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E-MAILING: theindustrycosignsfusion@musician.org

A few months back, I was digging and listening through of many piles of new records and CDs at the crib in Jersey recieved for my radio shows when something interesting caught my attention. After doing this for about 6 years, you can go through enough pretty press packages tailor made for DJs that in the end don't have great (or even adequate music) inside them to last a lifetime and to make you a little bit jaded.

So when I came across a press sheet about a "Hip-Hopera" artist from Prohibition Entertainment, I didn't know whether to be happy that someone was thinking and performing out of the box (how many times can someone be a mix of various top 40 folks from the 70s to the present of any music genre for real?!) or to be absolutely terrified of what sort of music I might be exposing my ears and my listeners to.

Happily, everything was all good the second the CD was placed in the deck. For one, there wasn't a
made-in-the-studio-and-assisted-by-ProTools voice - this lady sounded like she could acutally not just sing, but blow some folks out of the water. Her musical stylings were also unique as well as the production (which for this single - "Beloved" - spans over 5 remixes).

Lastly, through looking at the press materials more thorough, I saw that the artist - Traedonya - has a very extensive history in a lot of fields of black music & the entertainment industry - from jazz (performing with Etta James) to funk to hip-hop (being a memeber of the X-Clan since the beginning, working with Large Professor, etc.). Through e-mail correspondence, I was able to ask Traedonya some
questions about her background in all of these things and what makes her and her upcoming full length LP project, "Elemental Change" unique as well as some questions about just the state of the world in general -

Fusion: Hi! :) Thanks alot for being a part of this. Tell me in your own words, what the "Elemental Change" album project is going to be all about (in terms of styles, messages, etc.)?

Traedonya: "Elemental Change" is about the evolution of self. Body, mind and spirit. Obsessions, oppressions, freedom, sexuality, creation, destruction, secrets, pains, war, joys, revolution and The Creator's Love. There are no specific styles or messages, just me and the variations of me, stemming from my Hip Hop/Punk roots to my formal Jazz training. Some of the music is live with lots of strings, drums and horns, heavy guitars. Other music is programmed with live instruments as the basic form, just visions through my eyes, what I see. People will get something different as they proceed through listening to the album. Each persons' perception will be something different I'm sure. You hear my love for music. The vibes are all positive, all with the proper energy. I'm into good songs.

Fusion: You have to be the first ever "Hip-Hopera" artist I've ever heard of. :) What made you come up with that description and concept of yourself and the style of music that you do?

Traedonya: Actually, I didn't come up with that description of my sound, it was the European press that did that, while I was playing out and touring over seas. A journalist out of Scotland, by the name of YOGI was the first to come up with that description of my sound and music a few years ago. From that point on, little articles and radio interviews that I did over seas were "quoting" that same term. So, it wasn't me nor was it my team that came up with that term, it was the European press that did. With my background in music, all my roots and formal training, I find it quite suiting in a way (smiling), and a compliment, though there is a lot more to the "TRAEDONYA" experience than just that. It's cool though.

As for the music itself, there are lots of strings, lots of drama, a lot of scene setting. The sort of stuff that you might hear in an opera or in the theatre. The vocal and musical arrangements both create their own moments, individually and together. My voice of course before any kind of formal training, came by the grace of "The Oneness" blessing me. My technique is probably a combination of a few things, my mother and formal study with the great ones, in and out of school. From Lumumba "Professor X" Carson, The Large Professor, Chico Hamilton, Reggie Workman to rhyming on the block and playing
through out Europe. My small resume is still extensive and the hard work is evident in my work.

Fusion: To say the least, your background is very eclectic. I guess we'll start out with your work on the Hip-Hop end by talking about your beginnings with the recordings you with Tuff City Records starting at the age of 13 years old. That is absolutely amazing. How did that situation come about?

Traedonya: (Laughing) The late great Pumpkin, The King of The Beats was my buddy as a teenager. He'd take me around a lot with him just to meet people. I've always been quite tall, and I was then too. I had just been here for a few years but still shifting back and forth from NY to NC, still had my southern drawl as I do now, but it was a lot heavier. I attended private Catholic school for most of my life, so coming home, stripping out of my uniform and putting on regular street clothes for me was a big deal to me. That's what I'd do after school. After my homework, if I didn't have a dance or piano class, I hung out in the streets and in the studio with Pumpkin who was much older than me. But he wanted to show me the ropes of the game, if even just to introduce me to this crazy music game, and that's
what he did.

