Termanology is dropping his much anticipated debut album "Politics As Usual" on September 30th. Production will come from legends such as DJ Premier, Easy Mo Bee, Pete Rock, Havoc, Large Professor and highly-regarded newcomers such as Nottz.

Guests will include Bun B, Freeway, Sheek Louch and more!

As you can see, the album is shaping up to be a modern-day classic.

Term hooked up with raptalk to discuss everything possible regarding the album, what it's like to work with DJ Premier, the state of lyricism in rap right now and a lot more!

enjoy. 

Q: We’re here with Termanology; start us off by letting us know how you’re doing?

I’m doing great, feeling like a million bucks.

Q: The album “Politics As Usual” is dropping September 30^th. Explain to us how you came up with the title and the meaning behind it?

I had a mixtape series previous to this album called “Politicking in the Hood” or “Hood Politics” and I just wanted to keep the theme going and I felt like “Politics As Usual” achieves that. The expression of the title comes from the Jay-Z song.

Q: How would you describe the overall sound of the album?

It’s grimy, but has its happy moments. It took two years for me to make the album so it has a lot of different moods on there. It has happy Term, sad Term, mad Term; every kind of Term on there. It’s up and down but it’s definitely a serious album.

Q: Tell us about some of those moods you went through over the last two years.

“Watch How It Go Down” was my first song with (DJ) Premier so I knew I had to smash it. I wanted to say something positive on it instead of just babbling on it. I went that route and people love that record. The next one was “So Amazing” with Premier also and I was a little happier because I was starting to get more props. That’s why “So Amazing” is more about celebrating and me being dope and shit.

Then I did the record with Pete Rock entitled “We Killin’ Ourself” and it’s more of a solo type record. It’s kind of sad and it’s real. It’s about two tales with one being about the youth growing up in single parent homes and what not. The second verse is about this dude who gets with this girl. They have sex with each other without getting checked. Both of them get Aids and they don’t know who to blame because neither of them got checked.  I try to get deep on it like that.

I did a track with Prodigy from Mobb Deep, I called it “Hood Shit.” I wanted to keep it real; authentic, classic Mobb Deep, some hood shit. Alchemist did the beat. There are different moods on the album with some of the tracks.

Q: Sounds like you have some deep records on the album.

I got this other one called “Sorry I Lied to You” that Large Professor did. It sounds like some Illmatic type shit. That one is for the fans; I’m apologizing to the fans that have been waiting for a long time. It’s kind of like sorry, but this is the reason why; got a little bit into my personal life.

Q: Thus far you’ve mentioned having DJ Premier and Large Professor producing on the album. Who else handles the production on the project?

It’s Pete Rock, Buck Wild, Hi-Tek, Nottz, Havoc and Easy Mo Bee did the intro. As soon as you hear the intro, you’ll just feel like boom “oh shit, this is some Biggie shit” you feel me? It’s some crafty shit.

It’s ill to get the same producers from Reasonable Doubt, Ready to Die and Illmatic; to have them on my first album, that’s great.

Q: It sounds like the producers you decided to work with on this album were carefully chosen. Tell us about that.

It was a tough thing. There were a lot of other people I wanted to work with that I knew I could have got beats from but I just had to kind of fall back and tell them will work soon. It was people that are bigger than me so in a way it kind of sucked because I was being so picky; but I had a vision and I stuck with it – at the end of the day, I am happy I did what I did and chose them like that.

Q: What’s it like working with Premier?

He’s the best, he’s great. There’s nobody like him. He knows how to mix his records the way he wants them to be. He can help even the wackest rapper sound like the illest rapper, you know what I mean? That’s just by the way he records, he’s just ill. He definitely helps the rapper. Some engineers don’t help the rappers; they either do nothing to help at all or they hurt him by making them sound wack with wack punches and shit. Premier just makes you sound great.

Q: How did he help you on the records you did with him?

Just the way that he pieces shit together. He’s very strategic with his records. He’ll have you do it over forty times where-as my engineer at my studio is like “what you think Term, is good?” if I say it’s good, it’s a go. With Premier, it’s what he thinks also. He’s been in there with the best of them. Biggie several times, Jay-Z several times, Nas, the list goes on and on. I think he knows what he’s talking about so I listen to him.

Q: It’s good that when you work with Premier, you can take the back seat and let him be the mentor.

Yeah, that’s the point of working with him. I meet so many people who tell me “I’d love to do a record with Premier.” I am definitely blessed; I have about seven records with him.

