Quanstar interview with CulturalOrganizing.org

You can love or hate me, idolize or despise me greatly
you can yell my name at the top of your lungs or talk about ever so faintly
but you ain’t me
ain’t worn my shoes, walked my path
been through the times that made my cry
don’t understand what makes my laugh
lived my past.

— Quanstar, from I’m Through

This week I had a chance to interview Quanstar, an independent hip-hop artist whose new book, Water from Turnips, is a candid, raw, funny, and often touching account of his early life, and his struggle to make it as a truly independent hip-hop artist in a massive, corporate industry. Starting with his early life in Compton, and pulling no punches, readers follow him through being introduced to rap, getting in numerous tangles with women, and feeling out the industry. Today, Quanstar boasts ten albums, blogs about the hip hop industry for newer artists, and even does a cooking show with his son. In case you don’t know him already, here’s a taste off his most recent album:

You are very honest about yourself in the book, putting forward the good and the bad. What was that experience like for you?
Therapeutic. I’d say 70% of the things I put in Water From Turnips were never discussed with anyone before. So as I wrote and dug deep into why I acted a certain way, I began to understand the reasons.

You write about being young, during the heyday of Public Enemy and X-Clan, and having your eyes opened socially and politically by hip-hop music. Do you see hip hop as playing that same role for young people today?

Yes and No. I think that it’s important to understand the context and the time in which Public Enemy thrived. Back then, the great barrier in our society was still racial, and any problem that was considered a black problem was basically left alone. So things like police brutality, unemployment, dilapidated  schools, and under funded social programs were allowed to fester and grow. So hip hop became that solution to a lot of our issues.

Now, I think hip hop has a different role. While the world today isn’t, by any means, “post-racial,” thanks to hip hop we are a ways from the late 80′s and and early 90′s (mostly thanks to hip hop). The issues that face black folks today are the pretty much the same as the ones that face other races…economics. Poor people, no matter their color, are the new ‘niggas’. So hip hop’s role today mostly deals with economics. It inspires entrepreneurialism, materialism (which isn’t always a bad thing), and confidence. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of that shit is over the top, but a lot of rap always has been.

What led you to create Indie Hip Hop 101? What is the most common advice you give to hip hop artists like yourself today, if they are trying to get into the music business?

I created Indie Hip Hop 101 because I always found myself giving advice to other independent artists on the business and thought that it would be cool to share that on larger scale. The most common advice that I find giving to others like myself is to learn the business before looking into hiring a manager, and when you do find someone remember that they work for you.

Apart from the business side of things — the hustling, the gigs, the albums — how has the process of making the music itself affected or changed you over the years?

It taught me that people in Boise, ID and Charleston, WV deal with a lot of the same problems as folks in Compton and Atlanta.

What gifts has hip-hop culture given the world, and what does it still have to offer for the future?

Actually, it has allowed us to see the similarities that we all have with each other. It has also given generations a creative outlet by which they could express themselves without expensive lessons or formal training. It’s influenced an entire generation of thinkers and business people. I believe that hip hop is the building blocks of the future. The creative “something from nothing” nature has infused itself into the world culture. It’s a beautiful thing.

Do you have any final thoughts to share with this blog’s readers, who are interested in art and social change?

Believe and fight for something because you know it’s the right thing to do…not because you think it is.

"Water From Turnips" review for booksandjunk.tumblr.com

Water for Turnips (the greatest story ever written about the best rapper you’ve never heard of) is a jolting twist into a life I honestly knew nothing about. I know nothing about rap music and the lifestyle that comes with it and this story gave my insight I never knew I could have, or even knew that I was missing. The first half of the book is about him growing up in Compton. And I’ll be the first to admit I was raised in a sheltered suburban home so reading about the kind of crazy that kids as young as he was have dealt with was pretty heart wrenching. Seeing his life through the eyes of a boy growing up that way is intense. Just reading through the dozens of names of his family members got over whelming coming from a 3-person household. His story puts his difficulty with school (he was smart-just didn’t like the actual school work part) and even his borderline sex addiction on display for the world to see. It goes behind the scenes in getting a career in the music business started. There are many moments that make you cringe, some that make you laugh out loud (“I thought being married was about yelling, fighting, have kids, and buying a house” made me laugh for some bitter reasons), and other times that just amaze you. 

The story of his success had many bumps in the road and reading this book was basically watching a boy grow up into a man through many hardships and struggles. 

There’s a lot more to Quanstar than meets the eye, including 10 albums, a documentary, his own blog, and a cooking show he does with his kids. You can find out more about those amazing feats and watch some of his music videos on his website- http://quanstarmusic.com/#

Here’s a video book trailer for Water for Turnips if you would like to see more on it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5HIUNpxiQ8&feature=youtu.be

And if you’d like your own print copy of the book, you can buy it offAmazon here- http://www.amazon.com/Water-From-Turnips-Greatest-Rapper/dp/1438962126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344582065&sr=8-1&keywords=water+from+turnips

Definitely Destined For Greatness: Quanstar - definitelyamazing.com

Definitely Destined For Greatness: Quanstar

I was privileged to read the Amazing book from Emcee/Author Quanstar entitled "Water From Turnips"Which gives you an in-depth look into the struggles of an Independent Emcee in the world of the Underground. I was inspired by reading this book and you will too. Whomever comments on this post can receive a free copy of the book so please share and comment.

When you first came up with the idea to do this book what were some of the first obstacles you had to overcome to get it done?

Q: Myself. Songs are basically short stories, so I had to rethink the entire way that I wrote in order to do Water From Turnips. It took almost four years to feel like I got it right.

  

I know writing a book this had to bring up many memories, what were some of toughest memories you had to relive due to doing the book?

 

Q: None that I wrote about. Just kidding. There were a few moments that took me a while to write. Watching my cousin get shot was a pretty obvious one; however, the roughest was recalling being reunited with my dad my freshman year at Clark. Those feelings have never been something that I'd explored or discussed with anyone before writing about it in the book.

 Explain the title and its significance?

  

 Q: My original idea for Water From Turnips was to only write about my experiences in the music industry and how I did all of the things that I did despite the limited funds and resources. Turnips, despite their nutrients and ability to be cooked with anything, they don't get credit for much. I booked my own tours, designed my marketing plans, oversaw my projects, and built my fan base; however, I still had a 9 to 5, struggled to pay bills, and rode the bus. I was a turnip. Lol. The water part came from the fact that I thought that turnips were dry and had very little of it, which went the original premise. I was wrong about that though. A turnip is full of as much water; additionally, my story was a lot more significant than just being a struggling hip hop artist.

 Why did you decide to write that introduction about the tunnel and the dream?

Q: It was originally a chapter in the middle of the book, but I felt it went better at the beginning because it set the tone of what Water From Turnips is about. When I thought about, facing my dreams they had no clue about what I was getting into. I just felt compelled to get out of the 'rat race' and succeed; however, once the reality set in of how hard I was going to have to work to get what I wanted, I had to make the decision of whether I was going to go back to my life or get tunnel vision and chase that light.

Who was your intended audience when you began writing this project?

Q: Honestly, the more I wrote, the more I was unsure about who my audience for this book is. Actually, I'm still figuring that out now.

What do you think an underground artist can learn from reading this book?

   

Q: That life isn't always simple, it isn't always easy, but that's no excuse to give up on your dreams.

What makes Quanstar Amazing Personified?

Q: I’m no different from anyone else.

