Dudley Perkins Interview by James Smith, April 2009
MVRemix: Its been awhile since your last record, “G&D: The Message Uni Versa” was released. What have you been doing since then?
Dudley Perkins: We’ve been studying ourselves, studying sounds, and thinking of better ways that we can help people. I think we got it now.
MVRemix: I heard that you have a new relationship with Koch. Can you tell me about that?
Dudley Perkins: It’s a solid distribution deal. When we made a deal with them they changed their name, so it’s E1 now. Entertainment 1. We can utilize our records more.
MVRemix: What was the deal with “Astormsacomin?” I see that it’s out now but it was also floating around the internet a few years ago.
Dudley Perkins: Huh?
MVRemix: The record, “Astormsacomin?”
Dudley Perkins: Huh..? Nah, I’m just kidding, man. [laughs] Someone got a hold of it, so I leaked it myself. I was a victim of downloading so then I just became a downloader. Koch is pretty solid, so I think things will be tighter over there.
MVRemix: What about “Someothaship Connect?” I remember that there were ads for that record in early ’08. Is it still coming out?
Dudley Perkins: Yeah. It’s a compilation album with people that we have a good relationship with. People like Flying Lotus, J. Sandz, and other artists. The artwork is done by Tokyo. It should be coming out this year. That’s the record that will begin leading up to the climax which will be the solution to madness. I appreciate you asking me questions about the music, but I’m not really tripping off that now. This planet is going through a major shift right now and people are being destroyed. They need to be healed. Music is a vibration that touches all. I really don’t like Autotunes, to be honest with you. It sounds like it doesn’t have any heart and it’s a deadening sound. People need to realize that you have to be very careful with music. Music can create peace and war. During this whole time, I laid low and watched how this music affected people. A lot of times it keeps people stupid sort of like how the government and religions do. I’ve been studying and learning.
MVRemix: So what made you become more conscious of this? I hate to use that word but…
Dudley Perkins: Georgia is really smart and she studied facts. I went off more on situations. We’ve both done a lot of meditation over the years. We follow music, stay real to ourselves, and keep in tune with truth. Everything affects us, you know? What’s in the food we eat? Why you eat stuff like pork on Sundays? I know how the church do. We have soil and seeds. You can create life, you know? Bodies from Africa need to eat food from Africa. The sounds that we make are all in with meditation. It’s a true art. Remember that your spirit brought you here. Sound…
MVRemix: Yeah, about sound. What exactly do you mean by sound used as a way for healing?
Dudley Perkins: Alright, listen. This is how it goes. I used to go to a Christian church and sometimes I’d be doing my own thing and one of their songs would be in my head. It would resonate. Now picture a song resonating in your head before you do something stupid. Remember that people have to be careful in music.
MVRemix: Right, they used to play drums and blow trumpets when you went to war.
Dudley Perkins: Right and I don’t understand war, especially when people use it in the name of their religion. You have no right to take a life, and what kind of God do you serve to allow that to happen? If you kill others, then you kill yourself. When you think about it you can’t help but feel terrible because I’m no better than they are. We’re talking right now while people are dying over crazy stuff all over the world.
MVRemix: Speaking of war, what about politics? How do you think Obama’s doing?
Dudley Perkins: First off, I really don’t believe in the system and how his slogan was change. He’s just trying to work the system instead of really making change. [singing] If I were president…
…if I were president, I would find more ways to stop wars instead of creating them. I would stop illegal dealings with all the allies, because you know we do have our hands in their pockets. When I try to send these messages through my music, people turn their backs and I like that. It makes me start shouting louder. When they walk away I get even louder. They run away, I get down on my knees and get even louder.
MVRemix: Ok, let me go back into music now. Will you have any new releases coming soon?
Dudley Perkins: Yeah. I got two coming out. “Holy Smokes” is produced entirely by Georgia Anne Muldrow. It’s a lot of songs that fit the vein of Message Uni Versa. The second one is “The Fonk,” produced by Quazadelic. It’s more about respect. It’s going to show how I still get down as a West Coast lyricist.
MVRemix: What about the movie that you were supposed to be doing? I think there’s a clip on Youtube or something.
Dudley Perkins: Oh, the DVD? Yeah, it’s getting tweaked now. It’s about me quitting alcohol. You really need to get stuff like that out of your system. I haven’t had a drink in 3 or 4 years, plus I don’t eat the blood of animals or the life of animals. It’ll be out on E1.
MVRemix: Who are your major influences?
Dudley Perkins: Really that knowing of a creative spark. But with fonk, you know it’s gotta be George Clinton.
MVRemix: Are there any new projects coming?
Dudley Perkins: Yeah. Georgia has Ms. One coming out May 19th. Her mother Mrs. Rickie Byars Beckwith has “Supreme Inspiration” coming out shortly after that. I’ll have “Holy Smokes” which should be out by Juneteenth and Quazedelic’s album, “The Arrival (2012 AU” should be out shortly after. Going back to Georgia, she’s really doing a lot. You know a lot of people are biting off what she did on Olesi?
MVRemix: Yeah. I remember you said something about that on your Myspace page.
Dudley Perkins: That album was made in a sad point in her life. Why would you want to take something from a sad spirit?
MVRemix: Yeah, the album was like walking in on someone praying or something.
Dudley Perkins: Exactly.
MVRemix: Is there anyone that you would like to work with?
Dudley Perkins: I don’t trip, really. The little media I get kind of takes shots at me so people are scared. We’re carrying a new sound anyway but we need to bring a new level around. We’ve got crazy potential, trust me. I been walking the walk.
MVRemix: What have you been listening to? What’s in Dudley Perkins’ i-Pod or disc changer?
Dudley Perkins: I been listening to a lot of The Commodores, Richard Pryor’s Bicentennial Negro…you know he was funny. A lot of Georgia’s beats. I really don’t listen to too much rap these days.
MVRemix: Yeah, I know what you mean. Me and a friend were just talking about that.
Dudley Perkins: Yeah man, the spirit is missing. That spirit of when you hear something the first time and it hits you? That’s gone. KRS-One still captures that and a few other people but it’s almost out of here. BET plays nothing but buffoonery. Brothers need to wake up! Put that in there. Take the diamonds out, stop eating pork, and look at the packaging on your food. If it’s always pushed on you, that means they’re forcing it on you and it’s not good for you. That spirit of being innocent is gone. It doesn’t matter who is in the White House. You ever notice how most of the flags that are going through major turmoil and problems are red, black, and green? What does that say? They don’t want us here. There’s a major shift going on.
MVRemix: Like how you mean with 2012?
Dudley Perkins: Man, we’re waking up and using everything we need. People use that alien crap as a scare tactic. We are trying to use everything for truth. When all is done, the weapons will be put down. It’s stupid to kill people of your own. The military needs to wake up. Everybody in the military should not have a Bible with them if they are going to keep on fighting. Put that in there.
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