Getting Down to the Deep Foundation

With the release of their debut album, The First Draft, Deep Foundation is heating up stages across the US. I had a chance to catch up to them recently at the Asian Hip Hop Summit's AM Classic Hip Hop Showcase in N.Y.C.'s Public Assembly. ILL Poetik, MUG Shot, Proseed, and CJ spoke about the history, the inspirations, and the future of Deep Foundation.



How did you get started?

It started with us knowing each other from back in the day but we all started writing at the same time. Pros and I met and we started the whole writing thing around the same time. He met CJ and everybody else in the group and they were going out with friends from Queens and they were like 'Hey MUG Shot is dope and they were going to freestyle with us and we asked them to join our group. They lived in Jersey so it was friends first and became better friends and we started shows, college shows in New Jersey and became more serious.

Are going to stay in the area like New York and New Jersey or plan to branch out?

We've done stuff in Boston, Mid-Atlantic, and once our album comes out we will try to go back to the Mid-Atlantic and California, Southern California to the [San Francisco] Bay.

Are you doing more shows with other artists such as the AM Classic or your own shows?

We do both. Sometimes we put together our own show and someone will contact us to do an event or a showcase. We perform for colleges. Whatever represents us or we represent we want to be part of it. We don't do a show for the sake of doing a show and we want to be part of it.

Do you have any influences?

Each individual has his own influences. Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang Clan, Biggie. Definitely Jay-Z has to be part of it, Mobb Deep, like the early 90's hip hop, Black Star. But we don't limit ourselves to underground or mainstream. Any dope hip hop is dope hip hop. Common, and Jay-Z like we said. Public. DMX. The first album was crazy!

Usually when I say influences I mean lyrics but do you have any influences for showmanship such as when Snoop Dogg hits the stage he takes over. Do you like any artist's style on stage?

It has to be high energy groups I would think because that's the type of hip hop we love. You'll be a stranger to their music or never heard of them but the moment they take the stage it's crazy, energized, it's infectious. Wu Tang, definitely Busta [Rhymes], cats with high energy. In terms of stage presence it has to be like those dudes. The Roots too. They always give audiences something new like a new remix of one of their songs.

What's your plans after the AM Classic?

We have an album set to come out in early October called The First Draft. Basically the story behind it is a lot of our songs have a lot of storytelling elements to it. It's like the whole c.d. is a book and since this is our first album it's the first draft of our story. It's supposed to come out early to mid-October. After that we are going to try to do a Mid-Atlantic tour and then the Cali tour to promote it. It features artists like Geologic and Bamboo. Some of those cool cats of the West Coast. Also has Hydroponikz, Kiwi and Illmind. We're trying to showcase talent of all kinds but especially Filipino, Asian-American.

Any recording contract in the works?

We're just rapping now. I think everyone would love to experience that but at the same time it's still fun because there's no one telling you what to do. It's all about you and exactly how you want it. It's also a learning experience. We've never done this before on this level, this professional level so we're learning every step of the way.

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Non-T.W. images are courtesy of Michael Violago from his Deep Foundation Album Release Party Album. The First Draft is on sale now and can be purchased by visiting the D.F. MySpace: www.myspace.com/deepfoundation

Queen Comedienne of ChiTown

Leah Eva has hopscotched the world from the Philippines to San Francisco and has recently settled down in Chicago where she has claimed the title of only successful Asian comic in Chi Town. I had the pleasure to interview her before her performance in the Shine For Our People event, which raised money for Typhoon Frank victims.

The stereotypical class clown in high school, Leah's family encouraged her with dance and joke requests.

My aunties and my uncles said 'go dance Leah!' and I'd start dancing and I'm like 'Ok! Ok! Here I am dancing!'. I was trying to figure out if I should try stand-up and I tried it and got up on stage and did stand-up and got hooked on it. If I don't do stand-up I get really sad. I have to get on stage. I have to get on stage.

What type of humor do you do? Regular jokes? Physical humor? One liners?

My stuff is really interesting. It's different. I do a lot of racially related, charged issues. At the same time I do a little out there, surreal; Cause one of my favorite comics, Nick Shepherd, Steven Wright, Dave Chapelle, Paul Mooney, Richard Pryor, Wendy Liebman, and all these other great comics it's just great. I just do what I think is funny and just trying to find my own voice. I do the ethnic jokes but I do everything.