"Water From Turnips" Interview w/ Quanstar - June 5, 2012

By now, you all should be familiar with Quanstar. He's a friend of Straight Outta Hip Hop and in addition to an interview or two, we've also supported projects he's dropped over the past year and a half. He was also featured on the Commercial From Commercialmixtape that Hip Hop Hope Dealers and I collaborated on. After a few minutes talking about graduation (congrats to my brother who just graduated from Morehouse!) I got to ask Quanstar a few questions about his new book, Water From Turnips, and what purpose this served for him as well as his fans:


S.O. Hip Hop: The book is now out. I've had a chance to dig through it and read a bit of it, but before we get into the details of the book, what was it that made you decide to put the book out now? You mentioned almost procrastinating to put it out, so what made you finally pull the trigger?Quanstar: Just because it was done. It's honestly been written since January. We had to do a few more re-reads. We've done about eleven to twelve re-reads and once all that was done, it was time. It wasn't so much a constant procrastination as much as it was just getting it right. The original form of the book was probably only about half of what the book is now because I glossed over so many things. But then there was a blessing in disguise when my computer crashed and I lost all a form of the [original] book, it forced me to rethink how I was writing it. 

And that pretty much ties into the first chapter in the book when you describe a dream you had that eventually set you on the path you're on now in terms of musical endeavors and entrepreneurial pursuits. Essentially, just like you're computer crashing, this dream wasn't a coincidence. So, in regards to that dream, and I don't want to give too much away, but do you have any more like it that tell you what you're supposed to be aiming for next?Yeah. That particular vision was a culmination of a bunch of different dreams. I didn't want to write one chapter on twenty dreams, so I had a dream about a tunnel. I've had a dream about something else. I've had a dream about being in a tunnel. I've had a dream about certain women representing different things. I've had a dream about walking towards a light and just keep walking. So, I always have dreams and visions and certain thought processes because I'm always trying to think about the next step ahead. So, I think the dreams I have are basically a continuation of my thought process from when I'm awake. I don't want to say it's this grand vision or anything that deep, but it's just my thought process and the dreams are an extension of my daily "work, work, work" mindset.

In addition to all the hustles you have going on and this constant grind mind-state you have, you also talk about your relationship with your wife and the ups and downs you all have gone through. This chapter would probably be interesting for any career driven person, but especially men, who are chasing a dream, but trying to maintain a healthy relationship. What can people going through that get out of the book and what have you learned in dealing with that situation?I think the biggest thing is that if you're going to meet someone and pursue someone, you need to do it with someone that also has things going on. When we met, she had an E-Bay business, her own business, while still working a full-time job, just like I did. And she was making like two to three grand a week being an E-Bay seller. So, the fact that she had her own thing going on, and it was something she created herself, she understood the difference between working for yourself and just working for somebody else. When you work for yourself, the responsibility and worries and everything you have are exponentially more, when it's yours to build up or lose. I think the key to that is to find a woman that already has something else going on. So, those nights, when you're up all night, or you might have to be on the road for a week, or whatever, it's not so much of an issue. You still have to make time [for your family]. We make time at least once a week to do something. I have three kids, so you have to make time where it's just us. But the key is to a) find someone that already has something going on and can understand your focus, and b) - and this is important - the thing she's doing is separate from what you're doing. Two people in the music industry is a disaster waiting to happen. At some point, it's a conflict of interest. I would never date another artist. 

I think that's sound advice and I think it's good that people see you can have success and it doesn't have to be at the expense of your family because a lot of people get caught up in their ambitions and, unfortunately, their family almost gets lost in the shuffle.I mean, you have to prioritize. There's certain things I won't do. I don't go on the road for two, three months at a time because I have children. I'm not even going to be on the road for a month at a time because I have children. That's just my perspective and those are the things I've realized and understand there are sacrifices you have to make. But those sacrifices start with your system and that support comes from the people around you both understanding your hustle and accepting your hustle. And if they've never experienced that hustle themselves, they can't accept it.

Now I'm going to backtrack here a little bit and get back to some details of the book. I know a lot of people, especially artists, they have a co-author or they simply tell somebody their story that ends up writing it, but I have feeling you wrote this whole thing yourself.This is all me, homie. It's all me.

How long did it take you to write it?About four years. The original version took about a year, but when the computer crashed, I decided to re-write it. So, I spent another three years or so on [the published one], sent it to the publisher, and now we're here. The reason the final version took so long is because I wanted to take my time, be specific, and have points. I went through most of my life validating this, validating that, I was a sexual deviant. I talked about when I was in college what I was doing and how I couldn't see. My whole thought process, I had nothing going on, so the only way I could feel like a man was for me to womanize and womanize heavily. But I didn't really explain it in the first version, so in this final version, I traced that aspect of my life back to its origin, so people could see where it came from and how it grew. So, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to take my time. I didn't want to inflate it. I didn't want to brag about it. I just wanted to record it, like it was. 

That sexual deviant chapter in the book is a crazy one. I think people might be caught off guard with that one. But, even in revealing all this, in the beginning of the book when you explain why you wrote the book, you say you didn't want this to be an autobiography. You do say, though, that it was important for you to unveil many parts of your life. Now that the book is finished, what do you hope people do get from this?I didn't want it to be an autobiography in any way. I had all of these ideas about how to write this book, but at the end of the day, it ended up being an autobiography because out of all those other ideas, this told the story the best. I want people to understand that it doesn't matter where you're born, or how many chances you get in life. To be frank, I f*cked off half of my life. I didn't even start thinking about get things together until I was 23. I want people to understand it's never too late. It's never too late to do the right thing, to want to be something better than what you are. It's also a matter of explaining...basically, I ain't sh*t. You know what I'm saying. I ain't sh*t. We're just all the same. I don't have money behind me, I don't have things like that. And my story, I wanted people to see, this is where I came from, this is what I did, and I'm still hustling. I basically floated through high school, flunked out of college. I did all of the things that are supposed to make you fail. If you grow up in the hood, you're supposed to fail. I'm from Compton, I'm supposed to fail. I didn't graduate with A's, I'm supposed to fail. I dropped out of college, I'm supposed to fail. I'm 23 and didn't have any money, I'm supposed to fail. I had a kid out of wedlock, I'm supposed to fail. But I didn't, and I'm not. After finishing the book, and looking at it right now, because I'm holding it in my hand, looking at the cover, that's what I want people to know. You're not supposed to fail. You're only supposed to fail, when you give up. 

I think that's always been your message. Even with The Underdog and all your music, that's always been what you've portrayed. Regardless of what the circumstances are, you've come out of it and found another way. But, now that you've put your story out there, and people will have a chance to read it and understand you better, how does it feel? I'd assume it's hard to get everything out in the form of music, but it seems like you did a lot more with this book.It feels pretty good. I wouldn't say that I got it all out there. There's a ton of things I condensed or left out because I didn't want to give twenty stories conveying the same message. But, it feels great because a lot of those stories, I never shared with anybody. I'm not the most open of people. There may be things I don't tell my wife. It might not be anything big, but I just don't talk about my childhood. There's probably four or five things in there I've never really discussed with folks. So, in a way, that was pretty therapeutic for me. It surprised a lot of people. There were things in the book that my mom never knew. My wife and her mom and other people read and were shocked. And let me say that all of the things that have happened is a testament to me, but also to my family and how I was raised. I have a really close knit, crazy, but big family that always stuck together and looked out for each other. So, I just want to take this time to say that my success or my drive as a person comes from my family. It comes from a lot of the sacrifices my family made in order for me to achieve. To get out of the hood and step my game up. A lot of this is because of my family structure, albeit sort of unorthodox. I was living in a house with four women, but they kept me on the up-and-up as an adult. Sometimes, the only thing that motivates me is the sacrifices my family has made. When I want to give up and can't figure stuff out, I think about my momma and my granny and my auntie and my wife and my kids. It makes me step my game up. 

