Following the release of their new album, Animal, I had the opportunity to speak with Prohgress from LA based hip hop group the Far*east Movement (FM) a couple weeks ago. During the interview, DJ Virman dialed in from Japan for a few minutes.
Are you guys originally from the LA area?
We’ve lived outside Los Angeles a little here and there. Kev (Kev Nish) took a couple years to live in Seattle and I lived in Illinois for a while. Most of the group formulated in the LA area.
How did the group meet?
J Splif and I attended the same high school. Kev would come to korea town to party with us cause we knew the same people. We ended up meeting each other from mutual acquaintances. Virman joined the group and the rest is history.
How long ago did Virman join the group?
Yes. We sent Virman love letters. After camping outside of his house and holding candle light vigils he eventually decided to give the group a chance (laughs).
Haha, that’s pretty funny! By the way, who is single in the group?
I’m single and Virman is single.
What are your favorite locations to visit on tour?
I like NYC a lot. The pace is very different, especially the pizza. I also love Singapore. Amsterdam is pretty cool as well. Being able to travel on tour to meet different people to learn about their influences is pretty amazing.
Can you tell me about some of FM’s influences? Are there any local influences?
Our music is a product of the city. There’s so much culture here that you get influenced from every aspect of Los Angeles. It’s a huge melting pot – you have Ktown, Ethiopia town, Filipino town and the list goes on. We dedicate a song to a legendary taco spot.
What’s the name of the place?
El Taurino (1104 S Hoover St). I’ll guarantee you that it’s the best taco you can get from LA.
I’ve heard that people have been following a taco truck on twitter to track its location in LA. What type of food do they serve?
Yes, it’s called Kogi. I haven’t had it yet but have heard great things about it. Kogi is a fusion of Korean BBQ wrapped in a taco offered on the go in a truck! People in Chicago recently asked me about it. I actually received many emails about Kogi’s twitter page. So many people are using twitter now.
Speaking of twitter and technology, I recently went to FM’s Stickam page. You’ve got quite a following on Stickam in addition to FM’s official website.
Our friends from Stickam helped us out, especially with online events. As independent artist, you have to be interactive with your fans. When we post online content, we are able to connect with our fans.
How important is it to stay connected with your fans?
With every musician, its always very easy to get misconstrued, especially if you do something a little different. We have songs about parties and the content of the song may be about girls. Some people will assume that we’re sexist on that level but our intentions are only to talk about having a good time at a party.
Also, we need to stay in contact with the fans to make sure that we are relevant and fresh in our music. As your fans and friends evolve, so should your music. On FM’s stickam page, we have hosted live events online, including the release party for Animal.
What is the concept behind your most current album, Animal?
We’ve been in this game for a while. There are many layers to the album. Sometimes, you feel as if you’re cages up (like an animal) and that you need to be politically correct. With Animal, we were able to let it all out – we just wild out in the music! Its also about having fun, which we try to keep consistent on the album.
I agree that the album is fun, especially the videos. I saw the music video to “Dance Like Michael Jackson”. Who would you consider as the best dancer in the group?
Virman – he’s always been dope to begin with (video below).
FM has another dance track titled “Girls On The Dance Floor”. What was the approach to this song?
The dance scene is really hot at the moment. Its actually one of the last songs we worked on for Animal. Our friends, Bruno Mars and Stereotypes helped us with this track. It’s a feel good dance song.
Stereotypes collaborated with FM?
Yes, they produced Danity Cane’s song “Damaged”. We love working with them and have been making music with them for a while. We met them while interning at Interscope Records years ago and look forward to making more music with them in the future.
In regards to future plans, where do you see FM ten years from now?
Although I am single, I feel as though I have a relationship (with the guys in the group). We have been through so much together and we’re always thinking further into the future. We would like to continue to grow and hopefully, we’ll be able to work behind the scenes with more upcoming artist . We are currently working with Jeason Ma and producing his album.
Dance like Michael Jackson ring tone comes on.
P: Its Virman, someone wants to say “Hi” to you (places Virman on the speaker).
Hey, wassup?! It’s Allicia, I’m sitting here chillen with Prohgress. How is in Japan?
V: I have a few meetings scheduled. Hands down, its pretty crazy here in Japan ‘cause some DJ’s in Japan are comparing us to the Teriyaki Boyz. Not to mention, I just received word that Def Jam recently signed a Japanese artist to their label – she’s pretty cool.
Hip hop definitely has its influences in Japan. Are you shopping there?
V: I’m trying to cut down to buy one good thing. I’ve realized that I have many pairs of sneakers (after bringing them to the Fetish’s video shoot).
P: Nah man, it’s dope. Everyone is jocking your sneakers.
Virman and Prohgress discuss guest refereeing the NBA All-Star game, which took place a couple weeks ago in Arizona. Prohgress receives another incoming call and hung up with Virman who was jet-lagged and had not slept (it was 4 AM in Japan). It was Phil from Wong Fu Productions on the other line. Prohgress told him that he’d call him back to discuss an upcoming event.
Wong Fu Productions’ YouTube videos are hilarious. Are you guys working with them for an upcoming project?
Yes, we are putting together the International Secret Agent show. It’s a showcase of established Asian-American artist. The first show took place in Los Angeles which sold out. We’ll be taking it to San Francisco in March.
What other projects would you like to pursue in entertainment?
FM would like to branch out in different areas of media. We would like to be entrepreneurs in different venues within entertainment. We would also love to work with many different artists. We’ve been inspired by Outcast. We’d like to work with different people in order to think outside of the box, artists like Gwen Stefani, MSTRKRFT, MGMT, Justice, Bill Corgan and Snoop. Its wonderful to be able to create different types of music. You’ll learn a lot through the process as well.
Lastly, what are your thoughts about the “model minority” stereotype for Asian-Americans?
I don’t think it’s an issue with being labeled as a “model minority”. If you are out there doing different things, it wont be a problem if you don’t buy into it. On the other side, it’s a little crippling but like with many things in life, it’s a challenge (that you have to overcome). There’s no point in fighting or bickering about it the stereotype. You have to change their views to make a difference, just like President Obama did last November.
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Before leaving FM’s office in Ktown (Los Angeles), Prohgress presented me with an autographed Animal album. You will get the opportunity to enter an future contest to win this CD (signed by all the guys) from Killahbeez.
The video to “Fetish” and “Lowridin” will be dropping on March 7th. The latest “Girls On the Dance Floor” track has been played all over clubs and radio stations in LA, look out for the Far*east Movement! Below is my favorite track:
LOWRIDIN – FM is the Far*east Movement
Source: FM’s Myspace, FM’s Official Website, Wong Fu Productions