Q: He has three tracks on the album. Did the two of you record anything else that didn’t make the cut? And if so, what are the chances we will still get to hear those?

Nope, anything that we did for the album we kept accept for the “Watch How It Go Down” Remix. I was initially going to put that on the album, but it had Lil Fame and Papoose on it and they both killed it; but the thing was I already had another record on the album with Lil Fame called “In the Streets” produced by Hi-Tek and I decided to keep that one on the album.

I also did another joint a few weeks ago with Big Suge for his album and it’s called “My Boston.” We also did another record called “Play It” the remix, with Royce Da 5’9, Big Suge and Singapore Cane also. Static did the intro, Premier did the talking on it and I rhymed on it.

I have collaborated with Premier about nine times now, it feels great – he’s ill and brings the best out in people.

Q: What type of guest appearances can we expect to hear on the album besides Lil Fame?

We have Bun B on the lead off single which is called “How We Rock.” I also have a song with Sheek Louch from The Lox and Freeway, and that’s produced by Nottz, the track is called “Drums, Crimes and Gorillas.” It’s just real grimy; I did it for my hood cats. I got another joint on there with Prodigy from Mobb Deep. That’s it; I got five people on there.

Q: What made you decide to get Bun B on the single? What did you learn from being in the studio with him?

Bun is just the greatest dude of all time. He’s such a legend and such a real dude. On top of that, I love him as a rapper and as a MC. He hit up Premier and told him that he wanted to work with me; I obviously wanted to work with him. I called him back and we started chopping it up. We chilled at his birthday party out in Houston. I and my whole crew went out there to see him and what not. He showed us nothing but love. We kicked it out there.

It wasn’t like “oh we got a Bun B song, let’s make it the single.” We just happened to the song and love it, so we decided to put this one out first and see how it goes.

Q: Just because it seems that you picked the records out for this album so carefully, what was it specifically about “How We Rock” that made you decide to make it the single?

Just the feeling it had; the fact that I was saying “this is how we rock” and then Bun B was saying it “this is how we rock.” We were saying that together, it just felt like some Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC type shit, real classic DJ’ing at it’s finest with two rappers going back to back like that, just some dope shit; some Red and Meth type, real EPMD style shit.

I feel like that style is pretty much dead in hip-hop. I wanted to come different; I didn’t want to put out some regular T-Pain shit.

Q: I was just about to say that record has an old school feel to it.

I know putting it out would be against all odds and I’d pretty much be on some outcast shit trying to do that and not Outkast the rap group. I’m not trying to change radio because I know radio won’t change for me. I just did me. If you like it, you’ll play it – if you don’t whatever.

Q: Well it sounds like its working; the album has a nice buzz.

Word, thank you.

Q: No problem. What do you hope to achieve with the album?

I just want people to know that real hip-hop is still here. A lot of people are doubting it. Just open up your fucking ears and your eyes and look around. You’ll see Joell Ortiz around, Termanology around, The Squad, DJ Premier, there’s a lot of us out here – Lil Fame, MOP, Bun B, Sheek Louch, all of us; we’re rocking. Hip-hop is alive baby.

Q: You just have to look a little further.

I’m real happy. I’m happy to bring back Easy Mo Bee on this album and Pete Rock, Premier and just come out with them. This is what hip-hop is supposed to sound like, remember?

Q: And what was it like working with Easy Mo Bee?

It was great, Easy Mo Bee is that dude. He came over to my crib, he drove over. He brought like 18,000 beats with him and let me pick about eight-teen beats. I picked that one beat. We did a few other joints, about three of his for the album. They actually never made the album for one reason or another; I never finished them or whatever. I really wanted to get him on the album. It came to the point where the album was almost done and I didn’t have the intro yet – I went back and found that beat and I remembered that. I put that beat, put the lyrics to it and it worked; perfect way to start the album.

Q: Do you have a favorite track on the album?

My favorite track on the album is “Float” produced by Nottz. It’s just about me relaxing, kicking back and smoking an L and just chilling, I don’t really get to chill a lot, I’m a very busy individual. When I get to relax and just kick back and float; that’s why it’s my favorite track on the album.

Q: Sounds like it has a more laid back vibe to it.

Yeah, it’s just some chill shit. A lot of the time I’m on some crazy record, wiling shit because maybe that’s how I feel that day; but most of the time I just like to float through life.

Q: How would you say this album differs from most of the albums coming out right now?

The beats and the lyrics. I can’t think of the last person that had this many good rhymes in a row; like actually mind blowing crazy rhymes. I’m a hip-hop fan, I buy everybody’s shit. I know nobody else has beats like this. I can say that, because you can’t show me the album. You’ll have to go back to the 1990’s.

