Tag: Neosoul Hip hop Jazz

Bob Catt Cold Rain

As I talk to Bob Catt I understand just where he’s coming from; all these new mainstream pop rappers out here now have no interest in hip hop culture past or artists who have paved the way for them. These new mush mouths rappers seem to think they are ROCK STARS that they are not. I asked for a friends request he accepted and I continued to repost his music. I thought at first the person responding might be a BOT because he would post one word like, Thanks or Thanks for sharing!

One day I decided to just creep on his page and I found the picture of him and Mariah Carey. And I gave a smirk and a side eye but was intrigued enough to ask who that was in the picture.   Surprisingly he answered like a real person! We chatted on messenger for a few weeks talking and reminiscing about how music was and where it’s going. I had so much fun I asked him for his phone number and for an interview and this is what happened next!

Elfen:   Now if you’re a TRUE Hip hop artist or hip hop head you should know the answer to my question. What are the four elements of hip hop?

Catt: Boying, MCing, Graffiti, DJing!

Elfen: What is your given name and where were you born; what drew your body mind and soul to hip hop?

Catt: My name is Christopher Latimer. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in Far Rockaway Queens in apartment 4g and that’s were my journey began. Listening to my father play his records and on Saturday mornings, watching Soul train and that’s where the inspiration of dancing came into play also I’m the middle child of 5 siblings an older sister and brother and two younger sisters. I had a wonderful childhood.   Music was always a part of my life

Elfen Who is your favorite all time hip hop artist?

Catt My all-time favorite hip hop group is A Tribe Called Quest hands down

Elfen: Sad to say we’ve recently lost two of music’s finest, Phife Dawg from Tribe Called Quest and Prince. What does losing these two icons mean to you and the music industry as a whole

Catt:  OMG losing both of them was a hard hit Prince was such an influence to me when it came to being different and to being original and being who you are Not giving a fuck about what people say about you. As for Phife, he’s was part of my favorite rap group that made real hip-hop music Phife and the rest of tribe are still a huge influence in my music I miss them both. The industry has lost two great artists. R.I.P. PRINCE AND PHIFE DAWG ONE LOVE..

Elfen: Now that we know your government name how did you come up with your stage name Bob Catt?

Catt: I got the name Bob Catt from a childhood friend. We were a dance group called the Freakazoids, his name was Lynx and I was Bob Catt we were so freakin’ dope. 

Elfen: I noticed in one of your picture post you are standing with Ms. Mariah Carey now how did you get a pic with Mariah?

(L) Mariah  Carey (R) Bob Catt 1995

Catt:  Back in 1994 or 95, when Mariah Carey was releasing her album “Fantasy”, I received a phone call one morning from my best friend Asia Hernandez who was a good friend of the head choreographer by the name Buddha Stretch. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of him anyway Asia told me that Mariah was having an audition for her new video. So I went to the audition and at first I didn’t make the audition because I was nervous and so much was going on and threw off my game. That night Asia called me and said that I didn’t make it but she spoke to Stretch and he said I can come back to the second audition. I went in there and I nailed it, got the job and I worked with Mariah from 94 to 97.

Elfen: What inspired you to get into producing hip hop beats; the producing music game and can you give me some names of the artists you’ve worked with?

 Catt: I got into producing when I was about 15 years old. What inspired me was listening to my parent’s old records and trying to make loops with the tape deck until I got my own equipment. I’ve worked with a group that I’m still a part of named MopTop, and another artist named InnerSoul and now I’m also currently working with a young lady name Xavi who is one of my great friends. She is Spanish Indian, very talented and business savvy.

Elfen: Are you still getting booked for music videos?

 Catt: No

Elfen: Why?

Catt: Started a family I have a wife and two boys

Elfen: What are you currently doing to keep food on the table for your family?

Catt: Work a  9 to 5 and doing what I love   MUSIC by the way “Cold Rain” was released today everywhere!

Elfen: As I do my research on the current state of mainstream hip hop, I have found this to be still true as it was back in 1989-90’s that the radio personality AKA the DJ, no longer has the power to pick or choose what he deems good music. It is all chosen for them by big corporations. Within the last 20 years or more we’ve seen a dramatic drop in all genres of music especially hip hop why do you think that is?

Catt:  Because it’s all about the money and these young stupid artist think that this is the life to say a bunch of dumb shit thinking that’s what makes them famous and its just to make us look stupid to make the white man for money making us look like slaves in the field.

 Elfen: Can you name a mainstream hip hop artist?

Catt: The only artist that comes to mind is Drake and that’s all I have to say I hardly listen to him I’m just not into that wack ass pop rap bullshit

 Elfen:   We now know who killed  Radio Star.  Who do you think killed music video shows and the ever popular music video and dance shows like Soul Train, The Grind, Video Soul, YO! Mtv Raps and BET Rap city?

