Fly photos by : Jody Stvrk @JodyStvrk
Interview : Nick D @spitgan_magazine
Translation : Jose Chu @spitgan_magazine

「Dirty Rice : Deux」已經發行，從這句歌詞中你可以看見Noah-O對這項目有多期盼和渴望: 「Pop shots like the 4th of July, Deserve a max contract like Kawhi！」

「Dirty Rice : Deux」是由MC Noah - O和他們製作人Fan Ran推出的，當中有10首歌。他們都是來自Richmond, Virginia的。最初從我們音樂編輯Jordan C的JULY TOP10EN 聽到Noah -O的「FLESH OF MY FLESH」系列。當中「64W」讓我留意到他，以輕柔的字句交代生命中最誠實的心意和事件，是在嘻哈作品中很少見的。

從他的新專輯中，這些畫龍點睛的字句和押韻，你都可以見到他作為MC的多樣性，還有他的伙伴Fan Ran。我們最喜歡的歌包括Deux，有Meth Lab Monday，S.A.B.和與Conway合作的Sidewalks。從他的作品，你會知道他的這一枝筆就應該受到尊重的。哦對了！他還是半個菲律賓人，對於我們總愛發掘亞洲事物的雜誌而言，當然要訪問他。一起從他的文字認識他吧！

<< 中文譯本在英文之後 >>

As soon as "Dirty Rice: Deux" hits, it's charged up!  Noah-O sounds hella hungry on this, jumpin' out the gate with, 'Pop shots like the 4th of July, Deserve a max contract like Kawhi!'. 

"Dirty Rice: Deux" is a 10 song project from MC Noah-O and producer Fan Ran coming outta Richmond, Virginia, to get you up to speed. We were first introduced to the lyrical stylings of Noah-O by Jordan C., in our JULY TOP 10EN 'FLESH OF MY FLESH' EDITION. "64W" was an introspective track, tackling a big and honest message with crafty swordplay. We thought that was homie's lane, he was so nice with it!

This new project though, shows his versatility as an MC, the punchlines, and fly rhymes side, and it's a project with running mate Fan Ran not to be slept on! We especially feelin' tracks like Deux, Meth Lab Monday, S.A.B. and Sidewalks featuring Conway. Yeah, Machine (bxtch!), so you know Noah's pen game is respected. Oh BTW homie is also half Filipino, yeah it's like that so we gots to ride with the Asians! Know him in his own words.


SP : Yo Noah O what's goodie? What does the O stand for?
NOAH-O: The O stands for my last name.

SP : Tell us where you from? Where you get your style from?
NO : I am from Richmond, Virginia but was born, and spent part of my life in San Francisco/Daly City, California. I get my rhyme from all of those environments. I definitely grew up influenced by Bay Area and West Coast rap in general then later on by Down South and East Coast rap. My style is a reflection of all those influences growing up in different environments, the West Coast, Virginia is the South and also the bottom of the East Coast. 

SP : What's happenin' in your neck of the woods Hip Hop-wise?
NO : There is a lot going out in Virginia right now and Richmond especially which is the Capital of Virginia. There is a big art scene, so there are a lot of creative people in general working with one another. We have an appreciation for underground lyrical rap, as well as Trap music. It is all equally represented out there. Virginia traditionally has broken doors down sonically thanks to producers from here.

SP : You the Trillipino with roots in the Bay? What were the early sounds that got you into Hip Hop? 
NO : Originally I am from the Bay, so seeing that independent rap hustle. Thanks to pioneers like E40, Too Short, even MC Hammer, they paved the way. I.M.P, RBL Posse, Messy Marv, Mac Mall, Rappin' 4 Tay, those were people I looked up to. Over time I saw Master P, he started in the Bay and helped solidify the South as a region. I also was influenced by Jay Z, Wu Tang, D'Angelo, Outkast/Dungeon Family, Rap-A-Lot, Suave House, Nas, 2pac, Big Pun...Hip Hop in general.

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SP : Tell us about your latest project Dirty Rice 2. What tracks are your favorites?
NO : Dirty Rice : Deux is the second project of me and producer Fan Ran's catalog. We released Dirty Rice 1 in 2017. Just a gritty dusty Hip Hop project for fans of that style of ra. Not a lot of hooks just bars and dope production, a really straight forward album for fans that want to hear me talk my shit. I like Cereal & Silk Milk, and Sidewalks a lot, also S.A.B. 

