Golden Is 'Peddling Medicine' Online
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
The album, titled "Peddling Medicine," comes with guests from the Black Eyed Peas, including Printz and Fergie.
Recently, Golden, whose real name is Casey Golden, of Minneapolis, responded to some questions via e-mail about his album that he hopes will put him on the hip-hop map.[[In-content Ad]]Q: When did you first start working on your album? When did you finish recording it, how long was the recording process?
A: The process took about 3 years. I would demo songs and put certain tracks together, let them marinate for a while and either toss 'em aside or on a mixtape, 12-inch or re-work them. The actual recording was done over the course of a few weeks. I flew Printz in to work when the Peas were on a break from touring and we banged out the majority of the record over 3 sessions in Minneapolis. After that I did most of the editing on my rig at home and mixed over the next few months.
The problem is, is I am a perfectionist so I went back like 7 or 8 revisions strong on the mixing, re-cutting vocals or adding new drums, whatever it took to get it where I was comfortable with it.
Q: When and how was the album released? What's been the response to your album's release? How can people get a hold of your music?
A: The album came out two-fold.
We did an exclusive with iTunes on April 17, and then released the actual CD to other digital outlets, Internet stores and FYE and Sam Goody stores on May 17.
The reason for this was to maximize the run of PR and exposure. Being a start-up indie label we need to get the most out of our promotional dollar. We can't put half a million behind the record to get it out nationally in every store. If we went that course there would be no promotional money, so it would just sit on shelves as another under-promoted record. This way we can sell 10, 20 thousand records and go to a major distributor with some numbers behind us. In addition we figured that record sales are slowing and we would sell more CDs on tour.
We also released a legal mp3 with Fergie via peer-to-peer networks like Limewire, Kazaa, etc. The Jun Group, WHO, helped us do this and really it is on some cutting-edge stuff. The P2P kids are gonna get the music anyway once it drops, so why not get it out to them free and let them help build the buzz?
Right now I am really happy with the response. I was MySpace featured artist one week and featured on iTunes. It's been crazy all the love I was getting. It let me know that even without the ideal budget, the little guy still has a chance to compete with the majors if it is worked correctly.
Q: The title of the album is "Peddling Medicine." How did that name come about?
A: The rap game loves to compare itself to the crack game. Except this is the medicine that cures. I am peddling my medicine, my experience, my music.
To me music has always been this healing thing for me in my life. It helped me through rough times and let me know that I was not alone. It gave me something to relate to. It literally was my medicine. So now I figure I have to get out there and hustle my medicine. Get out on the street and peddle it wherever and to whoever wants to listen.
The industry is in such a bad way right now with what they push to the kids. There is no balance. No yin to the yang. So that's how I see myself. Positive. Not sickly sweet pop garbage but real substance packaged in an easy-to-swallow pill so your kids will never know the difference. Ha!
Q: Among the guests on your album are Fergie. What was it like to work with Fergie and the other artists?
A: Working with Fergie was great.
The Peas were on tour in Minnesota and I was working on my record with Printz on the bus when they had some downtime. I guess Fergie heard the track "Elevator Music" and really liked it.
At that point I had someone else singing demo vocals and Fergie wanted to drop on it. To me it was a no brainer. She is mad cool and genuine, not to mention beautiful and talented. So when we got to Duluth, we took my protools rig into one of the classrooms at the college, where the Peas were playing, and Fergie cut the vocals right there at University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Not the most glamorous story, but that is how it went down. $10 million dollar studio or college athletic department classroom, it doesn't matter as long as it is good music.
As far as Sy and Farenheit. Farenheit came through on tour with Sean Paul. My manager connected with Sean Paul's manager. So when they got to town, I happened to be mixing the record. I was looking for something different to go over this track "MN Livin'." Farenheit got in touch with me and came through the studio (The Hideaway) and blessed me with the vocals for the chorus. Since then we've been cool and are in the process of doing some more tracks.
Sy, I met through Printz from being part of the Airpushers record. I was really struggling finding the right female vocal for the bridge on "So Many Ways." It had been a few months of mixing and I wasn't happy with it. After playing with the Airpushers at the Roxy in L.A., I really realized just how dope Sy was. I mean I knew, but it really hit me at that point.
When I got back home to Minnesota I hit her up and asked her if she would be down to bless the track. She was and the rest is history.
Q: Even before the album dropped, you were out promoting it for quite some time. What are your plans to push it more?
A: Right now we are working on a tour for the fall. I can't divulge the details right now, but it is the plan to get out there as much as possible and let people know about this record.