Who are your biggest influences?

I can't really say one, two, three, or whoever but Richard Pryor, I love Richard Pryor. But there is so many great comediennes out there, like Robert Hawkins and my friends are all so funny!

So you did a show with Chris Rock?

I did! I did! It was awesome! I was at Stand Up NY and I thought I had dropped off. Chris Rock is working on his material. And I thought that was awesome because hey you don't get to see Chris Rock everyday. I'm like 'dude I'll stay here and hang out!' and the manager basically said, 'Ok here it is. You get to do it after Chris Rock performs. Here's the catch. You suck you'll never get to perform at this club ever again but if you do well every time you come to New York you'll always get a set.' So I was all scared! I was like 'Oh man! What am I going to do!? How do I do this!?' I work so hard doing comedy and finally the time has come to prove myself and you know being a female comic I have to work harder, try harder because they think women aren't funny. I just have to do it and I got up there and I did it! And I was like 'WOOOOO!'

Recently the most profiled woman comic has been Margaret Cho. Do you feel you're on the level with her?

Well we're completely different and I don't feel I am above anyone. The way I look at it, if you're a comic you're just as good as anyone else. You're a peer. I think she's great because other female Asian comics are out there now doing comedy that she started for us and she started out in San Francisco so it's cool.

Oddly besides Margaret Cho I've not known Asian comediennes

Well that's me! The only one in Chicago! When I was in San Francisco I just felt like I needed to go somewhere because I didn't feel I was growing enough so I moved to Chicago.

Are you finding big differences between the audience reactions between the cities?

Yes absolutely. Certain jokes you can only do in Chicago, certain jokes you can only do in San Francisco, and there's like small towns where I perform, seems like they like a lot of dirty jokes, which is good cause I like them too. New York City, a very liberal city, so it depends on where you are and you have to read your audience. And if you're not doing, you're just sucking, and eating shit on stage you go, just get off the stage and it's not you're night. It's just any other job. You have good nights and you have bad nights.

Do you find it hard to switch out jokes depending on the city you're in?

Sometimes I forget 'Oh gosh I forgot to do the joke about the XBox or oh man about the porn star, and about the condoms.' and I'm still developing and working out material.

After Chris Rock, is there any other person you'd want to work with?

I'd love to work with Dave Chapelle. Robert Hawkins, I'd like to work with him, and just do shows with friends. It would be so much funner! We started out together at an open mic, a little place and all the people that started out there are touring now and doing really good.

Do you have more plans in New York before you go back to Chicago?

I hope to do more shows and I'm just here to network with other comics, hope to get more gigs, and come back here in maybe a few months and do more sets. I'm basically enjoying myself. If there's another set I'll do it! Wherever there's a place to perform.

How has touring around the US been?

It's like me, this Italian comic, and this black comic. I opened up for them on the road. We went to this gas station and I went 'Dad! and dad! You are like so awesome! I'm so happy you adopted me!' and just stuff like that. I've been on the road with them and it's like by the time you get home there's not a lot of money in your pocket but you had such a great time going in this little town. They treat you like a celebrity, like rock stars. Like they hug you and everything and ask you for an autograph and I'm like "oh my god! this is so great! It's cool!' It's just the opportunity to travel the US. I want to go to Iraq and perform for the soldiers. Some people don't want to go to Iraq. I'm like 'take me!' and I'll perform.

How has the media been with your performances?

I did Last Comic Standing but that made me look bad. I did MTV and that was a good experience. I was a finalist at this black comedy competition in California. I'm not black but wherever there is a stage I'd like to get the opportunity to perform. But there's been times where, you can't call yourself a real comic until you get booed or eaten shit on stage. I was doing a show at U.C. Berkley and I had to follow a big rap group and I was like 'oh no' and no one was listening to me and I did it and it was painful but after the show I went to see Dave Chapelle so it was good!

(Conversation went into a whole explanation of how to get legal weed and other fun stuff in San Francisco. Plans of flying there with Leah and her cousin are in the works!)

Do you have any plans for a dvd or cd?

I actually have one out. A documentary about stand-up comediennes in San Francisco. They followed me around to open mics and different shows.

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