King Otto Plays 20 Questions with Trama…..

Otto - Rap Music, like many other forms music, has different categories and styles. If you could liken your style to an existing one, what would it be? And if not, what would you call your style?

Trama - On the real my style is universal...I listen to so many different artists and genres of music that when I hear a beat, I don't limit myself. I try to do what the music tells me to do, whether it's rap, chat, go hard, tell a story, whatever. 

Otto - How long have you been involved in Rap music and Hip Hop culture?

Trama -I've been into Hip-Hop as a whole since the 80's...like I remember when Hip-Hop was only on the radio Friday and Saturday on KISSfm and WBLSfm in N.Y. and for 4 hrs each day...that's crazy when you think how far we've come.

Otto - What are the names of past crews and past names that you may have gone by?

Trama -Man, I've been in a couple of groups...back in high school I was in a group called Six Feet Deep which featured KAOS and MAYHEM. Then a group called ACE POSSE which featured CHROME, DAGGER, ACE DOMINATOR and D.K. Then I was in a group from my hood called Hurst Huslas, which featured NIQUIL,BAM BUE and
D.K.. The last group I was in was called Blood Money, which featured Larry Towers. My crew now is the TRAM UNIT, which features PRIZE, N.I.G, TEXAS and IKE TREEZE. We are all solo but we roll wit' each other. Oh yeah I've always gone by TRAMA... all day ey'day.

Otto - Are you a Twin Cities native and if not, where are you from?

Trama -I'm from Queens N.Y. East Elmhurst we call it DA HURST. But, I got love for the Twin Cities cause I get love plus it's my second home. Feel me?

Otto - Do you have any feeling about the past election that you would like to share?

Trama -Yeah...we got a Bush and a Dick in the White House and we all gettin F#%ked, period.

Otto - Do you produce your own music? If no, then who are your producers?

Trama -Well the producers I workin' alot with lately are Dr.Dre, DJ Premier and Pete Rock. Nah let me stop bulls$%ttin'... On my first album
"MENAGE-A-TRAM," I produced the whole thing. On my new album "TRAMA-SUTRA," I enlisted some very talented up and coming producers... my boy Mike .S from MN, EVAMO from MN, D.J. TOMKAT from Harlem N.Y, Roots from Queens N.Y. (he also produced, "Do my ladies run this mutha," for Memphis Bleek), and my guy MEGHA MAAN from Northside MN who produced the majority of the "TRAMA-SUTRA," album and has already laced like 13 joints on the album I'm workin' on now called "TRAMAGNUM"

Otto - What is your favorite Rap/Hip Hop memory? This can be anything related to the culture or your career.

Trama -The first time I memorized a rhyme I wrote (this was like 88'). I remember I kept saying it to myself in the mirror and I thought I was dope.

Otto - A lot of artists have certain performances that they feel capture the best of their live act. Which are your favorite performances?

Trama -When I perform with a live band I think that is as good as it gets because you get to feed off the crowd and the band...BIG UP's to B! One of the best bands in the Twin Cities.

Otto - Some artists are underground and realize that this is where they want their music to stay. Others are aiming for mainstream recognition and cross over sales or anywhere in between. Of course, everyone wants to earn that almighty dollar. What direction would you like to see your music going?

Trama -On the real I do this for me. My payment is when people say, "ya album is dope," or when they hear one of my joints and they like, "that's my sh#t right there." That's what it's really about. Of course I wouldn’t mind being signed, but I refuse to sacrifice Hip-Hop for it, feel me?

Otto - When did you know that you had a gift for music and at what point did it become something that you wanted to share with the world?

Trama -After I said my first rhyme in a battle and I seen the response from the older dudes like, "Ooh sh#t," that's when I knew cause you can't buy that feelin'.

Otto - Do you think that age makes a difference in the Rap game?

Trama -Nope...if you dope you dope, period.

Otto - Name some of the groups, either national or local who have inspired or influenced you over the years?

Trama -Two MC's that have inspired me the most are RAKIM and NAS. Just because when they came out, they shifted the game back to lyrics. RAKIM did it in the 80's and Nas in the 90's. I also look at TWISTA as an inspiration because I remember way back hearin' TWISTA, even seeing him on the News in the early 90's when he got into the Guiness Book for fastest word play. For him to stick with his dream and finally make it is incredible.

Otto - What do you feel about the current state of Rap Music and where it is headed?

Trama -This is a tough one because on one hand, the corporate structure has made Hip-Hop so commercial, so image conscious, so fake that the integrity of the music and culture suffer as a whole. But, on the other hand many people of color have been able to feed their families because of the same culture. It's crazy man, good question.

Otto - If you had the power to change one thing about the Rap game, what would that be?

Trama -I would take away all the money in the game and see who would still do it.

Otto -Rap music has a vast history of sampling older records to get the sound of a particular groove. Do you or would you ever use samples in your music and how do you feel about sample usage/clearance?

Trama -I use samples all the time. The thing that makes a sample dope for me, are the rare samples and the known samples that are chopped up and used creatively. I see it as an art. As far as the sample clearance issue I see it like this, if you put it out there it's free reign. You should be able to sample whatever, period.

Otto - Who is your DJ and how long have you been working together?

Trama -I don't have a DJ, but I'm looking so, DJ's scream at me!

Otto - To you, how important is it to have vinyl released of your music? 

Trama -I think it's very important because DJ's need to spin wax. DJ's
and wax are the backbone of this culture datin' back to Kool Herc and
Grandmaster Flash and em'. I see DJ's spinning CD's but it's not the
Same. Like imagine MC's rhymin' wit' headsets instead of mics, feel me? But, also as an artist wax is expensive so if you got the hook up again, scream at me!

Otto - 2005 is upon us. What would you like to see happen in your career by this time next year?

Trama -I don't know about my career this time next year but, in my bed Meagan Good, scream at me ma ma! Nah but on the real I just want my name, my music, and my vision to touch more heads out there.

Otto -There have been a lot of fads in Hip Hop music (i.e. using TV theme songs, James Brown samples, high pitched squeels or horns - ala P.E. and DJ Muggs - now, sampling slow songs and speeding them up or the current "Crunk" sound). Do you have any predictions on the next Hip Hop music fad?

Trama -Yeah, whatever Clear Channel and Radio One wants it to be...that's real. 

Otto - What has been the hardest part for you in this business of Rap Music?

Trama -Dealing with fake people cause, on the real, I've dealt with so many people out there that said they could do this or that for me and they ended up wasting my time. So now, I do me and sh#t get's done.