Urban Vault caught up with Portland, Oregon based emcee and activist Mic Crenshaw to ask him about his latest release OMG [BLACK MADONNA] and more…

Chicago-born, Portland-bred poet and emcee Mic Crenshaw presents the Nat Needham-directed music video for ‘OMG’ – his Jonny Cool-produced new single featuring vocals from Arietta ‘Mz.Etta’ Ward and cuts from Klavical. ‘OMG’ appears on Crenshaw’s new album, ‘Earthbound,’ which also features guest appearances from Psl, Jah Robinsun, and Jana Crenshaw.

Mic co-founded GlobalFam, a non-profit project to create and maintain a computer centre for disadvantaged youth in Burundi. Over 400 people have received free training. Mic also partnered with Education WithOut Borders (EWOB), which supports education, music and art initiatives in Portland and beyond and serves as an umbrella for the local Books For Prisoners chapter and GlobalFam itself.

Mic has opened up for Public Enemy, Immortal Technique, KRS-1, Mos Def and The Roots. Mic’s previous projects include ‘Obvious‘ and ‘Superheroes,’ and he’s prepping a forthcoming EP. Regarding the new single, Crenshaw says,

“It wrote itself. Beyond that, I identify the persecution and suffering of the oppressed as a spiritual journey for redemption, set into motion by forces that predate our existence. As a Black Man or Woman, or a suffering person, the process of overcoming is holy”.

Between your music and your humanitarian work, you’re an extremely busy man. How do you keep up with all this?

To be honest it’s a constant struggle. I’ve been thinking for years that the next tattoo I get needs to read, “DOING IT ALL”. The question becomes not how do I do it all, but how can I do the best work possible creatively whilst committed to so many things. I’m still working on the answer to that question. The thing is, if I relied solely on album sales, streaming revenue, merch and pay from gigs, I’d be in less of a stable position financially that I am currently. Currently, educational work and activism support my music career in that it plugs me into international work in Africa, Cuba and Europe in ways that haven’t manifested yet from just pushing music free of the other passions. To me, they all go together and allow for synergy. There needs to be more hours in the day though, straight up!!!

How did you get your start rapping?

I started rapping after hearing ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and ‘The Message’ as a boy living between Chicago and a couple of smaller cities in Illinois. I basically started freestyling by mimicking my favourite rap and rock songs, nursery rhymes, and inserting my own original lyrics. It was all for fun. I dreamt of being in a heavy metal band playing guitar solos at that time even though I rapped for fun. I never knew that in my twenties, I’d begin rapping as a career choice. I started rapping professionally at 24 when a musician who played behind me at a poetry slam invited me to front a Hip Hop band. We founded Hungry Mob and the rest is history.

What do you think is the role of activism in music? Do you think the two combined can be truly effective?

To me, growing up listening to Public Enemy, Last Poets, Bob Marley, Dead Kennedys, BDP, Rage Against The Machine, The Coup and others, it was never a question. Music with conscious lyrics played a crucial role in my own development. Ultimately combining my music with political consciousness, activism and teaching have provided and means for surviving and doing what I love and is important to me. I also know that whatever I talk about in my songs is authentic and real, not some make-believe fantasy created to market an image that isn’t real to me or my audience. When I write, I’m writing from my perspective about common experiences in a way that is real. There are enough people talking about clothes, your bitch, jewellery, whips and guns. Let them do that, I’ll be true to who I am and what drives my contemplation and behaviour. Who I’m sleeping with and the ways we had sex are seldom going to be the focus of more than one song every now and then. I wouldn’t threaten to kill people on a record because I have to be accountable for my actions. I’d rather uplift than tear people down.

What track of yours do you think you should go down in history for and why?

‘MC Duz It‘ is a lyrical masterpiece. Its off of Thinking Out Loud and I think it does a great job of establishing me as a gifted emcee lyrically.

‘Earthbound‘ is fire lyrically but speaks to the times in a way that Hip Hop songs seldom do. Obvious is just hard as fuck!

What advice do you have for upcoming rappers?

Do what you love, get feedback from others who love all kinds of music. Orient yourself internationally. Read about history, politics, culture and the world we live in.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music…

www.miccrenshaw.com
www.facebook.com/miccrenshaw
https://twitter.com/MicCrenshaw
https://soundcloud.com/mic-crenshaw
https://instagram.com/miccrenshaw
www.mzettasworld.com
www.facebook.com/ogetta99
https://twitter.com/ettasworld
https://soundcloud.com/arietta-ward
https://instagram.com/mz.ettasworld
https://twitter.com/futurehueman
https://soundcloud.com/klavical
https://instagram.com/klavical
www.jonnycool86.com
www.facebook.com/JonnyCool86
https://twitter.com/jonnycoolbig
https://soundcloud.com/
www.globalfam.rocks
www.educationwithoutborders.ca
www.educationwithoutborders.co.uk
(Photo by Chad Brown)