Vandalyzm: Lost in Translation

Growing up in hip-hop isn’t easy these days, no one is there for guidance, advice, or even support. It’s become a dog eat dog industry that Van Coleman soon to be known as Vandalyzm has come to hate and love. Vandalyzm is a rappers rapper, no gimmicks, no hooks, no ploy. Just a man that makes good music and could careless about a trend, a genre, or fitting in. Coming from St. Louis which he says is completely confused about it’s identity. Representing the Hall of Justus from St. Louis is here to present the midwest in its purest form, painting a better picture.

Scheme: How did you first meet music?
Van: Good question, I’ve been on the stage doing entertainment of some sort since the single digits, acting, singing, dancing, me and my cousins had a ill ass dance crew back in the day (laughs). Its always been in our family, I just remember “Sally Walks” by Stetsasonic being on my uncle’s turntable one night, that was my first memory of hip-hop, its been on since then. That was like my moms favorite jam when it first dropped from then on I’ve been stuck, all genres man, all composers, producers, rhymers, writers. I wanna know who makes all the awesome shit, study them, and hopefully I become some folks research as well down the line.

Scheme: Are you originally from Cali?
Van: Nah fam, straight born and raised from St. Louis, Missouri flat out put that in big bold capitol letters (laughs)

Scheme: What was the music scene like for you back then growing up there?
Van: It was actually real man coming up, it was huge we had our own sound, own cats doing our thing. The spotlight just wasn’t on us but our state’s music history is rich, our city as well. As time went on fell down folks lost the love, so our identity went as well, now folks think we are the south and we aren’t!

Scheme: Are you currently in Missouri?
Van: Yes sir currently in the STL, I just travel, meet my homies, and create music.

Scheme: After the entrance of Nelly, what’s the vibe in the Lou’ now?
Van: Man honestly, it has nothing to do with Nelly right now. He did his thing for the city, but my city as a whole is lost as fuck simple and plain nothing is played but south shit, and I love south music. Love it, but thats all they play here and folks try and be that I know cats that will rhyme your best emcee you know under the table, ask them to record a song. They’re gonna start sounding like Paul Wall or some shit. Dog, if I wanna hear Paul Wall, guess who I’m gonna listen to? Paul Wall, I’m gonna go get the real, I don’t wanna hear no fake, be you, the media got it fucked up, they call us the south all the time, we’re in the midwest, one of the center most cities of the United States, look at your map (laughs) I cant even blame them though, because if you get here, thats all you hear from the local cats, and thats all you see. They’re biting off the south so damn hard is ridiculous. Its one thing to embrace one’s culture, but to blatantly steal is another trust me, me and my squad will be killing all of that shortly.

Scheme: So is that part of your mission as an MC from St. Louis to try and change the perception of music in your immediate community and then venture out?
Van: No, change music period my city will be a part of that expectancy and things of that nature is killing creativity in music right now like if I get on a song with Jeezy, then I get on a song with Talib, if the shit sounds good, don’t frown upon it, just make good music. Folks figure they gotta make shit that caters to folks, I love all music, from wherever, from whoever, music is either hot or wack no in between, or “yeah, that’s hot here” no you look in my iPod, you would be baffled. I make what I like bumping so I got Three-Six in there, with Daft Punk, in there with Dilla, in there with Burt Bacharach. Burt is one of my favorite composers of all time, along with David Axelrod, Quincy, Barry White, and Issac Hayes (laughs) so my music will sound like that good shit no name on it, no lines, no “this will be hot on the west coast” it’s just gonna be hot period folks gotta get off that “This is what’s hot now, so lets all do it” it’s the reason why music ain’t selling. Everything that’s moving units is scanning the globe, not just one side, look at the soundscan.