Q: as an artist that clearly takes pride in his lyrics, how do you feel about the current trend that is seeing beats become more important than what the artist is saying?

That’s what it is. Even back in the day we had some hip-hop dances. MC Hammer was big and all that shit. It’s still around today. I don’t hate on that. I’m underground, we do it dirty, we do it raw; we keep it hardcore with the lyrics. That’s just the way we do it.

Q: as a part two to that question, would you ever consider changing your style to break into the mainstream?

It’s cool to have fun and dumb it down; I like a lot of 50 cent shit and stuff like that. It’s fun to me because I do a lot of records that people don’t hear. For this particular album, I wanted to keep it super raw because I know that’s what my fans wanted to hear. If I ever did some commercial shit, it wouldn’t be some sellout, corny poppy shit. It would be some hardcore shit with somebody like Timbaland or Swizz Beats; that would be my radio record; I’d be down to do some shit like that, Dr. Dre or something like that. Besides that, I just keep it raw.

Q: Who are your favorite politically and socially conscious MC’s and why?

Nas right now; I think he has the best album right now. I just listened to that shit, which is amazing. I love everything he had to say on that. I love that “Black President” song, that shit is real hot. His other joint as well, “We’re not alone.”

I like Lil fame a lot too; a lot of people just think MOP is yelling, they don’t listen to the words. If you listen, they’re really saying some real shit. Lil Fame is really slept on.

I like Papoose a lot. I think he’s saying some real shit with that “Law Library” series he has; the alphabet song and what not.

I can’t front, I listen to a lot of my own shit mostly because I am trying to create new tracks and keep working; I am always in work mode.

Q: Would you say listening to yourself motivates yourself to create new records?

For sure, I listen to it and if I don’t like it, I scrap it – if I do like it, I keep it out and put it out for the people. Then it gets old after a month and you have to make a new one. If you never put shit out and you’re just happy and content with having ten songs out, that’s where you’re going to be stuck at.  That’s not what we do over here; we put out a lot of music.

Q: The album is entitled “Politics As Usual.” What are your thoughts on the current presidential race? Are you following it at all? If so, how do you support and why?

I’m definitely an Obama supporter all the way. I’m into politics a lot. I think at the end of the day there going to try and do some shady shit to Obama, it’s pretty obvious. They always do some grimy shit. I think he has a really good chance. The people are ready for a change. Hopefully he can get into office and help out some food back in our stomachs. The economy was a lot better when Clinton was in and it changed after; we have one person to blame for that and will leave it at that.

Q: So as a citizen, you will exercise your right to vote?

Oh yeah, definitely. I voted in the last one too. I get it in. I went to meet John Kelly, I voted for him. I took a picture with him and shook his hand. I listened to what he had to say. A few months back I went and met Hilary (Clinton) with my mother, we checked it out, listened to what she had to say. I pretty much keep it to myself. I don’t spread the word all day because people get tired of it. They don’t really care unless it’s directly in their face. I’ll be voting for Obama.

Q: How important do you think it is for hip-hop to shed light on some political issues?

It’s very important. That’s why I feel like we need more artists like that. Bun B had a joint on his album where he was talking to a priest, then a politician and then a cop. He was kind of questioning them, like alright it’s my turn to question y’all. I liked that, I thought it was a dope concept. I feel like it opens people’s eyes a little bit.

Q: Yeah, I believe that was the “Get Cha Issue” track.

(Laughs) I don’t remember the name of it, but that shit was hot.

Q: yes sir. Do you already have a concept in mind for the next album?

Nah, the next album I’m doing is with myself and Lil Fame. He’s doing all the beats, Fizzy Womack. He’s doing all the beats and I’m doing all the lyrics. It’s on some Gang Starr type shit. We started that about a year ago, two years ago or whatever when we met and did the “Watch How It Go Down” remix.  He gave me a bunch of beats and we started working on an album. We had to put it on the back burner because we both needed to do our solo albums which are both about to come out; then we going to hit them up with the collabo joint.

Q: To early for a release date?

I would hope for around January 2009. Let this album ride out for the rest of the year, and then around January/February 2009 we drop that one. Will see, no definite on that.

Q: Do you have any last words for the fans before I let you go?

Thanks to all the fans for buying all my shit on Itunes. If you stole it, whatever, that’s cool too; just keeping bumping my music. Stick with me; we’re going to do it.

Q: I appreciate your time a whole lot Term.

Thanks a lot man.

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