EL-P
The SiS Interview by Eavvon O'Neal

El-P's newest release, I'll Sleep When You're Dead (Definitive Jux) has creased the hip-hop industry's image of itself, and directed concern away from where we're from or where we're at, and moved it to where we're going. Without a pretentious air, but an astute eye, El-P continues his cultural assessment in excellent form.

Stranded in Stereo continues this dialogue into the heavily debated realm of RIAA regulation, and how these changes can shake an already unsteady industry.

We have many-a-time been warned by the guardians of music and the creative spirit (the Lester Bangs, John Lennons, and the Neil Youngs),that those calling the shots will "strangle everything we love about music until it becomes an industry of cool." These inhabitants of the annals of musical history forewarned that artists will keep diluting the talent pool with selfish greed and personal goals and leave us, the fans, mourning in their wake. Harbingers of the doom of our industry have been present since the beginning, and have slowly been increasing their grip on creative flexibility and our wallets. As music has changed, sohasour fanged villains. It has become more obvious that it is not the fame thirsty artist who we should fear, but the corporate structure which supports them. Fast-forward to modern times, and that evil is now personified by the new regulations of the RIAA.

"Those freaking thugs are idiots." Harsh? Not quite, if you consider how this man is to be affected by the thuggish ways of the RIAA. This man – a label owner, producer and emcee, is El-P. In an industry which is anchored in dub history and thrives on the ability to rework and re-craft samples to create hits that completely fuck with thepreconceived notions of what "is" rock 'n roll, one could not realistically expect El-P to react any differently. "They are going about things in the wrong way and are disconnected." This disconnect is more convoluted than it appears at face value, and it appears pretty screwed from the jump. The RIAA has constrained its interpretations of intellectual property law, and has escalated punishments to unthinkable levels. The most notable abuse is reflected in the raid and arrest of DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act. "If they were really interested, they would set the tone for creative change."

El-P has instituted creative change in his own practices as an attempt to not fall victim to habit. "I use a lot of different sources and combinations and have been pulling from different places as I've grown." Don't sleep on him though, he's sampled, or as he puts it "referenced." "Yea, I've been caught sampling; looping up shit and trying to get away with it. When it happened, I was always pretty sure that I was crossing the line a little too much. That's why I'm respectful of the idea of enforcement, especially if it’s clear you are just stealing someone else's work. Still, I disagree that there is no regulation or standard." Essentially, if there were logical laws to obey, he would get behind them. However, there aren't many alternatives to RIAA's Anti-Piracy Gestapo. Their blind eye toward progressive technology and gap toothed smile toward those they are arresting is fixing nothing quickly. And it's not getting any better. With the creation of Sound Exchange, and the Bush administration's new front against the fouling of intellectual property, the music industry is left spinning its wheels much like a Buick Skylark without positive traction. "They have profited off of it for years, but they should get involved, not by creating binding laws, but by becoming involved with the technology." Even still, legislators hold firm on their position, and feel that them being soft is the licensing equivalent of negotiating with terrorists.

As his last words, El Producto suggested only what would at least make his job easier. "They should just publish lists of people who will play ball, and either accept samples or not. Other than that, we have to change our production styles to fit the new climate in the industry." The list's existence is dependent upon the willingness to accept sampling as a true art form, which may be more acceptable now that Grandmaster Flash is in the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. Beyond that, it’s all about relying on the same principles of good music that we have always relied on in the hopes that cool will always be nice, but good music must always win out.