SP : We know you from our TOP10EN through our music editor Jordan C., and the introspective track 64W. The record (Dirty Rice 2) impresses with your competitive lyrical side too. What do you enjoy writing more?
NO : It's all part of me so I don't have a preference for one over the other. I am conscious though to keep the Dirty Rice projects sticking to  a certain formula. A lot of those more introspective tracks come natural to me , I am not even trying to be over deep. I am a thinker and when I hear the beat whatever flows out I just let it spill onto the track.

SP : There is sadness in your music. You speak often on overcoming a lot. Care to share some of these situations with us?
NO : It's just real life. As a writer and human being in general, the more I learn myself and grow as a person, the easier it is to put some of my experiences into words. As a child or growing up you don't really have time to process things, especially if you grow up fast or experience traumatic events, so I am just trying to articulate and make sense of these events. As I make sense of them I am also trying to speak to the listener, those who may have been through similar things may find solace in knowing someone else has been through the same things and overcame them. Also, to those who haven't or don't know me I am telling them don't judge me until you hear my story, know my past to understand why I move how I move or what drives me. 

I had a diverse upbringing, was middle class, lower middle class and sometimes we were poor. I didn't have it easy by any means, and was exposed to certain negative things (drugs and violence) that kids should be shielded from. My parents did their best. I had a child in high school and another kid at 19, got custody of my oldest son at 21 so I was a young Father. I had friends and loved ones that died and went to prison. I am thankful that I had music as an outlet to keep me from going down the wrong path.

SP : Who is Fan Ran?
NO : Fan Ran is a dope Hip Hop producer and ill MC from Petersburg/Richmond, VA. He is co-owner of a label Gritty City Records. I consider him to be a friend and brother in this music game, he's a solid dude with integrity which is rare.

SP : Who are the Analog Suspects?
NO : Analog Suspects is a group comprised of me and producer DJ Mentos. We have two projects, one is my album, "The Rain", which he produced and, "Transmission 001", which is Analog Suspects first album.

CHECK OUT THE ALBUM HERE : DIRTY RICE: DEUX

SP : Yo you're Philipino? What are your roots? 
NO : Yes sir. My mother was Filipina she was born in California and my grandparents are from the Philippines. My dad, was Italian American, and his  dad's family was from Sicily, his mom's side from England originally.

SP : Are all Asians just some stylish muthafxckas?
NO : You know it bro we gotta stay fresh and up on the latest fashion.  

SP : You got some dope merch. You thinking of doing more in fashion?
NO : Thank you, I plan on continuing to release merch, and really streetwear and things that appeal to people who like vintage/sneaker/streetwear culture. I am t-shirts and jeans type of dude but maybe one day it will evolve into more of a high fashion sense. I am going to keep dropping, t's, hoodies, hats those types of pieces.

SP : What does it take to be a successful rapper nowadays? Are 'skills' enough?NO : I think that to succeed in rap you have to have heart, be original, and be personable or approachable to a certain extent. I don't think skills are enough now if that was the case a lot of people with just skill would be rich. You have to know who you are, what you represent and what message you are trying to convey to your audience. I also look up to the hustlers, the self made entrepreneurs, so to me that is important because I want to control my own destiny and my success not be in the hands of another person.

SP : You got some impressive cats on Dirty Rice 2, peeps we know like Conway, but tell us about the others, Dusty Reynolds & Hongo 1, Big Kahuna OG, Fly Anakin, God Goldin...
NO : Dusty Reynolds is from Lower East Side NYC and producer/DJ Hongo 1 is from Santa Ana, California. They are also a group called Santana Bros, and live in NYC. They are part of the Charged Up Ent. family. They dropped a self titled project last year.

Big Kahuna and Fly Anakin are part of a collective based in Richmond, Virginia called Mutant Academy that are making noise. If you aren't hip, check out their work, they are hella consistent and have a bright future.

God Goldin is the homie out of Richmond and originally from NY. He has a dope vision and speaks from a pure place musically. Definitely one to watch for.

