Serengeti 'Noodle Arm Whimsy' album

â??Getting Mad Whimsy With Serengetiâ?

An Interview With Serengeti
(March 2005)
Interview by Todd E. Jones
toddejones@yahoo.com

The word â??whimsyâ? is defined as an odd or fanciful idea or a trait of acting unpredictable. Serengeti is a whimsical artist in the purest sense of the phrase. His music is full of odd ideas and consistently unpredictable. As a musician, songwriter, and emcee, Serengetiâ??s prolific nature and creativity proved to be a remarkable addition to all forms of music. Hailing from Chicago, Serengetiâ??s unique style and lyrics go against the grain of the typical, pimped out, gun-toting, drug dealing, and diamond chasing rappers. As an emcee, some may say that he is a mixture of The Pharcyde, Eminem, Jurassic 5, Ugly Duckling, Ghostface Killah, Redman, and something special that no one can put their finger on. With help from DJ Crucial, Serengeti released his debut album â??Dirty Flamingoâ? on F5 Records. With a mesh of funk and jazz for the music, Serengeti found a perfect vehicle to ride his drunken mumblings using a myriad of styles. Throughout the years, Serengeti has been working on his â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ? album, which includes live instrumentation, singing, and soulful songwriting. â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ? is not even considered a rap record since Day By Day Entertainment will be releasing the CD on the sister label Rock Day By Day. After spending substantial sums of money on different studios, Serengeti recorded two different versions of â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?. Since he was not satisfied with the two separate versions alone, he mixed them both together. Finally, after many years and hard times, â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ? has an official release date. While overcoming that hurdle, Serengeti became quite whimsical. During a magnificently beautiful summer in Chicago, he began riding bikes, playing Frisbee, and hanging out in parks. After the outdoor merriment was over, he went into the studio and recorded colorful songs usually in one or two takes. The result is the â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ? LP. Recorded strictly in the summer, â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ? is a merry and vibrant album, filled with wild rhymes, countless drug references, bizarre themes, and superlative rhyme deliveries. Even after recording was finished on â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ?, they waited until the following summer to mix the album in order to maintain the sunny vibe. The album features production by Serengeti, Miles Bonny, J-Toth, Midas Wells, DJ Crucial, Dirty Heat, Engleburt, and others. Serengetiâ??s 11 year-old little brother, Extra Credit even produces two tracks. The upbeat opener, â??Mad Whimsyâ? is a perfect introduction to the albumâ??s mood. Serengetiâ??s feral lyrics and unorthodox rhyme style is complemented by strange vocal samples and an old school hip-hop hook. The closing track, â??Outta My Wayâ? is an emotional masterpiece, which was recorded in just one take. Other standout tracks include â??F5 Message Boardâ?, â??Fast Living 2â?, â??Rhymesâ?, â??Whimsy Cardsâ?, and â??Breakfast Of Championsâ?. The â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ? LP is only the beginning of his â??Whimsyâ? series. He also plans to follow up the album with â??Brothers Whimsyâ?, â??International Whimsyâ?, â??Winter Whimsyâ?, and many others. The musician / emcee is breathing new life into the sometimes dull world of music. On a cold winter evening in 2005, I had a whimsical conversation with Serengeti. The whimsy nature of Serengetiâ??s personality and music is extremely infectious. After experiencing his music, the listener may have a more cheerful outlook and have the urge to release their wild tendencies within. Soon, the word â??whimsyâ?? may be used in every other sentence. Like an opiate, the addictive â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ?? LP has side effects. If you are looking for something unique in music, you owe it to yourself to get â??whimsyâ?? with Serengeti.

T.JONES: â??What goes on?â?
SERENGETI: â??Just chilling out, man. Iâ??m in Chicago. We did a show last night. I got a little too drunk, but what are you gonna do?â?

T.JONES: â??The new album, â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ?? was just released on Day By Day Entertainment, F5 Records, and Frozen Food Section. Tell us about the albumâ??s concept.â?
SERENGETI: â??Itâ??s this concept that I had. I was on this tour in 2003. My buddy Rue said the word, â??Whimsyâ??, and I burned all of these thoughts. I came home in May. During the whole summer, everything was whimsy. I made the whimsy songs. The concept was like, we go out and ride bikes, go by the lake, play Frisbee, and play catch. When we came in, we did these whimsy songs, which were only done in 1 take. We just did it whimsy and had fun with it. We had a model that â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ?? was something we only worked on during the summer. After that winter, we mixed the album during the following summer. We turned it into Frozen Food and they put it out.â?

