“Hip Hop is the only genre where we don’t give the right respect to its founders” – Zaakir
Zaakir “Soup” had a lot of things to say on the state of Hip Hop’s fans. To be frank, a lot of people won’t want to hear his thoughts, and that’s a shame. If there existed a committee of artists with the wisdom and skill to help steer the younger generation, Zaakir would most definitely be on it. Instead, he’s had to come to terms with the fickle love of backpacker J5 fans. Zaakir spoke on how J5 fans’ love appeared surface deep when in a call in contest for MTV, J5 ended up having the lowest number of calls.
“I mean, here’s your chance to stick it to MTV, support your supposed favorite group, and give ‘backpack rap’ some power; and they just weren’t there, man. They’re full of sh**”
Initially that event planted a seed of bitterness within Zaakir, however he’s channeled that energy into his new solo material, giving himself an “I don’t give a f**** about what you think” mentality. The Fullee Love EP, Zaakir explains, “it’s me having fun, doing what I want to do, and not giving a f**** about the opinions of J5 fans”. That last bit is something he’s already had to put into action.
“I had this dude post on my Facebook saying, ‘I love “Surfboard Cali”, I love the flow, the beat but I think it’s missing that Numark and Cut Chemist touch.’ So I had to tell him like, if you want that then go listen to their sh**. Don’t come to me and start telling me I’m missing J5 when you damn well know this is my solo stuff.”
“I don’t need fans coming to tell me, ‘this ain’t J5’. Of course it ain’t J5 this is me and who I am, how I’m feeling, and what I wanna do.”
So what is it that Zaakir wants to do? The Fullee Love EP is a strong sonic mix, and a rather courageous leap into finding his own sound. Songs like “Overdue” have a smooth almost R&B vibe, while “Surfboard Cali” bring in west coast funk with a bounce. It’s undeniably different from his contributions to J5 records and Zaakir shared his anxiousness about taking such a wide step into left field. However, from a listener’s perspective I hear nothing but confidence radiating out my headphones when I give Fullee Love a spin.
Whether J5 fans want to cross the chasm with Zaakir is now a nonissue. He will stick to his gut and make the kind of music that he wants to make. Big Daddy Kane could do nothing to bring back fans that dipped when he linked up with Madonna, and Zaakir would be wasting time to try and convince J5 fans to stick along with him as he explores new ground.
As a J5 fan, I can easily bump Quality Control and Fullee Love, understanding the difference in sound is not an indicator of quality. As long as Zaakir keeps it 100 with himself then the music will be good and Fullee Love is a solid first step.
art by your homie, Arthur Banach
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