Jon Quest - The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (2010)

DJ Vex & Jon Quest present...
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest




Jon Quest - 1-900-LYRICAL (Prod. by Armstead Brown)

Jon Quest - Last Word


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Rhyme Cal 9 - Interview - J. Armstead Brown

Rhyme Cal 9 was chock full of both exciting and frustrating moments. On the high side, competitors Black Sun and Jon Quest each respectively impressed throughout. The low had to be the 20-minute delay leading into the final round. Rhyme Cal founder J. Armstead Brown took the time to clear the air on the controversy and give his interpretation on some of the MC's that have developed as participants in the competition.

AB: What up Rory? Before we jump into your questions I wanted to start off with a few words. First I want to once again thank all the MC’s that competed in Rhyme Cal 9. This shit ain’t easy and we appreciate the fearlessness and commitment to creativity that the MC’s demonstrate. At the same time I know some MC’s came away frustrated for different reasons. We as the Rhyme Cal creators hold our selves accountable for making sure the game is both exciting for the crowd and fair to the competitors. Most of the time we succeed but sometimes we fall short. I want to remind everyone that Rhyme Calisthenics is an ongoing experiment—we have no blueprint to follow—we’re creating this thing as we go—Rhyme Calisthenics is one long three year freestyle! We’re coming up on three years and in that the three years we haven’t made a single dime. We don’t do this for the money we do it because we believe that Rhyme Calisthenics is a needed part of a larger movement. We do it because we believe Rhyme Cal is part of the tipping point to put the Pittsburgh hip-hop movement in motion. We do it to bring MC’s and hip-hop heads together. We do it because hip-hop is and always should be unpredictable, spontaneous, and most of all fun. We hope the MC’s play this game for the same reasons.

RW: Can you talk about what you saw from the champion, and first-time competitor, Black Sun, and what he did in his performance that gave him an edge over the competition?

AB: Well, in an MC competition where tensions were high and expectations were great, Black Sun was like a Buddhist throughout the whole competition. I think his edge was that he had no expectations, he came for the experience, he came to experiment, to exercise, he came for all the right reasons. Beyond that I think Black Sun is just a really dope MC down to the definition of what an MC is. If you were paying attention he not only had really great lyrics but he MCed each challenge from the moment the wheel stopped spinning to the moment judges raised their score cards. When “Storytelling” dropped he told the crowd to “gather ‘round the campfire,” and in the last round he recaptured the audience with “The Message” after several confusing distractions. He was poised and in control the whole night.

RW: In the championship Sun defeated Rhyme Cal vet Jonny Quest. This was Quest’s fifth Rhyme Cal appearance and his first time making it to the finals. In the first round his spin of the wheel landed on “Crowd Topics,” a category he has struggled with in the past. How can his perseverance and progression be related to the idea and goals this competition has for its competitors?

AB: It’s funny because I know Jonny Quest was ready for a lot of the written challenges, but the wheel has a funny way of landing on your weaknesses when you get a little too confident. I didn’t see his “Crowd Topic” verse, I’ll see it when I review the tape, but his performance overall captured his improvement. He’s just a grinder and the Wheel of Skillz has helped him craft his lyrics, he’s not just writing verses without purpose. Although he’s putting in work at the studio, he’s learned to write his verses for the stage which is something I think is really important. Sometimes studio verses don’t come across on stage, but if you write your verses like you’re about to spitting them to a crowd of 500 people you’ll have an intensity and urgency in your flow that you can’t get standing in the booth. Much respect to Jon Quest.

RW: There was some confusion leading into the final round with the bracket that was distributed a few days prior. Granted, this was the first competition in the new format. Will there be any type of rule book implemented to keep this from being a distraction again?

AB: Yes, we are going to publish our official rule book before the next Rhyme Cal Competition. And by the way, we do have an official rule book that we abide by. It’s too complicated to explain the confusion regarding the final-four round, but I’ll say this… Boka had a legitimate complaint and I’m glad he voiced his opinion. The same way that we encourage our MC’s to get better, Stretch and I are always trying to make the competition better, more exciting, but also more fair. That’s why we listened to Boka’s complaint, and huddled up right there in the middle of the competition to review his complaint. But at the same time we stick to our decision. Our decision was to stick to the rules we created, even though the bracket we posted on Facebook was misleading. If the NCAA tournament has a misprint in the way they post their brackets, they don’t change the rules to accommodate the misprint. They stick to their original rules and let the public know that they made an error in the way they presented the brackets. So that’s what we did. The fact is that the brackets we posted on Facebook were really meant to allow the MC’s to see who they will be up against in the first round. They were also meant to create a little bit of hype. But after reflecting on Boka’s complaint, we’ve decided to change the rules for the next one. So the final-four round will be a little different in the future.

