ThaGataNegrra
Junior's Cave Music Interview with ThaGataNegrra
Late Winter (January 2012) Edition
Music Now Spotlight
by Isaac Davis Junior, BGS, MBA
ThaGataNegrra
Photo by Candylust Photography
Isaac: It’s an amazing time to be a DIY artist/performer/band/musician. What do you enjoy the most about being an indie performer?
ThaGataNegrra: I enjoy being able to write what I want, to have more control over what I record, and what makes it to the final project. I love that with the Internet we can reach more people than we ever could before.
Isaac: Would you be up to signing to a Major or Indie Record Label? Why or why not?
ThaGataNegrra: I am actually on a really small indie label, 3 Miles Entertainment that my family started. As far as major labels...I'm not entirely sure I trust them, especially since the major labels as we know them are radically changing.
Isaac: What do you feel is the one aspect of making music that excites you the most right now?
ThaGataNegrra: It's an exciting time because anything can happen, and usually does. We have a lot of tools now to create so many different sounds. What excites me is that I can get a song to the public almost immediately if I wanted to; I don't have to wait for a say-so. Being able to express any emotion or thought is very exciting.
Isaac: What do you feel is the one aspect of making music that gets you the most discouraged?
ThaGataNegrra: That sometimes the market is so saturated you might not be able to be heard. It's hard, with the attention span the public now has, to get and keep the right attention. And it's really hard, obviously, when you don't have the means to promote like you'd like. You have to get the people to care about you and your project; that means promotion. It's also difficult for me because people look at me and think I'm just one thing because I made a fun album; they hear the dance tracks and automatically say, “you're not underground enough” or “you're not a 'real' emcee”. And that just isn't true.
Isaac: Do you feel that Indie music gets the respect it deserves? Why or why not?
ThaGataNegrra: Most people hear “indie” and think “crap”. When I tell people I have a CD release, they are always surprised to see a six-panel jewelcase with great artwork when I give it to them. They expect that I'll give them a burned CD with Sharpie titles. On the other side of the coin, there are people who will only listen to indie music...so there's an audience out there somewhere, for everyone.
Isaac: In your opinion, what are your thoughts on how the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording impact the qualities of the show/recording?
ThaGataNegrra: So far, the most unusual place I've played a show was stuff like the New York City Marathon, and the Philadelphia AIDS Walk. Your audience is constantly moving. You get people popping out of the crowd to take pics with you, you have people walking by—like in the case of the Marathon—taking pictures and video and dancing in the street with you, bringing you stuff from the bodega on the corner where we were.
We performed right in front of it, and we saw all kinds of people. It was amazing. And they were giving us so much positive energy at both events, and that made me perform better. I really like gigs like that.
Isaac: I am interested in knowing if in what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
ThaGataNegrra: I'm a native of Newark NJ, and I was raised on hip-hop from the source. It came from New York, which is like, fifteen minutes from me. So, I tend to be a bit biased sometimes about how it really is. The most common misconception is that rap is commercial hip-hop, and hip-hop is pure, underground “real shxt”. The reality is, hip-hop= culture, rap=message, emcee=messenger. It turned out to be my weapon of choice as far as creating. I'm not that great of a singer, so I chose rhyming, never looked back. I've just always been different, influenced by so many different kinds of music, that people don't really get my sound sometimes, and just dismiss it. That can really be frustrating.
Isaac: I am interested in knowing if in what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
ThaGataNegrra: I'm a native of Newark NJ, and I was raised on hip-hop from the source. It came from New York, which is like, fifteen minutes from me. So, I tend to be a bit biased sometimes about how it really is. The most common misconception is that rap is commercial hip-hop, and hip-hop is pure, underground “real shxt”. The reality is, hip-hop= culture, rap=message, emcee=messenger. It turned out to be my weapon of choice as far as creating. I'm not that great of a singer, so I chose rhyming, never looked back. I've just always been different, influenced by so many different kinds of music, that people don't really get my sound sometimes, and just dismiss it. That can really be frustrating.
ThaGataNegrra
Photo by
Candylust Photography
I don't know that living where I do had much influence on what music I prefer. Most people think I grew up in the suburbs, when I've lived in Newark most of my life. I like nearly everything except country music. Perhaps that's due to my parents, I dunno. We don't have much of a music scene here, except for venues that play house music, and the sporadic bar that might have a rock band come in. I'm hoping that this will change someday. Perhaps I'll have a hand in that.
Isaac: What can you tell our publication about the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about the whole process?
ThaGataNegrra: The last few things I wrote were a few verses I was to perform on someone else's song, and an extension of an interlude off my CD. My process is to play the track over and over and just let the words come. I'll tweak it here and there to make sure it falls on the beat right, and make sure it's as I want it—as it sounds in my head. Sometimes it doesn't take long for me to write a song; I've been known to write one in a half an hour, and it's a solid song.
Isaac: If you knew that you would never gain fame and fortune with what you are doing now, would you continue to make music? Explain.
ThaGataNegrra: I honestly don't think I have much of a choice, as it's in my blood. My father was a frontman for two bands, he toured the world. He used to do stuff with George Clinton. He still writes music now. I don't think I would be able to stop writing and performing if I wanted to. There have been times I just wanted to stop because it seemed nobody cared, I wasn't making money, any number of deterrents... but I never could. It's just in me. If I never “make it”, I still will be in the studio anyway.
