PRIMERIDIAN
S
ENDING SMOKE SIGNALS
from the center of the
country, Primeridian are
finding alternate means to
communicate meaning. See-me-on
and Tree's somethin'-for-the-blunted
sound stresses musicality over the ride-
hop's old arch-nemesis, house music.
"House music has defined the culture here
for so long. Chicago doesn't have much of a
hip-hop identity; the South has been a big
influence here, and obviously when NWA
hit they made a huge impact. But the indus-
try sees us as a market, not a place to find
Words and photo by True 54
man, you're on that hip-hop shit.' Those cats
are into Scarface and Crucial Conflict; the
closest thing to what we're doing that they
ever listen to is Mobb Deep." Tree adds that
Primeridian's current audience is more like
a jazz audience, but "if you can rap, you can
rap, and people respect the art when they
"THE STUFF WE MAKE APPEALS TO PEOPLE WHO SMOKE"
or-die thuggism that dominates today's air-
waves. See-me-on makes most of the beats,
and his main objective is to "take people to
another place. I include a lot of soulful ele-
ments; the stuff we make appeals to people
who smoke." While they may foray into a lit-
tle live instrumentation in the future, for
now they'll stick to their B-boy roots: "I love
sampling; that sound just can't be repli-
cated. The Roots can do it, but for the most
part when rappers try to have a live band at
their show, it's wack."
Primeridian's laid-back sound found them
an unlikely home at Guidance Records, a
Chicago-based label that specializes in hip-
artists," laments See-me-on. "If you're from
here, you don't sell here. The only people
you get support from are people who want
to rhyme themselves."
See-me-on learned a lesson in the small-
mindedness of his listening audience after a
short stay in the county jail. Don't get it
twisted though he was in there for driving
with a suspended license, not suspending
someone else's life. "I tried to keep it on the
low that I rhymed," he says, but when the
other inmates found out that he liked to rock
the mic right, he had to represent to the
handmade beat coming from the tables.
"After I finished rhyming they were like, 'Aw,
see it. Like Lil' Wayne: I might not agree
with what he's talking about, but that cat
can rap. He's doing his art, he's representing
his culture, and I can recognize that."
While they've gotten good support at
Guidance, by the time this magazine is out
they will most likely have moved onto big-
ger and better things. They are negotiating
with a NorCal-based label that can offer
them a little more exposure on the left
coast, where they feel their audience
will be a bit more receptive. But even
if they end up moving to San
Francisco, they'll leave their
hearts in Chicago.
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