Dilated Peoples "The Platform"

"The Platform" will be released on May 23rd, 2000.

DILATED PEOPLES

"The Platform, it takes respect to perfect art form, at times a battle ground where rappers get their hearts torn."

In 1992, the platform that would be known as Dilated Peoples began to take form. Starting as a series of impromptu freestyle sessions at L.A.'s Hip Hop Shop and evolving constantly since, Dilated Peoples creates its own path as a live creative force.

Rakaa (Iriscience) made his way onto the hip hop scene in 1984 via graffiti art. Involved in poetry since childhood and music since birth, he knows the combination of the two was natural. "Music is communication_It's expression, and each word is a color."

Also involved in hip hop through graffiti, Evidence is no longer just an alias to distinguish himself from other neighborhood writer/taggers. Channeling his energy into emceeing and perfecting the art of production, Evidence has created a platform of anger, levity, and spontaneity. He has been providing elite MCs with the most coveted soundscapes around.

After attending many of the same Los Angeles area hip hop events and developing a musical relationship, Rakaa and Evidence decided to record a song together. The natural progression soon after was to form a group. In Ev and Iriscience's solo joints, the distinct differences in both their personalities and artistic influences can be heard. The balance of the two represents Dilated Peoples.

However, the backbone of hip hop is the DJ. In this case, the DJ is Babu. He entered the fold in 1997. Also a member of the World Famous Beat Junkies, Babu brought his own brand of Turntablism and DJ fundamental onto the Dilated platform. He incorporates memorable soundbites in choruses and displays his wide array of scratching techniques. Now the two emcees had a world class DJ, evolving into a group not unlike those that influenced each member. "All of us were inspired by EPMD and Run DMC, two groups with two MCs and a DJ," Babu says. "We really don't dance or have special effects on stage and I'm always giving another set of ears to the group."

Now connected with the heavy artillery of Babu, the Dilated Peoples hooked up with Beni B's independent ABB label. Dilated released a string of hit, vinyl-only underground singles on ABB. The maxi-single named Work The Angels with The Main Event and Triple Optics sounded the alarm that put the world on alert. Addressing everything from wack MCs to apathy, the 12" rocked the underground scene. Work the Angles was selected as the top single of 1998 by Hip Hop Connection (the UK's premiere hip hop publication), #2 single on the Wake Up Show's 1998 countdown, and #3 by Blast Magazine (Japan).

Although the group knows that releasing its music on vinyl only may have limited exposure, its members understand the importance of connecting with DJs. "I've always hung out with DJs and you can't really service a DJ with a cassette tape or CD," Rakaa reveals. "I love the feeling of putting out wax. To me, wax is like hip hop clay. We take putting out 12" as serious as putting out our album."

Adds Babu, "us doing 12" has built up anticipation for an album. It was a natural progression throughout. It doesn't make sense to rush an album out if no one knows who you are."

Set to work the mind and body, "The Platform" reflects the group's eclectic nature, sense of balance, and desire to "make the people listen, boogie down and move." "The style of the record is full-flavored," Rakaa says. "No matter what you want, you'll get it. If you're just a beat head, we've got beats. If you're a scratch cat, we've got scratches. If you want politics, battles, imagery, stories, there's something there for everybody. We want the listening experience to be a full experience, not just some great songs collected on some material and sold."

For the group, the title "The Platform" has special significance and reflects its diverse musical approach. On the title track, which is also the first single, Rakaa and Evidence discuss the yin and yang of life over a distinct track accentuated with DJ Babu's deft scratching. "It's a melodic feel and usually most people associate us with a real intense rock 'n roll energy," Evidence says of the song. "This time we wanted to throw out an anthem vibe and it's 'The Platform.' It's a step away of sorts for us, we're coming out introducing ourselves."

Evidence is introducing himself as a member of the group and co-producer. He and Alchemist produced the majority of "The Platform." Other tracks were handled by such established beatsmiths as T-Ray, Joey Chavez and E-Swift.

Other acts adding to 'The Platform" include Everlast, Cypress Hill's B-Real, Tha Alkaholiks, Defari, AceyAlone, as well as new comers: planet Asia, and Phil Da Agony. In addition to each of these artist's rapping skills, their inclusion on the album has special meaning to the group. "The west coast is really making strong moves this year," Evidence declares, "all of the collaborations are with west coast artists and I'm really proud of that."

Rakaa explains, "we've seen 10,000 people and 10 people. We put the same type of energy into it. I want people to connect with us, not just have their eyes on me for the sake of my own ego. Our idea of success is not measured by Soundscan or ticket sales, but by being able to accomplish what we set our hearts to do." Dilated Peoples have set their hearts on producing global beats and giving the full listening experience to their fans. "The Platform" hints the shape of things to come. Rakaa says, "Just because you're a great rapper or your beats sound good, that doesn't mean that you're going to put out product that's going to be received well. We've done our homework and have been able to put together something that is universal."