Great gig from Voice in Cornmarket last Saturday week. Really enjoyable vibe and we have some great photos. First set of shots up now on myspace. Some videos to follow. In the run up to her gig the Limerick Leader ran a large feature on Voice. An edited version of the exclusive interview that Alan Owens did with Voice appeared in the weekender. Here we have the full version
Interview with Erin
Toure aka Voice by Alan Owens of the Limerick Leader
Newspaper
Alan
Owens: How was the gig last night (in
Paris)?
Voice: Oh it was crazy, it was
a packed house. Tons of people, tons of energy and the Olympia is this huge
venue so it was amazing to be on the same stage that Tina Turner and James Brown
have appeared on.
AO: What kind of a show will
you be bringing to Limerick?
V: The show that I am bringing
is a classic hip-hop set, I have a DJ and a height man who also doubles as my
backing vocalist, he sings as well. It will be high energy
with lots of soul and tons of lyrics, precision lyrics - that is what
it means to me. There will also be Moonstar who is my DJ as well as being my co-label
owner, his label helped put out my record. He is one of my long-time
collaborative partners, we have been working together since 2001. So it will be
high
energy, lots of entertainment and lyrics.
AO: Lyrics are very important
to you it seems, you rap about real issues - life and the world and
hip hop itself?
V: Yeah, stories - telling a
story is very important to me, whether it is my story or a story I see you know?
It needs to come back, at least for me - that is what made me fall in love with
this music in the first place. It was just like wow they are our modern day
Ginsberg and James Baldwins - you know, you can do it over a beat and get
people's attention and really say something - that is what it is really about
for me at least.
AO: You seem to rap a bit about
anything and everything?
V: I'm a studier of people, so
I guess I am kind of like a rap psychologist - I really like watching people and
seeing what they produce in each situation. So sometimes it is stories of
relationships - I'm a mother so sometimes it is about family, you
know, struggling, I know what it is like to be a hungry artist trying to
make it. We are just being open about how you feel because I think that is
lacking in hip-hop - there is this wall up and for me as a woman I kind of
get a free pass to be expressive because people don't really expect that from
men, and I guess as a woman it flies through a lot easier.
AO: Is it fair to say you have
a classic hip hop vibe?
V: Well, if you want to call it
classic that is more than fair! Classic is a great adjective for me!
AO: You are the
daughter of a classically trained jazz vocalist - there is
a real jazzy, sultry, element to a lot of your music?
V: Definitely. I grew up with a
lot of Billie Holiday and Diana Washington, right up to modern day
jazz - you know I really got into Weather Report and Wayne Shorter. I
really explored all facets of jazz especially as I started to get a bit
more frustrated with hip hop I started going back to a lot of the samples
that were being used, rediscovering that music and that is what really
spoke to me.
AO: What is your take on
the present state of hip hop?
V: Well you know it is a little
tricky because I live in this little box that is New Orleans and I am just
totally inundated with Southern Rap - so it is hard for me to gain a
perspective on it, on a commercial level.
AO: Is there a healthy scene in
New Orleans?
V: Healthy in terms of earning
money or what they are putting out? I'd say with the Southern Rap
scene that is pretty much what you get - I dont know what you guys get over
here but it is the cars, its the jewels, the girls and the disrespect - its fun
and light, but it's pretty empty. I love it for what it is but I feel like with
everything you need more of a choice. And I just see it is as this big corporate
entity now and it is a shame because I think that the people that used to
be behind it that really loved the art form and the culture, there are not
there anymore, at the top really running things.
But, I teach - I'm a
hip hop teacher in New Orleans, so I am doing my part to try to re-eduacte the
next crop of kids on the actual culture and they are hungry for it, there is no
scene in New Orleans - they are hungry for it, they just need to have
access to it.
AO: What kind of people
influenced you?
V: Ooh, early early - I suppose
Shabba and Antoinette, Salt N Pepa, MC Lite definitely, Queen Latifah, Public
Enemy, then it went into early 90's like Freestyle Fellowship - I am from LA so
I grew up around the whole LA underground scene - so I have respect for
ferocious lyrics - that was my training ground, you could not step into a Cypher
with something wack. So I try to take that level of excellence with me whenever
I step up to the stage or write something.
AO: If I was to put you on the
spot and get you to pick one particular musician, song or
even piece of music that has had a profound influence on you,
could you name one?
V: I think if I had to pick an
artist it would probably be Smokey Robinson or Bob Dylan. They are just genius
storytellers. Probably Smokey.
AO: Do you like touring and are
you looking forward to coming to Ireland?
V: Oh I am so looking forward
to it - I have been wanting to go to Ireland all of my life. My mom named me
Erin and I was like why? And I'm like "I gotta get there" so yeah I am
really excited. I always love coming back to Europe because I feel there is a
whole other energy that in the States - people seem more open to what I am
doing, it is not really about how I look or what label I am on - it is about the
music at the end of the day.
AO: You have worked with
several European Producers?
V: Yeah a lot actually. Marc
Mac from 4hero, I was on his Dirty Ol Hip Hop album and he did a track
for me on my album called Total Eclipse and there is a guy called Aaron Jerome
out of the UK. Also G-Frequency out of Ireland - his album is out next month I
think. The internet has been a wonderful thing for me.
.
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