Magnetic North – A New Direction in Hip-Hop Music

July 30, 2010 NUZ 0 Comments

Magnetic North represents a side of hip hop music that is rare. When I say “rare,” I mean hip hop music that is fresh, honest, attractive, unique, and, most of all, soulful. Derek Kan (D.K.) and Theresa Vu (T-Vu) write and produce music, striking a perfect balance between making music to entertain and enlightening their listeners. And, there has been nothing but great feedback.

Hip hop enthusiasts alike have responded positively to their fresh blend of honest, meaningful lyrics and catchy beats. Since releasing their debut album in 2006, Magnetic North has caught the attention of more than just music listeners. Executives at Universal Records and civil rights activists, like Yuri Kochiyama, were also impressed with Magnetic North. In addition, they have also had the opportunity to collaborate with musical artists like Vienna Teng and Taiyo Na (who they have recently collaborated with for the latest EP).

Being on hiatus for some time since their debut release, Derek and Theresa are back in the limelight. They are continuing their musical journey with the release of their second and latest EP, “Home: Word,” an album that is more than about music and hip hop – but about Magnetic North’s journey “back” to their music.

Asiance had the chance to get to know Derek and Theresa a little more, and discuss their latest release.

ASIANCE: What made you become interested in music, particularly hip-hop, and wanting to become an emcee? Did you grow up in a musical family or environment?

D.K.: When I was a kid, my dad would always pop in a tape in my mini boombox as I went to sleep. Generally, each tape would last about 30 minutes before reaching the end, and generally I would always stay awake to hear the whole thing. My dad would play all sorts of music: classical, opera, Chinese folk, Broadway, and jazz. But one thing he never played for me was hip hop. I found that on my own. I used to go to the record store after school and save up leftover lunch money (Shhh! Don’t tell my parents!) and spend it on cassette singles. After I would collect enough to make a mix tape, I would record myself introducing and rapping in-between each song. I started handing out mix tapes to my high school friends and that’s how I became an emcee!

T-Vu: I got into hip hop by pure luck. I had one of those alarm clock radios, and one night I accidentally changed the alarm from its usual station. The next morning I woke up to 2Pac’s “Life Goes On” and it was love at first listen. His charisma and soulfulness spoke to me, and there’s just something so pure about rapping as a form of expression. As an absurdly quiet and reclusive child, rappers to me were like role models. They were confident and charismatic, often times witty, often times poignant, and always true to themselves (Well, at least the ones I listened to were.). Hip hop music helped break me out of my shell.

I grew up in a musical family, but not a particularly musical environment. Several of my aunts and uncles were successful musicians in Vietnam, but could not restart their careers here in America after the Vietnam War. Seeing how little opportunity there was for Asian musicians here in the States, my parents pushed me strongly towards other career options when I started showing love for music. So that’s why I’m part computer scientist, part musician, but hip hop music will always be my career of choice.

ASIANCE: How did you and Derek meet?

D.K.: I met T-Vu at UC Berkeley. We had a class together, but we didn’t really start working together until a student organization named SASC (Southeast Asian Student Coalition) invited us to do a show called “We Will Not Be Moved.” T-Vu and I then wrote a song by the same title and we grew from there.

T-Vu: That’s basically it. I wish there was a more exciting story, like we were working in a lab and got stabbed by a radioactive turntable needle which then turned us into super hero emcees, but no.

ASIANCE: How would you describe the kind of music you and Derek write for Magnetic North?

D.K.: Soul music. It’s hip hop on the surface, but when you get down to it, it’s a mix of everything: jazz, rock, R&B, funk, etc. What makes it “Magnetic North” is the content and origin of the music, namely the lyrics, themes, and being Asian American. It’s music from the heart and soul, put out there for everyone to listen and hear.

ASIANCE: As a female emcee, did you feel like you had to overcome obstacles in a mostly male-dominated emcee industry?

T-Vu: It’s a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it helps me stand out more. On the other hand, the industry does not know what to do with a female emcee that is not modeled after a porn star with a microphone. Hip hop, as much as I love the art form, is incredibly misogynistic and incredibly materialistic. The hardest part is learning to be comfortable in your own skin in such an image oriented industry. As a female emcee you get a lot of requests to write songs for movies or collaborations…except you have to play the role that they give you. I know I have a much better chance at blowing up if I traded my sneakers in for heels, and wrote more songs about love and designer bags, but I’ve made my peace with that. At the end of the day I just want to make music that I myself like listening to. I know it’s cheesy, but so be it. Plus, sneakers are more comfortable.

