Gonjasufi Interview @ Passion of the Weiss
I’m about six months late but I just peeped a great interview with (former?) Masters of the Universe member, Gonjasufi, over at the Passion of the Weiss blog. Gonjasufi drops some San Diego hip-hop history in the midst of speaking on his album, A Sufi and A Killer, which was released earlier this year with the aid of another San Diego alum (though you wouldn’t know it), The Gaslamp Killer. Check out a few nuggets below and read the rest here:
What was the scene like in San Diego. I imagine you must’ve stood out considering it can be a pretty conservative crew-cut type city, especially in the Gaslamp District.
It didn’t become like that until 2000. This was in the early 90s and during that era, the Gaslamp was the spot to be, it was where all the underground acts were coming through. Tres cho (sic?) C-4 Villains … it was actually an artistic spot with all sorts of thrift shops and shit. It wasn’t until around ’99 and 2000 when shit changed. They started reconstructing it, put the ballpark up, and the crew-cut crowd moved in.…
Other than Jayo Felony and Mitchy Slick, San Diego hip-hop never got much love outside of the city. Did you feel that was the case?
For sure. There was a lot of dope shit. Mitchy Slick, NMS with Orko Eloheim and Big Jus from Company Flow was big and Masters of the Universe. But those were the main cats, Jayo, Mitchy, and and the NMS project, that’s Masters of the Universe right there. Those were the cats: Jayo, Mitchy, and Ol’ Gold and Big June. But everyone in the Masters of the Universe is brutal. We get more love in France and elsewhere overseas then we get in America.Is it just a matter of Los Angeles being so close that it overshadows everything in Diego?
LA is two hours away and casts a big shadow, but there was a crossover. The Project Blowed shit was brutal and all The Freestyle Fellowship dudes came down to Diego all the time, but it seemed like it was always about the Bay to LA and back. No one understood Diego. Abstract Rude would come down all the time to hang out with us and show up at the Underground Improv. His cousin stayed out here during the early 90s and that’s how I met him. But it was just like the LA scene was so strong that they deserved it. But at the same time, I think my exposure right now will bring Diego the attention it deserves.
Reading be fun though:
