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"The College Graduate" MC, Toronto, Canada http://www.tarachase.com/ Page 1 | 2 | 3 Lee: First, lets start with an introduction for all the readers that don't know. Where are you from? Tara Chase: Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec (in Canada) but moved to Toronto at age 20...and I'm still here. L: How long have you been rhyming? T: For about 15 years. L: Who are some of your inspirations, in music, in life? T: In Music..hmmm..there are so many for Music: Many bands from the 60's/70's/80's from The Stylistics, the Delfonics, the Beegies (yeah I said the Beegies), Patty Labelle, the Jacksons , Prince, Blondie, Tony Toni Tone, d'Angelo, J-Quest, Mary J etc...etc.. to hip hop artists such as Slick Rick, Grand Daddy I.U., Digable Planets, Nas, OC, Biggie, Ghostface, Redman, Rah Digga, Dr.Dre, Common, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Michee Me, Slum V., Tribe, ...believe me the list goes on and on and on...I just love music! In Life: My mother Diane, my aunts Judy & Sharin, my sister Charissa and cousin Treena, my Nana and aunt Gwen. These are such strong women and inspire those who come in contact with them. Other than my family, I am inspired by anyone who has risen from virtually nothing to disprove the odds and who continue to strive for more. The idea that you can rise from your current position in life, especially if you were dealt a bad hand to begin with, has always been something that has driven me forward and made me strive for better. L: If you were to send someone a five track tape or cd representing what Tara Chase listens to what would be on that tape or cd? T: ONLY FIVE...ok I'll be completely honest and refer to what I'm rotating right now...Raphael Sadiq "Detroit Girl" (although when I'm driving and singing..Detroit becomes TO girl), Common Sense feat Slum "Thelonius" (just gets me hype in my car), Biggie "The What", Nas "Life's a Bitch", Dwele "Truth"..bonus track Theology 3 "The Screwface Capital".... L: Speaking of tapes, or mixtapes rather, over the phone you mentioned that you have a mixtape in the works titled College Graduate. Tell us about this mixtape, what your hoping to accomplish with its release and the significance behind the title. What field did you get a degree in? T: I have finally just released the CD and it has so much significance behind it. First reason is that I did just graduate from college this summer in the Biotechnology Technician Industrial Microbiology program (try saying that 3 times fast) and when I was thinking about a title for the mixtape, it was too easy to put a spin on Kanye's LP title. Secondly, as an MC I've been stuck doing so many guest appearances and features that it was time for me to graduate musically and put something out there that encompassed all of me. I took on the project as a sort of practice run for my album. I'm working on the album right now and hope to have it released by next summer. I do everything independently (playing the role of artist, manager, producer, engineer, and label) so the date may change but thus far that's my next goal. In the meantime, I'm pushing this mixtape and hoping that it will give people a formal introduction to me and my music. I'm also trying to expand to a broader audience outside of Canada. L: Do you feel Hip Hop can contribute to the development of education amongst young people and what is your opinion on the mainstream presentation of the music today? T: I feel Hip Hop, wether some want to acknowledge it or not, has a huge influence on the youth. Kids look up to hip hop artists and intently listen to the lyrics...I mean I remember when I was younger, I memorized every single word to my favorite tracks..studied them like schoolwork. I think that it can definitely be a tool to educate the young. Beyond the corny way (such as the use of "bad" hip hop in so many TV commercials) but in a serious way. That's why I feel that there should be a balance in what people hear on the radio and see on TV. I love (some) mainstream and I love (some) non-mainstream. There's a time and a place for everything, when I'm in the club I want to hear something more upbeat that I can jam too, when I'm in my car there's another sound I look for (depending on my mood), and when I'm home it could be something else. I think that it's not fair that commercial radio and tv only play one side of the music with the excuse that kids/people only request the mainstream music. They only request it because it's all that's offered. It's a really bad circle of exclusion. Everything not in is out, and it seems everything that 's in is so because some suits with a lot of money invested, have deemed it so. I feel that the current visual presence hip hop has is hurting the young. It stems back to the decision makers, and what they allow to get constant rotation versus what doesn't. The labels and the video station programmers are all in bed together and the end result is they spin the artists signed to the major labels and the content is often misogynistic. These videos, that sometime border along the lines of soft porn, are the after school and weekend babysitters for so many children, who's parents are too busy to monitor what their kids are watching. The end result is young boys who have a negative view of women as their toys to be used at their discretion and young girls who feel they have to dress provocatively to entice and win the interest of the opposite sex. It's scary. L: You also mentioned that you were working in a youth program, would you give us some information on this program and the role that you play? T: Well the program is not up and running yet. It's a work in progress. Right now it's all on paper. The idea behind the program is that I want to mentor some young ladies, who have an interest in music, through their final year in high school. I want to show them the importance of having an education as a back up plan and how to go through the process of applying for school and choosing the right program. It's something that I never had (hence my first college diploma in Social Sciences..I can barely wipe my a$$ with that). Anyway, the idea is to help them get things in focus. I will also show them how to balance school and music and study habits that will fit their schedule. I anticipate my first trial run Sept 2005. L: I first heard about you after watching the video for Northside on a channel called Much Music. Tell us about that song and where you were hoping to go with the video. What benefits did the video have for your career, were there any drawbacks? T: The Northside video was my second. At that time I was going through many changes, socially and musically. My music is always a reflection of my current state of mind. At that time I was trying to discover who I really was and what I was trying to say with my music. I had just gone through an eye opening experience with a major label and decided I would never sign to a major if I wasn't allowed to make music I could be proud of. That was hard for me to realize and accept because up to that time, my whole life had been all about getting that deal. So..the Northside was a song that let people know that I'm proud of where I'm from and who I am as an MC and who I am as a person, and if you don't like it don't listen. The video was to be an extension of the lyrical content. For anyone who saw it, it was set up as a week in the life of Tara. Each day of the week hosted a different event and I wanted it to miror my life. I am an everyday person who happens to pick up a mic every now and then to express something that's on my mind. No glitz..no glam. Having a video is always a good thing, providing it comes off how you wanted it to. It helped me get exposure (hence someone in NM seeing it..how crazy is that). The only draw back was not having enough money to have released vinyl to accompany it, to get more out of the airplay. Drawbacks....none!
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