Genre: Rap And Hip Hop

AMERIKAS ADDICTION MNotez Interview:

• MNotez: First off… what’s your name and position in the group?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: Addiction aka Ebonix.. I like to call myself an emotionist, J made that up but it fits me well because i just get in the studio and let my emotions take control no matter how crazy it looks lol
• J-THE TRUTH: J-The Truth (Producer/Writer/Performer/Everything Else lol)

• MNotez: What motivated you to become a musician?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: I honestly just experienced so many different things and i wanted to vent and in the process possibly let people hear my story
• J-THE TRUTH: Me, I was born this way. As a child, I beat on pots and pans in my diapers. When I reached school, I was always beating on desks with my hands and pencils, creating my own beats. My brother gave me his old Dr. Rhythm drum machine and it was over from that point.

• MNotez: How’d you come up with Amerikas Addiction? What’s it mean to you?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: It was a very natural thing.. One day we were just chopping it up at our jobs.. (This is what i recall, i couldve been daydreaming) J was at his job talking about how much he hated his job and i was telling him how i hated my job too and how we should just do what the hell we want and make music about what america is addicted to.. Because where i was working people were like zombies.. they were addicted to the same shit.. boring ass 9-5 working, rule following, trying to climb that cooperate ladder. Kissing ass and eating the same nasty ass lunch, i was just getting disgusted lol So im like bro lets talk about what america is addicted to.. BAM WE WILL CALL OURSELVES AMERIKAS ADDICTION!! The rest is history.
• J-THE TRUTH: Dave has a different explanation lol. But the name stems from our thoughts on society and what it is addicted too. Sex, Drugs, Violence, Fame and a whole host of other things. Just look around, most ‘real’ issues aren’t discussed, they cause our brains to have to work. It seems most don’t want to think, despite the music we make, we have a side where we analyze culture and discuss race relations, politicks, life, health and what our purpose here on Earth is. Music is an escape and also a cage for us. But it provides a creative outlet and a chance to expel our thoughts (sadness, lust, anger, frustration) into audio.

• MNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musicians you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: I love all kinds of music.. My moms was really diverse musically but she hated hiphop and rap.. So she had me listening to poison, guns and roses, alanis morisette and just all kind of shit. Pops had me listening to 2pac, dj quik, hard ass gangster music.. Me personally ive always liked the boy bands and shit like the back street boys and stuff.. The one person musically who i idolize is Tech n9ne and Kid cudi… They do what they desire…
• J-THE TRUTH: everything I have ever heard has influenced me. My favorites are Tupac, Jay-Z, Nas, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Timbaland, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Bob Marley, Tech N9ne, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Cameo, Parliament, Queen, Lady Gaga, David Bowie and a whole host of others!

• MNotez: What’s your favorite aspect of being a musician?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: GROUPIES AND FREE CLOTHES BABY!!! Naw.. Just having people admire your art and just doing what i want.. The thrill of it .. the rush.. I love performing and expressing myself.. If i wasnt a musician.. Id be a lunatic.. Music is my outlet to get all my emotions out when i dont have anyone to talk to.. If i could record all day and night i would.
• J-THE TRUTH: The creative outlet that it provides. It has opened other doors into other ventures we are interested in, such as blogging.

• MNotez: What’s the local Milwaukee music scene like for you? How do you feel about it?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: I feel like its comical.. Alot of people dont take it serious.. I love everyone and i think everyone is talented but i dont like the scene at all 🙁 But i always get a good laugh out of the egos that are involved in this scene.. I feel like if you have a big ego then have some type of accomplishments first.. Just because people are listening to your music overseas or your song is on a tv show doesnt mean you can be a dick.. Everyone is equal and have a story.. It wont change though lol Im cool with that..
• J-THE TRUTH: It is exactly what you said… a scene. Is it an industry? Hell No. A lot of people take our supportive nature as a joke or dick riding, look…you can be on a thousand blogs, rock all the festivals, have the hottest producers, pay your way in the game, beg for attention from industry cats, have the local radio in your pocket, win all the awards or whatever these artists claim to ‘run Milwaukee’ is, you still can’t beat Amerikas Addiction/Black House. We don’t have any of that, we are wild for these lame ass festivals, we are dirty for these lame ass stations, we scare the shit out of the other ‘premier’ artists, we are too crazy or different for most blogs, so- we are the outcasts of our scene. We have brought Milwaukee plenty of hot shit, that we know they are reading and are watching and biting. But we don’t get a honorable mention at all, we once got semi-upset, but we knew it would be that way. So we embrace being different, we don’t have a problem RT’ing or posting another artists video, YOU ARE NOT COMPETITION TO US, its all love. We understand there is a competitive nature in any industry, especially music, but when we take it to the point of trying black ball or not acknowledge or pretend you don’t know whats going on, its something totally different, that we don’t understand. This is why the so called Kings of this city have not ‘made it’ yet. And, if you take offense, you must be that bitch. (My favorite quote besides “Do What You Desire”). We reached out to a lot of these artists, underground, major, street, abstract, we did this, because we care and wanted to be involved, all we do is work/grind/go hard, if you can’t respect that, well a BIG FUCK YOU and a BIG WE LOVE YOU is in order.

