Up Close and Personal W/ Moka Only

I had a little chat with the Man, the Myth, the Legend, the Guy!!….Moka Only. Moka’s been making Hiphop music longer than most new hiphop fans have been alive and put out more albums that most rappers could ever dream of putting out.(I think he’s passed 40 now!?) And He’s far from finished!! Read on, into the world of..the one..the ONLY..Moka Only..

QCM: Who is Moka Only…walk us through an average day in the life of the Durable Mammal.

Moka: BAM! who am I? im sort of a thing, you could say. its kinda funny tryna sum up myself when so many other people have they own versions. But i’ll say this: Im a music composer,lyricist,artist,beatmaker and that pretty much covers the technical part of it. Average days would consist of waking up,coffee ,breaky and then pretty much right into new music sessions. That’s everyday all day..unless im on the road.

QCM: Who were some of your early inspirations in music?And what you drew you to their music?

Moka: There’s been so many inspirations.. I’ll name a few that were early on. KRS ONE..out of all emcees i listened to in the late eightees this cat seemed like someone who really was on the level and accurately captured all angles in rap. Gangsta,concious,lyrical,battle,social,etc. The blastmaster.
De la soul was/IS ANOTHER HUGE INFLUENCE..They taught me it was cool to go against the grain and be abstract..which is how ive always been,seen,felt. Thats a couple and i know its short words on my part but if i ramble on about em i will never finish the interview. lol.

Search *Video* (2008)

QCM: Some people say “Hip Hop is dead”…What do you have to say about that? and what do you have to say about the state of Hip Hop music these days?

Moka: Hiphop is very alive. never been dead..never will die. It is what WE make it.. all different types. thats it.

QCM: I heard a rumor you cook some pretty good cereal?? What Cereal would i find in your cupboards?

Moka: I’ve been called a cereal chef numerous times..haha. uumm..my fave one right now is from walmart..its called ‘Marshmellow Moments”..and its a pretty accurate name. A great blend of grains and goodies. After that you may see some Shreddies or somethin like that. I like stuff.

QCM: Word..I have alove hate relationship with Walmart…You know? I love it, but i hate it..Lets Talk Skateboarding…How long have you been doing it? What do you think it is about skateboarding that makes it the best sport ever?

Moka: Oooh yes. Wow. I started Skateboarding in the early to mid 80s..Same way almost everybody did.. find an old outdated board, fool around for jokes and then realize there is nothing better than surfing on the street..and then ramps. How fucking great is it there is a sport thats a non sport? Something you can do on your own and let yer troubles melt away under your feet as the scenery passes? Plus you can smack yerself up pretty good. Skateboarders know pain well. I now prefer riding the “pig” boards..reissues of early 80s boards with a nondescript shape. classics.

Rock On *VIDEO* (2011)

QCM: I’ve been Loving the BBq’d Horse Contest Instrumental Album you recently dropped for free online…especially the vocal clips layered all over it…..
So i have to ask you..If you could sleep with one instrument, which one would you choose?

Moka: Thank you! I think the Guitar is a good choice..its round and sexy like a woman’s body.. smooth.

*Download Bbq’ed Horse Contest Here…NOW!*

QCM: Ahh yes..You also recently realeased Airport 5.. w/ “Skronk” being one of the video’s..Man. those flutes in that beat are wayyyy to fresh!!… Explain the term Skronk..

Moka: Okay..word. Thanks again, broddah..I don’t know what i mean’t by skronk, really. Sort of a word you could use for anything. like “girl,let me skronk your vagina”
or “better gimmee my skronk up front for this show” or ” that cat is bent..smokin that skronk again” stuff like that. I later found out its an actual type of music. google that.

*Skronk Video (2011)*

QCM: Word, Alot of people know you as a Emcee/Singer.. But your also a Beat Maker/Producer, and do most of your own recording and mixing. How do you do it all? And do you ever find times where you cant focus on one element because your focused on the other?

Moka: The situation you described happens all the time..haha..I get on a roll with beats then mite get stumped so i then move to just rapping stuff.. then fall off and go back to beats..haha. singing is just some fun whatevers type stuff for me. I really like beatmaking first and foremost..been that way forever.
Im not a rapper.haha.

QCM: No doubt!!Beats are where my heads at as well….Who are some of your favorite Artist’s coming out of Canada these days?

Moka: Dylan,Dylan,Dylan,Dylan and Dylan.

QCM: Hmm Dylan? I’m not familiar? Anyway..You are about to drop a Project titled “Crickets” with Beatmaker/Producer Cheif. How did this project come about and what can we expect?

Moka: Chief and me have the crickets droppin Nov 9th. He created the beats and i interpreted them throo raps.. we took our time over two years and had fun with it. It’s heavy on the soul and vibes.. a lil rap trickery too.

QCM: You release a lot of music each year, and are also part of a few groups. When can we expect the Googlenaires project with Booty Brown of The Pharcyde to drop? And what else are you working on for 2012??

Moka: For 2012 i will be comin with that Googlenaires shnit..its crazypeppers. Been workin on that for couple years too. Gotta make sho its just right. It will be a full functioning rap group. Not just a simple one off collab. We realy doin this for the long haul. That’s the aim anyhow. You may see me doin new stuff with swollen members again too! and of course there will be some moka solo surprises. Im also workin with the classic rap group YAGGFU FRONT from n.c. and many many other great artists.

A lil taste of tha Goog’s, from Moka’s Airport 5

QCM: Dope, really lookin forward to hearing it all, being that ive always been a Moka fan and a Pharcyde Fan. Tell me something out of the ordinary about yourself that people might not know…

Moka: Ummm.. I don’t know. I could of been a Railway Engineer instead of this. Still mite. One never knows. I’ve driven freight trains before. I like trains. Trains and Beats.

*Moka Only Studio Cribs Episode*
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QCM: Any last words??Shoutout’s??
Moka: shout out to the shoutouts. and you,of course!

Word up..Thx for the Chat!! All the best in the 2012 Brotha!