ASIANCE: How has the journey been like since releasing Magnetic North’s debut album in 2006?

D.K.: The journey has been no doubt rough. T-Vu and I moved across the country to New York City, but shortly after moving, we split up for over a year. During that hiatus, Magnetic North hardly made any appearances and we even stopped pressing and selling our debut album. It was only in 2008 when we decided to re-print the album, and start writing music again. This is also when we met Taiyo Na. Speaking of which… if it wasn’t for his passion and his reminder of what T-Vu and I once had together, we may never have released a second album. Now with this new album, “Home:Word,” we needed to regain all the time lost and really get our music out to the world. We needed to remind people that we’re back with a whole new sound and vibe. We have our work cut out for us!

T-Vu: The journey has had its ups and down. Our music video with Wong Fu Productions got our music out to the world, and we were traveling to places all over the U.S. to perform. It was an exciting time that I never could have imagined when I first started rapping. But, at the same time we started getting more notice, I started losing my sense of self. I hated having to think about music as business, didn’t like people telling me I should dress differently, didn’t want to think about more mainstream rap topics. I had all these different voices to pay attention to, and I did the dumbest thing ever: try to please everyone (which, as everyone knows, is impossible). So I ended up failing miserably. I couldn’t write anything I liked; I actually didn’t know what I even liked anymore. I went through two years of trying to grind through this mess, trying to squeeze music out of a soul that felt depleted. Music used to feel like therapy, and all of a sudden it felt like a listless day job. So, as Derek said, we went on hiatus. To the outside world, there were few performances, no music releases, and very little talk from Magnetic North. I know many think that time was lost and wasted, but for me, I needed that break. As Maxwell (one of my favorite artists) said, “Live, then write. Not the other way around.” And that’s where I feel I am right now. I lived some life, got my head on properly. I’m ready for music again. In large part the second album, “Home:Word,” is about that journey back to yourself.

ASIANCE: This year Magnetic North has released its second LP, “Home:Word,” featuring emcee, Taiyo Na. Talk a little bit about this album, and about your collaboration with Taiyo Na.

D.K.: We met Taiyo Na over two years ago, and originally the three of us were just going to collaborate on a song together, “I Got My.” However, after we finished recording the track, we really felt a strong connection. More importantly, we really felt like we shared the same vision, both musically and conceptually. Even though the three of us were raised on different sides of the coast, and all had unique upbringings, we all grew up Asian American. We all shared similar ideals and we all felt emotional to the same aspects of life: family, equality, and home. And that is what this album is about. “Home:Word” is a concept album about finding home, within a country, a city, people, or yourself.

T-Vu: Taiyo Na is pure heart. That’s why we love working with him. And if we’re going to talk about “Home:Word,” I also have to give a shout out to Chucky Kim, who has his musical fingerprints all over the album. I mentioned earlier my frustration with music and the business, and Taiyo and Chucky just reminded me how to enjoy music again. We’d have epic jam and freestyle sessions, traveled up to Vermont with instruments in tow for a musical retreat, watched concerts in person and on DVD. It brought me back to what creating music is supposed to be. It just felt good, you know?

And what I really love about this album is that it grew out of a family/home atmosphere. Many of the songs were written when we were just hanging out and vibing together. We would be digesting a big family cooked meal, then Chucky would start picking out a few notes on the piano, Taiyo would start humming a tune, our friend Kongo would lay a beatbox, D.K. & I would start thinking of rhymes. The next thing you know we got the basis for a track. The whole process was extremely organic in that sense. We never thought of a song concept or idea first, never got together for the sole purpose of writing a song (i.e., There was no “Hey, Thursday night at 9, let’s work on a song.”). We just got together to hang out and the music came to us. And I really hope that vibe comes across to the listener.

ASIANCE: What are some of your professional aspirations for the future? For Magnetic North?

D.K.: Professionally, I would love to do post production audio and video for the film industry. Movies and music are where my heart is. For Magnetic North, I want for T-Vu, Taiyo, and I to spread our music until it is a household name, for every Asian family living in America. I believe in our music, and I know anyone out there with a soul does, too.

T-Vu: Like Derek says, I’d be happy with just getting our music out there.