T.JONES: â??Do you have a favorite song on â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ???â?
SERENGETI: â??I like â??Outta My Wayâ?? and â??Whimsy Cardsâ??.â?

T.JONES: â??Will there be a â??Whimsyâ?? series?â?
SERENGETI: â??We are going to do a whole series of â??Whimsyâ?? albums. We will have â??Rough Waters Whimsyâ??, â??International Whimsyâ??, and even â??Winter Whimsyâ??. They will all be colorful. The â??Winter Whimsyâ?? LP will only be worked on during the winter.â?

T.JONES: â??You are on 3 different record labels. You are an artist on Day By Day Entertainment, F5, and The Frozen Food Section. How did that happen and what is that like?â?
SERENGETI: â??Crucial and I went to college together. He started F5 Records. We made the â??Dirty Flamingoâ?? album in 2000. They put it out in 2001. Frozen Food is from St. Louis. I gave them â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ??. Day By Day signed me for â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ??. I also have â??Brother Whimsyâ?? coming out of F5, which is a follow up for â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ??. It features my little brother, Extra Credit on beats.â?

T.JONES: â??Your little brother is known as Extra Credit. He is very young and produces some of the beats, right?â?
SERENGETI: â??Yeah, heâ??s 11. He made 2 of the beats on â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ??. He made like 4 beats on â??Brothers Whimsyâ??.â?

T.JONES: â??The â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?? LP was supposed to come out before â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ??. Why did this not happen?â?
SERENGETI: â??â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?? was an album that I was making forever. I guess I started in 2000. I was working with one guy in this studio, but I didnâ??t like it. Then, I went to this other studio in 2003 and paid all this money. I had these guitarists and these drummers. There is this band called Local H. In 2003, I made a totally different version of the album. In 2004, I mixed the first version and the second version together. I took it to MF Grimm. I was an A&R at F5 when I met MF Grimm. The reason why it didnâ??t come out yet was because I was searching for a label.â?

T.JONES: â??The album â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?? is on Rock Day By Day but the â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ?? LP was released on the hip-hop Day By Day label. How is â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?? different from â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ???â?
SERENGETI: â??There is a lot of live instrumentation on â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ??. There are like 7 songs with live instrumentation and 5 songs with just beats and stuff. The album â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?? is more serious stuff. There is more songwriting on it. There are a couple of singers on it. The album also cost me a lot more too, because I went to a real studio. On â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ??, we just whipped that up.â?

T.JONES: â??What is the meaning of â??Noodle Armâ?? from the title, â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ???â?
SERENGETI: â??The phrase â??Noodle Armâ?? means being skinny. Like, someone has noodles for arms.â?

T.JONES: â??What is the song â??Get Outta My Wayâ?? about?â?
SERENGETI: â??It is just this whimsy story. It was really fun to do that song. I just did it off the top of my head. â??Iâ??m outta hear dad! Nobody tell me jack!â??â?

T.JONES: â??What does the title â??Eat One Tossersâ?? mean?â?
SERENGETI: â??The word â??tossersâ?? is from England. â??Eat One Tossersâ?? is like â??Fuck you!â??. You know?â?

T.JONES: â??Do you have your rhymes pre-written or themes pre-planned when you go into the studio, or do you write, then and there, when you hear the beat?â?
SERENGETI: â??For â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ??, I think I wrote maybe like 3 songs to the beat. The rest just came out. On â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ??, I wrote all the music to that sh*t. â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ?? was really a spur of the moment thing. That is the whole concept of it.â?

T.JONES: â??Do you have a favorite musical instrument?â?
SERENGETI: â??I play the guitar. That is probably my favorite. I hear a melody in my head and I will hum it. Then, I will try to create it.â?

T.JONES: â??Do you have a favorite drum machine or sampler?â?
SERENGETI: â??The MPC, but Iâ??m not a real producer. I can make some beats, but I donâ??t consider myself a producer.â?

T.JONES: â??What LPs or CDs have you been listening to recently?â?
SERENGETI: â??The last CD that I have been really into is â??A Grand Donâ??t Come For Freeâ?? by The Streets. Bjorkâ??s â??Vespertineâ?? is the sh*t. There is also this group called F And D.â?

T.JONES: â??What other non-hip-hop artists influenced you?â?
SERENGETI: â??Growing up, my parents made me listen to Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Chapin. I like Prince. Nowadays, Radiohead. I like that â??Kid Aâ?? album big time.â?

T.JONES: â??What is your favorite part of your live show?â?
SERENGETI: â??Songs. I have like 10 albums. So, I pick the best songs from those albums. So, any song that I pick, is a means to an end song. The whole set is exciting. I have so many songs to pick from, and I get to do different songs every show.â?

