Wolf in sheep's clothing
Peanut Butter Wolf has been one of the most important forces in hip hop for over a decade. Here, he takes stock of his journey so far for Dan Stapleton.
Peanut Butter Wolf is both smooth and crunchy
Australian listeners could be forgiven for thinking that American hip hop is a creatively dead genre. Over here, we're exposed to only a fraction of the rap music that comes out of the US - and most of what we do hear is lowest common denominator, written with the pop charts in mind. However, like all musical styles that have found commercial success, there is another side to hip hop: an underground scene that continues to push forward, despite a lack of widespread recognition.
Los Angeles label Stones Throw is arguably the finest exponent of what has been termed ‘indie hip hop'. For the past twelve years it has redefined the limits of the genre with a slew of groundbreaking releases from some of hip hop's leading lights. From J Dilla's flawless instrumental album, Donuts, to dozens of projects from the prolific producer Madlib, the label has rarely put a foot wrong.
Stones Throw was founded in 1996 by Chris Manak (aka Peanut Butter Wolf), a respected DJ and producer whose collaborations with MC Charizma in the early 90s turned heads across the US. Frustrated with the music industry, Manak decided to take matters into his own hands.
"I was doing this stuff for all these other labels, and I was always frustrated with the end result," he says. "I felt like I had done enough stuff in the music industry - writing for magazines, DJing on the radio, working at record stores, working at a record distributor, being a recording artist. I felt like I knew a little bit about everything. One day I just said, ‘Well, I might as well just start putting records out.'"
Manak had an ordinary, white, middle-class childhood, living with his family in the decidedly non-musical town of San Jose. "Back then, I really didn't know anybody who'd put a record out or anything like that," he says. "I guess the Doobie Brothers were originally from San Jose. But I didn't know that at the time."
The key to both his musical success (he is also a respected DJ) and that of his label is Manak's outsider status. Being a white man in a black man's industry inspired him to make Stones Throw a haven for a broad variety of artists - black, white, traditional, experimental. He has consistently promoted artists from marginalised hip hop scenes like Detroit; has signed intelligent female rappers like Georgia Anne Muldrow; and strengthened the links between modern hip hop and classic funk/soul through two reissue imprints, Now-Again and Soul Cal.
These are tough times for record labels, but Manak's creative vision and ability to multitask should safeguard Stones Throw's future. Besides, he says, "I don't really take myself, or the label, that seriously. If I did I'd probably have an ulcer right now!"
Peanut Butter Wolf plays Thu 5 June at Oxford Arts Factory