From Da Bricks Interview with Eddie James

(Via From Da Bricks)

"Unfortunately, the streets are the streets and some people can’t get out of it. I haven’t spoken to him in about eight years bro. I wish him well, wherever he is."- Producer Eddie James on rapper AK Skillz

If you grew up on the east coast, it's almost guaranteed that you have a soft spot for New York independent rap singles from the mid to late '90's.  Acts such as Cage, the Juggaknots, Mike Zoot and Shabaam Sahdeeq became household names for many of us as they provided the perfect counterbalance to shiny suit era rap that was dominating the airwaves.  Few singles capture the sound of that era better than Ak Skills "East ta West" 12".  I get goosebumps every time I hear this song and it reminds me of a simpler time in my life.
  
While I enjoyed Ak's other songs, "East ta West" will always reign supreme for me.  I was listening to the song recently and wondered about the whereabouts of Ak and the song's producer, Eddie James.  While James' output was limited, he had production credits on a group of  impressive singles and showed a great deal of promise.  Unfortunately, it seems that both he and Ak disappeared before they reached their full potential.  I decided to do some Internet research and found this informative 2007 interview with Eddie James on the now defunct website From Da Bricks.  The interview contains good info about the equipment used to create Ak's singles and breaks down how they were constructed.  I don't want to give away too much info because the interview speaks for itself.

Read it by clicking here.