When Sally met Seven from Chocolate Industries

Created on February 12, 2005, and it was categorized as Interviews.
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This interview has been in the works almost as long as I have been saying I’m going to finish the interview with jack of all trades B-Boy Craig Long. That one is next I promise. Seven of Chocolate Industries is one busy man and that’s no joke. I have been hasseling him practically all of 2005 to get an interview with him, but to no avail I had to wait and wait and then wait some more. I might add that not even the fact that I have known him for damn near 11 years could get me an interview with him, he is really that busy. We met one Miami night on the beach somewhere when I couldn’t get into some club and he happened to be passing by handing out flyers. His really eclectic taste in music was impressive and interesting, he was listening to everything from soulful jazz, to Sex Pistols and The Roots(of course). He really struck me as someone with a great deal of love and appreciation for all types of music and he was able to find something inspiring from everything he heard. Many, many years later and many records later he is still the man behind the Chocolate Industries label which he founded sometime in the 90’s, a label that started really small and unknown as most do and has since emerged as one of the hottest Indie/Underground labels around. Seven and his ever growing label epitomizes the whole “D.I.Y.” philosophy before it was the word of choice and thing to be doing.

The eclectic blend of artists featured on his label Chocolate Industries have included:
Push Button Objects, as well as a Remix album from Push Button Objects featuring Del, Mr.Lif and Dj Craze, other releases from Funkstorung,Via Tania, Diverse, Caural, collabs between Mos Def, Diverse, and Prefuse 73, Sluta Leta, KO-WRECK Technique, and a really awesome album called Urban Renewal Program featuring El-P, Miho Hatori, Diverse, Mos-Def, and many others….just to name a few.
Here is an interview with Seven where he breaks down the day in the life for a busy label honcho among other things.

Name and where your from

Seven, From the Bronx NY, lived in Miami, Haiti and now Chicago.

What do you do?

Amplifier of the Arts

What do you like about living in chicago?
The Air, The chicken, The Music..just about everything.

When we first met you were doing something for Liquid Sky, how did you get started in the music
business, and work your way up to starting your own label?

When you met me, I was doing street team stuff for Liquid Sky via this store called Area 51, nothing major just putting up stickers etc, at the time I was a big fan of the brand and wanted to help out.

The “Tried by 12″ was a real ground breaking release for your label, can you explain why?

Tried By 12, was a great release because it many ways it started what people now consider â€œGlitch Hopâ€ Prefuse-73,Push button Objects,Funkstorung,Dabry etc..it opened doors for more possiblilities.

What’s new this year at Chocolate Industries, beside finally finishing your website?

Aside from the Website, we have some new artist we are working with, both visual and musical, this is a good year for us, so I cant wait to get everything out, keep checking Chocolate Industries for more updates

What does a normal day consist of for you? You still doing your own laundry?

This may sound totally cheezed out, but a typical day for me is waking up at 5AM, going to the gym, taking meeting with my partners in Europe, since they are hours ahead, checking email, which can be in the 900â€™s to 2k per day, thank god I have an assistant who helps me, if not nothing would get doneâ€¦.
But aside from al that a typical day, is thinking for myself, most of what we do and release are concepts, so having the time to just think, is more or less what we all do all day..

You have always had an eclectic taste in music, would you say your label reflects that?

I would say the label reflects that, I listen to so many different types of music, I love the fact that people can create music from scratch by just realizing it, so I try to take the time to find these people and release their art if possible.

What’s Lady Sovereign all about, for folks who haven’t heard her stuff yet ?

Lady Sovereign is an anomaly, she is a small little white girl, who grew up in the projects in London,got kicked out of school, was told she would amount to nothing, so stayed home and recorded her rhymes into her computer, and sent it off to friends, next thing you know a local producer heard it and gave her a chance; to me Lady Sovereign is a total case of being a product of her own surroundings, based off the circumstances I donâ€™t think she could have been anything else but who she is, I was a bit skeptical when I first saw her video a little bit of shhh, but in the video alone which was shot on her estate (Projects as they call them in the U.S), you can see how she was getting along with everybody and that alone spoke volumes to me, so when I finally got a chance to meet her, I was shocked in how REAL she was, when I hear her songs, its really her and nothing else, I think nowdays its pretty rare to find that.

Last album you went out and bought?

Last record I got was Young Jeezy and Konono No 1,Lawless Element

Favorite food spot in Chicago?

La Pasaditaâ€¦

In miami?

Davidâ€™s CafÃ© on Collins

Living in Chicago, which is one of leading cities in the nation with Top fine dining restaurants, have you eaten at Charlie Trotters,Tru, or Blackbird and if not why?

Unfortunately im not well versed in the fine dinning scene in Chicago or any other city for that matter, I was my sister Lissa’s guinea pig when she was going to culinary school in Miami, so im a bit traumatized.

What are you listening to right now?

This Mc from Toronto called Abdominal, New Lady Sovereign tracks,Spank Rock,Citizen Copeâ€¦

What’s the state of Hip Hop In america right now?

Texas

What happen to that book that was coming out with The “Urban Renewal Program”, did I miss it when I bought the album?

The Cd came with a small book, at one point we wanted to make a bigger book, but never did it, this year we actually do have a book coming out, but thatâ€™s all under wraps.

The Urban Renewal Program had a great lineup of artists on one album, how did you get all those
artists together, and what was it like working with them?

It was easy to get everybody lined up, took a ton of phone calls and a good amount of traveling, but it all worked out, I opened my mouth and said I would do 4 volumesâ€¦not sure whatâ€™s going to happen, but we are working on another volume, but it may take a while..

To date, what is your favorite release on Chocolate Industries?

I love them all the same…..
Really..

You doing SXSW this year? and what did you thinK of Austin years later?

We are doing SXSW, not sure what s going to happen line up wise, but we will be there..
Austin years later, seems different but the same, ill be back this year, so maybe I can finally go to Amyâ€™s ice cream and get my vanilla receese pieces onâ€¦

5 people living or dead you would invite to dinner, and what would you serve?

Stanley Kubrick
Amante Dorga (My Grandmother)
Maya Angelou
Woolly Bedard (My Dad)
Martin Luther King

Depending on who ate fish, I would serve Salmon marinated in my special Jerk Sauce, I was Emeril in a past life.

Any advice for people out there thinking of starting a music label?

Don’t do it unless you are genuinely dedicated to the point of freakish insanity.

What has been the hardest thing about having your own label?

Broken promises.

Who is responsible for the artistic album covers on some of your releases?

Struggle Inc and Myself.

Where do you see your self in 5 years time?

Not Sure, hopefully alive and contributing.

What do you think about Alex Jones?

I think he’s a man with many opinions.

If Hilary Clinton runs for president in the next election, will you vote
for her?

Depends on who is else is running.

What do you do in your spare time, non work related?

I don’t think that exists in my life.
(-:

What else should I be asking you?

My hand in marriage..
Just kidding..

Chocolate Industries

Interview:::::::::::::::Alexa Hernandez
Chicago Image courtesy of Seven
East Flatbush cover :::www.damek.org
Diverse cover::::::::::::www.knowtheledge.net
Lady Sovereign image::Chocolate Industries
Mos Def, Diverse, Prefuse 73 cover & Del,Mr.Lif, Dj Craze cover :
Dusted Magazine

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When Sally met Seven from Chocolate Industries

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