RW: This is the ninth installment of Rhyme Cal, without counting the All-Star competition and the 4x4. Why do you think some competitors still come to the show unprepared?

AB: Well, I think there are different types of competitors, and there are different ways for an MC to prepare. One of the best ways to prepare is to actually write verses to the written challenges. “Storytelling,” “Last Word,” “Acapella,” and “The Message” are all categories that cater to pre-prepared verses. Another way to prepare is to do some homework on the other competitors and develop a few punchlines for them. This will help you in “Comp Killer” and you could also put a few jabs into other challenges like “Mackin’” or “Here and Now.” Another way to prepare is to practice the freestyle challenges at the crib. You can practice “Word Bank,” “Grab Bag,” “Scenario,” and “Crowd Topics” by rapping about different item or things in your crib. Even if you never compete in Rhyme Calisthenics, theses are exercises guaranteed to make you a better MC. Having said that I first want to acknowledge the MC’s that did come prepared. Black Sun, Jon Quest, 3PFD, Kid A, and Boka all came with a few writtens and few ideas about how to flip some of the challenges. Then there are some cats who can go up against the wheel with no preparation at all – like A-Jaxx. He’s an MC who can develop dope phrases on the fly. As far as I know he’s never really prepared for a Rhyme Cal and yet he regularly makes it to the final four. I know A-Jaxx didn’t do as well as he usually does this time around, but he’s dope and he’s supported us by competing in almost every single Rhyme Calisthenics competition we’ve ever done. The reason he does so well is because he’s a true wordsmith, not just an MC. He’s got a real mastery and love of words. For some it’s all about preparation and for others it’s all about riding the moment—the key is knowing which type of MC you are. If you’re not fresh spitting in the moment then take your ass home and write something dope!



And that’s the real difference – it’s not about those who prepare and those who don’t – it’s about those who really love words and ideas, and then those who just like to brag about themselves and talk shit over beats. Cats like Zone, 3PFD, A-Jaxx, and Boka consistently do well because they’re prepared, but also because they have a real love of words and a real message to deliver.



RW: There were times when the judges - I Majestic of RXC/Classic 1824, Luqmon aka B-Tree, and DJ Chevy - would be speaking, or constructively criticizing the MC’s, and I would look around the crowd and see numerous participants talking amongst the crowd, hanging outside, or leaving after their own elimination. Personally, I see this as disrespect to the honorable judges, all of which have more than 15 years experience in hip-hop. Granted, for every two or three careless MC’s, there is one attentively listening. What is your opinion? Is it a difference within generations?

AB: It’s partly a generation thing, but more than that it’s the difference between those who genuinely want to get better and those who have managed to convince themselves that they’re already the shit. It’s the difference between those who mainly want to have fun and those who only want to win the $500. Rhyme Calisthenics is no different than the rest of the rap game – those who are only in it for the money generally don’t get as far as those who do it for the love. I think this time around even some of the most passionate MC’s were more focused on winning the prize than on working on their craft. They cracked under the weight of their own expectations – that happens to all of us sometimes. And then there’s the fact that people enter Rhyme Calisthenics for different reasons, some find it fun, some use it as motivation to get better, some use it for visibility and promotion, and some see an opportunity to win some money. The judges constructive criticism is only valuable if you’re working on your craft in some way.

RW: A couple first round competitors, R-Sin and Zone, spun the wheel twice. Any comment?

AB: One of the re-spins was because of a weak spin. The official rules state the wheel must complete one full rotation to be considered a fair spin. The other re-spin was because Shade missed the cue to play the “spinning” theme music. This re-spin was actually an error because the official rules state that “the wheel is not to be spun a second time for any reason except due to an incomplete rotation.”

RW: There was some animosity between competing MC’s Ayatollah Jaxx and Mista Scrap. What is your opinion of the situation? And in a situation that could have quickly gotten worse, is there anything that can be done to prevent something like this from happening?

