Foundationmag.com

For our 8th issue, Mike Cohen got up with T.I. to pen the captivation cover story, “God, Guns & Gangsta Grillz”. Chris Malo caught up with Freeway to talk about his Philly roots, his life now and where his career is headed. Plies schooled Mikey Fresh to the true nature of the rap game. Tony Touch took time between traveling to Holland by way of Puerto Rico to let Andrew McIntosh know about how real DJs move. Blake Avalone and DJ Fine$$e chopped it up about the finer details of crafting R&B mixtapes. Blake also caught up with all the members of Bang Bang Boogie to get the story on the Bronx’s new dream team.

DJ Showtime, Lazy K, Smooth Denali

WORDS: Rob Haney
from Issue 8

It’s a warm afternoon in August and above the press of traffic on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, a new generation is learning how to mix and scratch. In a large room at Scratch DJ Academy, a group of aspiring turntablists is making noise that can only be called organized confusion, but this represents the hope for a whole future of DJs who will possess the skills necessary to keep the art alive. In a culture that is increasingly dependent on technology and gadgetry to perform tasks that otherwise required manual skill, our aim today is to find out if survival of the mixtape DJ is possible, and how that survival can be accomplished without selling out everything that the original DJs stood for… (more…)

Don Cannon - Photo by Hannibal Matthews Photography

WORDS: Rob Haney

from Issue 8

It isn’t easy to get in touch with Don Cannon, even when his assistant sets up the time for you. But then again, this is a guy who has produced records for the cream of today’s rap crop, so it’s probably safe to say he isn’t big timing me, he’s just a busy dude.

When we do get to speak on the phone, it’s after an extended taping at BET and then a delayed flight back down south that circled the destination city for hours before finally landing. Cannon comes through loud and clear with his ideas about production, though. This humble dude who speaks through his music today has come a long way since his early DJing days in West Philly.

He is respectful of those who came before him, citing his favorite producers as Dr. Dre, Pete Rock and DJ Premier. “My whole life is patterned after Pete Rock and Premier, that’s how I learned how to chop samples,” he says. He’s been DJing since age 5, so you would think the transition from vinyl spinner to sample chopper would be pretty natural.

He had to learn the hard way, though. He wasn’t one of the kids whose parents bought him the latest production station, so he’s had his hands on pretty much every piece of gear out there, and had to learn in stages. (more…)