Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, MC Zappa is the creator of Bit-Hop, a genre-fusing 8-bit video game music, and golden age hip hop. He is also the founder of Too Much Phunk Records. Zappa's sound is unique and his ability to mix different genres is highly impressive. His newly released single, "Candy Love" is a perfect example of his artistry.
The song begins with a simple, 8-bit melody that is catchy and nostalgic. Zappa's smooth vocals flow over the beat effortlessly. He immediately draws the listener in with his charisma and sensual lyrics. The chorus is catchy and infectious, sure to get stuck in your head. Zappa's rap style is unique and his delivery is on point. He rides the beat perfectly, delivering his lyrics with precision and passion.
"Girl, you were much more than just a drop of water in the ocean
I was lovesick and your body was the potion
I needed your love much more than food and air
Felt I could do anything if you'd be there
Damn baby, you got me open like a 7/11
Not religious, but with you I'm definitely in heaven
The feelin' I get witchu is like a natural high
There ain't no givin' it up or passin' it by; I need ya
Candy love...(Yeah!)
(You know what I'm sayin')
Candy love..."
The lyrics are dripping with raw emotion and passion. Zappa's performance is mesmerizing and his words are sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in love. The song is a beautiful ode to the power of love and its ability to make us feel alive.
MC Zappa is an incredibly talented artist with a bright future ahead of him. Be sure to check out his music and support his artistry.
Welcome to BuzzMusic MC Zappa, and congratulations on your latest release "Candy Love." Can you start by explaining to our readers the origin of Bit-Hop and what are its key elements?
Strictly speaking, Bit-Hop has its stylistic origins in both Golden Age/alternative hip hop and of course, 8-bit video game music. And if you were to look back even further than both, you’d find that it also has its origins in a funk. Sometimes I just am straight up playing funk with VGM synths. As far as key elements, the crux of Bit-Hop is 1) an 8-bit melody or bassline, and 2) a hard-hitting drumline, preferably sampled from a dusty old record. There are a lot more intangible elements, however; I created the genre, so to a certain extent it is an extension of myself and my mind. Yes, anyone can throw a Mario loop onto a drum brake, but who can EQ, mix, and filter melodies to sound either brighter than the sun or darker than midnight, depending on which is appropriate for the atmosphere? Who can select just the right vocal samples, engineer the perfect transitions, and all the while maintaining a vibe that somehow balances the old and the new? You can have all the sounds you want but if you don’t have the energy, you can never make true Bit-Hop.
How did you come up with the idea for Bit-Hop and how did you develop it?
Quite simply; in about 2016 I started producing music after watching “Straight Outta Compton”. My heroes all sampled funk and soul records, so of course, that’s what I did as well. However, as any experienced cratedigger knows, even though there are millions of soul and deep funk cuts to be discovered, eventually, the 45s get a little boring, and you start running out of ideas. I already had an odd penchant for casually listening to 8bit video game OSTs, so I decided to start sampling them just like I would a funk or soul record. At first, I was completely green, but then as time went on, I began to study both music theory and the mechanics of 8bit VGM, which allowed me to create my own, accurate-sounding chiptune samples. Remember, you’ve got to thoroughly learn the rules so you can break ‘em.
What are your musical influences?
Oh, man. That’s kinda hard to answer. Well, in a nutshell, everyone. *laughs* Seriously, there is a VERY long list of artists that I’m strongly inspired and influenced by. Ice Cube, Eric B & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, MF DOOM, Boogie Down Productions, Biz Markie, Gang Starr, Diamond D, EPMD, the Wu-Tang Clan, the Beastie Boys, Metallica, Megadeth, Curtis Mayfield, Cutty Ranks, James Brown, Tim Follin and of course the legendary Koji Kondo…and that’s honestly just the tip of the iceberg. If you want a shorthand answer, you could just say that my main influences are the entire pantheon of Golden Age hip hop, plus Koji Kondo. I am an amalgam of the Golden Era.
How did you get into music production and how did you develop your style?
After I watched “Straight Outta Compton” with my mother, I basically said to myself “huh, that looks like fun”, and I just kinda went for it. At the time, one of my aunties had given me an old Samsung tablet. I quickly repurposed it as the basis of my sound system, using it to store samples and recordings, record vocals, and program beats. I remember I had this little app called “Samply”…it was basically a condensed, VERY stripped-down version of an MPC. Honestly, it was a piece of crap, but that was what I had to make do with before I had a computer and a DAW. And as far as my style? I’m not sure if this is referring to my musical style or my fashion. As far as my musical style, it resulted from a helluva lot of experimentation. It took me a minute to learn the basic tenets of music production, but once I was secure in them, I then had room to improvise and experiment. Thus was my unmistakable style born. And as far as my sartorial style, honestly, I don’t even know. I’m a geek, so I wear a lot of nerdy stuff. I’m also a huge metalhead/punk, so I wear a lot of clothing inspired by those scenes. In fact, my signature battle jacket is an example of this. Some punks and metalheads wear these handmade garments that are covered with patches representing their favorite bands. Well, I did something similar, except my patches represent Golden Age hip hop and retro gaming, and the biggest name on it is my own. *chuckles*
What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry and the role of independent artists?
I’ll be frank: I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. It’s kind of a double-edged sword situation. On one hand, the advent of the internet and the growth of online music communities combined with reduced prices for home recording equipment leads to a lower threshold and reduced barriers to recording and releasing music to a broader audience, which is ostensibly a good thing. But on the other hand, the fact that there is now practically no barrier to entry, at least in my eyes, has absolutely flooded the market with a surplus of untalented copycat characters. It’s cheapening the art form. And honestly, that may not be so bad in and of itself, but it seems that the industry seems to favor these kinds of people. It looks to me like these days, the more you try to look and sound like the next man and the less creative you are, the more likely you’ll be to be rewarded with a record deal and the financial backing of a major label. I don’t like that. It’s backward. The music industry needs to shine a spotlight on some of these folks that are mad obscure but are also mad creative and one-of-a-kind. But like I said, technological and social developments made over the past 15 years have made it much easier to be an independent artist with a sustainable career, and that is a good thing. I know quite a few cats who are quite frankly musical geniuses, but they are unseen by The Machine. But they have business savvy, so they know how to reach who they need to reach. And that’s what it ultimately comes down to—the interests of the hip hop industry and the hip hop community are WILDLY disparate. The industry doesn’t give a damn about the culture, or the art form. I can almost guarantee that if you were to ask three CEOs and A&Rs from the top hip hop labels what the elements of hip hop were, they’d have no idea at all what you were talking about. Well, it’s been like this for a long time, and as long as the current industry trends continue, we are going to continue to see an influx of nondescript microwaved stars who merely rap for a paycheck, as opposed to people who do what they do for the love of the culture. Remember—if you want to predict a trend, follow the money.