Since you were able to write all of this down and actually see it on paper in the form of a book, have you seen any difference in your approach to how you write music? Are you more open in your music since you know these stories are out there now?It hasn't a great deal, but it has allowed me to venture off into other areas of my music and do other things with music. Now I have all these things to discuss and deal with and talk about. I wasn't ever really compelled to write about certain things before. I'm still not compelled to, but since I know that these stories are out there, I'm not as hesitant to talk about them in my music. Also, since it's out there, those stories aren't quite as close to my heart. It allows me to be a little bit more celebratory. That kinda started with The Underdog because I was starting to get that stuff out. I had the freedom to write with a free heart and that felt good. 

Well, I know people will definitely enjoy reading the book. I looking forward to getting even further into it than I already have. For most of your fans, it should lend to even more understanding of your music, but if nothing else, it's just a compelling story. Tell everybody where they can get it.It's pretty much everywhere. Barnes & Noble and barnesandnoble.com, Amazon.com, Google Books, Scribd.com, Quanstarmusic.com. It's in a bunch of places. Feel free to leave a comment. On Amazon there's been a bunch of reader reviews and it's been getting a bunch of four and five stars, tell me what you think.

Rapper gives poetry program a twist - Bennington Banner

RAPPER GIVES POETRY PROGRAM A TWIST

BENNINGTON - Atlanta rapper Quanstar brought a different culture to Bennington last week through written and spoken words as a guest teacher in a summer poetry class.

After two weeks of focusing on slam poetry and more traditional poetic styles in the summer program, Quanstar introduced the class to rap and asked members to write songs that flowed with musical beats. "I want them to enjoy it and do something fun, but I want them to experience the art of song writing and what goes into doing this," he said.

As a recorded emcee, as well as a publicist, songwriter and movie producer, Quanstar also gave participants in the free program an inside look at the music business, which he said is focused on money and has little concern about messages it promotes.

"Any company, but record companies specifically, since the '40s have been out for money and absolutely nothing else," Quanstar told the class. "You got the record labels telling you you've got to do music like this, because, to be perfectly honest with you, it's what sells and record labels are in it to make money. They're not in it to make social change, and they shouldn't be; they're a business."

A number of students disagreed, saying businesses have a responsibility to inspire social change as well as consumers. While the rapper from Compton, Calif., agreed with the premise, he said it's up to the artist to determine what they want to promote.

"Those are the questions as artists that we deal with - should we do this or should we do that - on a daily basis," Quanstar said.

Slam poetry and rap was chosen as the main focus of the program to draw students into a class that teaches poetry - a topic that by itself didn't draw much interest, said Robert Marine, director of summer and after-school programs for the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, which sponsored the four-week program through a grant.

"Get them involved"

"I want to get them involved in poetry, and I want to do more than that. I want to get them involved in expressing themselves, a way for kids to talk about things that interest them or bother them, and through slam, that's what it's all about," Marine said. "This is a great way for youth to talk about the things that bother them in their life or things they want to improve ... I think that slam poetry, hip-hop and rap give them an avenue where they feel comfortable expressing their ideas and who they are and finding their individuality and personality."

Individuality is part of the focus of slam poetry and hip-hop, said the program's first instructor Kiah Morris, who was involved with a group that promotes urban arts and culture to youth in Chicago called Kuumba Lynx before moving to Bennington.

Through the program, Morris said he tried getting students to expand their writing comfort zone and their confidence.

"I hope they get not only a confidence of how they can use their voice, but also that they see themselves as poetic artists and learn that their voice is valued," she said.

The second week was led by Jessica Marine, Robert Marine's daughter, who focused on poetic literature and structure.

This week, published poet Clara Rose, of Brattleboro, is teaching the class, which is held at Southern Vermont College.

Unlike many Mosaic programs, the poetry session has also been available to the community as a whole in addition to students.

Quanstar: The Underdog: as reviewd by Steve "Flash" Juon

"The only way to get it is to go out and earn it
There's no turnin back cause the bridges are burnin
I used to want a manager but figured they useless
I fucked with a label but don't like how they do shit
The videos on cable fuckin cost too much
And mainstream radio is whack as fuck
Now cats back trackin that path, we up
See the folks that ignored me now ask whassup
Now they couldn't try to sign a nigga fast enough
At the start, same cats that laughed at us"

Vowing that he's "the greatest fucking emcee to never be signed," Quanstar is back with his fourth volume of unsigned music. Regrettably I missed the first three and only recently got introduced to his music, but the self-titled single off his new "Underdog" album drifted into my inbox and impressed me enough to get a spin on my weekly podcast. It's amazing how many talented rappers are putting their albums straight out to the public, for free or for a small donation fee, and just bypassing the conventional "get a deal, record an album and get it into stores nationwide" model altogether - but I digress. Suffice it to say Quan's rap on the above intro and on that single suggest a polished rapper that 10-15 years ago would have been hungrily snapped up by an indie imprint until bid on by a major label. Q found an ideal analogy for his career in the NFL:

"I'm the underdog y'all, Kurt Warner of rap
Payroll ain't even close to the salary cap!
Maybe I'm wantin too much, you shouldn't bother me
Do it my way, still make a million dollars
While most cats that are noted for playin this label game
After everybody's cut, our bank accounts look the same
So niggaz get fame, and people call they name in the mall
That's just more folks to know how you fall
See if I'MA go down I'ma GO givin my all
Rockin a couple hundred people yellin YES YES Y'ALL"

The rapper who represents A-T-L is very humble and prone to crack self-effacing jokes about his music at all times, noting on "Mr. Blue Collar" that he'll be standing in the bread line if you're not buying his rhymes. The funny thing is that he doesn't really need to be humble when you look at his bio: he's been putting out music since 2003, has toured with Black Sheep, been featured on the Vans Warped Tour and even written for TV. Perhaps he could be accused of exaggeration when he describes himself as "the hardest working man in hip-hop to never be signed," but if the resume is everything it seems to be he's definitely not a lazy cat. In fact Quan is hustling so hard that he linked up with Akil the MC (formerly of Jurassic 5) to do music, and one of those songs wound up on this album: "Heart it All Before."

Akil: "Somebody told me hell with this rap shit, nigga let the mac spit
Chop it up and package it, flip it like a mattress
You'll never make a platinum hit, won't make a classic
You ain't Jeezy, you need to quit and sell cannabis
Bang the hood, really you ain't that good
If you was, then why ain't you signed with Suge?
You seem them other niggaz quit, they wasn't feelin yo' shit
Broke and went solo now who you fuckin with?
Those you thought was true or really close to you
I seen interviews and they ain't even mention you dude
The homies wouldn't do you like that
Even though we might scrap and pull straps, niggaz still got'cha back"

Quan: "Get my kids put my hands on they ears
Trained them they're not to listen to the shit that they hear
Because if you really want it, you can get it if you wish
Just step to the plate and swing at the pitch
And even if you miss man swing again
One day you gonna hit it and begin to win
Somebody told me yo Quan, how dare you
Give kids hopes of something that's there too
I told 'em that it's simple man, I gotta give 'em good
Let 'em know that they more than the Boyz N the Hood
Not that bein a boy in the hood is bad
But when a boy's still trapped in the hood it's sad
And rather than be in the projects cookin coke like a chemist
Get a job with Coke, work in the project as a chemist"

I know you're skeptical about yet another new rapper claiming to be great but unsigned because there's anywhere from tens of thousands to millions who all think they're the shit, don't have a deal and giving away their free album or mixtape online. If that's a given, then consider how much BETTER Quanstar has to be than most of them to have actually broken through the pack. Even his guest stars stand out amongst most albums you'll download this year - Ghani Gautama makes a funny cameo on "Caffeine Hustlaz" as both men rap about pushing latte to make their pay. "Bank" featuring Juicy the Emissary has a loping clip clop beat backdrop that sets up JTE perfectly, as he sounds like a country rap version of Eminem. "It's funny right? But I'm hardly laughing." No offense Juicy, you're nice. Nato Caliph also rocks on "Revolution."