My mother really didn't want me to be in the recording business at all, she felt that I was far too young and that I'd be exposed to far too much. Especially with my stepfather Ernest already being a bassist on the Blues and Funk scenes. Yet and still, she knew that I had a natural flare about me and she knew
that I loved and lived for music. After school one day, Pumpkin took me to INS Studios in NYC, he was recording with The Godfather, Spoonie Gee. He didn't let me know until our arrival. It would be my very first time recording in a studio. Pumpkin didn't ask anyone if I could be on the song, not even
Spoonie. He felt that since he was producing it that he could do what he wanted, which is exactly what he did. The song was called "Spoonie Gee". umm it was simple, nothing complicated. I just kept singing his name over and over on the hook.that was it. Spoonie liked it, and so did Tuff City. After that I did several recordings with other Tuff City artist besides Spoonie at different studios through out NYC. Soon after that Tuff City presented my mother with a "simple but complicated" contract, requesting exclusive rights to "TRAEDONYA" as an artist.

It took her a while and after a few months she signed the contract. I then recorded with super engineer/producer Doc Rodriguez and Spider Dee. Pumpkin produced it, Doc Rodriguez engineered and Spider Dee laced the track with some of his slick rhymes. We recorded the song at Power Play Studios in Queens. I saw so many of the present Hip Hop greats come through that studio back then. But who knew, I was just a kid in love with Hip Hop and the culture of Hip Hop. It was a great experience for me though and I'm glad that I'm a part of Hip Hops' classics. Tuff City did a full record cover on me, and it was the first time that they'd really done that for any of their artist. The song was called "Do The Boogaloo". "Do The Boogaloo" got played a lot on underground radio shows like DJ Teddy Te" and The Two Live Crew at 2 0 'clock in the morning. (laughing) I was quite popular in school, because a lot of kids listen to those underground shows. It was cool.

Fusion: You are also one of the members of the X-Clan, one of the great pro-black nationalist Hip-Hop groups & musicmakers of the 1990s. For those who don't know, which X-Clan member were you? How did you become involved with them and are there any projects you all might be working together on in the future?

Traedonya: X-Clan was and still is a movement. A movement that came in the form of a musical group. A movement that was felt by all different kinds of youth from around the country and around the world. It wasn't just people of color listening to X-Clan, there were all kinds of people listening, sending fan letters, paying homage and respect. We had a quarterly news letter that went out nationwide and rallies that we organized for different reasons. It wasn't just about the music. It was
about the youth and "The Blackwatch Movement". With Sonny Carson being the birth father of Professor X....made our movements all the more serious and official. Things were never ever a game. Yeah, we enjoyed ourselves, but at the end of the day, the late great Shuga Shaft, Funkinlesson Brother Jay, Professor X - The Overseer and Paradise The Architect, fed your brain full of food for thought. You always left the show feeling moved and proud of being part of that moment.

I was part of the family far before any X Clan recordings. But for those that don't know, I sang on the Professor X LP. I sang on most of the album, but the song people would know me most from would be "Years of The Nine". It featured myself and Lyn Que ("ISIS"). We shot the video in Brooklyn and Harlem of course, Ralph McDaniels shot it. That was a really crazy day to say the least. (laughing) As for my name, "TRAEDONYA" is my birth name. There were three women in the group, myself, Lyn
Que ("ISIS") and Queen Mother Rage. The original Queen Mother Rage from the Bronx, not from Cali. (smiling) We had a womens' group, where we had support meetings specifically for sisters getting to know their culture and becoming more aware of themselves as women in the struggle.

Lumumba didn't like the way that my contractual situation was going over at Tuff City and he was someone who's opinion that I valued. He approached Tuff City and was the one that got me off of the label. finally. The brothers taught me how to stand my ground at all times.no matter what. They helped me see my strengths and some of my weaknesses. The biggest thing though was that they helped me find out who I am. They taught me to make sure that I should always drop a few pearls of wisdom whenever I have the chance.that each one, should teach one.

As you probably already know, Shuga Shaft passed away. Much love and respect to him. Brother Jay is doing his solo thing which is awesome and Professor X is also recording. So tell you the truth, there is no telling when a new X Clan album will happen. At this point in time and the state that we are in
right now, X Clan and Public Enemy for that matter are both desperately needed. Worldwide youth need both of these groups. I look forward to working with them at any given moment, as we
are family and the struggle continues.


Fusion: What was the experience like for you at that time being with the group and seeing a lot of the '90s Hip-Hop greats like Q-Tip, Nas and Pete Rock just starting out and doing their thing? Any great or not so great experiences from that time period as an artist?