AB: Well basically, Scrap threw Jaxx’s hat into the crowd. I’m not gonna speak for Scrap but it seemed like a heat of the moment decision during a really tense “Comp Killer” playoff heat. Whatever Scrap’s intentions were, the fact of the matter is that Rhyme Calisthenics is a no-contact sport. You can get up in someone’s face, you can diss them, intimidate them, you can verbally assault them; but you can’t touch them or their property. It’s kind of like basketball where you might get away with a light tap here and there, but you can’t grab your opponents’ jersey. I’ve mentioned the official rule book a few times and that’s something were going to have to put in there. Even though I know Scrap didn’t mean anything by it, I hope he can see how that situation could have gone bad if it were two different people.

RW: Is there anything else you would like to add?

AB: Yeah, RhymeCal X is gonna be the shit! MC’s get your bars together…

Follow-up interviews for each Rhyme Calisthenics MC Competition can be seen right here at Stilltown.blogspot.com

Armstead Brown Interview

Stilltown recently had the time to catch up with hip-hop activist, and one of Pittsburgh's most gifted musicians, Armstead Brown. Whether it be as part of the band at the weekly Release Open Mic, or as a music producer who supplies the heat, Brown has been an integral player in the progression of Pittsburgh hip-hop. His most notable contribution has been to Rhyme Calisthenics, the Official MC Competition. The various categories of the competition demands an MC to add new elements to their artillery. After what many considered to be a disappointing final battle in Rhyme Cal 8, the team has decided make some crucial changes to the competition.

Rory Webb: First and foremost, what is your opinion of the end result, a tie between MC’s Real Deal and Mista Scrap, in Rhyme Cal 8?

Armstead Brown: I realize from an audience’s perspective you always want there to be a winner and a loser so I realize it may not be the freshest end result for some. But I have to commend Real Deal and Mista Scrap for agreeing to split the grand prize and demonstrate that kind sportsmanship, especially for 2 MC’s who, as far as I know, have never worked together or even met. I don’t mind there being an asterisk next to Rhyme Cal 8 when that asterisk is a reminder that there’s room for more than one winner in this city. Having said that let me put this out there, THERE WILL BE NO MORE TIES IN RHYME CALISTHENICS.

RW: What’s your opinion on subject matter and/or sensitivity in regards to an MC battle?

AB: My opinion is that battling comes from a long tradition of signifying, jazz cutting contests, snaps, momma jokes and so on – so it’s the continuation of a part of our culture. Battles are also a celebration of free speech and a fat middle finger to the notion of censorship. So I don’t have any problems with battles being no holds barred and anything goes just as long as the primary intent is to destroy your opponent verbally. Battling, at its best, is a skillful art form that has a number of components to it – punchlines, metaphors, wordplay, comedic timing, hyperbole. But there is another component to battling – the creative and clever use of stereotypes. Racial and gender stereotypes have always been among the tools used to emasculate and humiliate your opponent. Having said that I also believe that battling still must be about originality, wit and cleverness. And in Rhyme Calisthenics we hold our battle round to the same standards as all the rounds that precede it. You can’t get to the battle round by calling someone a faggot, a bitch or an Ethiopian. So I don’t think anyone who’s relies on these phrases in a battle should expect to win Rhyme Cal or even a regular battle for that matter. I do think that you can be creative with stereotypes, and I think the more creative you are with stereotypes the more accepting people are when you go below the belt – because they understand that the stereotype is just a vehicle for demonstrating one’s mastery of the craft. So to relate this to what happened at Rhyme Cal 8, I think some folks including the judges felt that Deal and Scrap’s battle verses weren’t fresh enough, weren’t original enough to justify all the racial lines and gay references. And I tend to agree. But in Deal and Scrap’s defense I think they were both just kinda burned out by the end of the night, both of them are way better than that last round – their reputations will tell you so. I found the final battle disappointing but not offensive.

RW: How do you plan to prevent a similar situation from recurring?

AB: The simple answer is to say that we’ll have an alternate judge on hand in the event that one of our judges walks out at any time during the competition. We have also developed some contingency plans in the event of a tie. For instance, if somehow there is a tie in overtime of the final round then the winner will be the MC with the most cumulative points from all 4 rounds.

RW: Will there be any other changes made to the Rhyme Cal schematics?