As noted earlier though, Quan believes in the swing, miss and swing again philosophy. While "Summertime" in Atlanta is undoubtedly as nice as described in rhymes, it's not impressive musically and suffers by comparison to the first hip-hop classic to rock that title. "American Dreams" is another song that needed more bump in the lab. "Relax" plays off a classic track by Tribe but it's over too early at only 1:52. I mean no disrespect to his seeds either but I don't need two skits mixed into the album of him goofing around or play-rapping along to old Vanilla Ice hits with daddy. It's worthwhile to cut Quan some slack for the tracks that don't work though, because the ones that do work more than make up for it. He's working hard to impress you, and giving you the chance to preview his album for free and then name your own price to download it. Based on what I'm hearing anything between $7-$15 would be fair, especially given it's arguably twice as good as some rappers who ARE signed and totally suck. Quan's got bill paying skills. His time in the bread line will be short.

Music Vibes: 6.5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 7.5 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 7 of 10

See the review here

Review of "The Underdog" by Angie "The Hip Hop Angel" Griffin

As I listen to the abstract beats and refined rhyme of Quanstar in his latest debut, "The Underdog," the first thing that comes to mind is "Grown Folks" Hip Hop music. This new age, independent sound is soulful. The passion that this artist delivers is clear and evident; most noticeable when you hear each song like Caffeine Hustlaz, Blame, Cleansing, and Revolution. Inclusions of QuanStar's 9-5 J.O.B, spiritual enlightened experiences, family life, societies perception in regards to rap music, and so much more flow through this album. The array of subject matter makes this one well balanced and full of soul. Dope lyrics and sound from the heart...
Kudos to Quanstar and "The Underdog."

"The Underdog" review on Okayplayer.com

Quanstar informs us, right off the bat, that he’s no label’s puppet; he has no heavy investors; no managerial team, yet he has managed to tour the country. On his fourth installment The Underdog, from First Team Music, his flow and timing show us how that feat was possible.

A thoughtful lyricist, Quanstar raps philosophically, topically and all in between. His guest stars were well chosen and complemented his style. Akil, of J5 fame, killed it as usual, on “Heard It All Before,” Ghani Gautama on “Caffeine Hustlaz,” and Rock Most on “Blame,” both did fine jobs, even if the songs they guested on were a bit suspect in their theme (Caffeine Hustlaz is about working at a coffee chain) and Nato Caliph was a welcome addition on “Revolution?”

And while the words were strong and tasteful, the beats left me wanting for something aggressive or catchy enough to match Quanstar’s lyrical prowess. They weren’t bad, just a bit understated and, in the worst cases, bland. It’s a good thing the overall feel more than made up for what it lacked in nerve.

Sandwiched between two very short tracks of baby performances is a song called “Raising The Bar,” which must have been consciously named, as it’s the best song on the album. “Mr. Blue Collar” is another good track along with the creeping “Cleansing” and the previously mentioned “Revolution?”

Quanstar sounds like a man who knows his talents and knows that he’s worked hard to get where he is. He plays the underdog part well, maybe too well. And now that we know what he’s capable of, he’s going to have to adapt: Once people expect great things out of you, you’re no longer the underdog.

-Paul Fisher

http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/new-reviews-2010/quanstar-2010072711297/

Interview with Landon Hill for Straight Outta Hip Hop.com

Following is the interview with the very talented artist Quanstar. It was a pleasure talking to him because it is clear that he knows his hip hop history and that he grew up in the culture. Not only that, but he represents for the "common man," which is rare in these days. His new album, The Underdog will be out in two days (July 27th), so make sure you check out the songs ("Caffeine Hustlaz" and "Summertime") placed directly after the interview, go to the website for the album, and enjoy the interview!

First, I want to thank you for taking the time to hold this interview. Before we really jump into things, why don’t you give a brief introduction as to who you are so that people can become more familiar with you?

Well, I’m Quanstar. I’m an emcee first and foremost. I came in the game around 2001. I’m originally from LA, from Compton, CA. I relocated from Compton to Atlanta to go to school at Clark. I was doing hip hop tours from 2001 to 2004 and dropped my first solo album the following year. Since then I’ve just been trying to tour twice a year, building a fan base. The Underdog is thefourth solo project and I’ve been doing all of this independent. I’ve never had a manager, never been signed, been my own PR person, for the most part I’ve been my head booking agent. I just wanted to do everything the right way and not deal with the B.S. most people have to put up with doing a major deal early in their career.



And what is the significance of your name?

My government name is Janale Da' Quan, so growing up my family and friends would always call me “Quan.” And so, you know when people would tag and everything, their signature would usually be their name and they would add “ster” to end of it. So, when I would tag, I would sign it “Quanster”, but one day my friend, she said I shouldstart using “Quanstar” because she said I was always acting like a star, so that’s how it came about.



That’s an interesting twist. And when I was reading you bio,I saw how you were involved in most of the founding hip hop activities; the break dancing, tagging, rhyming. You basically came from all of that.

Yeah, because what people don’t really know was that LA was like hip hop heaven in the early ‘90s. Everybody was rhymin’. It didn’t matter if you were a thug or whatever, you needed to be able to bust. People were always trying to rap, cats were dancin’, and everybody tagged a little something’. I was more into rappin’ and dancin’, though. Taggin’ was number 4 or 5 on pecking order, but that’s just how LA was. The thugs one the block wanted to hear me rap and people were always trying to battle. LA was just different. You had to be endorsed. Like E-40 could do atrack or show with Souls of Mischief. You don’t get that anywhere else but Cali.



Yeah, there seems to be this misconception about the West Coast, and specifically LA that it was just gangsta rap. All they connect it with are groups like N.W.A., but from what you’re saying, it was the same sort of feeling in LA as it was in New York.

Yeah, and even in the case of N.W.A., those cats had to be able to bust! People don’t understand thatpeople in LA grew up on Public Enemy, but they were bumpin’ Spice 1, too. They grew up on all that, so dudes were surprised when they realized everybody in LA could bust harder.



You mention moving from Compton to Atlanta, but you don’t really have a West Coast or a down South sound. Why do you think that is?

I don’t know. I don’t really have thoughts regarding any of that. It’s not generically made. It’s just important how I feel. If I hear a dope beat, then I just start writing. I want to say that there’s some big thing behind it, but it’s not. It’s how I feel and the things I go through when I rhyme. It’s probably also my influences. I listened to everybody; Melle Mel, LL, Common, Souls of Mischief, UGK. I was listening to all of this in high school, non-stop. I was a hip hop head!



Those influences really come through in your music. A lot of times people try to mimic a sound or a style and it doesn’t sound organic, but given your history, the fact that you don’t sound like a particular region or person is good. Talk a little bit about your experience like when you were down at Clark?

I went to Clark for a couple of years. Honestly, I didn’t wanna be there. I didn’t want to be in college. I didn’t know why I was there. I just knew I had to get out of Comptonfor a while. Around that time, sh*t was real hectic. It was a couple years after the riots and I knew if I didn’t get out…I saw people get caught up and I saw my friends that were 21 who had no intentions of ever leaving Cali, so I just wanted to get out. School was that way of getting out.



I wrote a blog not too long ago about how school is about education, but even more than that it’s about the experiences and getting out of your comfort zone. I went to school in Michigan and it was just so that I could get away and see different things.

And even after college, I walked around for 2 or 3 years, just fu**ed up. Working these horrible jobs, I wanted something different, something more. I may have never wanted that if I hadn’t gone to college. I might have still been a rapper, I don’t know, but I might have been talking about completely different things or doing completely different things.



I want to transition to the music for a minute. So you have The Underdog coming out. The title seems self-explanatory, but what is the motivation behind it? Why did you feel it was appropriate to drop it now? This is your fourth album in 9 years in the game, right?