Traedonya: Well, Tip I knew from the Jungle Brothers and he was down with them before Quest, quiet as kept. Pete and Nas I met over at Paulie's (The Large Professor) house out in Queens. Nas always came to just chill, get on the mic and vibe with Paulie in his room. because Paulie had equipment in his room, like a small studio. He could make music and record in his room. As for Pete Rock, he'd mostly come to Paulie's house to borrow some vinyl recordings. Paulie keeps the best, the freshest vinyl.
He travels all over to purchase vinyl. He put a lot of those brothers on really, including Nas (Live at The Barbecue). I mean I remember when those guys (these two tiny dudes) used to knock on the door in the mornings in Queens... while Paulie was sleeping...trying to find out when they were going to be able to work with him. That group was later called Mobb Deep. He did the music for their first record in his room, then they recorded at Power Play. I know because I was there. How soon people
forget just who put them on. But, I didn't know that any of these guys would be big so to speak. They were just friends or people that Paulie introduced to me.

Great or not so great experiences? Fusion... so much has happened to me as an artist, good and bad. But probably the best times for me at that point in my life were the times we were working. Paulie took me everywhere with him... he wanted me to learn the game for what it really was. In doing so, I got to know my craft and to know how things should go in front and behind the scenes... the consoles, the different machines. Paulie put me on to all of that.

Fusion: Besides the X-Clan, you have a very close relationship with Hip-Hop since you've worked with producer/MC Large Professor for a very long time. How did your relationship come about with him? Do you all still communicate alot and have any plans on working together on any upcoming music projects?

Traedonya: (laughing) You're real funny Fusion, real funny, there's that hidden question again. No--we weren't romantically linked, that's a long lived rumor. We are very close friends, more like family though. We've always respected the works of one another. He did my first demo and I did my first solo
recording as a songstress with him years ago. It was a song called "Another Lie", a wicked Hip Hop Jazz fusion type song with really big horns. He produced it for me, but we later added it to the first "Sample This!" project on Elektra Records. Paulie is actually the one that introduced me to the other members of my band "Sample This!". The other members of the group were Anton Pukshansky and Curtis Watts. He took me back to Power Play Studios.... introduced us and played some music
that we had already done. They loved it. Later that week, he brought some music on a tape back to the house from the guys. we listened together and both loved it. After vibing over the music and discussing things, Paulie advised me to do the project. He told me that it would be great for me and that it would open tons of doors for me. I agreed and decided to do it. So he had a big hand in helping form "Sample This!" He sort of hand delivered me to Curtis and Anton.

We keep in touch as often as possible. He's working a lot and so am I. so it's not too often that I do see him. Plus he got married and she's not really feeling that chill out with "TRAEDONYA" everyday thing. (laughing) Music or friendship, she's not feeling it (still laughing). Really though, he and I
are always here for one another personally and professionally. We did start several songs that were never completed. Who knows what the future holds, the possibilities are endless. He's my mentor and my family, he'll always be in my life.

Fusion: Your history and background in Black Music goes beyond hip-hop since you are also a classically trained jazz vocalist through your education from the New School Conservatory in New
York. Its great how that influence is in your music as well. On that end, you've worked with everyone from Chico Hamilton to Reggie Workman to Bernard Purdie to Etta James. Also, with your group, Sample This!, you were once of the first known and major groups of the '90s doing live Hip-Hop & R&B types of music groups like The Roots get credit for now. What were those experiences like and are there any you would like to mention that sticks out to you the most?

Traedonya: Going to The New School Conservatory in NYC and studying Jazz was an incredible experience for me. I met so many other up and coming musicians like myself from all over the world. The conservatory only accepts about 110 - 120 students per semester for the programs. I went through three different auditions. Reggie Workman was one of the panelist deciding if they'd accept me or not into the program. Fusion... I was a total wreck that day, I cried through each part of my audition, no lie. I was scared I guess, but I knew that it was time for me to progress. I knew that I wanted to speak the same language that my band spoke and it was just that time. Time to be around
people like myself, that eat, sleep and drink music, especially Jazz. So I got through the audition with all of this on my mind. Afterwards Reggie Workman gave me a big hug, told me not to worry and sort of smirked at all the tears. It was kind of funny to him. Three weeks later I got my acceptance letter.
After studying there for some time with Chico Hamilton, Reggie Workman and a few others, loving and appreciating the experience of formal training, I did an independent study and moved away to Europe before completing my stay at The New School. I felt that it was time to move on to new waters (literally). On my initial stay, I lived in London for 3 years, it's my second home, I adore it there, the rain is crazy though. I'm basically living in two places right now though, London and New York. Umm, as far as Etta James is concerned, "Sample This!" played with her way before I attended The New School.

