We may already be a few weeks into the new year but the shitstorm that was 2020 is still having a devastating impact on America. A lot of these issues were covered on Antediluvian King, the album by Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Darkim Be Allah, and producer Endemic Emerald, that dropped in November. We recently spoke to them about that and more.
[The following has been lightly edited for clarity]
Let’s talk about your latest project, last year’s Antediluvian King. Darkim, take us through the concept and theme from the lyrical perspective.
Well Antediluvian means before the flood, so that takes us back to a time when kings were Gods. So on this project you’re definitely getting a lyrical perspective from the point of view of the black man being God of the universe. Everything is brought up to date though. The knowledge and wisdom I’m applying has no birth record. It’s up to date because I’m applying it to what’s going on around us right now. So I’m the Antediluvian King in this day and time on this album.
And Endemic Emerald, tell us how you set about providing the soundtrack for Darkim’s vision.
After the first couple of joints I knew the angle I had to go for sonically. It took a little while to hone in on the specific sound Darkim required, but once we got going I knew the joints he was going to choose. Towards the end when we were finishing up the album I would just bring one beat down to the lab, knowing it would make the cut.
Darkim; People have talked how relevant a lot of Killer Mike and El-P’s lyrics on RTJ4 summed up how shitty 2020 was, but they wrote those songs pre-2020. There’s also a lot of relevance to the events of last year in your writing on Antediluvian King, but again, you wrote this before everything that’s happened. Can you speak on that?
It’s probably because in a lot of ways 2020 was the result of a lot of things getting more and more intense. Meaning it’s been happening all along but last year it was in your face in a bigger way that can’t be ignored. There’s been virus scares every couple of years since the ‘90s. I’ve never been through a pandemic before though. There’s been police violence, but never caught on tape as graphically as in 2020. There’s been civil unrest but we hadn’t seen worldwide revolts like in 2020. So if you’re the type of artist that’s in tune with what’s going on, you’re right on time because humanity as a whole is going through a lot.
You have some heavyweight guest features on the new album with Planet Asia and two joints with Tragedy. How did you choose who would make a good fit for this particular project?
Well first things first those are my brothers so it’s a good fit because it’s natural for us to be able to work together. As far as these particular songs go, I gotta give Endemic most of the credit. He’s been working on a lot of projects for No Cure Records. So there’s all kinds of feature combinations I know people are gonna love. The guest appearances on my album came out of us just being in the studio, doing what we do.
You also produce, and you made the beat, “Twelve Jewelz” on The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel, the second album by one of my favourite groups of all time, Gravediggaz. It’s a RZA solo track, and he gets very deep. Considering how by this point he was already seen as one of hip-hop’s greatest producers, was that intimidating to produce just for him?
Not intimidating. It was definitely an honor then and it still is. I’ve been fortunate enough to have those types of high points in my story. I’ve been blessed to have had the opportunity to work with and earn the respect of a lot of high calibre people in music.
Endemic; I read that you and Darkim recorded a project several years ago that got lost in a dreaded hard drive crash. Was it a complete loss, or might we get to hear what that would have sounded like, one day?
Yeah we still have the demos as .mp3s, but they’re just rough mixes. I think we’ll drop at some point as a free download.
Working on a one emcee/one producer album like Antediluvian King gives you the chance to create a much broader, cohesive sound, rather than a bunch of beats that might get placed on different projects with different artists. Is that how you approach an album like this?
Most definitely. I like to make the tracks with the artist in mind. The overall sound was fleshed out in the early stages. Most of the tracks were produced using samples from ‘70s German progressive rock. I had a dope collection at the time and every new track just flowed out naturally.
Putting together an album in 2020 must have been way tougher than usual. How did being in the pandemic effect the process of making an album, getting it pressed on wax etc, for you?
Not too differently really. There were a few delays in getting in the lab at one point, but after that it was cool. We use a vinyl plant out of London and there were never any delays in the pressings or shipping. What did affect things most was pushing the release date back in hope of the nightlife scene reemerging, so we could throw a release party and set-up shows. That part has been the biggest disappointment as far as I’m concerned.
What’s next for each of you?
[Darkim] Next for me is my King Crush EP, which will be another solo project.
[Endemic] I’m releasing No Cure Records’ first ever released full length, Terminal Illness on vinyl in early 2021. It came out in 2009 but never saw a vinyl release, so I’m hyped for that. Some dope features on here too from the likes of Sean Price (RIP), Planet Asia, Killah Priest and Hell Razah, among others.
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Antediluvian King is out now, and you can get it here. Follow Dakim Be Allah on Twitter and Instrgram. Follow Endemic Emerald on Twitter and Instagram. Interview by Grown Up Rap Editor Ben Pedroche.