Right as Youtube was becoming the next Myspace craze, Miami based rap duo ¡Mayday! were first in line with a grassroots campaign that would raise a ruckus, getting over 2 million views within 48 hours on the extensive media website with their “Groundhog Day” video. The first single’s video featured Cee-lo Green and DJ Craze performing an everyman’s anthem about the doldrums of 9-5 living. News spread fast, as NBC, News, ABC World News, E!TV, Inside Edition and the NY Times all covered it. The video has gone on to rotation on VHI Sub Soul, Music Choice’s Video On Demand, MUN2, Fuse and MTVU. The Miami born and bred duo of MC Bernbiz and Plex Luthor (producer/keyboardist) have just dropped their self-titled release in September, a testament to the colorful diversity & multi-faceted music coming out of the Magic City that isn’t just trance and house.
The pair, who met as children, started recording music and small LPs at the age of 15. They separated to attend college but came back together after some years as roommates. Through this reunion and love of music, they released their first song in 2004, “Quicksand” which sparked interest from South Beat Records, which is distributed by ADA/Warner Bros. Their sound, says MC Bernbiz, “has a lot of different influences…ranging from Southern music to the golden age of hip hop to jazz to classic era rock n roll.” That combined with bombastic hip-hop and drum n bass beats makes for the perfect soundtrack to an irresistible, hot city on the edge. You’ve been warned.
Onbeat: What do you consider your overall sound to be?
Mayday:Rock bottom rock. The title is drawn from an old Miami Hip-Hop song entitled “Rock Bottom.” We see ourselves as hip-hop with a rock vibe.
Onbeat: What is your greatest inspiration for making music?
Mayday: Anything personal like feelings of pleasure, pain, love hate, etc…I also [address] social issues but I try to attribute them back to myself, going full-circle - mostly a personal reaction to anything and everything.
Onbeat: How does Miami influence your overall sound?
Mayday: Miami is an eclectic muse since it’s its own microcosm. In the beginnings, Miami was greatly overlooked by the music business. Therefore, in some ways, we are just trying to prove ourselves.
Onbeat: How does it feel to be experiencing all this critical acclaim immediately after the release of “Groundhog Day?”
Mayday: It’s a double-sided sword since everything happened so fast. In some ways, it is the greatest thing, a dream come true for both of us. It can also be scary because we have no preparation for all that comes with instantaneous critical acclaim. It normally does not happen like this since the fan base usually comes first, then the critical acclaim.
Onbeat: How did you meet Cee-lo and DJ Craze? How did you collaboration come about?
Mayday: We have known DJ Craze for some time now. We came up together from being on the music grind. Cee-lo was in Miami working with Counterflow, heard the track, and had no problem laying down the verses. The song had a spirit of its own.
Onbeat: Do you feel that there is a new genre of the combination of Hip-Hop and Dance music?
Mayday: I wouldn’t exactly call it a new genre. It is a new style, with artists pushing the boundaries and evolving to become thinking that is more forward. In some ways, it is a natural progression of hip-hop, more like a coming of age of hip-hop music.
Onbeat: Are there any other dance or hip-hop artists that you would like to work with in the future?
Mayday: Well, Oscar G just did a remix of “Groundhog Day” that is good. We are all good friends so I would love to collaborate with him on something. In addition, Pitbull and Spam All-stars would be great to work with in the future.
Onbeat: What is next for you two with this first release?
Mayday: Touring the world; getting the message out to anyone who will see and listen.
Onbeat: What do you do in your spare time?
Mayday: Work on music, whether I am in the studio or not.
Onbeat: Where do you see yourselves in the next 10 years?
Mayday: Hopefully, still recording and releasing music. I have no shame in stating that I want to be famous and sell out stadiums and arenas.
Onbeat: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring two CDs with you, what would they be and why?
Mayday: Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “Greatest Hits” because they are classic and D’Angelo’s “Voodoo” because I love the lazy and strange mood of the disc.
iMayday! has been added to the Rokout Festival in LA on November 25, 2006 alongside Prodigy,Q- Bert, Z- Trip and Souls Of Mischief.
For more information, visit:
www.maydayonline.com
www.myspace.com/firstdayofmay
www.rokout.com