The singles right now is "It Ain't Me." I think it is a good intro record. It isn't the strongest track on the album, but it is the right record to address certain inevitable issues of being a white rapper. After that, I have lots of ideas ... I guess we will see.
Q: What did you learn or gain from the experience of putting this hip-hop album together?
A: I learned that I have OCD when it comes to my music. I have to be involved in every aspect from beginning to end. I think it re-affirmed my respect level for guys like Jay-Z and will.i.am. Guys that are working every second of every day to get it right.
I think when I do it again, it won't be such a long process. I want to get everything where it needs to be conceptually and beat wise, and bang it out over the course of a week in some rented house away from everything and everyone. Just so I can be completely focused on the job.
Most people don't realize that when you hit the booth it is serious business.
I also learned that it is crazy hard to cut music off your own record. This album was at 20 tracks, then 18, then 15, and finally down to 13, and it was some of the hardest cuts I have ever had to make because I liked them all. It is like getting rid of your children, well maybe not that deep, but you get the point.
Q: Talk a little about each or some of your favorite songs on the album.
A: "Peddling Medicine" is one of them. I produced that record in the kitchen of my one-bedroom apartment on Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul. It was this crazy drum line and stand-up bass. Then I brought my homie David France in to play some violin. It was hot as hell in the summer and we had to cut the AC because of the noise. I remember we had to close the windows to cut out car noise and we were straight-up baking. We had to stop every time the 94 bus came by cause you could catch the break squeals from it making its stop across the street.
"Falling," I think, is one of the most well-written songs on the album. It is a personal record with a huge chorus and really catchy but it is also really means something. I feel the same way about "So Many Ways" with Sy.
Of course, "Mourners' Kaddish" stands out just from its subject matter alone. I was holding that song for 5 years, until I got the chance to record it with a real string section. So it was nice to see that finally happen.
Q: After Don Imus' firing, there was sort of a backlash against hip hop and rap for including words like ho, the "N" word, among others. As a white guy making hip hop music, what's your take on the whole language issue in hip hop?
A: I think it needs to happen. I think people are living in a fantasy land where the images being pushed by large corporations to make a dollar and are not the reality. But they are creating a new reality being played out by suburban white kids who think the hood is a place to aspire to and by inner city kids of color who think their only option is drug dealing, gang banging or ball. That is sad, man. Our youth deserve better.
They don't deserve to be placated and fed BS. They deserve to be fed the truth. And the truth is that rap music and pop culture leaders have let us down. What once had the power to transform a generations hopes and dreams is now feeding the regurgitated images of Jim Crow and the new savage. That is crazy, and it is directly related to the money involved in selling the story. It doesn't matter if you have skills as long as you have a good story. It doesn't matter if you have a point as long as you can make em dance.
I am all for free speech and dance records, but I think there needs to be some balance. There needs to be a Public Enemy and PRT or Rakim for every dude spitting ignorance. And while they exist, they don't get the exposure. I hope that changes starting with my record.
Q: With the record industry sales falling, is releasing music online first, such as your music, a good thing or bad thing, and for who?
A: Yeah, I think it is good. Man, I am not gonna make money off CD sales. It is a numbers game to me. It proves I can sell.
I am gonna thrive off touring and other things that used to be supplementary. So digital sales are great in that it levels the playing field as far as distribution. If you have quality music, it can be available right alongside the Ludacris album, or a Zepplin box set. So I think if you can use it wisely it can help the small guy.
But people still have to buy it. It is crazy when cats get at me on MySpace being like, "I just burned your album from my boy" or off Limewire. I have to explain to them that if they like the record I really need their actual support. Those dollars and numbers mean everything to an indie artist trying to compete with major labels and their money.
Q: What do you want your fans and potential fans to know about you? And why should they buy "Peddling Medicine"?
A: I am the fat kid that suddenly got skinny and suddenly said gimmie to the girls that a year ago wasn't having any.
I am that dude in the back of the club, watching and waiting for my time to hit the stage and shut it down. I still take that outside approach, that fat kid approach.
I am not an insider, I never have been, but I can kick it in any circle. So I want to change the system from within the system. Really and truly I think we deserve better as human beings. I think that kids are smart and are being placated and taught like they are dumb. I think we can get it. I just think right now we need the truth. In all aspects of life - so as far as "Peddling Medicine," if you are looking for something more, something with more substance and character without beating you over the head with politics or without sacrificing beats, "Peddling Medicine" is the record for you.
