In Overdrive: An Interview with STV SLV of The Hood Internet

The Hood Internet are like the Reese Peanut Butter Cup of music. They take hip hop lyrical goodness and mix it up with wholesome indie rock to create a new track that is perfectly balanced and irresistibly groovy. The duo comprised of STV SLV and ABX could be considered PHD’s in the study of mixing beats and rhymes, as they have been at it since 2007. They have even ventured into releasing their own fully original records with last year’s FEAT which featured their music and guest vocals from indie rock and hip hop. To kick off the warmer weather and a tour with Black Moth Super Rainbow they released  vol. 7 which has 25 of their latest and greatest mashups. I spoke to STV SLV as he was testing their lights and packing equipment for their new and improved stage show.

MCB – The last time I saw you was a couple years ago with Matt&Kim at Majestic Theater…

STV SLV – That was a great show! I think we’re playing Magic Stick this time around. I love that part of town in Detroit. Except for the Garden Bowl we’ve played in all the rooms there.

MCB – What are you doing different this time around?

STV SLV—Well, I’m sitting here programming some lights that should be in sync with the music. This is going to be an awesome tour. We’ve got a new mixtape out so you’ll hear some stuff from that. But, it’s the people we’re touring with, Oscillating Bug and Black Moth Super Rainbow are both my favorites. It’s all music you can dance and have a good time with.

MCB – You have been touring incessantly for the past year and a half..

STV STV – Pretty much. We put out the record FEAT last year and did a lot of touring. There hasn’t really been any breaks longer than a month without doing a show somewhere.

MCB – Is it weird on a weekend when you’re not playing?

STV SLV – Well we strike a pretty good balance. When I’m not doing a bunch of states and shows, I like being in Chicago hanging out with friends. At the end of a tour is when you really feel a burn out like you  want to come home and revitalize.

MCB – With your latest mixtape Vol. 7 how has the landscape of hip hop changed since vol. 1?

STV SLV – We started in 2007 and it’s 2013 so a lot has changed. I feel like as time goes by there is an exponential increase on how fast music changes. You get throwbacks and revivals but you get a lot of new stuff.  In 2007 there wasn’t anything like A$AP Rocky or Main Attrackionz, things like that. And there wasn’t the music we sample like Major Lazer. The Hood Internet has always moved along with the sphere of music.

MCB – There’s this new slow vibe with hip hop like the stuff Future’s been doing…

STV SLV – Sometimes those slow tempos can be changed so you might hear some Future at our show. You might be dancing to it.

MCB – What’s your favorite track from vol. 7?

STV SLV – Good ass question! Let me think about this. I have many. First of all the cover art is awesome! If you’ve seen the cover, that was by SteffBomb who won Craftwars on TLC. I think my favorite track is the mix with Juicy J and Black Moth Super Rainbow because I don’t think I listened to any song more last year than “Bands Will Make Her Dance” and I don’t think I’ve listened to any other album more than BMSR “Cobra Juicy.”

MCB – It took me a while, well until I saw the video to figure out what “bands” really were…

STV SLV – So now you know what it is! See videos are still informative.

MCB – I think the Hood Internet has the ability to take a track and because your mixing it with indie rock you redefine the emotion felt from the song. You kind of flip it into something else.

STV SLV – I suppose we do that. You can change a chord progression and it can get different musical responses from people. That’s interesting. My inclination is to think the lyrics aren’t any different, but music does create moods and you can change that.
A common question I get is, “do I think our versions are superior to the originals?” and I think “no, absolutely not.” But, I think the shifting of moods is an interesting commentary on the human response to the shifting of major and minor chords.

MCB – On FEAT did you do this via email for the vocals or get the artists in the studio with you?

STV SLV – It was a little bit of both. Some would email us a verse and we’d set a beat to it. Then other times a local artist would come in the studio or we would be playing in their city and get together with some microphones in their house. It was really recorded everywhere.

MCB – Along with FEAT you have continued your mashups. Do you want to get back to original material?

STV SLV – I think that we’ll continue with our Hood Internet Mixtapes as we’ve always done, but we’ve always played in bands together so we’re going to do that as well. I think you’ll hear more new material from us, some remixes. As long as people are listening we’ll still be making music. Hell, even if people weren’t listening we’d still be making music. It’s what we do.

The Hood Internet are playing with Oscillator Bug and Black Moth Super Rainbow this Friday, May 10 at the Magic Stick.

The post by Mikel O.D. of  MPAD Media