SP : Michael Millions mixed your record?
NO : Yes indeed, Michael Millions has mixed and mastered just about all of my releases since 2016. He is a dope artist in his own right and a vital part of my career.

SP : Name your TOP 5 Asian Hip Hop artists.
NO : Off the top of my head, I would say Chad Hugo. Apl D Ap, and Bambu for the doors they have opened as Filipinos. Stupid Young, is dope and I like P Lo as well.

SP : Tell us what we can expect from you in the near future. 
NO : Hongo 1 is releasing his producer series, "Live Poultry", and I am the featured artists on the first installment. That's an 8 track release from us that will be dropping soon. I am also finishing up my solo album, "TRILLipino", which should come this spring. In addition, I am looking to drop another Analog Suspects project and Dirty Rice 3 this year. More merch coming soon, and you can keep up with me online @ChargedUpNoahO on all social media sites or log on to www.noah-o.com and subscribe to youtube.com/ChargedUpEnt!

<< 中文譯本在下面 >>

SPITGAN : Hello Noah O! 請問O代表什麼？
NOAH-O : O 是代表我的姓氏。

SP : 你是來自那的？你在那建立你的個人風格？
NO : 我來自美國維吉尼亞州的里奇蒙，不過我在三藩市和舊金山出生和生活。所以我的創作都是源自這些地方。我自小就收到灣區和西岸的說唱影響，後來融入了不少南方和東岸的雪場影響。所以我覺得我的風格反映了我在不同地方的成長。

SP: 你現在的嘻哈圈子情況如何？
NO : 現在Virginia有很多活動，尤其是這裏的首都Richmood。我們這裏的藝術圈子很大，所以有很多創作者都會互相合作。我們的地下抒情說唱和Trap音樂都做得十分之好。很感激這邊的Producers，讓我們能在此處發光發熱。

SP :Yo The Trillipino 是源自灣區的嗎？一開始是什麼聲音讓你投入了嘻哈？
NO : 我原本就是來自灣區的，所以見到很多像E40、Too Short和MC Hammer這些開荒牛，他們為我們鋪了一條很好走的路。我也很留意I.M.P、RBL Posse、Messy Marv、Mac Mall和Rappin 4 Tay。後來Master P也開始會在灣區的工作，更加鞏固了南部的圈子。我也受到Jay Z、Wu Tang、D Angelo、Outkast/Dungeon Family、Rap a Lot、Suave House、Nas、2Pac、Big Pun等人影響。

SP : 告訴我們您最新的項目Dirty Rice2。您最喜歡的曲目是什麼？ 
NO : Dirty Rice：Deux是我+製作人Fan Ran目錄中的第二個項目，我們於2017年發布了Dirty Rice 1。對於酒吧和濃湯的製作並沒有太多的幫助，對於想要聽我說我的爛話的粉絲來說，這是一張非常直接的專輯。我喜歡穀物和絲綢牛奶，人行道也很特別

SP : 我們是透過我們的音樂編輯Jordan C.和64W了解您。唱片（Dirty Rice 2）中的歌詞讓我們留下深刻印象。您最喜歡寫什麼？
NO : 全部，我沒有一個比另一個更偏愛。我有意識地使Dirty Rice項目堅持一定的公式。對我來說，很多音軌都是很自然的，我什至不打算深入。我是一個思想家，當我聽到節拍時，無論有什麼聲音流出，我都會順其自然。

SP : 你的音樂好像帶點悲傷，提及很多克服困難的過程。你可以分享這些情況嗎？
NO : 這只是現實生活，作為一個作家和一個人。通常我越了解自己並成長為一個人，就越容易將自己的一些經歷轉化為文字。 小時候或長大後，您實際上沒有時間去處理事情，尤其是如果您長大或經歷過創傷事件。因此我只是想表達並理解這些事件。 當我理解它們時，我也在嘗試與聽眾交談，那些經歷過類似事情的人可能會感到安慰，知道其他人也經歷了相同的事情並克服了。 對於那些不了解我的人，我只是告訴他們在您聽到我的故事之前不要對我進行評判，了解我的過去，以了解我為什麼要這樣。