On the Net:
golden-mc.com
The album, titled "Peddling Medicine," comes with guests from the Black Eyed Peas, including Printz and Fergie.
Recently, Golden, whose real name is Casey Golden, of Minneapolis, responded to some questions via e-mail about his album that he hopes will put him on the hip-hop map.[[In-content Ad]]Q: When did you first start working on your album? When did you finish recording it, how long was the recording process?
A: The process took about 3 years. I would demo songs and put certain tracks together, let them marinate for a while and either toss 'em aside or on a mixtape, 12-inch or re-work them. The actual recording was done over the course of a few weeks. I flew Printz in to work when the Peas were on a break from touring and we banged out the majority of the record over 3 sessions in Minneapolis. After that I did most of the editing on my rig at home and mixed over the next few months.
The problem is, is I am a perfectionist so I went back like 7 or 8 revisions strong on the mixing, re-cutting vocals or adding new drums, whatever it took to get it where I was comfortable with it.
Q: When and how was the album released? What's been the response to your album's release? How can people get a hold of your music?
A: The album came out two-fold.
We did an exclusive with iTunes on April 17, and then released the actual CD to other digital outlets, Internet stores and FYE and Sam Goody stores on May 17.
The reason for this was to maximize the run of PR and exposure. Being a start-up indie label we need to get the most out of our promotional dollar. We can't put half a million behind the record to get it out nationally in every store. If we went that course there would be no promotional money, so it would just sit on shelves as another under-promoted record. This way we can sell 10, 20 thousand records and go to a major distributor with some numbers behind us. In addition we figured that record sales are slowing and we would sell more CDs on tour.
We also released a legal mp3 with Fergie via peer-to-peer networks like Limewire, Kazaa, etc. The Jun Group, WHO, helped us do this and really it is on some cutting-edge stuff. The P2P kids are gonna get the music anyway once it drops, so why not get it out to them free and let them help build the buzz?
Right now I am really happy with the response. I was MySpace featured artist one week and featured on iTunes. It's been crazy all the love I was getting. It let me know that even without the ideal budget, the little guy still has a chance to compete with the majors if it is worked correctly.
Q: The title of the album is "Peddling Medicine." How did that name come about?
A: The rap game loves to compare itself to the crack game. Except this is the medicine that cures. I am peddling my medicine, my experience, my music.
To me music has always been this healing thing for me in my life. It helped me through rough times and let me know that I was not alone. It gave me something to relate to. It literally was my medicine. So now I figure I have to get out there and hustle my medicine. Get out on the street and peddle it wherever and to whoever wants to listen.
The industry is in such a bad way right now with what they push to the kids. There is no balance. No yin to the yang. So that's how I see myself. Positive. Not sickly sweet pop garbage but real substance packaged in an easy-to-swallow pill so your kids will never know the difference. Ha!
Q: Among the guests on your album are Fergie. What was it like to work with Fergie and the other artists?
A: Working with Fergie was great.
The Peas were on tour in Minnesota and I was working on my record with Printz on the bus when they had some downtime. I guess Fergie heard the track "Elevator Music" and really liked it.
At that point I had someone else singing demo vocals and Fergie wanted to drop on it. To me it was a no brainer. She is mad cool and genuine, not to mention beautiful and talented. So when we got to Duluth, we took my protools rig into one of the classrooms at the college, where the Peas were playing, and Fergie cut the vocals right there at University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Not the most glamorous story, but that is how it went down. $10 million dollar studio or college athletic department classroom, it doesn't matter as long as it is good music.
As far as Sy and Farenheit. Farenheit came through on tour with Sean Paul. My manager connected with Sean Paul's manager. So when they got to town, I happened to be mixing the record. I was looking for something different to go over this track "MN Livin'." Farenheit got in touch with me and came through the studio (The Hideaway) and blessed me with the vocals for the chorus. Since then we've been cool and are in the process of doing some more tracks.
Sy, I met through Printz from being part of the Airpushers record. I was really struggling finding the right female vocal for the bridge on "So Many Ways." It had been a few months of mixing and I wasn't happy with it. After playing with the Airpushers at the Roxy in L.A., I really realized just how dope Sy was. I mean I knew, but it really hit me at that point.
When I got back home to Minnesota I hit her up and asked her if she would be down to bless the track. She was and the rest is history.
Q: Even before the album dropped, you were out promoting it for quite some time. What are your plans to push it more?
A: Right now we are working on a tour for the fall. I can't divulge the details right now, but it is the plan to get out there as much as possible and let people know about this record.
