the public domain. The solution-seeking record talks of internal affairs in the States and how these affect people across the world.
Grand Scheem sat down and spoke to The Situation about life as a Pakistani-American post 9/11, the reactions to his views and his duty as a hip hop artist…
How did you get into the hip hop scene and how did you find making a name for yourself in the industry?
Basically, before I became an emcee, I was a promoter working for Interscope Records and I actually got a chance to be part of the 2001, Dr Dre project. I was a poster boy; I had a chance to go on the ‘Up In Smoke’ tour. I was just really an unknown figure just trying to learn a little bit about this business. Before now I was a huge fan of Dr Dre and the whole NWA movement and being part of the industry at that point was more as an excited fan, not believing I was there. That proved to be very successful for me. I went on to work with other people, like Aaliyah, Jadakiss, Eminem, who was obviously under the Interscope umbrella. I had a chance to be part of the ‘Marshall Mathers LP’ with him. After a while though I started to become the teacher as opposed to the student, and it became somewhat old because during the time prior to me being in the industry, I was a writer. I have to be true to myself and I have to remind myself why exactly I got involved with the industry, which was the love for it, you know what I mean? I figured I might as well link up with my manager, Raj Cutty, who actually has a degree in finance and he does his thing in the business world. I wanted to keep the music thing kinda like the same way I kept it as a fan in order not to stifle my love for hip hop.
Can you shed some light on your new upcoming album release? What can fans expect from that?
What can be expected is the lifestyle of what it means to be here in America with the current state of affairs. No one ever really knows beyond 9/11 here in America with terrorist threats who we really make up and who we embody. It’s a humanity record and it’s also a record that tries to defend the freedom and the reputation of the Middle East, which has now become somewhat stigmatised by terrorism. We wanna make sure that our kids and the people that proceed us have a chance to have an equal right opportunity to do what they want without people pointing the finger at them because of a few extremists.
What does it mean to you to keep an identity of what you’re about within your music?
Well, my tracks talk about my identity all over the place. When I talk about the racial slurs that they call us, the whole sand n*gga factor, that’s me all day. The person that I am and the one and only person that I’ve become is somebody that’s had a chance to work on a small level, but regardless, I have worked with and mixed with some big acts in the hip hop arena. It had a profound influence on my life; being a part of the ‘Marshall Mathers LP’ and having to defend him because he was white relates to Grand Scheem as a Pakistani rapper.
You’re dubbed as a political rapper; has it always been your intention to use hip hop as a mouthpiece to express your opinions?
I grew up listening to hip hop when hip hop used to educate people about what was going on in their communities. I don’t consider what I do political; it’s kinda just very real. What other way would I come out and talk about situations? This isn’t a gimmick, this isn’t a joke; I’m really living this reality. Right now these are topics in the American way of life that we need to address.
To what extent did 9/11 influence your music and how did it influence your life in general?
9/11 has definitely influenced my life and probably everybody else’s life that looks like me in a huge way, because before nobody cared where I was from. For the most part of America these are black, white or Mexican. Most of our people were considered Hispanic or Mexican or whatever; now people know who we are but they know about us in a negative way, so it has made me very, very self aware of how I need to be able to approach people now. It has changed my life completely to a point where I have taken it upon myself to say that because of 9/11, that provides the catalyst for Grand Scheem to become a worldwide voice.
What kind of problems have you faced getting these tracks out without them being censored?
The Internet has really changed the game up in a huge way. It’s kind of like now you go from online to print media and that validates that you are a real artist. The people now denote whether or not you are going to be a selling artist, so the bottom line is because right now there isn’t a real artist development within the music industry, we’re old school with ours. We want the people to know that Grand Scheem is real talk. I’m giving more to you right now than I’m taking; I’m not trying to hit you up and say hey, go and buy my album for $16.99, you know what I mean? We are giving you free albums online to let you know that I’m real.
Obviously you’re introducing a new vision and a new dimension to the industry. Are you hopeful that other Pakistani-Americans will join the scene to express their opinions?
Man, Pakistani-Americans have music in their hearts and they want to be a part of this! I have been a part of this since I was 17-years-old. If I was a lawyer, I’d maybe write a book about this, but I think a lot of people at this very moment may let the situation that is occurring at the moment in the media overwhelm them and prompt them to the mic as opposed to being true to it. If there is somebody else out there that is true to it that’s gonna be hot, then I’m down for it 100%. Don’t come round here talking about it if you suck, you know what I mean?
What do you feel is your personal duty as a hip hop artist?
I think that I understand that hip hop used to be a communications device for black people. I think that in its pure form is what it was built for and I think my personal duty is to always hold on to those ideals. Also my duty is to bring in people who are fresh, who are gonna continue to keep hip hop cutting edge and hot. A lot of people say that hip hop is dead, I say hip hop right now is hibernating but it’s gonna come back and it’s gonna come back stronger than ever because hip hop is multi-genre. Country fans buy hip hop records, and if you don’t believe me, ask Nelly!
What does the future hold for Grand Scheem?
I think that people right now, and I can only talk in the now, as I’m breathing, alive and doing well, you are going to see something phenomenal and groundbreaking when it comes to the music that I’m gonna deliver. I have influences that range from Led Zeppelin to NWA and all that stuff is gonna be stuff that pours into this mesh coming through a Pakistani mouthpiece, so expect something groundbreaking.
For more information on Grand Scheem visit: www.myspace.com/grandscheem
