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the pacifics
chicago’s most tight-knit hip-hop trio keeps it universal.
words: max herman phoTo: chuck przyByl
“Even if we weren’t doing music, we’d still be
eating chicken.” These are the words of KP
(MC/producer) from The Pacifics, who cooks up
a fresh batch of fried chicken for himself and
his longtime crewmates, MC Strike3 and MC/DJ
Norman Rockwell, to enjoy every Sunday. While
each of these MCs holds down nine-to-fives (some
working six days a week), as true friends they
keep their schedules clear at least once a week to
kick back, get their eat on, and create their thoroughly
enjoyable hip-hop.
In celebration of their weekly tradition and
kinship, this Chicago hip-hop trio aptly named
their latest album Sunday’s Chicken (All Natural
Inc.). The follow-up to their self-released 2002
debut, The September First Project: Long Overdue
(Propaganda Movement), Chicken is the upshot
of eight-plus years of paying dues in the Chicago
underground. With its party-ready beats, tagteam
rhymes and intriguing concepts, the record
simply showcases what can be accomplished when
talented artists actually get along.
“By getting together all the time, it just keeps
everything more tight-knit,” explains Strike3.
“We knock out a lot of ideas when we’re together,”
adds Norman Rockwell. “A lot of times we’ll
just ask each other for help,” adds KP. “So you
can find a little bit of everybody in each of us. We
play off each other a lot and I think it shows.”
The Pacifics rap about more than just fried
chicken–their rhymes have detailed everything
from their shared love for their hometown
(“Hold It Down”) to their need to get tipsy after
a hard day’s work (“Nobody”). While they also
all share a Filipino nationality, this trio chooses
to not let their Asian background become a gimmick.
“We don’t use our race as a crutch,” says
KP. “It is important to know your heritage, but
at the same time, once you get over-indulged in
that, I think people would just get turned away.”
Thus The Pacifics opt to deliver hip-hop universally,
one song and one concept at a time. As Strike3
clarifies, “A lot of people like to label it Asian hiphop
(but) there’s no label on it–it’s just hip-hop.”
www.thepacifics.com
The Pacifics: Norman Rockwell, KP and Strike 3
What’s your favorite chicago institution? Strike3: SubT (Subterranean)—that’s the only place I go. KP: Pizzaman’s Chicago pizza. Out of all the
places we’ve traveled you can’t beat it. It even goes beyond pizza—food, period. Norman Rockwell: Buffalo Joe’s.
groove distriBution
The warehouse crew who bring all the best vinyl to your record crates.
words: peTer nicholson arTwork: mireya acierTo
Groove Distribution staff: Steve Schoener, Julian Carow, Josh Ferguson, Dirk van den Heuvel, Henderick
Mitchell, Thomas (Thaione Davis) Martin, Tobias Berblinger and (not pictured) Jeff Johns and Chuck Roder
How do obscure underground 12” singles–red-hot mash-ups from London,
broken bossanova from Rome, drum & bass from Stockholm–find their way
onto the shelves of your local record emporium? There’s a good chance
they come from Chicago’s Groove Distribution, fine purveyor of “music
with soul and music that falls through the cracks,” as founder and president
Dirk van den Heuvel puts it.
Van den Heuvel worked at Cargo Distribution for nine years; when they
went out of business in 1995 he founded Groove Dis, which has become a
vital link between forward-thinking labels and listeners. If you run a record
shop and want to make sure you have the latest soulful house 12” from
Paris’ Q-Tape Records or an upcoming nu-jazz CD from Japanese compilation
experts KSR, you better be in touch with van den Heuvel.
But unlike a DJ whose only concern is having the freshest sounds, van
den Heuvel has to make sure these records are going to sell. “There’s
records that get written up in magazines, that people love and whatever,
and then you cut through the bull and you find out, ‘Well, shit, they only
sold 300 copies!’” van den Heuvel explains with more than a note of exasperation.
Besides the paucity of consumers with good taste, another challenge
Groove Dis is currently tackling is the general decline of DJ culture.
“We’re in the business of selling dance music to people who like dance
music and not in the business of selling 12” singles to DJs,” he explains.
“If your business model is based on selling vinyl records to DJs, you’re
doomed. That’s just a teeny part of the market out there and it’s getting
smaller every day.”
To that end, Groove Dis expends much effort scouting out CDs and
keeping an eye on digital music developments. With 10 employees devoted
to finding the kind of music “Gilles [Peterson] might play,” the company
does an amazing job of staying abreast of the latest movements, but van
den Heuvel is well aware that he’s not about to challenge the Virgin Mega’s
of the world for revenue. “I’m sure if I liked stuff that was a little bit more
popular we’d be a bigger company,” he laughs.
www.groovedis.com
What’s your favorite chicago institution? Dirk van den Heuvel: Edwardo’s Pizza.
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