Disclaimer: This interview may not be reproduced in part or in entirety without the written consent of LPLive.net.
With all of our recent interview focusing mainly on people dealing directly with Linkin Park, we thought we'd think outside the box on this one and interview one cool guy, none other than Ryu (real name Ryan Maginn) from Styles Of Beyond, and as many of you know him from....Fort Minor.
We have been following Ryu for quite a while, and now seemed a perfect time for an interview. Why? Ryu has quite a few things on his plate...he's working with a new rap group, he just released a track with Bobby Light (aka Rob Dyrdek from Rob & Big), and he's just been featured on Apathy's brand new release "Wanna Snuggle?". We kept the interview mainly pertaining to his upcoming ventures (...or should we say...his upcoming plans to take over the world), but we managed to sneak in a few LP-related questions for you hardcore LP/FM fans out there. Enjoy!
> Q: What subjects or things in life (people, etc) inspire you to write music?
To be honest, I'm not sure what inspires me to write music... there are things in life that inspire the subject matter. Good times, bad times. I try not to be one sided when I write, I try to cover all the emotions.
> Q: What are some of your favorite bands to listen to at the moment? Any new music recommendations?
I'm listening to this band called Metric at the moment. Really dope stuff, I heard about them thru Shinoda. I'm with the same company as Metric, Topspin< so I just grabbed the CD a couple weeks ago, and have been rockin' it non stop. Don't know if they're a new band, but it's new for me.
> Q: If you could work with one artist you haven’t worked with before on a collaboration…who would you like to work with?
I'd like to give some crazy intricate answer about how I'd love to work with this obscure band from Sweden, but the real, simple, obvious answer is Jay-Z.
> Q: Is there anything in your musical career that you haven’t accomplished yet that you’d like to still accomplish in the future?
I've always been known for being on other peoples projects, and had to compromise. I would like to be known for what I do with my own ideas. Get Busy Committee is a good example. My solo album would be another. I also want a Ferrari! Always have, since I was a kid.
> Q: So let’s talk about Styles Of Beyond for a minute. Is the group …”done”? Are you all moving on to other things, or is the band still open to the possibility of creating music together again? Did the whole situation with Machine Shop/Warner Bros in a way bring on the “breakup” (if you’d like to call it that) of SOB? A lot of people are inquiring about the real status of the group.
The Warner thing I think mentally exhausted everybody, I think it was just time to do something fresh and new. Business wise and creatively. The status of the group is unknown at this point. It just felt like we were beating a dead horse after a while.
> Q: Reseda Beach is gearing up to be released. What kind of release can we expect for it and when?
I'm gonna be releasing the Get Busy Commitee project first on Oct 27th. That project is taking up 99% of my time. I'm gonna use the release as a template for any of my further releases. I'm finally in a good position business wise. If all goes well, the album could be out in the next few months. Or it could not. The situation has to be right.
> Q: What have you been up to since the Fort Minor project ended in 2006?
Since Fort Minor, the majority of my time was dedicated to SOB. Then my focus was on getting out of all of my deals and starting from scratch. Since that happened, life has been fantastic! I have a new album coming out with my new group "Get Busy Committee", which is a group with me and my 2 brothers Apathy and Scoop Deville. I just did a song called Dirty Girl Part 2 (Lights Out) with my other friends Rob Dyrdek and Bishop Lamont, which as of today was the #21 most downloaded Hip Hop song on iTunes. Also I did an episode of Rob Dyrdeks Fantasy Factory, that aired last night on MTV. I have new management as well as my own record label called "Tokyo Sex Whale" and TONS of stuff in the works. I'm really happy with the way things are right now.
> Q: Do you think the Fort Minor project could be revisited someday?
I wouldn't rule it out. Its obviously Mike's call, but I would love to do it. Fort Minor was some of the best times I've had in my life. I'm ready.
> Q: Do you remember when or what the first track you ever recorded with Mike was (when you two first started really making music)?
I think the first song I ever recorded with Mike was a song called "Whatever The Fuck".
We recorded it in his bedroom on a little 4 track recorder. Mike did the beat, and the concept was to say pretty much the 1st thing that popped into our heads when we wrote it. We did that like in 1996, back in our development stage of rapping.
> Q: How did the Styles Of Beyond collaboration with electronic rock artist Celldweller on the song "Shapeshifter" come about?
We came together from a mutual friend Tyler, who does music licensing for both groups. He thought it would be a good idea to put us together to open up more music licensing opportunities for us, which it did. Those guys are dope.
> Q: So now you’re working with a band called the Get Busy Committee. How did the idea of that band start?
It started last year with me, Apathy, and our friend 2tone from true love & false idols. Basically we were sick of all the music that was out, we were sick of the traditional song formulas, and sick of conforming. We decided to do whatever we wanted, no matter what. And wouldn't you know it? It came out incredible! We've gotten more positive feed back from this project then we've ever had, with anything we've ever done. It feels great.
> Q: We’ve heard that you’re going independent (no big label) on this one. That’s awesome.
Yeah, we have our own label (Tokyo Sex Whale) and we're changing the way artists put out music. A change had to come. There is no way in hell I would have put anything out thru a major label, with what I just went thru.
> Q: A stuffed koala and a USB Uzi. That’s one hell of a package for a CD isn’t it?
That's the way we do it! New, fresh, creative ways to release product. The old way of releasing music is dead!
> Q: I believe you mentioned at one point you wanted to do a solo album? What’s the scoop behind that?
I've always been recording solo stuff. I never officially said i was gonna put out a solo album because i didn't want to be held to a release date. I wanted to take my time and find the right situation to release the music. I don't do things for nothing. I'm a planner. Trust me, when the time is right, I'm gonna strike.
> Q: Anything else coming up in your musical career you're excited about?
Get Busy Committee, that's it! Please feel free to follow me on twitter @TherealRyu
That's the best way to keep up to date with me. Also follow @Getbusycommitteeand check getbusycommittee.com when you have a chance!
Felipeintheend says: That's all we have for you today Ryu, once again thanks for the interview!
Ryu says: Thanks so much, I appreciate it! Much love to all the Fort Minor and LP fans that have showed me love throughout the years, you guys are the best! Peace.
First of all, thanks to Felipe for setting up the interview and of course a BIG shoutout goes to Ryu for doing this interview. Thanks for going out of your way to do cool stuff for us (webcasts, etc) and more importantly, remaining so close and being so cool to the fans over the years!