Blitz The Ambassador - What It Is

Interview by: Quinton Hatfield

Born and raised in the African country of Ghana is Blitz The Ambassador. After living in the rich continent for quite some time Blitz went on and moved to the U.S. for his own personal reasons. Heavily influenced by hip-hop pioneers such as Chuck D, Rakim, KRS-ONE, and the later generation with Mos Def, Common, Talib Kweli, the Ambassador definitely knows his history. Being from Africa Blitz is very aware of the struggle and has no problem at all telling about it, keeping it real as he calls it “Rebel Music”. Now you get to meet the man behind the music as he definitely has a story to tell. On his own grind doing the independent game Blitz is making a name in the hip-hop underground as he gives you two blends of music from two continents to make one unique hip-hop sound. That is very creative and that’s what happens when you’re the Ambassador so see what this one is all about giving you that straight-up rebel music.

Blitz The Ambassador quote

Nobodysmiling.com : Tell fans the meaning behind Blitz the Ambassador?

Blitz : Blitz The Ambassador is what I represent, I represent rebel hip-hop and that’s what my music is about bringing the whole world together. I look at myself as the ambassador for hip-hop. That’s where I get the ambassador from, Blitz is just that unexpected attack and I don’t think anybody is remotely ready for what I’m bringing with my new project so that’s Blitz The Ambassador for you.

Nobodysmiling.com : Why you chose to make the rebel type of hip-hop you have?

Blitz : My thing with hip-hop just like anybody else is to use it for my own good. I don’t think anybody in their right mind is gonna use any tool to destroy their self. For me the music that I make is specifically freeing my mind and minds like me. I won’t necessarily categorize it as rebel music it’s just music that I feel people like me can use. In these days where it’s so much little information and so not willing to go against the grain. If anything that’s what my music does is that it goes against the grain.

Nobodysmiling.com : Last time we talked you coming from Africa to the United States can you explain that again?

Blitz : Of course I’m born and originally from Ghana. Hip-hop music have always been around me and I’ve always been around it. It helps me talk about issues on the continent or out here in Brooklyn, out in the west coast ever. I’ve been to Europe a couple times so I’ve seen the world for what it is. One thing that unites us all is the fact that we all humans and at the end of the day we all looking for a day out of this. My backround is what helps me write the kind of music I write. I seen struggle first there, not the watered-down type of struggle but people struggling striving to eat on a daily basis. These days nobody is willing to think outside the box, it’s real refreshing if you have somebody who has an outside the box perspective that can bring something new to hip-hop.

Nobodysmiling.com : How it feels to have two sides of music coming from Africa and blending it in with United States hip-hop?

Blitz : It’s a real unique opportunity I grew with a lot of drumming and dancing. Of course when I’m making hip-hop coming from Africa I try to incorporate all of that. I try to have an outside the box mentality, I’m able to think intelligently in terms of music and not necessarily hip-hop. Most cats they just think sixteen bars and that’s it, I’m thinking hooks, bridges, live instruments I’m thinking a lot of stuff. That’s the one thing that really helps me out in terms of where I’m from and how I can apply that to the music I make.

Nobodysmiling.com : You have a conscious style so how did people like Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, influence your music?

Blitz : Yeah they influenced my style a whole lot. I like to take it back a little bit more with KRS-One, Chuck D, Rakim, they entire era was my first introduction to hip-hop. For me those guys are socially aware, they just talked about whatever was going on around them. N.W.A. put me on to a whole another set of consciousness with what they talked about in their music. Of course Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Dead Prez, Common, these are like the next level of cats that brought that awareness. I feel like I’m in a special position right now to take it to that next level. I’m a newer version of a Chuck D or Mos Def.

Nobodysmiling.com : How you feel about the statement hip-hop is dead?

Blitz : Hip-hop is dead to whoever thinks it is dead to them. For me I feel hip-hop is making something out of nothing so if I’m still able to produce a full album with no budget, if I’m still able to make money without playing a corporate game to me that’s hip-hop. You think of cats breaking their wrist or spine while B-Boying or a DJ, MC or whatever it is out of nothing. I feel like people are taking the same chances so hip-hop can’t be dead. A lot of commercial stuff that’s what people look at and say it’s dead. Can’t nobody say soul music is dead, just because you can’t make a million dollars off a week in sales don’t mean that shits dead. It’s dead for you, because you not really checking for it. To me hip-hop lives and it lives in the music I make. It lives in my people, it lives when I walk down the street and see kids doing what they do without they necessary tools that’s hip-hop to me so of course that shit lives man.

Nobodysmiling.com : Talk about some of this touring you doing right now?

Blitz : I’m gonna be doing at least forty-five dates on a tour. It’s one of the biggest rock n roll tours which features Sum 41, K-OS from Canada he’s on that tour. It’s a big tour as I’m also doing that Lyricist Lounge thing. I came up on Lyricist Lounge and I’m doing a joint with them, Slum Village, and KRS-ONE.

Nobodysmiling.com : You’re an independent artist so what’s the best and toughest things about being independent?

Blitz : Being independent means I can write the music I wanna write, I can design the covers that I feel like should get out there I’m not really constrained. I don’t have all this crazy oversight with the music I make. Now the tough part of course is not having all the intended resources. For me it’s harder to get in a Vibe magazine if The Game or 50 Cent wanted to get in there. I’m coming from an angle where if your independent who really got your back? Like I said I’ll be stringing my shit later on, but the beginning of it has to be independent. Hip-hop is best independent, but you have to have an independent mindset. The point is you have to know when to take your shit to the next level. Right now I’m putting out two albums independently and I think my third project will be ready for the world.

Nobodysmiling.com : Why you think people the guns, drugs, and women over the conscious type rap?

Blitz : I mean that’s just a reflection of the United States of America. It’s sex, drugs, and rock n roll all day. Hip-hop is a reflection of a bigger picture. Hip-hop is no different from the movies we watch, hip-hop is no different from the state of mind that were in with this country. Of course they ridicule hip-hop a little bit more because everything hip-hop does is exaggerated. Now do I have an issue with corporations taking advantage of the young guys who don’t have an understanding of the information their putting out there of course yeah. They sell this picture that ain’t really true, we all can’t be millionaires making this music. My thing is if you gonna put out a thousand Young Jeezy’s go ahead and put out a thousand Mos Def’s and Talib Kweli’s. Don’t make it a one side story and that’s my view of that. The more shit they put out like that the more kids it’s gonna gravitate around. If they put out enough Mos Def’s Talib’s, and Common’s cats is gonna gravitate around that. For you to put three million in a project and it ends up selling 20,000 no, I’m better off selling 20,0000 with 5g’s in my pocket. That’s all the game is and I’m all about bringing some balance in the game. I don’t care about the cats talking the garbage they talking about. I’ll shoot him, selling drugs, disrespecting women, if that’s what they do that’s what they gonna do. My thing is if that’s the information you gonna put out there try to balance it out with a Blitz The Ambassador.

Nobodysmiling.com : It’s like the old saying “Art Imitates Life”.

Blitz : Of course!

Nobodysmiling.com : Blitz thanks for the love anything for the readers of Nobodysmiling.com?

Blitz : Of course fans can check me out on www.blitztheambassador.com and www.myspace.com/blitztheambassador. All I got to say is keep doing what you do and once you feel it’s true can’t nobody touch you on it. Hip-hop music will never die hip-hop music will live forever.

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