This is what hip hop from the #SGV should sound like. Recorded at Flourish and Prosper in El Monte. Meet Hip Hop Pops Emmanuel “Apakalips” Contreras.
1. Tell me about your daughter? What her name and where did it come from?
My daughters name is Isabella Page Contreras aka IZZY. Isabella means “devoted to god. Her middle name, Page, came from me like a page in an art book, so that she could write or draw her own life up. My wife got Izzy from Grey’s Anatomy (lol).
She is a fun loving, caring, kind, smart as hell little lady. She is respectful and full of life. She always wants to know answers to life and learn new things. She loves art, music, judo, Legos and the list goes on and on.
2. What’s your favorite part about being a dad?
The part of knowing I created this beautiful little soul. The part that I know I have to do whatever it takes for her to be good in life. The small hugs, kisses and deep conversations we have about life. I love every single thing that has to do with me being called papi!
3. How is hip hop part of your relationship w/ your daughter?
I teach her about all kinds of music. She catches on fast and memorizes songs. She loves hearing my music. I showed her how to use the MPC, taught her the style of beat boxing and we battle rap all time. It helps her with rhyming words at school. She will know hip hop and this culture of ours for sure. But music connects my family; it always did for me as a kid and will continue going for the generations to come.
4. Do you have any music that reflects on fatherhood? Which song?
Yes, off my debut album “Dearly Deported” I have a song called “Dear Us” produced by me… it’s basically a letter to my daughter my wife and to myself talking on life. It’s one of my favorites and she already loves it cuz she understands the lyrics I’m saying.
5. What excites you most about the new album you’re dropping?
I think it’s the simple fact of FINALLY PUTTING IT OUT. I feel like I kept it in a glass case as a secret but now is time to let the world share it live it and appreciate it. It’s my life’s work. I consider like I tell people this is my “Illmattic”
6. How do you think your daughter will look back on your music?
She will love it and cherish as much as I do. One thing I have taught her is things you create that are considered “classic” just means it will never go away. I hope one day she can show me the songs she wrote and sing me to sleep.
7. Who’s your favorite TV Dad? Why?
I’d have to say Homer Simpson. He makes dumb choices but always corrects them. He knows how to have fun, take chances but always goes right. He lives like tomorrow isn’t promised but the main thing is his family always comes first. Plus the dude is funny as hell, like me.
8. Big Daddy Kane or Ol’ Dirty Bastard?
I mean no disrespect to ODB… but are you kidding me.. BDK..is on my top 3 MCs who I consider the biggest influences to my style of writing. 1Rakim 2. Bid Daddy Kane 3. Nas. These are my all time..but yeah ODB was a secret genius with his music.
As you know, hip hop is heralded for its excesses. Rappers are expected to flout convention, law, even common sense. Parenting, though, involves restraint, restriction and reflection; managing that tension isn’t easy but some hip hop pops have found a way. Today, BBD sits down with Elias Wallace, the LA based vocalist of the Copenhagen based hip hop group, DaFuniks.
I met Elias many moons ago at The Foundation Funkollective open mic in the 909. We share a mutual interest in theology, social justice and wackness-aversion.
Tell us about your family.
My wife is named Monica. We have 3 children. One girl and two boys. My daughter is 11 and getting tall and long like her mother. She’s already 5’4″ and looking like a runway model. Scared son. I’ll avoid the sexist cliches about having a baseball bat or gun, but I will say I’m trying to raise a confident, strong woman who will make her own choices and choose the RIGHT kind of boy when she gets to that point. My 2 boys are 9 and 5. They are handsome, bright, and above average in everything. I know, all parents think this but it’s crazy, they excel in sports, music, and art and they are all social. All of my children are bilingual, speaking reading and writing Spanish and English. They are half Mexican and half American Caucasian hybrid–meaning they are Irish, Scottish, Dutch, Syrian, and Native American. They also study Mandarin Chinese on Saturdays so they can add a non European language to their lexicon. I want them to have that Nas state of mind and think the world is theirs–but with the language skills to make it happen.
