Akil Dasan: On the Road Again

gt.com: you were amazing on the Road to Stardom, we thought for sure you would be in the finals with Jessica. did you expect to be eliminated that night, or did it come as a surprise to you as well?

AKIL: I thought it might be coming, because they had definitely been giving me the spotlight a lot. I couldn't avoid it no matter what I did! Although I was working really hard, I don't think I expected to make it after catching all of those lights. Eventually, I think I psychologically just threw in the towel.

gt.com: so, what drew you to initially audition for a spot on the reality talent show with Missy Elliott as opposed to something like American Idol?

AKIL: Missy Elliott herself and her music I really look up to. I love her sound and how she is able to combine revolutionary ideas and musical virtuosity with street music that people can relate to. Another thing is that American Idol is not about original material. It's about your interpretation of other musicians' great works, which is cool, but it is not really my forte. My forte is more original, creative expression.

gt.com: did you see the irony in the fact that on the episode you were eliminated, you won the road challenge as the only one not to change his image with the designers' over-the-top suggestions?

AKIL: I absolutely did! There was a lot of stuff that they didn't show behind the scenes that could have seemed a little strange on that challenge, you know? I don't know if you noticed, but me and Bucky [gt note: Bucky is fellow contestant Matthew Buckner] had sort of a battle, as well. They didn't show it, though.

gt.com: interesting! speaking of him, do you keep in touch with any of the other contestants from the show?

AKIL: Yeah, I actually do! I keep in touch with a lot of them. Eddie, Marcus, Frank B., Yelawolf, Cori -- pretty much everybody!

gt.com: you mentioned the editing. what is the one moment from the entire filming, whether shown on the edited version on television or not, that you remember the most from the whole experience?

AKIL: I think my most memorable time was when me and Yelawolf rocked at the high school. What they didn't show, because it was kind of screwy with the editing, is that we rocked the spot! We both, as a team, put it down -- we rocked the house! If you could have seen the full, continuous footage of the show unedited, we blew it up! We had this tight, choreographed intro, and then we got to spit our own raps on it. We didn't do Ludacris' verse in it, we put our own raps in it, and the people really were feeling it. We had breakdancing and beatboxing worked into it. There was so much energy in that high school!

gt.com: it's a shame the producers couldn't show the whole performance!

AKIL: Yeah, that's the thing about the show. They film you constantly -- 24 hours a day! It amazes me how little was shown. There were so many freestyles where we just killed it and other amazing moments that happened that didn't make the final cut. Unless they come out with a DVD, no one is going to see it!

gt.com: someone we did see a lot of was Missy Elliott. what was it like working with her?

AKIL: I really didn't get as much of a chance as I wanted to, to get to know her as closely as I could have. We had a few moments off camera. I think she opens up a little more when the cameras are off, because she's kind of playing a role on the show. I wish I could have gotten to chill with her more. On the occasions I got to hang out with her, she was mad cool! She keeps it real to the utmost. If you're cracking on people, she'll call you on it. If you're being a little too nice, she'll call you on that, too.

gt.com: well, we thought one of your strong points on the show was that you really are a nice guy, even though the business is not always that way.

AKIL: Well, I just tried to be myself. Before I got on the show, I was talking to my Pop, and he said that "in a lot of these types of competitions you can win but you really lose or you can lose but really win. Be careful what you do when you get up there, because a lot of people will really try to push you to your limit. Some people want to see you snap. So, just try not to let it get to you and try to be you." I did my best!

gt.com: great advice! on that note, what was the best practical advice for your career that you received throughout the course of the show?

AKIL: Dallas Austin gave me great advice in terms of structuring my songs. Sometimes I'm a little long-winded in the lyrics, and I need to break them up into smaller verses. He told me that 16-bar phrases are the best. Sometimes I'll push it into 32-bar phrases, which is a little too much for most people.

gt.com: not only are you embarking on a solo venture, you also have a group project in the works. tell us more about your band, Somanetic.

AKIL: Somanetic is kind of a fusion of hip hop, jazz, funk and soul. We want to make music that speaks to everybody; that everybody can feel, regardless of color, age, shape, or anything! I've been playing with most of my band for two or three years, but some of them, like my keyboard player, I've known since high school. We are trying to bring the musicality back into hip hop, in terms of the live band.

gt.com: what do you find to be more challenging -- performing solo for a crowd, or being a part of a band?

AKIL: I find performing solo is actually quite difficult, but I enjoy it! By yourself, it's hard to keep the same energy level that you have performing with the band. I definitely love performing with my band, too, and I think that one of the reasons people enjoy my live shows is because I enjoy the music I'm playing.

gt.com: what we love about you is that you have such a raw originality that you can bring to the industry. how would you describe your music to a potential listener?

AKIL: I don't like to toot my own horn ::laughs:: But, I try to be as virtuosic with my music as possible. In other words, I try to craft good lyrics -- thought-provoking and rhythmically interesting. We try to be high energy, but also with the energy level, give those dynamics. We want to show versatility, move from the high energy songs to the slow grooves. So, I would say that we want to show virtuosity, versatility, and a very eclectic case.

gt.com: we're sold! being a part of the New York City underground music scene, how do you think the City influences your music?

AKIL: My philosophy is to just listen to everything that you can get a hold of. Whatever you enjoy, try to incorporate that and flip it in your own way. Being in the New York scene, there is a lot of poetry, beatboxing, and breakdancing going on -- there is so much to draw from. Jazz, Latin, classical, funk, blues, rock...there are so many flavors, and I want to sample all of them. The other thing about New York audiences is that they don't put up with mediocrity! They require you to give what you got every single time you step on stage.

gt.com: very true! it's admirable that you do your own songwriting. since writing can be a deeply personal task, what have you learned about yourself through this process?

