When Declaime, aka Dudley Perkins, dropped the Madlib-produced ‘Flowers’ back in 2001, little did anyone know that Peanut Butter Wolf was chomping at the bit to usher in a hybrid of D’Angelo, Macy Gray, Roland Clark, Prince, and the bleariest-eyed soul crooner you’ve never met. Breakin Point gets blinded by A Lil Light …
ON…CONVERTING TO CROONING
‘I’m not a singer. I don’t sing. A singer is someone who practices something. I just did some music when I was in tune with God, but I have a voice – if God gave me a voice then I must use it. There’s no style. It’s just a man’s soul being opened up as an instrument over some soul-bound beats with messages entwined.’
ON…KICKING: THE HABIT
‘When Peanut Butter Wolf first heard the ‘Flowers’ song he was like ‘you’ve gotta drop that’- we shook hands on it but I thought he was just playing. I guess the response was pretty good. They tried to classify me as neo-soul but I just knew it was the truth -‘even though the flowers bloom, even though the birds still sing’.. who says we got plenty of time to just kick it? I kick it, he kicks it, we all kick it, but why do we kick it? Because one day, all time will be gone.’
ON …SOUL FOOD
‘To toot the bell, I know my beats are banging better than anybody’s on the planet right now – quote that. Pick up a Declaime record. Listen to it for real. Don’t just go in hating it, because if you go in hating on my music, guess who you hating on? The divine spirits gave me those words; I acknowledge the messages God gave to me – he was like ‘man, sing your song’. Go meet your soul, he’s there, he’s at your house right now. When you go home and nobody’s there, say ‘what’s up soul?’ Watch it answer back, meaningful, with tears in his eyes. ‘Where the heck you been dog?’ Go say hi to your soul, and you best do some apologising for being away from him too long.’
ON …THE MASTERMINDING OF MADLIB
‘He gives me beautiful soundscapes to walk with. He’s beyond creative, when the creativity comes naturally where you have no choice but to rap over them creatively. Madlib was real potent when he was younger. Beautiful beats, drum patterns and samples beyond explored. Now he’s beyond beautiful, his soul is touched when he does it. Right now he’s God’s little toy, God’s little beatmaker. Believe me; he’s got every style in the book.’
ON…VOICES OF REASON
‘Marvin Gaye – he was an angel, a haunted angel. The demons beat him up. The light was too bright – when the light’s that bright the demons beat you up. You gotta be a strong person about it or you’ll get eaten up alive. But Marvin Gaye said some beautiful things in his music. John Lennon – beautiful music. Dude had so much light you’d see all kinds of stuff. But do you know who I’m digging? Lil’ Mo. She got flow; she can sing her butt off. I wonder if she were to sing about God, how much more powerful she would be.’
ON …A LIL’ LIGHT
‘I dunno what to think about it. It’s quirky, like Sesame Street or something – 1 guess God gave me that for the children, putting a smile on your face when they hear it. But the messages are for the adults, and the harmonies are for the critique, the beats for the critics, and the love is to share. When something makes your mother’s face change, you know you’ve hit a note. My son looks at me differently because of those songs. I guess if it’s a message then it’s a message – take the message how you want to, take it in your heart completely, do what you gotta do it with it. A message sounds real, if it sounds real, your heart wouldn’t lie to you would it? We ain’t that blind. Let’s get going, stop wasting time and let’s wake up, do what we gotta do, let’s come together as one.’