Naw, it’s actually the fourth in 5 years. I was originally in a hip hop band called First Team and we dropped a couple albums in 2003 and 2004. The first solo project was in 2005, title Sometimes You Gotta Stand Alone and my second album in 2006. I also did a documentary in 2008 called Do It!: Documentary and I did a soundtrack for that. We’re actually going to re-release the documentary soon, but the message of The Underdog is…When you’ve been doin’ shows and you have connections to all these artists that have been signed…Let me put it this way because I don’t want to sound arrogant. When we came in this game, the things we do and how we did it, nobody really fu**ed with us initially and then we made this thought like “We’re not unsigned, we’re independent.” That was our thought process. Even in ATL, one or two cats were getting signed to majors, one or two cats were getting signed to independents, but me and my crew stayed on our grind. We would take a step, plan things out, tape a step, plan things out. By doing that, we been catching up with a lot of cats. And it’s not a competition or anything, but we have just as many people come to see us at a spot as the rest of these cats. Calling the album, myself, my crew, the underdog, it’s because we did a lot of things against knowledge. We went against what the music books say, what people in the industry say, what the A&Rs say, and we still did it! We didn’t take a traditional route. I don’t do numbers or talk about number of records sold. I don’t care about that. I will say this though. At no point have I had more than $4,000 to market with. I’ve had 6 national tours that I booked, that we put together and they were paid for! Nobody on the tour has to put up any money. All they gotta do is ride. That’s a huge accomplishment in music. Plus, it’s just how I do it. I got kids, and they’re pretty much my constant thought when I rap.



Speaking of your kids, what I really appreciated about your music, and the reason I wanted to have you on the blog, is how honest you are in the music. Specifically, in songs like “Summertime,” you have songs that talk about your wife and your family, which is very rare to hear nowadays. Even when artists are married, they will still make songs flaunting about how many women they are with and whatnot. Why have you chosen not to do that?

Up until about the time I was 23, I fu**ed up a huge portion of my life. After that, I told myself I was gonna do [the music] the right way and speak from my heart. I’m a family man. That’s where it comes from. As much as I tour, I still have a job. I do other things, but a huge portion of my life is at home working. My office is in my home, so I’m always around my family and my kids I don’t party. I don’t really go out unless I’m promoting. I don’t have a dream car. No matter how much money I make, you won’t hear me talking about my dream car. I’m more worried about the mileage on the car. I’ve been on that single life type of stuff. I’ve been there, but I’m a family man. I spend pretty much 89% of my time in Atlanta with my family.



It’s really refreshing to hear somebody really “keep it real.” Another song that caught my attention was “Caffeine Hustlaz.” Did you used to work at a coffee shop or were you just trying represent for all those on their grind?

I worked for a coffee corporation. I can’t say their name, but I worked for them for 8 years. Don’t get me wrong, as far as companies go, it was a great company, if you wanna work for someone. My thing has always been music. I let everybody there know that, and they accepted it. But, when you don’t wanna do anything but music, after 7,8 years it wears on you. And let me tell you this, coffee customers are some of the worst customers on the planet. They always complain about the drink, they think they know how to make the drink, when they don’t. Really, 95% of them don’t even know how to pronounce the name. This one particular time, this dude tried to bullsh*t his way into getting a free drink. He came talking about it was the wrong drink, he had his girl there, made a whole scene. We eventually had to give him a new drink, but I was so stressed off and pissed off already that after we served him, I took a break and went out and wrote that song. Working for the company, it wasn’t all bad, but it was the most stressful job I’ve ever had.



On the song “Bank,” you not only state, but repeat that half of your first million dollars is going to charity. What issues are you most concerned and passionate about?

Let me say this, the world is not racial. The powers that be make it seem racial. The world is about economics…funds. What they do is put all these poor people together, against each other, and they don’t focus on what the issue is. They put them at a tea party and they say “This black president is fu**in’ your sh*t up.” So, the poor white people are talking about taxes, when taxes is lower than it’s been in years and years. They point out health care, but most people are on Medicaid. A lot of people don’t see that. One of the founders of the Tea Party was a millionaire saying “Think about me, don’t think about yourself.” If you’re white and you’re poor, you got a lot more in common with people in Compton than you do with somebody that’s wealthy. I’ve performed in Charleston, West Virginia. I got more in common with people there than somewhere that has a lot of money. It’s all about money. So what I want to do is teach people what credit is really about. Educating people on investing for the future, how money flows, how the FDIC goes, how the bank really runs. Talk about that 1% you get back on your account from the bank don’t mean sh*t because the bank is getting 12% from your money. The other thing I’m really passionate about is helping families. I’m gonna help families that work hard, that do everything they need to do, and take them through a one year course. I’m gonna pick a family from ATL, from Compton, from Oakland, from these different areas and get them a house. We’ll show them how to mix it up, show them what they need to do to maintain it. That’s what I want to be involved in.



It’s good to see somebody who really wants to be involved and raise awareness. The key to changing anything is awareness. Given that you’ve been independent this long now and you have been able to do all these things on your own, are you just not even considering being signed?

It’s not that I would take a label deal or anything. I’ve been approached, been offered vehicles and everything, but it’s not about that. I want creative control of my project. I want to own my masters and publishing. I have a book coming soon. I have documentary. I want freedom to do all these things. If those can be guaranteed contractually, then we can do that. It’s probably not gonna happen. For me to be signed should mean my situation is being increased. It’s the same situation just on a bigger scale.



That’s where a lot of people get screwed is signing away their masters and publishing. That’s probably stressed more than anything else.

Yeah, that’s where you really make the money. That’s why the labels want to keep it.



I love asking this next question, and so I’m interested to hear your response. If you were introducing somebody to hip hop for the first time, what album would you give them and why?

That’s a good one…I’ll probably end up giving them “The Message” the song. It’s the greatest song to me, for a number of reasons. The sample can still run today. I have favorite albums and favorite groups, but everybody started at that point. I would have said Resurrection from Common or Black Star, but all that came from “The Message.” I bet if you were to ask all these guys, “The Message” is in their top 5.



That’s true. That’s definitely where the social and political commentary of hip hop started.

But it’s even more than that. It was anything other than party music. The way you ride the bass and melody like you do. All that came from that song. Hip Hop was reinvented in that song. It wasn’t just the lyrics, but how it was done and arranged. That’s probably the most powerful song in hip hop history.



If nothing else, what should people take away from this interview?

Just that I love hip hop and I love my kids. And I have a good album because of it. Check out the website at quanstarmusic.com. I also have a national tour that I’ve been putting together for years now called the Bring Your A Game Tour. They can go to www.bringyouragametour.com for more information. Shout out to my folks, Ghani Gautama, Evaready RAW, and Dlabrie, and my DJ, Metronome. He produced “Caffeine Hustlaz.” Shout out Juicy the Emissary, Lexzyne Production for the songs they did on the album. I actually met them on Twitter. I loveTwitter. It really allows you to connect and network with people.



Where can they pick the album up?

The album comes out on July 27th and for now it’s gonna be on the website. I had a little glitch with my distributors, so it’ll be at all digital stores a few weeks after it comes out. It’s a strictly digital release, so they can just goto the website now and it’ll be at all digital stores soon after that.



Well, I appreciate your time. Good luck with the album and everything else.

I appreciate the interview and having a chance to speak to your crowd.
http://www.straightouttahiphop.com

"The Underdog" review by Nikki T. Duvall Owner/Executive Marketing Consultant Movacci (mo vah see) and founder of SocioSync™

"The Underdog" review by Nikki T. Duvall owner/executive marketing consultant Movacci (mo vah see) and founder of SOCIOSYNC.