T.JONES: â??What are some artists you would like to collaborate with in the future?â?
SERENGETI: â??MF Doom and Mars Volta.â?

T.JONES: â??What are some producers you would like to collaborate with in the future?â?
SERENGETI: â??DJ Premier. Large Professor is phat. I like The Neptunes.â?

T.JONES: â??What is the biggest mistake you made in your career?â?
SERENGETI: â??I donâ??t think I made any. I think it is going the way it is supposed to go. There was this time where we got kicked off this tour. We did a tour with Hierospecs, a band from Minneapolis. We were supposed to go on this thirty day tour but they replaced us.â?

T.JONES: â??What is hip-hop lacking these days?â?
SERENGETI: â??Flavor. Everybody is doing the same thing. Everybody in the underground is complaining about commercial hip-hop. All this commercialism is bad in my opinion, but the underground is so grimy. Everybody in the underground is battling. There is no flavor. It is the same old sh*t in both the underground and in commercial hip-hop.â?

T.JONES: â??Word association time. Iâ??m going to say the name of an artist or group, and you say the first word that comes to your head. So, if I said â??Public Enemyâ??, you may say â??revolutionâ??. Okay?â?

T.JONES: â??50 cent.â?
SERENGETI: â??Rich.â?

T.JONES: â??Eminem.â?
SERENGETI: â??Angry.â?

T.JONES: â??Wu-tang Clan.â?
SERENGETI: â??Legends.â?

T.JONES: â??Dead Prez.â?
SERENGETI: â??Revolutionary.â?

T.JONES: â??Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest.â?
SERENGETI: â??One of my favorites.â?

T.JONES: â??Ugly Duckling.â?
SERENGETI: â??Never listened to them.â?

T.JONES: â??Atmosphere.â?
SERENGETI: â??Many fans.â?

T.JONES: â??Curtis Mayfield.â?
SERENGETI: â??70â??s.â?

T.JONES: â??Gil-Scott Heron.â?
SERENGETI: â??Drugs.â?

T.JONES: â??George Bush.â?
SERENGETI: â??The President.â?

T.JONES: â??There are many drug references in your music. Do you smoke weed or dabble in drugs?â?
SERENGETI: â??Weed is crazy man. I used to love weed about 5 years ago. Every time I smoked weed now, I would get paranoid. It would turn a fine situation into an uncomfortable situation. You start thinking too much. The sh*t is supposed to make you laugh and have fun but, it makes it worse. I have this song on â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?? called â??Mariaâ??, which is this anti-weed song. It talks about how everybody talks about how much they love weed. Itâ??s a dope song.â?

T.JONES: â??What are some of your favorite television shows?â?
SERENGETI: â??I like sports. I love boxing. I like The Cubs. As far as TV sitcoms, I liked â??Degrassi Junior Highâ?? when I was growing up. Spike! The Zit Remedy! They have this new one now. Joey is a teacher and Snake is the principal.â?

T.JONES: â??What are some of your favorite movies?â?
SERENGETI: â??I really love â??Bloodsportâ??. I can watch that movie over and over again. I watch â??City Of Godâ??. It takes place in Brazil.â?

T.JONES: â??Where were you on September 11th 2001, the terrorist attack? How did you deal with it? How do you think it has affected hip-hop?â?
SERENGETI: â??I was in Carbondale, Illinois. My ex-girlfriend died. She died like a month ago. She didnâ??t die on September 11th. On September 11th, I was just watching it. When it happened, I thought that rappers would never rap about violence again because the public wouldnâ??t want it. We witnessed this horrific act of violence. From that moment on, there would be no more talk of killing people on rap songs. That is how I thought it would change. Now, all the rap sh*t is still bullsh*t. It is like some evil trick. The whole Black music, in general, gets me down. Letâ??s say you are driving your car and you are trying to bob to the music, but then, you think, â??What am I listening to?â?? The rappers are like â??I need a soldier!â?? They also talk about getting a chick, who you have to buy all this sh*t for, but she eventually f*cks everybody else. Itâ??s disgusting. Nobody seems to care. That pimp named Don Magic Juan is in rap videos and on commercials now. This dude is a pimp! He smacks women and makes teenager girls sell their *sses. Heâ??s on TV and everybody is like â??Look at him!â?? They clap for him. It is like the same jig act. It really gets to me, but obviously, it does not get to a lot of people.â?

