Photo courtesy of 7eMeraldsMedia
Emcee AWOL Da Mindwriter and producer August Fanon teamed up for a new album called “Now Loading.” AWOL (Aggressive Writer Outta Line) lives up to his name throughout Now Loading, spitting fierce lyrics over Fanon’s fantastic production.
Now Loading is a 13-track album produced entirely by August Fanon. The release comes to us courtesy of 7eMeraldsMedia and features appearances by Vic Spencer, Al Unique, Zarz the Origin, and Planet Asia.
The Real Hip-Hop spoke to AWOL Da Mindwriter and August Fanon about how an accident changed AWOL’s life, why August makes modern music with classic elements, and their new album, Now Loading.
TRHH: How’d you two hook up to do Now Loading?
AWOL Da Mindwriter: Okay, how we got linked up it was crazy. I give shout outs to Sean Munoz and Al Unique, man, because they were the masterminds that kinda got us together. It was a simple meeting or whatever, like a simple sit down. We linked up a couple of times, like once or twice and then we finally started locking in with the beats. He was sending me folders and I just started locking in. And it was just crazy because when I started being around August it was a different feel. It was a really healthy feel. Really organic, I should say. I really enjoyed going through the beats and stuff like that and he let me know what to pick and what I can’t pick. The first joint that we started off with was “Golden Gun” and we just took off from there.
August Fanon: Al Unique was very key in this. Al is one of the first brothers I met when I moved to New York, just period in life. In general, just on some life shit. So, it’s cool that he does music too. He’s on the album. He’s got one of my favorite verses on one of my favorite songs of the album. I just wanted to say that part. Just shout out Al Unique for sure.
AWOL Da Mindwriter: Word.
TRHH: What was the process like creating Now Loading? How long did it take?
AWOL Da Mindwriter: Man, it took just about two years. We started around the end of 2023/the start of 2024. About a two-year process.
TRHH: Why’d you choose the title Now Loading?
AWOL Da Mindwriter: For what is to come. For what I deem the title, let alone the album, it’s literally a warning.
TRHH: In general, or for you and August?
AWOL Da Mindwriter: Oh, no, in general. For society. For what pretell may come.
TRHH: “Let Go” was an interesting song to me because it had no drums. August, you’re a boom bap producer, why did you tackle that song without drums?
August Fanon: I just thought the melody and the instrumentation was so strong. I just liked it as is. I remember originally, after I made the beat I played around with it with a remix. I remixed something from Kelis’ first album, Kaleidoscope And it sounded good, but it was off at some places. I was like, “Ahhh!” I just couldn’t match it. That was when I was first trying to make remixes. And then months went by and we were already halfway into the album and he had been gone through that beat, I think, or heard it. But then he’s like, “Yo, I wanna fuck with this.” I’m like, “Okay!” And he did Let Go. And that’s one of my favorite songs of the album — top three on the album, I’m really happy how that turned out. I’m happy that got picked. It’s interesting ’cause I make so many beats but even in that, that was a beat that stuck out to me. AWOL picked it and made something with it, so that’s cool.
TRHH: What’s in your production workstation?
August Fanon: I got a DAW — the FL 21 producer series. I got an Akai Mini, a record player, a tape deck, a microKorg. I got a SP-404 but I haven’t really started fucking with that really yet. So, I’m pretty much all FL. I might use the microKorg a little bit. I haven’t really messed around with the mini Akai thing I got too much. And then I got my record player for sampling if I wanna sample records. I do a lot of digital sampling too, but I gotta have a record player ’cause you gotta get some vinyl.
TRHH: For your basslines, do you primarily use what’s in the sample or do you play your basslines?
August Fanon: I primarily use what’s in the sample. I just EQ ‘em, do my little thing that I know how to do, and I might use some 808s to beef it up — 808s on the one. But if I do make a bassline, it’ll be with the microKorg. There might be some Armand Hammer stuff that I might have used it some to make some basslines with. I just put out this Nas remix project on my Bandcamp a couple months ago, maybe two months ago. I remixed “Represent” and I used this bassline on the microKorg. I was like, “Yeah man! That’s it right there.” But yeah, but primarily I’m just filtering the bassline from the samples.
TRHH: AWOL, on the title track “Now Loading” you say, “they say the accident made me act different.” Talk a little about the accident and how it changed your life.
AWOL Da Mindwriter: It’s changed my life significantly. I feel like the accident was an eye opener. Like a real eye opener, because at the time I was with a group. I started seeing within the group some funny characters and things were happening and times were changing. I had just gone through a significant situation and I started realizing who my real friends really were. Even though I had realized it kind of before it, but then it was like the eye opener. I could no longer let things that I had let pass, pass. It was like the truth, basically. An eye opener for the truth — things that I didn’t want to realize or didn’t think I would ever go through. Not to get emotional, but every time I look at my face, I look at my stomach, I’m looking at all these scars, it’s a clear reminder. It’s a very much clear reminder. And how I overcame it all and still fight strong and stand strong on ten toes, I feel resilient.
