When you think of a speakeasy, rebellion comes to mind. During prohibition, a speakeasy was the type of joint that served alcohol. How this applies to the hip-hop crew of the same name is for you to decide, but if there is something in common, it would have to be rebellion. In 2003, hip-hop has largely been about doing a lot of the same. And while you could argue Speakeasy isn’t the most innovative crew to come along lately, they're certainly going against the grain.

2 years ago, 3 musicians from different directions made a connection and united to form a rap outfit. Their crew, they decided, would take a moniker synonymous with a space that allowed illegal drinking. Now that’s hip-hop.

Speakeasy consists of DJ Quiet on the production and emcees Paradigm and Rabbi Darkside, and I met up with the group one night in Brooklyn to get a sense of where they're coming from. So with J-Live playing in the background we got down to the interview. Ironically, I was expecting Quiet to be the mouthpiece æ not only is he the DJ/producer, he's also one-half of Sit’N’Spin records (along with a gentleman by the name of Lou Ferrigno). Of course now I see where the name comes from, as Quiet opted to add color sparsely. "Rabbi D," on the other hand, is by far the most animated (as well as the youngest, thirstiest and hungriest). Paradigm, meanwhile, is the veteran, having established his rep on the open mic and battle circuits since the late 90s and released several 12 inches and LPs on Freshchest and various other labels. But it's Darkside, a middle school teacher by day who hails from Buffalo, who is the natural spokesman.

Ferrigno brought the crew together by advertising for “Emcees abstract, not commercial" in publications such as The Village Voice. The two emcees dropped through Lou’s house, hung out, kicked some rhymes and the rest is history. As a group, they've just released their first album, Secret Knocks. Quiet, a Columbus, Ohio native, says they hope their album will serve as an official entrance into this art. In reality, the title fits the motif associated with the crew name.

Like their geographical backgrounds differ, each of the members in Speakeasy came into hip-hop via different times and influences. Paradigm, who grew up in Westchester, NY, was turned onto rap by Run DMC: “I borrowed my friends Run DMC when I was in 5th or 4th grade, and I asked, 'What is that? That got me interested, and I just kept listening."

Quiet ended his silence to explain his entrance: “Music’s always been my thing," he says. "Hip-hop was never anything different, it was what I was into, but I think it was A Tribe Called Quest, where I finally started saying this is more my music this is more of what I’m into. I found A Tribe Called Quest in '89. That was when I said there is no difference, I’m not distinguishing between it anymore. It’s just music. I didn’t care anymore whether it was rock or jazz or hip-hop. It was just music.”

Darkside also came from a more varied music background. “My friends were into it way before me," he admits. "I was into taping my mom’s Beatles records and listening, trading them with people. Listening to the Grateful Dead, going to shows. 8th grade was my first show, Grateful Dead and the Steve Miller Band. I wasn’t into hip-hop till high school. I got turned onto Tribe, Digable Planets, Boogie Monsters.”

As artists, SpeakEasy show a wide range of styles, concepts and techniques. Paradigm cited many of the more lyrical emcees as his personal influences. “I really like the lyrical people, Scienz of Life, Virtuoso when he first started out, underground dudes like Blowout,” he says. We touched on other artists who were pushing boundaries such as Immortal Technique and the Juggaknots (http://www.juggaknots.com/), and it became obvious that the crew knew their music.

But how does Speakeasy approach the music making process? “We’ll hear the beat, brainstorm some topics, go our separate ways, write some stuff, come back together and bounce it off each other," Darkside says. "We take what we like out of that, then go our separate ways again, come back together, run it through the wringer and come up with something we like.” Paradigm adds that “it’s a real simple process” and that Quiet also provides input by chiming in with ideas or concepts he may have had in mind when he made the beat. It obviously works, as the album is very diverse, yet cohesive and consistent the whole way through.

As they push their own music and enjoy life, Speakeasy doesn't seem too concerned with what other people are doing. Being in the underground oftentimes pegs you as a “hater" that abides by the "independent as fuck" mantra. But while Speakeasy won’t be blinging on Hot 97 with Flex any time soon, they’re thinking more inclusive then exclusive.

Darkside says that since coming from Buffalo, his ideas of a “familial” hip-hop community were quickly shattered. He credits Paradigm with making him realize that no matter what people had to say, and no matter what may be “hot” or trendy, “whatever you’re doing you just have to do it.” Darkside broke down the realities of the mainstream, citing 50 Cent’s popularity being linked to his “story” and people relating to it. He wondered aloud how an emcee such as Nas could be labeled boring and corny for doing a song that speaks to kids ("I Can") and an album (God's Son) with a more positive/conscious bent. Being in the game the longest, Paradigm dropped his thoughts: “I’ve kind of changed my whole thought on independent/mainstream. I used to see this schism. I spent all that time raging against the mainstream. Being independent, I gave up on that. There is a market for mainstream stuff. It’s out there. Let them do their thing and I’ll do my thing.”

As far as the current underground swirl, Darkside says he feels that the lack of showmanship is a negative force within the independent movement. Paradigm, meanwhile, feels that the smaller labels “should think like the mainstream labels but do their music independently" æ market their product better and aim to get their music in as many hands as possible. Quiet thinks there's too much negativity amongst fellow artists and that the cliques that exist in the underground are very divisive.

Still, they're quick to offer grounded and almost ominous advice for other artists. “Don’t just do this," Darkside says. "If you make a difference with your music, make a difference with the rest of your time too.” Paradigm puts it another way: “Be happy making music and being broke.” Speakeasy hopes to knock down the door and break down any barriers in their way to get where they want to be. But, of course, on their own terms.

You can get details for the crew’s first full-length release “Secret Knocks” at sitnspinrecords.com.

Mikal Lee

Photos courtesy of sitnspinrecords.com