Overall, on a scale from 1 to 10. Using in this case, a scale based upon artists, not currently signed to a major record label. I'd give the album "The Underdog" by Quanstar, a strong 8, and here's why:
The album overall, has a very main-stream edge to it, meaning it has a professional, and very nicely engineered and mastered sound, a good lyrical flow and at the same time, dynamic enough for a couple of the tracks to do well on radio, others to do well in concert, and yet others to do well in a video. Very comparable to much of the music that's out today, that's selling really well.
The style and sound of the Album, to me, is mostly East Coast, in the sense that it has an “Uptown” type-of-a-sound, which includes strong percussion and horns mixed into the music bed of many of the tracks.
At the same time, there are a few tracks on the album, that to me, do come across to sound very similar in nature. This I say, from the perspective of how, if you were to scan through an album quickly … forwarding from track to track … in a record store … trying to quickly hear, what’s on the CD; in order to quickly decide; whether to make a purchase (or not). Even with this in mind, I say that, out of the 15 tracks on the album, at least 8 of them really do stand-out; and are very solid.
The following is my review, of each of the individual songs on the album. I've placed an asterisk (*) by each track, using a 5 star system:
---------------------------------
**** Track 1 "The Intro" - actually catches you right away. It has a real cool, Summertime, "hanging with my people and them", at the BBQ, Family Reunion, House Party (or where-ever), Neo Soul swing, mixed with a Jazz Band set; type of a feel to it.

*** Track 2 "Underdog" - puts you in the mind of something that you may actually hear from an artist like Jay Z. This song is a, "how I came-up in the game", type of song. The vocalist harmonizing on the chorus of the song, makes you especially want to kick-back, and listen to this song even more.

***** Track 3 "Mr. Blue Collar" - is one of the songs, that makes you think back-to, back-in-the-days, of Super Fly and Foxy Brown. This song has got that type of, "I'm Fly, I'm Here … and On The Set”, type of sound. You can easily imagine rolling through the city, in an old school Delta 88. Drop-top. At night. Fresh and clean to this one.

*** Track 4 "Relax" - is also a laid-back, yet really smooth track.

**** Track 5 "Heard It All Before" - is one of those songs where you might just be kick-backed in your favorite chair, sipping on something, and meditating on the world, and the day to day ... all while visualizing, just how exactly, you're going to make your come-up. This song has a smooth sound, that has that just right chemistry of music, within the music.

*** Track 6 "Caffeine Hustlaz" - this song is one that you could imagine being performed, as a part of a live-set, in a quaint night club, that might also serve as a location for poetry readers, and other, live, loud and abstract -- but yet -- creative artists.

**** Track 7 "Blame Featuring Rock Most" - is almost nursery rhyme (in a good way) in terms of how easily the lyrics flow together, in order to tell the story. This song, is another one of the songs, on the album that you can lay-back-to, thinking … while putting the world in perspective. I really appreciate the “Jazz/Ragtime” Sound, inserted into the music bed of this song.

*** Track 8 "Cleansing" - you can hear the Jazz elements, real strong, in the music-bed of this song. Especially by way of the drums. Lyrically the song is also very catchy; especially the chorus, also known as “the hook”.

***** Track 9 "Bank Featuring Juicy The Emissary" - this song kind-of forces you to focus in and think about, right where you are … with your own hustle … and how you should really consider stepping things up just a tad-bit. The music track is aggressive enough to make you bounce your head while listening. And the feature by Emissary, is definitely right on time.

***** Track 10 "Revolution" - is a very passionate song about the struggle ... the struggle that we all face … the view points and the opinions that we all tend to develop ... as we see the day to day, take place, and happen around us. The Lyrics and Music are very much a good compliment, and right on time in this song. I'd give this song more than 5 stars, but, I've limited myself to a 5-star rating system.

**** Track 11 "American Dreams" - is a good solo representation of Quanstar's lyrical skills. His ability to deliver, in almost perfect syncopation, with the beat of the music track, are demonstrated very well through this song. This is another song to ride-to, late at night, with the top-down on the ride.

Track 12 “Jr. Doing Ice Ice Baby” --- Interlude ---

**** Track 13 "Raise The Bar" - is a song with a very Smooth Jazz Sound, and is understandably a very heart-felt track. You can hear the sincerity in the lyrics as Quanstar lyrically dedicates this song to his child.

Track 14 “Jernal Ho Ho Ho --- Interlude ---

*** Track 15 "Summertime" - is another track with purpose. Another one of those that has a Summertime type of feel to it.

How "The Underdog" came out on top by Melle Mels

The story of balancing a lifelong dream and the responsibilities of a family, “The Underdog” is the refreshing break away from mainstream we get from the Atlanta based artist Quanstar. The Compton native uses his fourth solo album to reject the calculated formula of flashy cars, women and money set in a hot spot night club running rampant in the current industry. He instead takes his experience and becomes something everyone can relate to, Mr. Blue Collar. And while one reality is never a more worthy experience than another, Quanstar brings integrity to his craft by embracing everyday life and layering it atop a melodic mix of feel good tracks. From Cleansing the past, wanting to Raise the Bar for his children, to remaining honest about the socioeconomic strife in chasing American Dreams, there is no exaggerations. No sugarcoating. No scripts. No giving up. Just one man’s journey from no other point of view than his own; for this “The Underdog” comes out on top.

Herald Dispatch 5/2009

May 2009 Herald Dispatch 03/16/2010
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V Club hosts 'Bring Your 'A' Game' tour featuring hip hop artistsMay 14, 2009 @ 12:00 AM

DAVE LAVENDER

The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- If you need any more evidence that it truly is a hip hop musical planet, Akil The MC (ATM) of Jurassic 5 just rolled his solo tour into Cambodia in January, then rolled through those, uh, hip hop havens of Eastern Europe -- Croatia, Bulgaria and Macedonia.

Now out on "The Bring Your 'A' Game Tour, titled Bennington Bound," Akil and tour leader Quanstar have been rolling through Ben and Jerry's strongholds of Montpelier, Bennington and Burlington, Vt., on this cross-country tour bringing the best of indie hip hop to hip hop fans from Brooklyn and Philadelphia to Huntington.

Now in its sixth year, "The Bring Your 'A' Game Tour Series" rolls into the V Club, 741 6th Ave., Huntington at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 16, with an array of underground hip hop artists from around the country.

Headliners are Akil, who is promoting his new solo release of "Collection of Expressions," and Quanstar, pushing the hip hop movie and soundtrack "Do It!: A Documentary."

Also on the tour are Evaready RAW, promoting his album "Appliable Adaptability;" Ghani Gautama with his new release "Few Against Many;" Oakland emcee and activist DLabrie The EOG; Vermont "Hip Pop" band, Strength In Numbers; and "indie" super producer and DJ Metrognome.

Opening the Huntington show is Charleston's two-man rhyme-spitting team Rabbles Rousers (B-Rude and Meuwl), who are also opening for Freekbass in Charleston on Friday night.

Cover for Saturday night's V Club show is $8 advance or $10 day of the show.

Akil, who spent 1997 to 2007 with Jurassic 5, one of the mainstays of the 1990s alternative hip hop scene and a group that played Lollapalooza, and did projects with Dave Matthews, Nelly Furtado, SouLive and others, said it's been beautiful to see the way people around the planet have taken hip hop and made it something of their own.

"I think it's cool that hip hop is everywhere and that you can't just put it in one place in New York or L.A.," Akil said by phone, after a gig in Philly. "We are going to off-the-wall places. I'm not dissing on Vermont, but it's not the first place people would say to perform hip hop. But it's been cool and I think that says a lot about the acceptance of hip hop. I have been around from the beginning of it first being on radio and commercial and to see if grow from that to where it is relevant in Vermont and Cambodia is a testament to hip hop itself."

Akil, an L.A. native whose real name is D. Givens, said this is the seventh year for Quanstar (Janale Harris) to tour his "The Bring Your 'A' Game Tour," a yearly celebration of underground hip hop connecting audiences with some of the most talented acts they will not see through mainstream media channels.