AB: YES! Stretch and I didn’t create this competition to find out who the best battlers are in Pittsburgh. We created this competition to bring the fun back into hip-hop, to bring back the improvisation, the experimentation and originality. We created this competition to encourage MC’s to think and flow outside the box and then use that experience in everything else that they create. So with that said I’m about to shock everyone and say that we’ve decided to replace the battle with a different kind of final round. That’s right you heard correct – no more battle round. Now, we do realize that battling is a part of hip-hop so we have incorporated battle into the game in other ways that I think will really satisfy the crowd’s need to see MC’s get at each other from time to time. And “Comp Killer” will still be on the wheel – and that’s always fun to watch. I’m not gonna say what the new final round will be – y’all will just have to come to Rhyme Cal 9 to find out. And there’ll be a few new challenges on the wheel as well.

RW: When the idea for an MC competition came about, what were your initial short-term and long-term goals?

AB: When we first created Rhyme Cal all we had were short term goals. We wanted to create an event that allowed MC’s to work on their craft, not just a showcase or an open mic, but an event that had various exercises for MC’s to work on their stage presence, their freestyles, their vocabulary, etc. That was the goal – to bring MC’s together and have them feed off each other’s creativity and improvisation – something that cats just did naturally in the golden days of hip-hop. Looking back I’m surprised we stuck with it because the first 2 events were not successful at all. With Rhyme Cal 3 I think people started to understand what we were trying to do, we were finally able to recruit enough MC’s and attract an audience. That’s when we started thinking long-term about how to make this a staple within the scene. So far we’ve done 8 competitions, 1 All-Star Competition and 1 College Team Competition. We’ve had over 55 MC’s from the region compete and most recently we created a monthly open mic, The Boom Bap Effect, for MC’s and producers. And then we’ve got Rhyme Cal 9 coming in April and then the release of the Rhyme Cal mixtape shortly after that.

RW: What are your expectations for a Rhyme Cal competitor? Are they different for a first-time competitor, as opposed to an experienced Rhyme Cal vet?

AB: One of the things we expect competitors to do is come prepared. There’s a saying that goes “Opportunity favors the prepared mind.” If you’re going to play a football game you stretch your muscles before you play. The same goes for our competition – those who work on their punchlines and topics beforehand tend to perform better. That’s why we called it Rhyme Calisthenics – because it’s all about the exercises you do to make yourself a better MC. We do have different expectations for veterans and first-time competitors. It’s the job of the veterans to set the bar and show the first-time competitors what a well-rounded MC looks like. We also want the veterans to really showcase their skills and make the competition fun for the audience. And for the first-time competitors – we expect them to show up with an open mind. We expect them to watch the veterans and really listen to the judges’ feedback. We expect these things of them because we want them to come back and do better the next time.

RW: Can you talk about a particular MC or two that has emerged and developed in the competition?

AB: Well, Zone was an interesting competitor, he definitely came out of nowhere and surprised all of us. And then there’s Mac Miller who played in 4 competitions and has really been able to use Rhyme Cal as a platform for demonstrating his skills and widening his fan base. These 2 cats already had a strong skill-set so Rhyme Cal was really just an opportunity to develop their audience and show people they could rock the stage. Then there are cats like Jonny Quest. Jonny has competed three times and has certainly improved as a competitor but more important than that he has really taken the experience and infused it into his lyrics and his studio work. In other words, his Rhyme Cal experience has helped him develop as an MC and for me that’s the most important outcome. And that’s part of the reason why you see Jonny developing a good buzz right now, he’s got a good promotional game and has the lyrics to back it up.

RW: You mentioned that you’ve been working on a Rhyme Cal mixtape. How will the music reflect the competition?

AB: Well, the mixtape is connected to the competition in a few ways. First, most of the MC’s on the mixtape are cats who have played in the competition; there are a few exceptions however. Second, the production team for the mixtape is Shade Cobain, DJ Huggy, DJ Vex and myself – the same team that holds down the events. Third, and most importantly, the mixtape is going to reflect the same topics and challenges that exist on our wheel. We want people to understand that the topics on the wheel aren’t just a bunch or random challenges we came up with – they are real hip-hop based challenges – they are skills that actually apply to real rap music. Being able to tell a story (Storytelling), being able to spit a message (The Message), being able to spit 16 bars on someone else’s song (Cameo), being able to freestyle (Crowd Topics, Grab Bag) – these are real rap skills that are worth developing. What better way to work on these skills than to create a mixtape? And it’s exciting to see cats step up to the plate and really grind at coming up with some fresh verses. It’s also exciting to see work on something that involves a lot of MC’s throughout the scene. I think this mixtape is gonna be an important moment in Pittsburgh hip-hop. No matter what it’s gonna be a fresh project.

