by SCOTT C

This week in Montreal, anyone who has even a remote appreciation for lyrics infused with thought, energy and power, should definitely check out Spread the Wordz, the urban lyrics festival taking place Thursday, Aug. 25, and Friday, Aug. 26 at El Salon and Sala Rossa, respectively. Featuring the talents of spoken word artists Amanda Diva, Motion, Kalmunity and nth digri, as well as a hip hop lyricists line-up featuring J-Live, El Da Sensei, Verse, FP Crew and Baby Blak, your ears will be burning as they spread the words. The Mirror spoke to Philly MC Baby Blak.

Mirror: So apparently you're running your own studio down there in Philly?

Baby Blak: Yeah, you know, it's kind of a pre-production lab and when we want to get serious we take it to the big boys' studio. We got lots cookin' right now.

M: It sounds like you're working right now as we speak.

BB: Yeah man, I just have to hook up this keyboard for these cats then we're straight. We've been working hard though, man. I just finished a new mix album called The Passion of the Mics that I'll be bringing up there with me, but other than that I'm working on about four albums right now, man. Me and Sat One from the Skratch Makaniks are working on a record called Blak Saturday, as well as something with Dave Ghetto called The Walt Whitman Project, plus a whole lot of other stuff.

M: It sounds like you're rolling nonstop over there.

BB: Yeah man, I live in the studio. I don't come up for air or nothing, I'm in here working hard.

M: How much has the pace of things changed since you were making music in the mid-'90s?

BB: I think the pace might be the same, but I'm wearing more hats than I used to. I used to just sit back, write a verse, go to the lab and record it, but now I'm doing the recording, the mixing, sometimes I'm doing production, purchasing equipment, running a company, talking to managers, lawyers and promoters. People say I put too much on my back, but it can only make you stronger. It keeps me out of trouble and keeps me from having an idle mind.

M: It must be both a blessing and a curse to be in the music business in Philly.

BB: It's wild, man. You have such a diverse melting pot of artists here. You've got the earthy, neo-soul type artists like Jill Scott, Bilal and Kindred, then you have the thugs with Beanie Siegel and State Property, then you have the traditional cats like DJ Cash Money and Jazzy Jeff - it's just so diverse here that you have everybody collaborating with everybody, which is a good thing, bringing different elements out. It's still kind of difficult though, because everybody is so competitive. We coexist and get along, but it's still edgy and you have to stay on your toes. Once you find your niche and have confidence in yourself, you'll be fine.

With J-Live, El Da Sensei, Verse and the FP Crew at la Sala Rossa on Friday, Aug. 26, 9 p.m., $10 (or $15 for both nights, call 568-0597 for ticket info)

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