Foreign affairs

>> The hometown hip hop of the Butta Babees once again turns heads outside MTL

by SCOTT C

nLocked away and all holed up in the studio down at Bandit Records, the Butta Babees are chipping away at the master plan. Naturally, this plan involves the completion of their first full-length album, a project they spend countless hours working on, but at the same time they’re getting that live show exactly where it needs to be before they take it on the road. After recently performing in Vancouver with likeminded artists like the Unspoken Heard and Mystic Journeymen, Butta Babees are even more determined to have native tongues wagging and ears wide open. The Mirror spoke to Manchilde, Zip, and DJ Raid on speaker phone from the luxurious Bandit Studios, on the eve of their Dec. 20 hip hop extravaganza at Club Zone.

Mirror: Alright. Who’s gonna break down what you guys have been doing for the past four to five months?
Zip: Constantly working on music in different ways, different levels, whether it be the business end, touring and doing shows, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver.
Manchilde: We just finished shooting our second video, for “Man ’n Motion” with Motion. We shot it just before it got cold down by the racetrack and the casino—

M: What, at the Hippodrome?!
Man: Nah, man, out on Île Ste-Hélène.

M: Okay. So it’s not a Hippodrome/Big Orange Julep video—
Man: Nah. We also got to get down to Vancouver where we performed with J-Live, Unspoken Heard—
Raid/Zip: Abstract Rude!

M: So how much politickin’ did you guys do when you went out there?
Z: Oh, man, they’re all cool peoples. I spoke to J-Live on the phone this week.

M: I would love to see you guys come up on 7Heads Entertainment. It’s exactly where you guys would fit in. It’s not hard for me to see at all.
Z/M: Arrrgh! I would love the opportunity!

M: How come you guys don’t do more live shows in Montreal? What about all the people who check for you here?
Z: Live shows? Who’s putting on a live show in Montreal? It came to a point where nobody was putting on live shows in the city. This show we’re doing at Club Zone on the 20th is being put on by us. It’s an Ill Groove Garden presentation. This has been our most successful year as Butta Babees, so we had to end the year with a nice hype show.
R: You have a better chance of catching us in Ottawa, Toronto and maybe even B.C. sometimes, compared to catching us here.
Z: It’s not done on purpose, either. We love Montreal, and Montreal crowds, but there haven’t been a lot of shows where we could do our thing.
Man: We want to do successful shows in terms of turnout, because that’s definitely something that Montreal is missing. People organize shows here and there but people have a hard time coming out for one reason or another.

Special secret band inside

Z: We got a special live band that’s gonna be playing at the show on the 20th.

M: What band?
Z: Shhhhh. You gotta come down and see it.
Man: It’s a little something we’re working on with a band that also works up at Bandit. Everybody who’s involved with the show is either part of Bandit Studios or our radio show over at CKUT.
Z: People who like to party are gonna have a good time. People who love to see a good live show are gonna have a good time. Anybody with a pulse is gonna have a good time.

M: What do you guys have planned for the new year?
Man: Man, I would love to have it all planned out for you and lay it down right here, like a blueprint, but we like to go with the flow.
Z: An album, a few more singles, another video, and all kinds of shows.

M: What’s your ETA for the album?
Z: The material is there. Plus, we’re recording more, but it’s all about being in this thing at the proper business level. We’ve been here for years, we know what has to get done, but we have to get the pieces of the puzzle in the right place first.
Man: The idea is to be as artistic with the way you get your stuff out there, as you are with the music. If you can get the two to combine then you have some classic shit. n

With Justice, South Squad, DJ Cap 3, Blaster and Suganeedlz at Club Zone tonight, Thursday, Dec. 20, 9pm, $10