RW: Aside from Rhyme Cal, you are an active musician in the city of Pittsburgh. To the producers of the world, can you explain the importance of being able to read and understand music?

AB: Well first let me say that there’s something to be said about hip-hop – it’s one of the genres of music that has created a community of producers who don’t know how to read music but who are extremely talented, and in every sense of the word they are musicians. I think that’s where a lot of the soul of hip-hop comes from – it comes from cats who cop a beat machine or a sampler and just start banging away until they have something fresh. In hip-hop it’s more important to have a good ear and a good set of smacking drum samples than it is to be able to read music. But in the last decade hip-hop has become much more keyboard based. There’s a lot more synthesized sounds in hip-hop. And a lot of producers, even those who still use samples, also use keyboards to add synths, basslines and piano parts to their tracks. So for that reason it becomes a real asset to be able to understand some basic music theory. It expands your vocabulary of musical ideas. It also allows you to collaborate with instrumentalists like violinists, horn players, and bass players. If you understand music you can speak their language and be able to explain to them the type of melody or chord progression you’re looking for. If you look at some of the real successful producers who have emerged in the last decade – Kanye West, Illmind, Black Milk, they all have a real strong understanding of the basics even though none of them actually play an instrument or read music. And then there’s a cat like Scott Storch who’s a beast on the piano – one of the reasons why he dominated the game for a few years. In fact if you look at Dr. Dre’s entire production team, it’s a whole gang of dope hip-hop bassists, keyboardists, and guitar players. Being able to make beats and understand music allows you to cross-over into R&B production – and being able to do both really well puts you in a position to make a lot of money.

RW: In December of 2007, you released the album Fieldwork, which was locally acclaimed. Do you have any current or future marketing plans to help expand your listening audience?

AB: A lot folks may not realize but I’ve sold over 500 Fieldwork albums and that’s not including digital downloads. That’s no record or anything, but I’m just saying it’s out there – and it’s still available at 720 Records and on itunes if I can give a quick plug. I also have some things in the works for re-marketing Fieldwork with some new twists. And in addition to the Rhyme Cal mixtape I’m also working on a new project – no release date yet but I’ll keep all y’all posted.

Armstead Brown - "Fire," from the album Fieldwork

Armstead Brown featuring Subconscious aka Subcon - "Fieldwork," from the album Fieldwork

Armstead Brown - Fieldwork

J. Armstead Brown's debut album, Fieldwork, from 2007. Brown handles the majority of the production and spits on one track, it features many of Pittsburgh's finest MC's as well as some dope New York veterans (Subcon, The Dugout). Brown, along with host/MC Thelonious Stretch, producer/sound designer Shade Cobain, and DJ Huggy, are the creators of Rhyme Calisthenics. Rhyme Cal is a highly regarded MC Competition that showcases and develops local MC's. For those in the Pittsburgh area, you can see Armstead Brown and Shade Cobain as part of the live band, Hambone Jenkins, as well as many of Pittsburgh's other great artists at the Shadow Lounge every Tuesday for the Human Nature Open Mic, hosted by Yah Lioness.

1. One Hitter Quitter feat. The Dugout
2. Fire
3. Fieldwork feat. Subconscious
4. Boroughs feat. Thelonius Stretch
5. The Pushback feat. Staff Ace
6. Get Over feat. Mercury, Cavalier, Thelonius Stretch, Gene Jive (vocals), Sean Jones (trumpet), DJ Huggy (bass), & Daru Jones (drums)
7. Get Down feat. SMI, Thelonius Stretch, BZE, & Krukud
8. Oh! feat. Thelonius Stretch, Big Snook, & Gene Jive
9. Interlude (prod. by Kai Roberts)
10. Free Love feat. Mercury & Starpower
11. Party Lo feat. Big Snook
12. The Buzz
13. Something Wicked feat. Yah Lioness
14. Need I Say More? feat. Prophecy
15. Hardcore Headz feat. DJ Supa C of Formula 412
16. Kangaroos (produced and performed by Shade Cobain)
17. Revolution feat. Thelonius Stretch & Gene Jive (prod. by Shade Cobain)

Check him out here: www.myspace.com/peacepipeproductions
Listen to the album and cop it here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/armsteadbrown