Scheme: The irony is with all that said, to be “different” or call yourself a martian seems to slowly be creeping into the mainstream and is starting to become the “trendy” thing now. Do you fear that you will be looked over because everyone seems to be hopping on that bandwagon?
Van: Not at all, because a lot of that shit is false, they try to go to the left, it’s lame. The “hipster” movement is so fucking lame, just dress fly and make hot music, nah I dont think so. I see who’s doing it to do it, and who’s just trying to be a weirdo and they getting signed on that bullshit too. They got the industry fooled like crazy, in a minute, baggy jeans and Timbs will be back in style. All that shit will change the dudes who are doing it for real. Niggas like Lupe, Kanye, my niggas in the D’, your Black Milk’s, Finale’s, Mr Porter’s, them cats are gonna continue to elevate music for the sake of making damn good music. There are a ton of real cats, but a lot of these dudes talking about spaceships and shit, “he’s so innovative” just cause he aint rhyming, but he’s chanting over a daft punk instrumental? I love Daft Punk and I got joints of me rhyming over their shit, but not because I’m a hipster. I love their music, I plan on getting a track from them in the future, just like Slum [Village] did, why cant I?

Scheme: So what can people expect from you musically and lyrically
Van: Simply put, don’t expect anything. I can rhyme my ass off, and I produce well. I started off battling, and made beats because I had a true love for it, not because I ain’t have ‘em, or it seemed lucrative. I’ve been rhyming since seven and producing since twelve I do this my whole life, I love music, you will hear R&B, rock, all types of music from me. My first produced tracks were actually drum and bass music so they can expect good sounding music, nothing more go in open minded, and know you can possibly hear anything, just enjoy it and lay back my music is for everyone, old, young, girl, boy, any color I love it, and I’m hoping that shows in my music, you get what I’m saying…a borderline cocky nigga who loves what he does and hopes the world does as well.

Scheme: Who are you working with on producing your music or are you doing it all?
Van: Well I don’t know if you knew, but i’m apart of the Hall of Justus music crew. The only “Crew” member that aint based out of the NC area, so of course with that you got 9th Wonder and Khrysis, Black Milk done threw me some jawns I’m working on, my dude Flying Lotus out of LA, we got some crazy shit dropping, my nigga Swiff D. from the Pacific Division crew, my boy Black Spade, he’s got a insane album out, my young dude Fowl from Jersey, sixteen and beastly in the streets, on the beats and rhymes, DJ Rhettmatic from The World Famous Beat Junkies, and all that comes with that outside of all of them, and myself. I do well on the beat end, I don’t have to outsource for nothing.

Scheme: What are you delivering lyrically?
Van: I can give you all of it, whatever is needed. I’m a regular dude that came up rough, and decided to go the opposite route of so many folks in my same situation. I love children, education, battling niggas, bitches, fly ass cars, and women, and revolution. I’m giving the world my outlook on the world from a regular guy’s standpoint who just so happens to MC instead of RAP from all standpoints. You put me on record with the best in the game and I wont get out shined. I can be jiggy as fuck, and still drop crazy knowledge and not sound hypocritical, why, because I’m a regular dude. I just rhyme man, no style, I just use the english language really well, and I put it to a cadence that I feel is unique, and I let it fly, whether I’m telling a story, or just going in, it what it is man.

Scheme: A lot of the veterans say that the cats the come up today haven’t done their research. What that’s been like musically and lyrically in your case?
Van: Word, and that where I differ my GOAT is Big Daddy Kane that simple that nigga embodies me, flat out, what dude you know can rock a suit one day, be rhyming about fucking ya’ girl, then next song be lyrically killing shit to death? Bust out a dance move, and never be out of place? Name someone else? He was never in box, he did him he still does him have you heard him rhyme as of late? In his forties he’s still ripping shit to death. I’ve done my research on not just hip-hop but music period. I’m a complete music nerd, honestly I don’t listen to that much hip-hop when i’m in music mode I’m bumping The Carpenters, or Donny Hathaway, or The Sylvers, or Steven Malkmus and the Jicks, or some off the wall shit like that. I study it all because I want to make it all man, and I will, that simple like right now, what am I listening to? “Army” by Ben Folds Five.

Scheme: So if there was one thing you hope people take from your music and maybe you as a person what would that be?
Van: Hope man, hope and motivation to be the greatest person they can possibly be. You ain’t gotta be a pastor or a avid church goer, whatever your religion is, to live a good life. Just strive to be grand, keep God first, and be smart about everything you do and live life. That’s it, live that shit ’till its over, leave your mark.