But it’s because of God. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even be talking to you guys. This project wouldn’t even exist. So yeah, the accident definitely helped me see a lot of things clearer. God opened up a door, even though I had to go through some things. And that’s kinda the way I see it sometimes. It was something I’d gone through, I hope to never go through again. It made me aware of certain things as much as being wary of people, certain characters, not everyone is friendly, not everyone is here to have a good time. And if they’re having a good time, it’s probably gonna be your worst time. Now it put me at ease. It put me in a more comfortable position. So, I’m not carrying as much weight as I did before. I’m wearing the scars but I’m bringing light to it — new light to it.
TRHH: On the song “Chaos Control” you say, “Gun shots and throwing darts/Only aiming at chrome hearts/Of those comparing slavery to Auschwitz.” Explain that rhyme.
AWOL Da Mindwriter: I hear a lot of conversations from a personal extent where I’m around a lot of characters, a lot of people of all walks of life, and different shapes, and sizes, and beliefs. And a lot of times I would come across, especially from where I’m from, Great Neck, New York, it’s a Jewish community. So, I was not throwing shade at the Jewish community ’cause I’ve gone through some extent of abuse – verbal, racial — it hits a lot, it’s crazy. And one of the things that I used to hate and used to hear was, the Holocaust is more extensive than slavery. Or I would hear, not even just on that side, I would hear it from the black community, “Jews this, Jews that. They think they run the world.” I don’t wanna hear that shit. Affliction is affliction. I’m not downplaying slavery, or the things that happened in America, or what we have gone through as black people. I’m never downplaying that. I completely and utterly understand.
And I understand entirely as well as far as the Jewish community with the Holocaust and what they had to go through, and I feel for both sides. But affliction is affliction. Don’t ever downplay that. We’ve both lost an incredible amount of people and in a significant amount of time, whether it be long or short. Affliction is affliction. It should be no, “My kite flies higher than yours.” I personally felt, “I’m basically aiming gunshots and throwing darts/Only aiming at chrome hearts/To those comparing slavery to Auschwitz.” I don’t wanna hear that shit. I guess you can say I’m for the people. It doesn’t matter what you represent, unless you represent the wrong thing — the opposite side. If you’re against the good, if you’re for anything that I speak against, then I’m not for you.
TRHH: Who is the Now Loading album made for?
AWOL Da Mindwriter: For me, aesthetically, I believe the album is made for the people that understand. As I said, the album is a warning. But at the same time, I want you to have fun. It’s an adventure. It’s a ride. Something that you’ve never experienced. Something that you never thought to hear or experience audibly. But at the same time, as you’re having a good time with everything you’re listening to, it’s also a warning. It may be from how I see it, but just look outside. The first track of the album, the intro, look what’s going on. The physical shift between physical and digital. We’re no longer gonna be able to hear what it sounds like to insert a disc. Or that’s what we’re about to lose.
It’s this crazy astronomical shift and it’s been kinda prophesied, but the rate that we’re living at it’s kinda going faster than normal. And not to mention, I grew up on a lot of sci-fi and I guess you could say horror and stuff like that as far as movies, video games, anime. So, aesthetically it’s for the nerds, the video game nerds, of course, the comic book nerds, conspiracy theorists. Might crack a code. Who knows? But it’s made for the people that understand. If you third eye is open let it lead the way.
August Fanon: Like AWOL said it’s for a cross section of people. I think it’s for people that are really into good Hip-Hop. I was about to say real Hip-Hop, that’s so cliché. But I’m gonna say good Hip-Hop. It’s not some old nineties throwback album at all. But it does have the classical elements of Hip-Hop in it. We got DJs, we got scratching, we got beats, we got samples, we got skits. I think it’s just for people that are into good Hip-Hop. They can relate to it. There is a tinge an edge to it, a definite edge to it. So, I think for people that are progressive and like you said, into things outside the mainstream, they’re digging and searching for answers and looking for truth — for those people. Of course, the video game nerds. The classic retro Sega gamers. Yeah.
AWOL Da Mindwriter: I have to piggyback. We’re at a time where everyone is trying to bring that sound back. And I feel like with this album, it does bring a lot of that significant old nineties sound back. I mean, it could bring memories. As such, I get a lot of feedback with “Altered Beast.” Everyone loves the song Altered Beast. I didn’t want to make this just primarily a Sega record. This was something to be a lot different than anything I’ve ever done or experienced. I wanted a project that kinda stepped outside that realm just a bit. I’m Kid Sega, I’m never gonna leave that alone. I just wanted to bring back things that people could relate to.
I wanted to bring things that people can actually draw themselves into and actually feel like, “Oh yeah, remember that?” I wanted to put a stamp, not even just in the Hip-Hop realm, I wanted to put a stamp in history. I wanted to make an album that kind of stepped back into time for a minute. And at the same time, you’re stepping back into time, you’re living in modern day. Because it’s gonna make you reminisce about the days that you enjoyed rather than the days to come. Not saying that that we won’t have good days, but as you can see, yeah. I hope deep down that everyone enjoys the album and plays that shit loud. It’s a striking, rebellious album.