What does the ideal Sunday morning look like for the fam bam?
An ideal Sunday morning for my family consists of waking up, me making breakfast for everyone while my wife sleeps in. I’ll make sure everyone has eaten and gotten dressed for church. Then my wife will come out looking radiant and make sure the kids have put lotion on. “Si poniste crema?” shouts go out in 3 directions. The rest of the day is spent together and it doesn’t really matter what is being done. Being together and spending time with one another is a big part of our family’s happiness.
Family Amusement Park Trip: Disneyland or Six Flags Magic Mountain?
Right now my kids are pretty small so Disneyland, as much as I personally abhor it, would be a better choice than Magic Mountain. Nothing worse than taking kids to a park where you have to drop down a couple days wages just to get in, and then have to tell your kids, you can’t ride that one and then do the parent relay games—you stay with this kid, I’ll stay with them, tag team at the ride exit in half an hour.
What would your kid’s say is the best dish you make? How did you learn how to make it?
My kids would probably say my Carne Asada is great. It’s not healthy so I don’t make it too often but there are enough UFC fights and boxing matches on for me to have it every couple of weeks. My first time having carne asada was when I was 16. My future mother in law made it for me and I immediately fell in love. I figured if there was a God in heaven, there would be a taco man at the heavenly banquets. I plan to be standing with a Cerveza in my hand right by the taco man. Later I learned to love adobada, pastor, and many others but I prefer to grill up some Asada.
Did you ever consult a parenting book or website during the child rearing years? Or, was it more go with the flow and tradition?
I never consulted a parenting book or website but I have a BA in Education so I have read a lot of child psychology already. I do not rear my children in the same way that I was raised. My parents were great but my father was from the South and there is a lot of ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ thinking there. I was whooped a lot. I don’t spank my own children and prefer positive reinforcement and cognitive coaching. I want my children to be sophisticated thinkers not resentful authoritarians. That isn’t to suggest that all people who were disciplined in this way turned out like that, I just think that you are trying to discipline and correct behavior not coerce behavior via threat of violence.
Favorite Hip Hop group?
Favorite hip hop group—wow. I don’t have one Favorite hip hop group honestly. Hip hop has a timeline and I’m on it. ATCQ was my favorite for a long time so I guess they could be there. Today I have so many different groups that I love. I really dig what Killer Mike and EL P do with Run the Jewels. I really like the Roots. In terms of most influential I see groups like Freestyle Fellowship and Organized Konfusion as really important. It really depends on my mood.
I have had a ton of amazing experiences on stage in France. I’ve toured there the last 3 years and met some amazing people, artists and fans. I’ll share a small show of about 300 at a place called Run ar Puns in Bretagne, France. It was a small ancient venue surrounded by beautiful countryside. The venue wasn’t much to look at and looked a bit worn out. In France, sometimes that is a great sign—it means people come there. We played that night around 11 or so the crowd seemed pretty ‘iffy’ based on the really good band that went before us. They didn’t really seem ‘into it’. But when we got up to rock the whole place jumped off hardcore from intro to the constant screams for more songs. We played our whole set. They cheered for 5 minutes for extra. We played 15 minutes extra. They cheered for 10 minutes fore more. We came out and played even more. We just had to stop after that so that we wouldn’t make the promoter or venue operator mad at us but the crowd was off the chain.
What’s the family up to this Summer?
We’re taking a tour van and driving to a bunch of national parks and camping. Pray for me…and them.
If you’re taking a road trip this Summer, play music from Elias’ newest project, Otis Stacks. Big Brown Dad is digging the West Coast vibe on this one.
It used to be the case that parents and hip hop just didn’t mix; the regal Fresh Prince of Philly taught us as much.
Even today, some people wrongly assume the spirit of hip hop and the spirit of fatherhood are antithetical. Hip Hop Pops prove that assumption wick, wick, wack!