AKIL: I've learned that I have the ability within me to be a showman; to get on stage and be an extrovert. But, deep down inside I am a really introverted person. I have insecurities like everyone else -- I'm not Superman or anything like that, ya know? One of the things I like to do in my songwriting is to expose my vulnerabilities. It takes a lot of strength and shares your humanity with your listeners. I have lots of different styles I pull from.

gt.com: how about when you complete the writing of a song, do you test the waters and ask friends, family, or producers what they think? or, is it pretty much set in stone and ready to record by the time you hit the studio?

AKIL: I stay away from my friends and family because they lie! ::laughs:: My Mom and Pop tell the truth, but not everyone else. You know who I like to test tracks on? Kids in middle school. There is this one line from Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest that says: "I wanna be able to reach an MC and reach a little child in the same degree." I want a song that little kids think is dope, but something that older people listen to and think is dope, too. I also like to test out my stuff with other musicians, just to see what they think musically. And DJs, because they know what is going on.

gt.com: you're also a beatboxer and breakdancer. where did you pick up those skills?

AKIL: Well, we used to have a hip hop club at my high school in Philadelphia. We used to meet afterschool, and every now and then I would forget the beat tape. After a few times, I started to beatbox so we could have practice whenever we wanted. I think a big influence on me was on The Roots album "Do You Want More?" There is a track called "Lesson, Pt. 1," and it is funny that the track is called that, because it was the first beatbox track I learned. I took it from there. Whenever I find something I like, I try to make it my own, because I don't want to copy exactly. I try to add my own twists -- I have my own scratch style. So, I learned beatboxing from listening to other beatboxers. There's a hip hop store in Philadelphia called Bobby Lou's Bookworks. They used to have open mic nights there back in the day. Anyway, they used to sell breakdancing tapes there, and one of them was the Rock Steady Crew, the legendary breakdancing group. I watched their videos and learned moves from them. I used to breakdance a lot as a kid in the eighties, when it was really popular. So, I used to watch movies like Beat Street and picked up some moves from there. I would breakdance for fun afterschool, rap and play music.

gt.com: take us back to when you first decided that being a musician was the path you wanted to travel. what was the first thing you did to start your career?

AKIL: When I was little, I didn't even think about it in terms of a career. I just thought about it in terms of, "I love doing this." The first thing I did was really sit down and studied my instrument, so I could be the best that I could. Also, as an undercurrent to what got me started, was that I was into performance poetry. The Roots inspired me, as well. The bass player in The Roots used to live near the bus stop I used to get off at. When we would get off the bus from high school, we would jam with him every now and then. He would give us tips -- we really looked up to those guys a lot. We still do. I'm the type of person that I'm not only a musician but I'm an entertainer, too. I like to make music to make people happy. It's really important for me to rock the show...for people to go away with a feeling inside.

gt.com: that's amazing! okay, what would you say is something that people don't know or realize about you?

AKIL: My middle name is Dasan...my last name is Baker. So, my name is Akil Dasan Baker. Actually, my full name is Akil Dasan Bernstein Baker. How confusing is that?

gt.com: not too bad! so, do you know what "Akil" means?

AKIL: I do, but it sounds really conceited! Akil means "wise" or "smart" in Arabic. Dasan means "ruler" in a Native American language. So, my name means "wise ruler." ::laughs:: I don't like to throw that out!

gt.com: haha! alright, what do you honestly think of the current state of top 40 music?

AKIL: I think that a lot of Top 40 music is very mass-produced. What they do is outsource every part of it to a different person. So, somebody makes the beat. Then, someone sits down and writes the song lyrics and melody. Then, they bring in the artist who is really just a spokesperson What ends up happening is that in the song, the artist isn't as intimate with you. They are singing someone else's lyrics; they didn't create it themselves. It's a very efficient business approach, but sometimes, it can leave you lacking emotionally, and you can hear the difference. However, I will say that sometimes it works great. It's great to cover someone's song because a good song is universal.

gt.com: agreed -- a good song is universal! have you covered anyone recently?

AKIL: I cover songs all the time! My favorite cover tunes are Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye tunes. I don't really have a specific favorite, though.

gt.com: interesting! so, if you could recommend one CD that everyone must listen to and own, what would top your list?

AKIL: If I had to recommend one CD besides mine, it would have to be Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life." Another one I really like is Donnie Hathaway's "Greatest Hits" album. That's a really great CD!

gt.com: those are great picks! do you listen to your own music driving in your car, is that too weird?

AKIL: Here's another thing people don't know about me -- I don't drive! I don't have a car or a permit! I am a subway kid. My parents always told me not to drive because of insurance or whatever, so I never did. Some people don't drive because they don't like it and some people don't drive because it stresses them out. I'm in the stress category! But, to answer your question, I listen to my CD all the time. Not my old CD, but my new one. I'm working on a new CD, and I'm listening to it to find out what kind of small changes I can make.

gt.com: we love your hair! did it take a while to grow it out?

AKIL: It took about three years!

gt.com: wow, that's patience! now, where would you like your career to be in five years?

AKIL: I'd like to take over the world! In five years? I definitely want to be signed. I want to get some really advent garde cool videos on MTV. Some really thought-provoking yet hip videos. I would like to do some movies, too. I would also like to learn how to breakdance with the guitar. ::laughs:: I never wanted to be super-rich, but I'd like to have enough to settle down and start a family and everything. I want to be comfortable; have enough money saved up for a rainy day.

gt.com: we predict a lot of bright, sunny days in your future. Thanks a lot for the interview, Akil!