Big Up Menace X is one of the most outstanding, inventive, avant-garde producers in Detroit. X combines far-out samples into otherworldly collages and his most recent release THANK GOD! GIANT FROM THE X TELEPATHIC GOTHIKA ISSUE #5 is a sonic gem. We spoke to him about his music, visuals, life, and more. Enjoy!
Remove Records: Thanks for doing this interview. Can you start by telling us how you got started making music?
Big Up Menace X: Yo Of course man I wanna say thank you, I appreciate the opportunity most definitely, I'm forevermore grateful for another blessed day to even do this. The Arts have always been in the midst in my life for generations now and I'm just trying to pave the way for next to fully break the chain. I started off doing talent shows at a really young age doing whatever I could think of. Poetry, dancing, choreographaping my lil homies to do steps on stage for black history month and going to see plays like the nut cracker and others at Operaland in Detroit especially during like 2008-9. I went to this church during 3rd grade summer and they needed a band member so I would play keys sloppily hear and there at like 8 years old, I couldn't keep up yet but they gave me a chance. Around this same time my great grandmother gifted the family with her trusty ole windows 95 with the big a** motherboard and sh**. We utilized that thing to the dirt lol...This is when I came up on a bootleg virus ripped version of FL studio 7, it had so many popups it would overheat because of me.. That was the true beginning. I had the name "Dusty Machupa aka Voyager 13" At Around 13 my great aunt Dee Dee McNeil who is a excellent performer.. Quincy Jones even named her one of the "Godmothers of hip hop" in his Autobiography..She wrote music for The likes of Rita Marley, And many well known Motown Artist had gifted me a piece of her record collection of like 1200 rare Lps and like 1500 7 inches it was a ultimate blessing.. it took me a few years before I got the equipment to hear what I had but it made me appreciate the blessings and learn discipline and patience beyond..
Can you tell us about the name Big Up Menace X and how you came up with it?
Ever Since I was younger I was infatuated with the Rastafarian culture and used to go by "Rasta J" in 4th grade listening to Eek a mouse and Damian Marley holding slim Jim's in my hand like it was spliffs and the London Drum and Bass/ Graffiti scene listening to Kemisty and Storm and watching European films like trainspotting, La Hein, 28 Days later, and shows like skins in middle school etc. I started to sneak out at like 4 in the morning during the brutal cold winters cathcing the city bus to go tag in some sketchy areas in the hood around 2016 right after I dropped out of high school...i was depressed smoking 5 dollar pinched laced bags and shaved my head bald after being exiled by my old group of friends as "Big Up Soundbwoy" Then once I started to embrace my pain and sorrow with a much more in depth inner analysis a year or two later I switched it to Big Up Menace X, the x comes from me being raised in the nation of Islam as a child and my influence from the twilight zone of the unknown.
What kind of music have you been listening to lately?
Honestly I've been listening to life as cliche as that sounds, I catch rhythms of everyday sounds and that's been my thing as of lately. I enjoy the overall sensory aspect of films and the scores. I've been digging deep in my vinyl/tape/film archive for my whole life.
Your albums have a really unique sound, what is your goal with creating a song or an album?
Thanks, Overall I only work on full length projects and that included the project of living and learning in life incorporated into the sounds. I just want my life ultimately captured in such a precise way that it cant be emulated because its literally auditory scenes from my life. I've been forced to be a guide of sorts to show the way from the darkness to the light in a barebone no filter kind of way so you can see that we all have been through hell to get to heaven even if its uncomfortable at times, majority of the time its uncomfortable to me because I have to dig up the past pains to the light to create what I do. I Just want people to realize their potential seeing how I'm trying to make something of myself despite the abyss of life I've been put through and let them know we are all the same in this story of life and can achieve anything if we put in the overtime of understanding thyself, and constantly putting in that blood sweat and tears one hundred fold......
Who are some of your influences when it comes to visuals/film?
I've always been inspired by my father who is a videographer and we would go shoot short films all the time and have father son time in the past and create precious memories through film and pictures.In the past year one of the loves of my life really encouraged me to step it up a notch farther and helped me shoot the last couple shorts in the midst of what we were going through and I'm grateful for her because me and her captured history.. Wong Kar Wai is one of my favorite directors including Hype William's distinctive film style, also Quentin Tarantino script writing. I grew up watching alot VHS tapes like rare Wrestlemania and gritty 80s horror flicks. Watching black and white cowboy flicks and black explotation films with my grandparents were a ultimate one too. I soaked in so much that's its impossible to put it all in one paragraph lol.. Also alot of weird Japanese b movies on VHS was a thing I use to enjoy as a child but it use to give me the creeps of how the shots would look which made me pulled in even more. I was exposed to alot of adult films as a child and I'm blessed to have that as a reflection on my film works now.
Who is one artist/musician/band you'd like to collaborate with?
Honestly I've came to the realization that majority of your heroes aren't heroes but moreso villains. So I'm just tryna prove a point of that I can be the person I used to look up to in my own way so I cant even put a name to it. But if they notice the influence they know who they are.
What are you working on now?
Well I just released Artifical Emotions TELEPATHIC GOTHIKA ISSUE#4 which has been on hold for 3 years now.I also just dropped Thank God! Giant from The X TELEPATHIC GOTHIKA ISSUE#5 and that's been my life the past 8 months but the next project is already halfway done so expect the unexpected sooner than later.
How do you feel about the future of art/music?
I feel like the future is only a reflection of the past so I feel like alot of ideas are recycled remnants of past influences with a modern twist. NEW WORLD ORCHESTRA IS THE FUTURE alongside many other up and coming heavy hitters that I feel like they just need to believe in themselves. The future is neverending I'm just excited to see people pour their hearts out in a original way.. Peace and Blessings to all!!!!!! Wanna thank everyone who helped me along the way also!! You all are capable of unlocking your true potential if you believe!!!