Akil, who's on the tour for the second year, said that face-to-face networking and sharing the music is what he is all about.

"I have found some of the dopest artists from all over which made me create a movement called the Unified Skills District," Akil said. "It's a movement of artists from all over the world who want to link and network together. We are trying to unify them where they are at. I started a movement in my own backyard in L.A. with Los Angeles Unified and we've taken that around the world. I run into a lot of talented people in some of the most remote places. They are looking for a way out and they see me maybe as the closest thing to them being able to make it out. I try to give them as much advice as I can and try to boost them up."

Akil said his new CD, "Collection of Expressions," showcases his writing which he honed fighting for a line and rhyme in Jurassic 5.

"I like to describe the CD as I am going down the same street but stopping at a different house with different stuff in that house," Akil said. "It's still the same street, me a solo artist, but encompasses more who I am and where I come from. I get to state more things than I did in a group setting. I couldn't do that. With four bars here or there I had to really say what I had to say. That built my style. I had to write with more meaning on every line. That's worked to my benefit and enables me to write faster in many different styles. I grew up listening to hip hop when it had a variety to it."

Akil, who grew up listening to everything from Public Enemy and KRS-1 to Masters of Ceremony, The Fat Boys and DJ Jazz Jeff, said that is one of the strengths of "Bring Your A Game," in that it showcases the diversity of hip hop, something not readily available on commercial radio.

"I think that is the natural progression of hip hop and of music in general," Akil said of so many different musical styles mashing up. "It picks up everything that comes close to it. The music has brought everything together. R&B is hip hop and rock is hip hop and hip hop is rock. It has brought all these vibes, and it has brought everybody into it and everybody tries to add their own distinct tastes."

August 2009 Charleston City Paper 03/16/2010
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Things should groove hard this evening (Aug. 27) evening at the Pour House as rapper Akil — known best for his work with L.A. group of Jurassic 5 — and Quanstar headline a late-night set and N.C. roots/groove act Laura Reed & Deep Pocket do double-time on the deck and as the opener in the main room. Jurassic 5 released their first disc back in 1997 before signing to Interscope Records and issuing their major debut, Quality Control. They effectively broke up last year. Akil, a.k.a. Akil the MC, currently works as a freestylin’ emcee, DJ, studio producer, and community activist.

“I’m just a down-to-earth brother from South Los Angeles, born and raised,” he says. Akil’s debut solo album is in the works. Expect a hectic and lively mix of old-school funk, turntable scratchin’, and conscious rhymes. Admission is $12, $10 (adv.).

Tacoma Weekly 11/2008

‘Do It! A Documentary’
Film by hip-hop icon Quanstar teaches valuable life lessons
By Matt Nagle

Tacoma Weekly
mnagle@tacomaweekly.com

THAT’S A RAP. Quanstar’s live shows feature tracks from the five CDs he has released along with new material he’s constantly writing.

Janale Harris, a.k.a. Quanstar, is a man of many talents, and he is working his tail off trying to get others to realize it too. An underground hip-hop artist, emcee, author, publicist, promoter, booking agent, the father of a little boy with a second one on the way, and working two jobs, Quanstar could easily be called the hardest working man in hip-hop. One thing is for sure: Quanstar’s life proves that trying to make a name for oneself in the world of entertainment is indeed a hard knock life.

Despite the big load that is on his shoulders, Quanstar strives to keep his spirits high with good friends and a caring family, who appear in the film, to support his dream of “making it” whether that is in the lights of a concert hall marquee or in the eyes of his sons. He is determined to go the extra mile in all of his endeavors, and he has produced a documentary that shows exactly that. On Nov. 24, his film “Do It! A Documentary” will be shown at University of Puget Sound’s Rausch Auditorium at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Directed by Anthony Neal, “Do It!” is a real-life account of Quanstar’s life over the course of six months as he works to balance all the things that are going on in his life with his desire for personal achievement. It is gritty, not glamorous, and refreshingly honest. Whether he is in the studio laying down tracks, on the phone trying to line up sponsors for his annual “The Bring Your ‘A’ Game Tour,” almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere trying to get to his next gig, or relaxing at home celebrating his son Janale Jr.’s birthday, the camera is there recording it all and the results are fascinating and at times heartwarming. Seeing this film, you may easily find yourself caught up in his journey to the point that you are rooting for the guy to succeed. Above all, it teaches a real-life lesson to believe in your dreams and to never give up on yourself.

“If you want it, you gotta get it no matter what it is,” Quanstar said from his home base in Atlanta. “You have to get up every day and be committed to it.” He said one reason he made the film is to help younger artists just starting out. “They don’t understand that it’s hard…it’s a business. I wanted the movie to talk about the day-to-day struggles.”

The film also clearly shows how much the genre of hip-hop music is an unabashed expression of life. Just as a graphic artist picks up a paintbrush to share their view of the world around them, so does Quanstar but with a microphone. The lyrics he writes are said to bring hip-hop back to where it used to be during its golden age in the early 1990s, that being music by the people and for the people rather than so much “bling and booty” content that is heard today, according to the Compton-born artist.

Quanstar has already released four albums, not including the 12 song CD soundtrack that accompanies “Do It!” His book “Water From Turnips: The Book,” about his life of perseverance starting from childhood, was released this past September and he is about to start recording an album to go with it. His second book, “A Rapper’s Words: The Graphic Novel,” is due out in early 2009. He is also working on a third novel, “Message From a Single Dad,” which will be a compilation of essays written by single fathers to help counter the unfair stereotypes about black men’s lack of involvement in their children’s lives.

Active in the non-profit Hip Hop Congress, Quanstar said this organization is an excellent resource. “If you ever want to make a difference and get around positive people in hip-hop no matter what you want to do, go to http://www.hiphopcongress.com,” he said.

Quanstar said he is looking forward to the day when he can sit back, watch his film and smile about the way things used to be, perhaps even with a sense of melancholy for those crazy times. “I can’t wait to look back at this and laugh at it,” he said. But in the meantime, “Where I am right now, even though it’s hard and trying, I’m grateful where I am because it makes for a better story and I can help myself and more people the way I’m doing it now.”

Learn more about Quanstar, download his music and writings and order his CDs at http://www.ftent.weebly.com. Also check out http://www.myspace.com/Quanstar.