 我的成長經歷很多，從中產到低層，甚至可以說得上很窮。但無論如何我都不容易暴露於某些負面的事物（毒品和暴力）下。孩子們應該受到保護，我的父母也盡了最大的努力。 我在高中時便有一個孩子，在19歲時又有一個孩子，在21歲時由我的大兒子監護，所以我還是一個年輕的父親。 我有朋友和親人去世併入獄。 我很感激我有音樂可以阻止我走錯路。

SP : 誰是Fan Ran？
NO : Fan Ran是個很酷的嘻嘻製作人和出色的Mc。他來自Petersburg/Richmond,VA。他是Gritty City Records標籤的其中一個發起人。 我認為他是這款音樂遊戲中的朋友和兄弟，他是一個很罕見的人，一個堅實而又​​誠實的傢伙。

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SP : 誰是Analog Suspects? 
NO : Analog Suspects由我和製片人DJ Mentos組成。 我們有兩個項目，一個是我製作的專輯《 The Rain》，另一個是《 Transmission 001》，這是Analog Suspects的第一張專輯。

SP : 對了，你是菲律賓人？ 
NO : 是的。 我的母親是菲律賓人，她出生於California，祖父母來自菲律賓。 我的父親是意大利裔美國人，他的父親一家來自西西里，母親則來自英國。

SP : 所有亞洲人都只是時尚的muthafxckas嗎？
NO : 您知道嗎，我們必須保持最新並保持最前衛的時尚。

SP : 你有些很酷的商品。 您是否想在時尚方面做得更多？
NO : 謝謝，我計劃繼續發布商品和真正的街頭服飾，以及吸引喜歡復古/運動鞋/街頭服飾文化的人的商品。 我是T恤和牛仔褲的花花公子，但也許有一天會演變成一種更高級的時尚感。 我會繼續設計像連帽衫、帽子等這類衣服。

SP : 如今成為一名成功的說唱歌手需要什麼？  “技能”夠嗎？
NO : 我認為，要想在說唱方面取得成功，就必須在一定程度上要有一顆心，保持原創，風度翩翩及平易近人。 我認為如果只有技巧就可以的話，那麼很多擁有純正技能的人就會變得富有。 您必須知道自己是誰，代表什麼以及試圖傳達給聽眾的信息。 我也很看重那些騙人的人，他們是自己創造的企業家，對我來說這很重要，因為我想控制自己的命運，而我的成功不掌握在另一個人的手中。

SP : 在Dirty Rice中我們見到有些很有趣的名字，像是Dusty Reynolds & Hongo 1、Big Kahuna OG、Fly Anakin、God Goldin…
NO : Dusty Renoylds來自紐約下東城，製片人/ dj Hongo 1來自加利福尼亞州聖安娜。 他們也是一個名為Santana Bros的團體，居住在紐約市。 它們是Charged Up Ent系列的一部分。 他們去年放棄了一個自己的項目。

Big Kahuna和Fly Anakin是在Richmond, Virginia的Mutant Academy成員，他們正在上位中。 你應該看看他們的作品，他們會保持水準，並擁有光明的未來。

God Goldin是我們的朋友，最初來自紐約。 他對嘻哈音樂有濃厚的文化，有不同角度的看法，絕對值得留意。

SP : Michael Millions為你的唱片混音了嗎？
NO : 是的，的確如此，自2016年以來他幾乎混音並掌握了我所有的專輯。他是一個很厲害的藝術家，是我職業生涯中至關重要的一個人。

SP : 給我們五個你最喜歡的亞洲嘻哈歌手吧。
No : 馬上想到的是Chad Hugo。Apl D Ap和Bambu也為菲律賓人打開了嘻哈的大門。Stupid Young和P Lo我也很喜歡。

SP : 告訴我們我們將能期待你什麼事？
NO : Hongo 1正在發行他的製作人系列Live Poultry，而我是第一部作品中的合作的藝人。那就是我們發行的8首單曲，很快就會發行。 我也在整理我的個人專輯TRILLipino，該專輯應該在今年春天發行。 另外，我希望今年有另一個項目和“DirtyRice 3”。 我即將推出更多商品，您可以在所有社交媒體網站上通過@ChargedUpNoahO與我保持聯繫，或者登錄www.noah-o.com，並訂閱youtube.com/ChargedUpEnt 。