Unless you’ve been living under a rock or have no interest in hip-hop at all, you’ve heard of the controversy that once engulfed Asamov, now called the Abs (which I discovered in this interview stands for the Alias Brothers). These local legends have pushed through it, while receiving national praise for their stellar debut, And now... EU was able to steal a few moments from Therapy and Niam to talk about the group.
EU: Originally Asamov, you were required to change your name to the ABs because of the late science fiction novelist, Isaac Asimov. This happened right after your release And now... Were you able to get the word out in time, or did it affect your CD sales?
Therapy: It didn’t affect the CD sales as far as I know. Caroline had just about sold out of the first pressing about the time it happened. It affected the CD sales in terms of us not being able to re-press it.
Niam: Yeah, so it’s like a yes and no.
Therapy: Ultimately, it did. We weren’t able to re-press it, and at the time it was hot, so we could have sold some more.
EU: Did the name change affect your live performance attendance?
Therapy: Not so much.
Niam: People really took to the story.
EU: I Googled “Asamov” online, and a bunch of indie hip-hop sites showed a bit of outrage over the matter. Did you come out better in the end?
Niam: I guess at the time we thought we were obligated to not really speak on it in a negative light. What it really comes down to is that we were obligated to be gracious about it.
Therapy: The thing about it is, at the time, we were asked to be gracious about it. At this point we just stick to the facts and the fact of the matter is, they threatened to sue us if we continued with that name.
EU: But it’s not even the same spelling.
Niam: It’s absolutely not and there is no way that we could be confused with any of his work.
Therapy: It really boils down to two things, money and a loophole, so it’s all good.
EU: You guys have been at it for a while. When and how did the group form?
Therapy: The group formed long ago. Many, many moons ago. Basically, I would say that it all started, technically speaking, when Willie (Niam) dropped, “Underground Utilities.” He had all the guys that are in Asamov come down, that was the first time we all rapped on Willie’s solo project. It was alright. (All laughing) Yeah so, that was the first time we all rapped, and shortly thereafter, just us being friends and traveling, we recorded some tracks at the house where at the Joe and Niam were staying. And that’s what started it.
EU: We did a show together in Ybor City for the “Dirty But Sophisticated” extravaganza last year. How did you guys get on that bill?
Therapy: We got on that bill through Slop.
Niam: We were on tour with Akrobatik, he was booked there and subsequently, we were booked there.
Therapy: The guy there was a hip-hop mover and shaker. He actually hooked us up. We’ve got a considerable following there, we’ve done a lot of shows out there in Tampa.
EU: You’re currently on the Indie label, 6 Hole Records, how are they treating you?
Therapy: We’re not on 6 Hole anymore. We are currently unsigned. We are still on really good terms with 6 Hole. 6 Hole, as a company, is really comprised of one dude, who is a really good friend of all of ours. But right now, we are really looking to see where we want to place our second album. The response was good on the first album, and we got a lot of national exposure, so we want to make sure that the second album is right.
EU: You hip-hop people kill me. Your myspace profile is still under myspace.com/asamov, your name on the flyer reads the ABs, but your website and profile title are under Alias Brothers. Care to explain?
Niam: The reason that the MySpace address is still Asamov is because once you create your address, you can’t change it. The ABs, stands for Alias Brothers. So, end of story.
EU: Therapy, you’re pulling a double duty with the ABs and The Smile Rays. Is it hard coming up with the amount of material required to fuel two projects?
Therapy: That’s an interesting question. Yes and no. With the Smile Rays, I had to write two albums simultaneously. But I was able to do that while the ABs were on a recording hiatus. But, at the same time, I have done only music as my job coming up on a decade. So, I do this. (All laughing)
Tough Junkie: He pulled his mustache out and twisted it at the end.
Therapy: It can be tough sometimes, but The Smile Rays and The ABs are different, musically. I’m able to write from totally different angles.
Tough Junkie: He opened up his hand and pixie dust flew out. All, “I do this.”
EU: A far as work ethic is involved, how do the two groups differ?
Therapy: (All laughing) I will keep it real, because I do that, too. (Laughing) They differ entirely. The basic reason is, the good answer is because with The Smile Rays, [Batsauce] is also a stay-at-home musician. He has a studio we work out of daily. With the ABs, the other guys are not full time musicians, they have jobs as well. So they don’t have the luxury of just sitting in a studio, or free studio time. Also with the ABs, we don’t really have a studio. Work ethic is different. Smile Rays is more like a business, it’s a daily operation. We had to make two albums in the course of a month and a half, so it’s more of a day-to-day thing. The ABs are like, best friends who make really great music when they happen to see each other. I am going to be putting out a petition though, at the Summertime in the City, for people to sign if they actually want to hear a second ABs record, and then I’m going to present that to Joe, Basic and Niam and hope that I can get the enthusiasm raised. (Laughing)
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