Catt: What I think killed the popular video shows is the fuckin’ reality shows that are taking over every channel you turn on. There’s a new reality show every season. Take Love And Hip-Hop for instance, WHERE’S THE FUCKING HIP-HOP IT’S JUST A BUNCH OF DUMB ASS BITCHES FIGHTING ALL THE TIME ABOUT DUMB. STUPID SHIT.

Elfen: Pete Rock and Scarface gave their opinion on the state of mainstream hip hop and culture. Can you give your perspective on the culture and where you personally see mainstream hip hop going in the future?

Catt:   Mainstream hip-hop is taking or took a huge plunge. I don’t think mainstream is going anywhere. There’s no real future for the mainstream, for the real black artist, it’s only for those fuckin Uncle Tom ass niggas to make that good money for the white folk. That shit really gets under my skin. Whites want us to act like monkeys to make them money.

Elfen: I saw and heard on a hip-hop documentary that there is a very loooooong list of TRUE hip hop artists who have been blacklisted or banned from BET, VH1 and MTV. What are your thoughts on that and are you on this list?

Catt:  OMG I don’t know where to start OK HERE WE GO! Yes there is a list of TRUE school hip hop artist that have been banned from BET which is such BULLSHIT.   All BET wants is pop rap, mush mouth music That garbage rap shit and I’m pretty sure one day I will make that list because I’m not making that bubble gum rap music. BET is missing out on real hip hop and even good neosoul music. Everyone knows that BET is doing it for the white audience and once again using these dumb ass uncle Tom slave pop rap artists .

Elfen: : Last year Missy Elliott made a surprise performance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, myself and ol’ hip hop heads were so hyped for her and still are. It amazes me how the young ones had no idea who, what or where she came from they all thought she was a new artist. It seems like not only our hip hop artists are being forgotten but other genres of music like Jazz, country, rock and hard rock are as well. How do you think we preserve ALL genres of music?

Catt: All, true artists and all genres need to come together to stop all the fake shit that’s going on.   It’s a damn shame that these ass stupid muthafuckas didn’t know who Missy was. This young generation are not studying there history when it comes to all genres of music I hate that shit.   All these young bucks know about is that damn overrated Beyoncé and she gets on my nerves these kids really need to do their history  they’re not getting it.

Elfen:  Last time we talked as we’ve talked for hours about the state of hip hop, you mentioned something that our B-girl Camisha had mentioned that people like Kanye, Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu were so heavily promoted, jumped when they said jump they did so at a price. Their once thriving creativity is gone.

Catt: Yes the creativity is gone there’s no real feeling behind the music and how they’re making the music all their music is starting to sound the same it’s like they’re copying off each other. I mean everything sounds the same that bothers me Kanye is in the spotlight because of that Kim bitch if not he would be pushed underground and definitely would be struggling as an artist

Elfen: It has been said by a mainstream rapper Future that it’s all about the image what he is in real life is not what raps about. Why do you think a fake image is so successful now than it was back in the day?

Catt: I can remember a time when a few rap groups and MC Hammer back in the day tried to switch it up to gangsta rap and to rap hard but it just didn’t work and we fans wasn’t havin’ it. What’s not real is what sells more records and that shit is stupid to me…for Future to say that means that there’s nothing special in his real life he has nothing to talk about. He’s not a storyteller; all he has is an image and that’s it there’s nothing else so how can he call himself Future when he has no real past or future haha.

What’s not real is what sells more records and that shit is stupid to me…for Future to say that means that there’s nothing special in his real life he’s has nothing to talk about. He’s not a storyteller all be has is an image and that’s it there’s nothing el so  how can he call himself Future when he has no real past or future haha.

Elfen: : You have said to me before that these new mainstream hip hop artists will not be remembered. But let’s be real Beyoncé, Jay Z, Eminem and Kayne will defiantly be remembered. Why do you say that?

Catt: They’ll definitely be remembered because they paid their dues and they were pretty consistent with putting music out all the time, even though everything that was put out wasn’t always a huge hit but they will become watered down because they’re not putting out classics, just music and the young audiences are brain washed to buy it. When I see these pop rappers preform that’s all I see is lights, action and mush in their mouth. I personally don’t call them artists.

Elfen: What is your definition of an artist and musician?

 Catt: My definition of an artist is someone who can sing, dance, and play instruments, is a triple threat, a person who can tell a story in there writing and an image is good but the talent speaks for itself.

 Elfen: Now that we know your definition, what do you call them? Why do you think these pop rappers are called artists?

Catt:  I wouldn’t call these pop rappers artist. I would call them “no name assholes” I don’t know. This shit is not real music don’t get me wrong some of the beats are dope but that’s it and it ends there, and then after 5 minutes I don’t remember them they are just a fad there gonna come and go and these young stupid kids think that it’s the hottest shit out the they don’t listen to no other genres of music they have no recollection that there’s more music out there, so sad.