Isaac: Do you have a strong support system with your family and friends? How have your family and friends help you emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc. with your music?
ThaGataNegrra: My boyfriend is both the hypeman (when my brother isn't doing it) and one of the dancers for me. My father and stepmother are the label, my brother is the producer, so it's a family outfit. My kids think their mami rocks, no matter what she does, for some reason, so they are my biggest supporters. They all do their parts to help me keep going. I can bounce ideas off both my boyfriend and my brother; they will give me feedback, and sometimes some ideas of their own. It's great.
Isaac: As you continue your own path for making music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?
ThaGataNegrra: I don't listen to the radio as much as I used to anymore, I admit it. I get exposed to newer music through my boyfriend, mainly, because he does parties, or I might hear something in a commercial and go, “What is that?” I'm not really impressed with some of the stuff out there in the mainstream, but there are a few things I like.
Isaac: As far as your influences, what would you say are the musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener?
ThaGataNegrra: I'm an eighties girl. I'm a rock chyck, and I love new wave and golden-era hip-hop. I mainly listen to rock and electronica, I have a bunch of that on my mp3 player. The music on it is all over the place with songs from 70s, 80s, 90s...
Isaac: What is the best site/s that you can be found on the Internet?
I don't know that living where I do had much influence on what music I prefer. Most people think I grew up in the suburbs, when I've lived in Newark most of my life. I like nearly everything except country music. Perhaps that's due to my parents, I dunno. We don't have much of a music scene here, except for venues that play house music, and the sporadic bar that might have a rock band come in. I'm hoping that this will change someday. Perhaps I'll have a hand in that.
Isaac: What can you tell our publication about the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about the whole process?
ThaGataNegrra: The last few things I wrote were a few verses I was to perform on someone else's song, and an extension of an interlude off my CD. My process is to play the track over and over and just let the words come. I'll tweak it here and there to make sure it falls on the beat right, and make sure it's as I want it—as it sounds in my head. Sometimes it doesn't take long for me to write a song; I've been known to write one in a half an hour, and it's a solid song.
Isaac: If you knew that you would never gain fame and fortune with what you are doing now, would you continue to make music? Explain.
ThaGataNegrra: I honestly don't think I have much of a choice, as it's in my blood. My father was a frontman for two bands, he toured the world. He used to do stuff with George Clinton. He still writes music now. I don't think I would be able to stop writing and performing if I wanted to. There have been times I just wanted to stop because it seemed nobody cared, I wasn't making money, any number of deterrents... but I never could. It's just in me. If I never “make it”, I still will be in the studio anyway.
Isaac: Do you have a strong support system with your family and friends? How have your family and friends help you emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc. with your music?
ThaGataNegrra: My boyfriend is both the hypeman (when my brother isn't doing it) and one of the dancers for me. My father and stepmother are the label, my brother is the producer, so it's a family outfit. My kids think their mami rocks, no matter what she does, for some reason, so they are my biggest supporters. They all do their parts to help me keep going. I can bounce ideas off both my boyfriend and my brother; they will give me feedback, and sometimes some ideas of their own. It's great.
Isaac: As you continue your own path for making music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?
ThaGataNegrra: I don't listen to the radio as much as I used to anymore, I admit it. I get exposed to newer music through my boyfriend, mainly, because he does parties, or I might hear something in a commercial and go, “What is that?” I'm not really impressed with some of the stuff out there in the mainstream, but there are a few things I like.
Isaac: As far as your influences, what would you say are the musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener?
ThaGataNegrra: I'm an eighties girl. I'm a rock chyck, and I love new wave and golden-era hip-hop. I mainly listen to rock and electronica, I have a bunch of that on my mp3 player. The music on it is all over the place with songs from 70s, 80s, 90s...
Isaac: What is the best site/s that you can be found on the Internet?
ThaGataNegrra
Photo by Candylust Photography
ThaGataNegrra: My own site, thagatanegrra.net, but you can find me on Facebook (facebook.com/thagatanegrra), Twitter (twitter.com/thagatanegrra), ReverbNation (reverbnation.com/thagatanegrra), Bandcamp (thagatanegrra.bandcamp.com), Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/thagatanegrra), Sonicbids(sonicbids.com/thagatanegrra)...almost anywhere you can find music, I am. I have a YouTube channel for my music (youtube.com/trueoriginalgata), but no official music video yet.
Isaac: The floor is yours; final words…..
ThaGataNegrra: My cd is available on iTunes, CD Baby, Bandcamp, and Amazon.com. Download away— you won't regret it. Keep supporting good indie music!
Posted by Isaac J Davis Junior at Sunday, December 25, 2011 2:19 AM 
Categories: Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
Tags: ThaGataNegrra Tha ORIGINAL GATA
Categories: Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
Tags: ThaGataNegrra Tha ORIGINAL GATA
Hi,
Thanx so much for the interview!
I wanted to clarify something I said in it regarding hip-hop:
Hip-Hop=culture
Rap=element/medium
Emcee/femcee=messenger
Rhyme=message.
Now sometimes people call what we write/recite the ”rap” itself, which is why I said it that way the first time. Some, like me, say ”rhymes”.
Just didn't want to leave it out as an element!
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