T.JONES: â??What was the last incident of racism you experienced?â?
SERENGETI: â??I guess it was yesterday. I was standing at a bus stop and these dudes asked me for a bag of weed. I donâ??t know if it was racism or they just thought I was a drug dealer. Isnâ??t racism supposed to hold you back?â?

T.JONES: â??What are some classic songs you may like to remake or update?â?
SERENGETI: â??I donâ??t think I would remake anything. Maybe, â??The Gas Faceâ?? by 3rd Base. Kwame had this song â??Only Youâ??. I was into Kwame when I was growing up.â?

T.JONES: â??What are the best things about living in Chicago?â?
SERENGETI: â??Sports! I love the early summer or late spring. Also, the grid of streets. The streets are a perfect grid. Chicago has an abundant amount of parks. It is so segregated though. That is what I hate about Chicago.â?

T.JONES: â??What is the biggest misconception people have of you?â?
SERENGETI: â??That Iâ??m all into drugs.â?

T.JONES: â??What does the name Serengeti mean to you? How did you come up with the name?â?
SERENGETI: â??I donâ??t know when I first came up with it or when it first clicked. It seems like it has been forever that I have been named Serengeti. To me, when I first came up with it, I thought is sounded cool. When I thought about it, it was nice. The Serengeti desert has everything on it. It has jungles, deserts, and more. There are these jungle areas. I think it has like 4 different parts. There is this dry area. It has everything on it. I consider myself and my personality like that.â?

T.JONES: â??When did you first start rhyming?â?
SERENGETI: â??When I was 16 years old.â?

T.JONES: â??When did you first begin making songs that were not hip-hop?â?
SERENGETI: â??When I was 20, I started working on â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ??. This album has been a thorn in my side. Seriously, I spent like $10,000 in studio time. When I made the first version, I sent it out to record companies. I was so naÃ¯ve. I thought that there would be a bidding war. Nobody ever called back. Years later, I finally got it done. It should come out on April 4th 2005.â?

T.JONES: â??What is the meaning behind the title â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ???â?
SERENGETI: â??The title â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?? is like something that looks pretty but it is really foul, disgusting, and vile. It seems nice.â?

T.JONES: â??Do you have a favorite song on â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ???â?
SERENGETI: â??Yeah, â??Mariaâ?? or â??This Worldâ??. Day By Day will be releasing the follow up album too. The title track is crazy.â?

T.JONES: â??Any advice for up and coming emcees?â?
SERENGETI: â??Do something original. I donâ??t know about you, but when these rap shows come around, it is always the same sh*t. â??Throw your hands in the air!â?? I donâ??t know. That sh*t is so old to me, yet the crowd loves it. â??When I say hip, you say hop!â?? I donâ??t know. That makes rap like a dead or muted art-form. Everybody uses the same words. Iâ??m not saying that you have to be revolutionary or that you canâ??t say anything, but everybody is saying the same exact thing. Nowadays, cats that just started rapping for one month, already have a finished CD, which they are trying to sell by the 2nd month. There isnâ??t a gestation period.â?

T.JONES: â??What can fans expect in the future from Serengeti? What is next for you?â?
SERENGETI: â??I have â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ??, coming out on April 4th. I have â??Noticeably Negroâ??, coming out on F5, during the summer. Itâ??s a small, indie album. I have one coming out on Day By Day. I have another, after that, called â??Kalahari Lionâ??. I also have â??Brothers Whimsyâ??, the follow up to â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ??.â?

T.JONES: â??Any final words for the people who are reading this?â?
SERENGETI: â??Check me out.â?

THANK YOU SERENGETI ! ! !

Interview by Todd E. Jones
toddejones@yahoo.com

LABELS:
http://www.daybydayent.com
http://www.thefrozenfoodsection.com/
http://www.f5records.com/

MP3s from â??Noodle Arm Whimsyâ?

â??Outta My Wayâ?
http://www.daybydayent.com/serengeti/naw/Track19.mp3

â??Mad Whimsyâ?
http://www.daybydayent.com/serengeti/naw/Track01.mp3

â??Pilatesâ?
http://www.daybydayent.com/serengeti/naw/Track02.mp3

Real Audio from â??Gasoline Rainbowsâ?

â??Andromedaâ?
http://www.daybydayent.com/realaudio/Serengeti_Andromeda.rm

â??Beautifulâ?
http://www.daybydayent.com/realaudio/Serengeti_Beautiful.rm

â??Margotâ?
http://www.daybydayent.com/realaudio/Serengeti_Margot.rm

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Tracklisting

Serengeti songs

Thumbs Up!-songs

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Serengeti - Noodle Arm Whimsy

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