Written by Nia Jonesz
Toki Wright is a living contradiction to the kind of hip hop artist you've come to expect. The north Minneapolis native is without ego, eloquent whether talking about the industry or the crisis in Darfur, and as comfortable lending a hand in neighborhood cleanups as he is on stage.
Wright recently released his album, A Different Mirror, through Rhymesayers Entertainment -- the same label as popular local artists Brother Ali and Atmosphere. I had the opportunity to get to know Toki during his album release party at First Avenue.
Q: What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
A: I grew up listening to everything. Hip hop, rock and roll, funk, soul, reggae. I've always had eclectic tastes and a lot of music around me. Artists like Black Moon, Slick Rick, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, some of everything.
Q: When did you get interested in pursuing music as a career?
A: Since the age of 11, I've wanted to make music, and my biggest dream was to be on stage and to share some of those words that I wrote in my room.
Q: How do you think hip hop has changed and where do you think it's going?
A: I think hip hop has changed a lot of different ways. Hip hop shifts with technology and with the way the laws that govern the country change. For instance, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement definitely had a big impact on how hip hop formulated. The government with the War on Drugs definitely affected the way music was made with the young hip hop kids growing up in the crack era. The Bush era, both of them, gave way to a certain amount of hopelessness and the kind of 'I just want to party and forget about what's wrong with the world' attitude.
Q: Your songs and lyrics seem to have more of a message than other mainstream rap these days...
A: I think every song has a message. It’s just…what is that message? Sometimes the message is 'I just want to party and forget about life' or 'I wanna shoot you and kill you' or 'I've lost all hope and this is what I'm making.' I think there is a story underneath every song that gets made. Especially songs that are jingles -- urban pop-- that's what I call a lot of stuff on the radio these days, they're commercials. Songs and singles really are commercials for whatever message you're trying to get out there. So if the message is 'Buy my album,' you're going to hear what that sounds like.
Q: You're teaching hip hop at St. Paul's McNally Smith College of Music. Tell me a little bit more about that.
A: We're more so teaching about the culture and society that surrounds this lineage of hip hop and the practice, the business aspects of the society. We're just in the planning stages and the first actual semester isn't until September but we're getting all the staff hired, making sure the curriculum is tight and recruiting students. It's going really well so far.
Q: What roles do you play in the community?
A: I really like to consider myself a concerned citizen, and a concerned citizen isn't someone who just finger points all the time. A concerned citizen is somebody who is willing to figure out when they're wrong and figure out what else is wrong around them and willing to get involved. I've been involved in community work for the majority of my life growing up in north Minneapolis, whether it was neighborhood cleanups, helping out at the park, running a youth organization or running the Twin Cities Celebration of Hip Hop.
Q: What are some of the main problems you see while doing your community work?
A: Poverty is always a big issue and poverty affects so many other things. If I'm poor, I can't get health care. If I'm poor, I can't get education that’s effective and I can't go to private school. It's a global issue.
Q: You're on the Rhymesayers label with artists including Atmosphere and Brother Ali. How do you think Rhymesayers is affecting the industry and how does it feel to be a part of that?
A: I think it proves you can make music that is from your heart and soul and there is someone out there who will listen to it. There is nobody standing behind any artist turning the crank, telling them what to do or telling them what to make, which is something that doesn't often happen in music. So for a group of people to say 'I believe in you because you're talented, and I will give you the creative space to make what you want, bring it to us and we'll see if it’s ready to be distributed.' That in itself is revolutionary.
Q: When you get time off between your solo and group hip hop work and your community commitments, what do you do for fun?
A: I play basketball every week and work on my physical fitness. I like to write and read. I don't watch too much TV, but I love movies. I'm also trying to learn how to cook better.
Q: What's next for Toki Wright?
A: I have a 50 city tour with Brother Ali this fall and I'll keep pushing this album. I'm working at the program at McNally. I'm just trying to be a good person and remember where I came from, keep checking myself by the ego, staying humble and being true to where I'm from. I want to do it all. If people are listening I want to be able to say as much as I can.