As far as being one of the first real Hip-Hop bands, I'm honored to be on the list of the few. It's kind of weird when I hear people say that because there a quite a few people who don't know that there were other Hip Hop bands out before The Roots. These other bands basically paved the way and did a lot of the work. Anton Pukshansky helped produce a ton of Hip Hop classics, like Kool G Rap's "Streets of New York", a couple of Eric B and Rakim joints, a few Grand Puba joints, and the list goes on. Curtis Watts was the lead drummer for Roy Ayers at age 14, he played with Graham Central Station and produced SSL (Smokin Suckas With Logic). Then there's me and my crazy background. We named the band "Sample This!" because we did music that we knew people would want to sample. If in doubt and
for those that don't know, all they have to do is check out the "Sample This!" print dates, and listen. Then they'll know what they didn't know (smile), that we were true to live Hip Hop before it became popular, or the cool thing to do. We're true to this. But big up to all the live Hip Hop bands out there,
much love.

Fusion, each and every experience for me has been special and phenomenal. I've enjoyed everything, but it has all been a struggle, it really has. But a real nice experience was when I was at Howard University, lost in the car with my mom and looking for directions. "Another Lie" came on while we were
asking for directions at a mini mall (lots of smiles). My mother cried....aahhh.

Fusion: Why did you decide to go the independent route with releasing your upcoming ablum as well as your current single, "Beloved"? What are the advantages to that in your opinon?

Traedonya: Fusion...simply put, I'm not impressed any more by the majors. I've had two major record deals, with two major labels and I've been in a law suit with one of them. I've come to the conclusion that nobody wants to work unless your talking about vagina or guns. It's far too difficult to try and fulfill your dreams with people that could really care less about them. They usually have no real knowledge of music, or they were the receptionist just 5 months prior to being your A&R. It's like
enough is enough. I've been in meetings with A&Rs that have been playing video games...on and off the phone while their in meetings with me. Is that really what I need from my A&R? Big up to the ones that do the detailed work that it entails in breaking a record, or an "artist" for that matter. That's why
so many A&Rs are being fired by the bucket fulls at theses majors these days...in fact it's about time. There is no more money for lazy mo-foes, there is only time and money for cats that want to do the grass roots work needed... that pay attention to the details. I've learned through traveling around the world, there are indeed other ways to develop a fan base without humiliating yourself or wasting your energy. Independence is the only game in town, that's what's up. Having your own team...owning your publishing and learning the steps of breaking and staying, that's what is good to me. That's why we've taken the route that we have. I've already been signed, I've cashed a few of those checks, so I know. I know why people want the majors, because I did too. But my dignity and my peace of mind are both important to me. I have no faith as of right now for the big guys, I believe in the little guys. At least they WANT to grind. As an Independent...the money and accessibility for a lot of what you want are not there, but it allows you to focus on the needs, for breaking a record, it does allow you to be more in touch with the day to day doings of your business, for example talking to your fan base via your website, like WWW.TRAEDONYA.COM. Besides, the days of running a tape around the planet are played! Musicians have to depend on themselves and over stand (the higher form of understanding...
that nobody gives a hoot if you get on or not, especially on a major. Whether on a major scale or a small scale, ownership is everything, from composing a song to the masters. The art of independence is what's up...I'm loving it. If I ever do decide to get involved with a major again, they'll have to take all my new wisdoms and new business moves into consideration. See, that would be an entirely different conversation, than just walking in there with a tape. The business is a completely different talk now for me, the respect is up. I dig that.

Fusion: Where do you see yourself being on any level (professionally, personally, etc.) in the next 5 years?

Traedonya: I'll be doing any and everything that I want, with The Creator Willing. Umm...my wish list is extensive though (smile). Like I always say, it'll all be known in time, what my prayers are. My plans are between The Creator and I. I'm an extra hard worker, so good things can only come.

Fusion: With your background as being a politically astute person, personally and professionally, what is your opinon on the entire US Presidential election coming up in November as well as the occupation in Iraq during this "War on Terror"?

Traedonya: If people never knew what time it was before, they better know now. Not now but right now! The President of The United States is a gangster, straight up. He gangstered his way into office from day one. The occupation in Iraq simple, the devil is real. The same way that Africa and many other lands were conquered. with their religions, languages and cultures, stolen is basic to the same form of what we're all witnessing, it's no different...just more modern with the techniques of the
destruction. But the thing is, people fighting for freedom are not having it anymore. There will be a lot more blood shed before the sun comes out. The occupation is not justified and will never be, never ever. The election will be a gangstering again. Bottom line is "knowledge of self" is key. Pay attention and get your survival kits together.....who knows what's coming...... food for thought.

Fusion: Thank you very much for your time and I wish all of the best to you! :)

Traedonya: Peace and Love to you Fusion and all of your readers. Much Respect!

Check out Traedonya's website for more information about her, Prohibition Entertainment and the upcoming music project at: http://www.traedonya.com