Today, Big Brown Dad sits down with Red Cloud, a west coast rhyme maven with Native American and Mexican heritage. Red Cloud has toured North America with his partner in rhyme, Crystle Lightning, as Lightning Cloud. Lightning Cloud recently won Power 106 “Who’s Next? Battle for the Best,” beating out over 1,000 submissions from across the country.
BBD: Tell us about your son. Did you think about naming him after you?
I have a 5 year old boy (6 next month). His name’s Isaiah Hawthorne and he’s the love of my life! The kid is a genius. Extremely into monster trucks, dinosaurs, Plants Vs Zombies and football! I didn’t want to give him my government name – Henry belongs in the 1920s! But his middle is my hometown, so booya!
kisses > disses
What’s his favorite food?
My son loves grilled cheese, pizza and plain old bean and cheese burritos from Taco Bell, kinda like a lil baby stoner.
Eat Street > Beat Street
How is your son most like you?
He’s very particular and can be a little obsessive compulsive and anxious when he doesn’t have control. But he’s most like me when we are drawing – loves drawing and that’s one of my things.
What does he think about his Dad being a rapper?
He’s been to 3 of my shows and he loves it!! He’ll go up there on stage with me and Crystle and hand out CDs to the crowd for us! He’ll jump around and dance- he really likes it when he can go to his dad’s rap concerts!
microphone friends > microphone fiends
Who fathered your rhyme style?
Shock G of Digital Underground and Brother J of XClan. I have two Dads… Is that a lil gay?
I’m Your Father, Red!
Man, I named your Red, BLACK AND GREEN Cloud! What happened?
Favorite TV Dad?
Homer Simpson bro! Hands down!! Best TV dad ever!
Big Daddy Kane or Father MC?
Big Daddy Kane !!! Better MC, better discography and better performer! Plus me and Crystle Lightning love doing “Very Special” when we go to karaoke!
Hip Hop Pops is a series of interviews profiling dads who’ve carved out careers in Hip Hop while raising a family.
Ed OG, in nineteenth hundred and ninety-first year of our Lord, said it best:
Some people wrongly assume the spirt and posture of hip hop is antithetical to the spirt and posture of fatherhood. This series will prove that assumption wick, wick, wack.
First on the mic is Humble Beastrecording artist and San Gabriel Valley’s very own, Propaganda. He’s kicked rhymes from Cameroon to Cameron Park, and has helped pack out venues all across the country. His firebrand delivery and lyrical dexterity has proven him to be one of the dopest spitting out of the west coast.
Today, we’re chopping it up about our favorite hood, father hood.
Tell us about your daughter.
Luna’s 9, high energy and loves to laugh. And she’s never, I repeat, NEVER at a loss of words. She’s passionate, affectionate and admires her mom. She’s a music lover. If I were to predict, she will live out of a suitcase touring the world.
What makes your relationship special?
We share a love for the arts. I’m her ‘step-dad’ but we don’t use that type of language in our home. We say ‘birth dad’ and ‘home dad.’ But there was a time when she called me her real dad and her birth dad step dad because it just made more sense to her like that.
What’s your favorite thing to do together?
We love to make-up songs.
What has she taught you?
She taught me to slow down. I have a way of not letting people finish their thought because “I know” what they are trying to say. She taught me that people need to know they are being heard.
What does she think about your hip hop career?
She doesn’t really know anything different. But when I showed up on Pandora, it hit her that her Daddy was for real a professional artist. She definitely enjoys the benefits and unique opportunities she gets. But my traveling is a little tuff for her.
Is there a song or verse on a song where you mention her?
Who would you say “fathered” your rap style?
Foundation Funkollective, Project Blowed and Native Tongues.
Who is your favorite TV dad?
This one is tough…maybe Hank Hill from King of the Hill. I think he’s the most dynamic in the sense that he learns and also stands his ground. He’s just doing his best to lead his family while maintaining his identity. Plus he’s funny.
Big Daddy Kane or Ol Dirty Bastard?
Kane for bars and moxie and ODB for confidence.
ODB purportedly has a fatherless style.
Download Propaganda’s entire catalog FOR FREE and stay connected with him via Instagram @prophiphop.