• MNotez: If you could play with any other musician or band… who would it be? (past or present)
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: Umm The neptunes. i love those guys
• J-THE TRUTH: Jimi Hendrix – he was a legend and an innovator, not afraid to take risks and be laughed at. Now look at him, he was the coolest rocker of all time. RIP.

• MNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: I just want to show everyone that have a dream music or not can become reality.. Also i want to start a whole bunch of charities and all that good stuff.. Just because i have a bad mouth and get crazy doesnt mean i dont care about the world or its issues because i truthfully do. i love this world.
• J-THE TRUTH: To make a decent living from music, that would be awesome. We don’t need to massively famous. We’d be content having a good following, underground following like Phish/The Grateful Dead, Tech N9ne. Something thats not heavily out there, we don’t aspire to be Eminem. Also, to write for other artists, that would be hot too. Dr. Luke is that dude!

• MNotez: You say that your music is “a hybrid – a melting pot of musical styles”, out of all these styles… is there a style you enjoy working with the most? Or haven’t worked with yet but would be interested in trying?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: I enjoy doing it all but right now whats working it just going in the lab and making whatever comes out.. planning usually doesnt work out and people feel all of our songs some how.. From the deep serious emotional songs to the silly goofy fast paced sex driven songs. So its different strokes for different folks when it comes to our addicts.
• J-THE TRUTH: We love hip-hop, you can’t take that out of us. So, hip-hop will always be my favorite.

• MNotez: Out of all your songs… do you have a favorite? What is it? And why?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: At this moment i like our song “Cheating on you” Its just real life and so many people can relate to it.
• J-THE TRUTH: I love them all, lol. My songs/beats are like my babies/children (I don’t have kids lol). So I love them all equally.

• MNotez: How do you believe the internet helps the music industry or you as a musician?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: Hell yeah, We always love to hit the streets but honestly the internet has helped us touch people that are millions of miles away
• J-THE TRUTH: It has definitely helped us. BUT, a lot of people here have us pegged as ‘social media’ artists, nah, we are in the streets more than most. We wouldn’t have all these pictures of people reppin Amerikas Addiction/Addicts/Do What You Desire. The internet makes is possible for people overseas, in different cities, to touch you, hear you and even feel you, without seeing you. We say, take advantage of it. The internet is good, as long as SOPA doesn’t go through lol.

• MNotez: How do you spend your time when you’re not creating music?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: Online.. All day everyday.. Im always online.. fb, twitter, all that fun stuff 🙂
• J-THE TRUTH: Event planning, our parties are our ideas and creations. Blogging, interviewing other artists, posting music from other artists, making new connections, getting the world addicted!

• MNotez: Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message to your fans?
• ADDICTION AKA EBONIX: Well i just want to thank all of the ADDICTS THAT POST OUR INTERVIEWS AND SHARE OUR MUSIC .. MEANS SO MUCH.. IF I COULD HUG YOU ALL I WILL.. YOU KNOW WHAT? I AM GOING TO HUG ALL OF YOU 🙂 DO WHAT YOU DESIRE..
• J-THE TRUTH: To the addicts, WE LOVE YOU! DO WHAT YOU DESIRE! To all the other artists/dj’s/etc that we have worked with! WE LOVE YOU! DO WHAT YOU DESIRE! To EVERYONE, we have ever met or encountered, WE LOVE YOU TOO! DO WHAT YOU DESIRE