The singles right now is "It Ain't Me." I think it is a good intro record. It isn't the strongest track on the album, but it is the right record to address certain inevitable issues of being a white rapper. After that, I have lots of ideas ... I guess we will see.
Q: What did you learn or gain from the experience of putting this hip-hop album together?
A: I learned that I have OCD when it comes to my music. I have to be involved in every aspect from beginning to end. I think it re-affirmed my respect level for guys like Jay-Z and will.i.am. Guys that are working every second of every day to get it right.
I think when I do it again, it won't be such a long process. I want to get everything where it needs to be conceptually and beat wise, and bang it out over the course of a week in some rented house away from everything and everyone. Just so I can be completely focused on the job.
Most people don't realize that when you hit the booth it is serious business.
I also learned that it is crazy hard to cut music off your own record. This album was at 20 tracks, then 18, then 15, and finally down to 13, and it was some of the hardest cuts I have ever had to make because I liked them all. It is like getting rid of your children, well maybe not that deep, but you get the point.
Q: Talk a little about each or some of your favorite songs on the album.
A: "Peddling Medicine" is one of them. I produced that record in the kitchen of my one-bedroom apartment on Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul. It was this crazy drum line and stand-up bass. Then I brought my homie David France in to play some violin. It was hot as hell in the summer and we had to cut the AC because of the noise. I remember we had to close the windows to cut out car noise and we were straight-up baking. We had to stop every time the 94 bus came by cause you could catch the break squeals from it making its stop across the street.
"Falling," I think, is one of the most well-written songs on the album. It is a personal record with a huge chorus and really catchy but it is also really means something. I feel the same way about "So Many Ways" with Sy.
Of course, "Mourners' Kaddish" stands out just from its subject matter alone. I was holding that song for 5 years, until I got the chance to record it with a real string section. So it was nice to see that finally happen.
Q: After Don Imus' firing, there was sort of a backlash against hip hop and rap for including words like ho, the "N" word, among others. As a white guy making hip hop music, what's your take on the whole language issue in hip hop?
A: I think it needs to happen. I think people are living in a fantasy land where the images being pushed by large corporations to make a dollar and are not the reality. But they are creating a new reality being played out by suburban white kids who think the hood is a place to aspire to and by inner city kids of color who think their only option is drug dealing, gang banging or ball. That is sad, man. Our youth deserve better.
They don't deserve to be placated and fed BS. They deserve to be fed the truth. And the truth is that rap music and pop culture leaders have let us down. What once had the power to transform a generations hopes and dreams is now feeding the regurgitated images of Jim Crow and the new savage. That is crazy, and it is directly related to the money involved in selling the story. It doesn't matter if you have skills as long as you have a good story. It doesn't matter if you have a point as long as you can make em dance.
I am all for free speech and dance records, but I think there needs to be some balance. There needs to be a Public Enemy and PRT or Rakim for every dude spitting ignorance. And while they exist, they don't get the exposure. I hope that changes starting with my record.
Q: With the record industry sales falling, is releasing music online first, such as your music, a good thing or bad thing, and for who?
A: Yeah, I think it is good. Man, I am not gonna make money off CD sales. It is a numbers game to me. It proves I can sell.
I am gonna thrive off touring and other things that used to be supplementary. So digital sales are great in that it levels the playing field as far as distribution. If you have quality music, it can be available right alongside the Ludacris album, or a Zepplin box set. So I think if you can use it wisely it can help the small guy.
But people still have to buy it. It is crazy when cats get at me on MySpace being like, "I just burned your album from my boy" or off Limewire. I have to explain to them that if they like the record I really need their actual support. Those dollars and numbers mean everything to an indie artist trying to compete with major labels and their money.
Q: What do you want your fans and potential fans to know about you? And why should they buy "Peddling Medicine"?
A: I am the fat kid that suddenly got skinny and suddenly said gimmie to the girls that a year ago wasn't having any.
I am that dude in the back of the club, watching and waiting for my time to hit the stage and shut it down. I still take that outside approach, that fat kid approach.
I am not an insider, I never have been, but I can kick it in any circle. So I want to change the system from within the system. Really and truly I think we deserve better as human beings. I think that kids are smart and are being placated and taught like they are dumb. I think we can get it. I just think right now we need the truth. In all aspects of life - so as far as "Peddling Medicine," if you are looking for something more, something with more substance and character without beating you over the head with politics or without sacrificing beats, "Peddling Medicine" is the record for you.
On the Net:
golden-mc.com
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