ISU Bengal 10/2008

The Idaho State University Bengal
Do It: The Quanstar Chronicles
Stoler, Jesse
Issue date: 10/22/08 Section: Life
The documentary Do It will screen at Idaho State University on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and
Thursday, Oct. 30. The film chronicles six months in the life of Janale Harris, aka Quanstar, who is
a well-known rapper in the underground scene. Quanstar serves as a producer on the film, as
well.
"I wanted to make a movie that was real to life," Quanstar said, "not some garbage about some
superstar, I wanted to connect with people."
If Quanstar's intention was indeed for the film to be brutally honest, his goals were met. Most of
the 85 minute film are interviews with Quanstar, in which he rants about his two jobs. "People
think that because I've had some success as a rapper that I must have it made," Quanstar said.
"Truth is there are some months that can I barely pay my rent." In the film, we watch Quanstar
cope while he sees the first leg of his upcoming tour fall apart, due to a major sponsor falling out.
Even when he finally gets on tour, the film depicts his troubles getting from point A to point B.
The final scene of the film is the most telling. The camera is jammed into Quanstar's face as he
walks to work. He is laying it all out about what he feels about his most recent tour. He is
distraught and on the verge of tears, but at the end of his rant, he comes to the conclusion, "If it
wasn't for music, I'd probably kill myself." At which point, the words "Do it" appear on the screen.
Not "do it" in the ominous way. As depressing as the film can be, the film is ultimately a
celebration of hip-hop culture and hip-hop music. "It really keeps me going," Quanstar said. "It
gives me a purpose." The film observes underground rappers spitting rhymes to nearly nonexistent
audiences in some cases. But they do it because they love the music so much, that's all
that matters.
Quanstar clearly has a love for the game. "When I'm not working, I spend a lot of my day on the
internet trying to find new acts," Quanstar said. "I'm addicted to it." Quanstar was raised in a
house where music was played all day, but he was the only one that could play an instrument (the
violin). But it was at the age of seven when he knew hip-hop was his thing. "That's when I heard
Radio by LL Cool J for the first time," Quanstar said. "I said to myself 'this is rap.'" After that, it was
Public Enemy. "I grew up in Compton in the 80's," Quanstar said. "Police would seriously beat you
for no reason. But Chuck D kept me out of the streets, and he made me look at rap in a different
way." Public Enemy's influence on Quanstar is undeniable, due to some of the political content of
some of his songs.
Do It was shot on a budget of $1,500, which wouldn't even cover the catering costs for one day on
the set of Transformers. "We only used two cameras," Quanstar said. "We did all of the shooting
ourselves." The director who helped Quanstar out was Anthony Neal, a co-worker of Quanstar's at
Starbucks. "I'd been wanting to make a movie about my experiences for a while," Quanstar said.
"Anthony had been looking to make a movie too, it worked perfectly." The film is representative of
the youtube generation: low-budget, shaky photography but personal and meaningful. "I'm really
proud of how the film turned out," Quanstar said. "The response has been great." Quanstar plans
to continue working in the film arena; he plans on starting up a video blog next year, which at
some point will film his trip to Africa. "I don't mind being on camera so much," Quanstar said. "I'm
pretty comfortable with it." Although Quanstar keeps an easy-going persona on screen, that did
require some editing. "There were a couple of things we shot that made me look horrible,"
Quanstar said. "It didn't take me too long to cut those parts out."
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ar.Chronicles-3498350.shtml

Southeast Performer 8/2008

The Southeast Performer, July issue

Do It! Documents a Hustler’s Struggle

By Charley Lee; photos by Wendy Englehardt

Atlanta indie rapper Janale Harris, better known as Quanstar, knows exactly how to get his hustle on. And if there’s anyone who knows what struggle is all about, it would be him. Quanstar began his rap career as most rappers do, freestyling in front of mirrors and writing lyrics. He soon delved into the underground rapbattling scene and in 2001 he hooked up with Evaready RAW to start First Team Music. The band dropped two mildly successful albums but couldn’t breakthrough. Since the inception of First Team, Quanstar has been on the grind developing his style and becoming a shameless self-promoter. He has released five albums, booked six national tours, and is holding down two jobs. Not to mention this has all been done amidst housing foreclosure and Quanstar’s duties as a father.

“After 10 years of progression as an artist, regression as a student and unhappily functioning in society, working places that I hate for people that I despise,” says Quanstar, “I decided to step in the game.”

The process of trying to break through and become a recognized artist has been well-documented on Quanstar’s latest project, Do It!: A Documentary. The project chronicles six months in which Quanstar and crew devote all their time and energy to promoting, touring, recording and trying by any means possible to get the word out.

“Anthony Neal [the film’s co-producer] and I worked for Starbuck’s at the time,” recalls Quanstar. “I knew he had a production company, and he knew I rhymed and toured all of the time. One day I pitched the idea to him, and we started recording the next week. We did the whole film on a $1500 budget. The funniest thing about the movie is that 60 percent of the camera work was done by me. I carried that camera everywhere for six months. I think we had over 100 hours of footage between the both us, and Anthony went through all of that himself to cut it down to the best three hours. Then I came through, and we chopped it up some more until the finished project was ready.”

Borrowing a little from old school hip-hop and politically conscious rappers such as dead prez and Common, Quanstar’s message isn’t necessarily politically motivated. Quanstar is more so on a mission to change the rap game rather than the world. Quanstar along with his friends from the Hip Hop Congress (HHC), is putting out a message to evolve hip-hop culture by inspiring social action and creativity within the community through local music events.

“When people want more, they’ll get more,” explains Quanstar. “The entertainment industry is the only 100 percent consumer controlled industry in this country. If people want these companies and stations to change, they have to speak a language that they understand: money. Buy shit that you want mainstream to reflect. Don’t listen to or watch stations that promote music that is unacceptable to your standards. Stop going to clubs that play a lot of the music you don’t like, and stop buying music from artists that send messages you don’t approve of.”

The low-budget documentary features songs from the soundtrack that it’s paired with. Jazz singer Chanel Mosley adds a little flavor to the song “Drunken Man’s Prayer,” and Lena Moon provides the beats for the track “Back in the Day.” A lot of the music on the DVD is from concert gigs and improv shows from on the road.

Do It!: A Documentary takes a pointed look at what it really takes to make it in such a fickle industry. Do It! is in no way a feel-good story. At many times, it looks as though Quanstar should just call it quits — especially when his tour is cancelled due to lack of sponsors — but it’s that drive and determination that make him an underdog worth rooting for. One gets to see the ugly side of everything in this DVD, from troubles with personal and professional finances, to the sometimes futile process of promoting and the struggle to maintain a regular life amongst the chaos. It’s a realistic view of the music industry and what it takes to keep one’s artistic integrity. The DVD which is available online at Quanstar’s MySpace and CD Baby, as well as at Criminal Records and other local music spots, features appearances and performances from Evaready RAW, Metrognome, Akil (Jurassic 5), D.R.E.S. tha Beatnik, Cypher Linguistics, Ricky Raw, Bboy Fidget, Lotus Tribe, Lady Maverick and several other up-and-coming artists. Quanstar hopes that with the release of the DVD, more avenues of opportunity will open up for him.

“We live in a multimedia society,” he says. “No one wants to buy just CDs anymore. So it’s the job of the artist and the company marketing the artist to find their new angle to fans and adapt. Do It! is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re going to film two more documentaries within the next year.”

But this is only the beginning for the 32-year-old father of one. Quanstar will also be playing The Vans Warped Tour on July 9 in Atlanta. The MC and his cohorts also have plans to go on the sixth installment of the “Bring Your ‘A’ Game Tour” in September, which will end up being part of the filming for the next documentary. Quanstar will also be coming out with a book, Water from Turnips, a graphic novel by Visual Poetry, and interestingly enough, a cooking show.

“My book will be out in October,” he says. “My cooking show will be in preproduction soon, which will be the launch of my cookbook. An investor or two with a real idea of what we do and how we do it will come along so we won’t have to do this out of our pockets.” There will also be a one-night-only screening for Do It!: A Documentary at the Midtown Arts Cinemas in Atlanta on August 7.

www.myspace.com/quanstar

SL Weekly 5/08

Salt Lake City Weekly Music Picks May 1-7 | Live: The Swell Season, Do It!, Northern State, Elbow, Harptallica
By Jamie Gadette
Posted 05/01/2008
DO IT! A DOCUMENTARY
Anyone out there recognize Quanstar? The Compton-born emcee dedicated his life to hip-hop—that, and raising his son as a single dad—but he’s still hardly a household name. Sadly, his story is all too familiar: promising artist works overtime to “make it,” only to realize the secret to success is a trick question. In Do It! A Documentary, Quanstar offers viewers a nice reality check without veering into doomsday territory. Nitty-gritty footage follows the artist recording in a basement practice space and cramped studio, on tour, in hotel rooms with family and friends. The film itself could benefit from some serious editing, but the shaky camera work and muffled testimonies are endearing—especially to other artists trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents. Uprok, 342 S. State, 8 p.m. Info: 363-1523
http://www.slweekly.com/index.cfm?do=article.details&id=a030787e-14d1-13a2-9feb90884cc385aa