Hi Yak, what are you doing these days?
Hello Cream Mag how are you? These days I am going to bed very late and waking up whenever I want to. I bet you’re not. Hahahaha. No really I’m not kidding. „These Days“ I am writing and recording a new record called Scifentology II: The Elephant Ron Hubbard Stories. I have been touring and playing shows for Weathermaniacs and Cardboard City Folk for the past year and it has been the most satisfying experience of my life. I can’t wait to tour this record when it is complete.
You are going to release Scifentology II: The Elephant Ron Hubbard Stories this May. Tell us more about it.
Scifentology II is the follow up to my first record My Claim and is also the sequal to my mixtape Scifentology. It will be released on FloSpot Records worldwide. Scifen II is a cohesive, concept driven record and I think so far it is the best music I’ve ever made to date. I wanted to follow up the mixtape with a record because I felt like I needed to pick up where I left off and I wasn’t quite finished with what I started so I decided to make it a series. Scifen II is very current and progressive. I really wanted to make the soundtrack to our lives as I feel the art of creating relative music has been muddled up with music that has nothing to do with anything anymore. I am not preaching to anyone or telling them to be a certain way on this record. I am not bullshitting anyone at all. In fact it is extremely honest and straightforward. I hope people will appreciate it. I thought if I could successfully create something so real and meaningful that the truth is undeniable, I know people will believe in it once they give it a chance. Hence the title has a religious connotation.
How did you hook up with Scifen?
I have been friends with Ewok 5MH, who is the senior designer of Scifen clothes, for many years so when he hooked up with Scifen I was offered to do an ad for the line soon after. I really dug what I saw in terms of the concepts of the T-shirts and the promise in what the Brand had to offer. Barmak Badaei (Founder) and I became close friends very quickly as we both shared similar views on many levels from politics to hip hop and what we wanted for the future. We decided to form Team Scifen which consists of myself, Ewok, and Barmak fusing what we do best in order to create a real Hip Hop movement co-signed by other icons in the game from Cope2 to EL P because of what the brand stands for; REAL HIP HOP.
Scifen also made a Yak Ballz t-shirt. Was it designed by you? If so, do you plan to do another one?
The T was not designed by me. It was designed by Ewok. You can check more of Ewoks work at www.Mr-Ewokone.com. I just chose the color scheme. I will definitely have another Tshirt by Scifen for this next record.
Are you still down with Mondee? I hard that you two split up.
Mondee and I have been working together since I was cramped in a small bedroom in Queens writing childish raps while my mom was yelling at me about what she thought was rediculous. We are definitely still down. People start rumors because they‘d like to think they know it all about everyone but in reality Mondee has produced 3 of what may turn out to be the hottest songs on Scifen II.
In one song on the My Claim album you rapped: „Mary Jane, sometimes I wish I never married that bitch.“ Do you smoke weed a lot?
At the time I think I did moreso than I do now but I mean yeah I like to smoke weed man.
Is it easier for you to rap over the raw beat like Skywalkers Here, or a little strange one like The Drill?
I think those songs were cool for the time and where I was at with my writing ability but now I’m writing music with much more discipline and structure so it creates a new challenge and certain parts of the process have become more time consuming. I never used to really work out little kinks in my writing and plan my songs ahead of time. These are all things that come with time so actually looking back at those two songs I think they were both just places I had to visit to get where I am right now and I would never write songs like that ever again.
How did you meet Bobbito? It must be dope being 18 and having a record out on the legendary Fondle Em Records.
I got an internship at Bobbito’s Footwork through my best friend Pat’s brother Vaz. They needed a hand with some things and I volunteered my help. I was 16 so it wouldn‘t be until 2 years later that my first 12 inch came out. But I was doing everything I could to get a buzz and I guess I did enough to get that opportunity. A lot of people never realized how young I actually was. Even now I think back like dude I actually came out with a record, on Fondle’em no less, before many well known people in the game were even on the map and they are still older than me! That will change as I get older for sure.
Sometimes you´re mentioned as „Cage´s hypeman“. It´s like that people don´t even know that you have a career on your own. Are you pissed off about being tied to Cage like this?
It can be frustrating when people don’t give me the respect or credit I feel I‘ve earned or deserve but I know what I am capable of and there are definitely people who are and very well aware of my body of work. It is always an uphill battle when you are a musician. I honestly don’t know it to be any other way. I’m not finished paying dues and I will continue to keep moving forward because if I obsessed over what people think I wouldn’t be able to put my whole heart into what I am doing. Cage is one of my best friends and asking if I’m pissed about being tied to my friend because of what people outside of our friendship might think doesn’t really concern me. I have been Weathermen since I was 17 years old and I am Weathermen for life.
Cage vs. High & Mighty was a big issue 2 years ago. What about you and Milo? In Public Property (on the Hell´s Winter album) Cage rapped: „You had the balls to rip me off, have them when I sneak up with Yak,“ so it seems that even you are/were not cool with Milo.
For the record I have no beef with Eastern Conference. Mondee and I put out a great record with E.C. and it was my first so that is special.
Who would you like to work with in the future?
I would like to work with Sir Menalik/Scaramanga and Jeremy Lublin from We Are The Fury.
What do you think about downloading and how does it affect you as an artist?
I think downloading is cool if you are purchasing music digitally through a legitimate digital music provider who works in conjunction with the label the artist is signed to. Digital music is the future and sooner or later everyone is going to have to accept the fact if they havent already. I think downloading illegally is really lame and it makes me feel like I’m never going to have a future doing what I love if I can’t make enough money to pay my rent because thousands of people are stealing from me. I mean don’t you like to get paid for your work?
The flipside is that it can warrant more popularity and fans but there are ways to sample music and buy it if you like it.
If I´m right, you´re college-graduated. How important is it for a rapper to have a good education?
Its not important at all. Its important to have a good education if you are NOT a rapper. It is important to be intelligent and aware of what is going on around you if you are a rapper. It is important to never stop learning and developing. I am a college grad with a degree in Business Management. I always encourage people to stay in school because it really opens up a world that you are otherwise unable to experience if you never went. More importantly, school almost guarantees a better future as opposed to no education at all. I make music for people. I wan’t those people to do well. I think that is more important.
I read somewhere that you are of Iranian origin. Is it true? If so, how hard is it to live in the country that is thinking about dropping bombs on Iran?
I am Iranian. I was born here in the U.S. in New York City. The ongoing issue of the U.S. planning on taking action against Iran for the enrichment of uranium and/or the development of nuclear weapons is in the news every day. I think the hard part is trying to decipher the truth in all the media. We are living in times where people need to question the justification of what the U.S. is doing from the War In Iraq to the potential of „preventing Iran from creating a warhead.“ Most people are passive but don’t realize that it affects them. They might not until there is a draft and their children are taken away. We only see one side of the story. I just saw 300 and they are depicting Persians as savages. There is a whole other side that we are not made able to see because if it was visible people would think differently. Its not easy going through life knowing that there are brainwashing mechanisms everywhere and what you think is real is really what you’ve been lead to believe is true.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself owning a record label and giving those who deserve the opportunities that were or weren’t extended to me a chance to succeed. I see myself responsible for taking part in a movement or revolution that by that time will be everything and more than I ever imagined. I also see myself being very much a part of the apparel scene.
OK. Would you like to add anything?
YES. Lookout for my new record Scifentology II; The Elephant Ron Hubbard Stories on FloSpot Records coming out in June!!! Thanks for reading my banter. I hope you enjoyed every last waking second.
