Produced by Yung Viz, Quest M.C.O.D.Y.’s ambitious first proper studio effort “The Light Project” is an addictively funky dose of hip-hop soul that isn’t common ground from the usual suspects terrorizing the raw and grimy Detroit rap community stage. And that’s all good. Quest is old school in his approach and message: He’s all about being true to himself.
“The message on the album is you can be a regular person; you don’t have to be a super rapper or a super person or a super whatever,” says M.C.O.D.Y, whose real name is Kimani Graham. “I wanted to show people, ‘Yo, I’m just like you.’”
While Royce Da 5’9”, Guilty Simpson, D12, and Black Milk may make most of the Detroit-related rap headlines since Eminem went into hibernation after Proof’s untimely death, Quest has been grinding it out across the country for years, paying his dues while earning a reputation in label-head’s ears via his no-holds-barred open mic battles which culminated at the end of 2007 where he was recognized as one of VIBE Magazine’s “best unsigned rappers.”
Quest’s sick MC-flow resume is nothing if not impressive: Showtime’s “Interscope Presents: The Next Episode,” MTV’s “True Life: I Am a Battle Rapper,” countless mix-tapes, DVDs and, most recently, Jump Off TV’s World Rap Championships.
Loaded with dripping-sweet ‘70s flavored samples and reflective lyrics, “The Light Project” is a refreshingly introspective journey from an artist built in a city known to be – simply -- hard. But it’s his emotional back-story about recovering from a car accident that left him temporarily unable to move, speak or see when he was a child that may be the most important element driving Quest...
I am sure you have heard many musical comparisons made to Kanye West, but you were also in a car accident (West was in a car accident in 2002 that left his jaw cracked in three places which inspired his first solo hit “Through the Wire”) that left you with a skull fracture and took the lives of your grandmother and two aunts.
I get compared to Kanye simply because I’m doing something that nobody’s doing. It’s not a bad comparison.
My accident dates back a little, but it most definitely hits a note in my life. People die from gunshots and different things everyday and something as simple and innocent as taking a ride in the vehicle can take you away, too. I was blind for four days. So, being able to see…I appreciated being able to see a lot more that fifth day. In general, when I look at music – like there’re a lot of people out there that are blind and if you give them music it’ll open their eyes up.
Sonically speaking, this album is very different than the usual raw intensity found inside a lot of rap coming out of the city of Detroit. Yung Viz is the sole producer? What was the recording process like?
With this project, I came up with a lot of the sample ideas and gave my input when needed, but I kind of let Viz do his thing after that. Basically, he’d go in and bring me a finished piece and we’d go to a musician and have them add guitar riffs and drums and different things to it.
We recorded it fairly quickly – I don’t even remember writing the album, that part was so organic. But this album did take about a year to make. We mixed the album longer than it actually took to write and produce ‘cause I’m real hands on when it comes to the mixing process.
When compared to the street tales normally told from Detroit rappers, “The Light Project” travels along an opposite trajectory of that. There’s hope, there’s feeling…there’s heart. Is that difficult to do in this city?
People are scared to do that – to show more than just the tough side of themselves because they feel people are going to take advantage of them and they feel that people are going to attack them for their weaknesses
With me and my music, I feel that if I put who I am and what I am on the table, then I know I’m being judged for me and not a persona I made up.
I got a record called “SOS” on the album and it basically talks about us as people having to save ourselves. Too many times we look for our president, preachers, pastors or our parents to save us when we gotta start policing ourselves. We gotta take responsibilities for the things that we do and the actions that we take.
That sentiment isn’t something rappers are usually willing to hang on when first putting out music. By no means is your album one dimensional, there are a lot of different styles and feels to your music, but I seem to keep going back to the overall message you are sending…like the song “Champion.”
That record is there to show people that we can be proud of ourselves, for being who we are. And you can applaud yourself, too. Because in the beginning phases of anything nobody’s going to cheer for you but you.
“The Light Project” is now out and the CD release party is at the Shelter Friday. Where do you take it from here?
We’re gonna keep booking different dates, but I have built a pretty big name for myself as far as Michigan hip-hop goes so what I’m doing is I’m visiting different places for extended amounts of times, like Orlando, Miami, Chicago, New York. My base goes pretty wide -- the Internet has helped me a lot. I’ve been on MTV, I’ve been on Showtime, I’ve been seen by millions throughout the years. At one point in my rap career, I did a lot of battle rapping; I’m regarded as one of the top 10 battle rappers in the world.
I’ve always been in the studio, too. However, I had to do more growing as a person; that was the main change I had to do to get me here.
I’ve made a name for myself as a battle rapper but I’ll always be considered a battle rapper until I make a big name for myself as something else…
Originally scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2 at Alvin’s, The Light Show – the CD release party for Quest M.C.O.D.Y’s “The Light Project” -- has been moved to the Shelter. Opening acts include The Gorilla Funk Mob, Guilty Simpson, Marvwon, Buff 1, Miz Korona, Invincible and Finale.
