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We sat down with ATOM tha Immortal who’s on the verge of releasing his third album ‘Son of Slaves and Lords’. Atom crafts a different style of hip hop/rap that’d you find over your local radio waves (i.e: his has actual quality). His strong beats, in your face thought provoking lyrics have us pretty hyped for his upcoming release! What's your driving force behind creating your albums? What keeps you pushing on through the rough times?
Musically, to create good music, since there is a definite lack. To be creative and exercise my G-d given gifts for the benefit of others. And of course to speak truth.
I do music in good and bad times because I feel G-d wants me to do it at this point in my life. My platform allows me to speak truth directly to people in a non-offensive manner. What an opportunity! May G-d allow me to do so with force. This is why I keep going...it is an important time in history to speak on these things.
Click Read More for the entire interview!
You have a great beat and lyrical structure for your songs, what's your inspiration for the beats?
Thank you. I listen to a ton of music and have since childhood, from different styles and countries. Most of the music I get inspiration from is Andean music from Peru/Bolivia/Chile, Latin music from around the world (Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, South American, etc), folk music from various countries and alternative rock music from the US. I take a lot of inspiration from Latin America and from the histories of Western Civilization and Andean/First Nations Civilization. My music is an amalgam of all these influences, guided by the principles of order I see reflected in Nature and established by the Creator.
And for the lyrics?
My lyrics are just an outpouring of my normal thought life. I read a lot. I think a lot. And so it comes out in my lyrics. For example, issues of social justice (or injustice) and the rational pursuit of Truth are things I usually debate with my friends or write about online. My lyrical content is just a poetic expression of these same ideas.
You're aiming for 'Son of Slaves and Lords' to be released this year. How is this album different from 'Day' and 'Sword'?
Sword of 77 Faces was my first album, and took 5 years to complete. I wrote most of those tracks in late high school and early college. There was no political content on that album, because my world was more insular at the time.
The Day the World Changed was a step forward for me artistically and musically. I think it showed the growth of my music. This album took around two years to complete, and was written and finished before I graduated from college. This album was also not political, but had a lot of tracks dealing with philosophical issues and spiritual themes.
After I finished DTWC, I left for my first trip abroad, spending seven weeks backpacking through South America. This trip was an eye opener that really shattered a lot of what I believed or held as subconscious beliefs. In a lot of ways, it made me grow up. It was a difficult trip and taught me what was really important in life: family, friends, your community and G-d. Nothing lse really mattered after that.
Son of Slaves and Lords grew out of this experience. You can hear it throughout the album, like on tracks "Freedom (Hasta la Victoria)" and "Los Pobres", which completely captured how I felt. The whole album is a celebration of our history, meaning that of these continents (North/South America.)
The title grew out of my personal history, as the proud descendant of complex cultures of the Americas and the Mesoamerican lords of my bloodline. As I say in one of the tracks from the album, "I'm mixed blood, almost every culture occurs in me, the culmination of the genetic set of diversity." I am the son of slaves and lords, and I have been blessed by all sides of my ancestry in becoming who I am.
Musically, I want this album to be definitive. I want it to be as near perfect as I can make music, without cutting corners everywhere. I want each track to be incredible, not just good. Hopefully G-d will bless it and we'll see the result.
Has the journey in making 'Son' changed you at all?
Of course. Anytime you commit yourself to a long term expression of art, you learn a lot about yourself. Music helps me explain to the world what I have learned and what I don't want the world to forget when I die. I think the journey that led to the album changed me immensely, and the journey of the album has continued that growth and refined it.
What do you hope to help change in people who listen to your albums?
I have two goals for everyone that listens to my albums: 1) That they'd love G-d with their whole being and obedience and 2) that they'd love their neighbors (even undocumented immigrants) as much as themselves. It isn't any more complicated than that. If my music can help you to understand the truth of G-d's existence and forgiveness, or helps you to treat your wife better or financially give to those who need, then the music wasn't in vain. It is in vain if all that people get out of it is a head nod to the beat or the idea that "Atom is an ill MC." My fame or individual dopeness means NOTHING. People and G-d mean EVERYTHING.
Why do you call yourself 'Tha Immortal'?
This has been part of my name since high school, and I initially got it from the Highlander. It reflects the truth of the Resurrection of the Dead...basically, I'll come back to life one day after my death, never to die again. G-d promised me as much through his prophets and Son. So I represent that.
Why do you write God as G-d?
Out of respect for the divine. G-d is not the "god" that Americans worship (an ATM god that gives you whatever you want, whatever kind of material goods you desire, and has no compassion on the poor) so I want to show people that I worship a different, Living redeemer. My G-d is holy and his name is Holy. The Jews would not write out the divine name out of fear of using his name in a vain manner...I don't do it for religious fear (I know my G-d personally and intimately), but I do want to remind myself of his greatness. I don't want to ever take his name or Him lightly.
What's your driving force behind creating your albums? What keeps you pushing on through the rough times?
Musically, to create good music, since there is a definite lack. To be creative and exercise my G-d given gifts for the benefit of others. And of course to speak truth.
I do music in good and bad times because I feel G-d wants me to do it at this point in my life. My platform allows me to speak truth directly to people in a non-offensive manner. What an opportunity! May G-d allow me to do so with force. This is why I keep going...it is an important time in history to speak on these things.
In your MySpace blog you often write long, detail intellectual discussions from everything from faith, science and economics. What is your inspiration in writing these?
As I mentioned before, this is where my head is at daily. I am reading Maimonides' "The Guide for the Perplexed" right now as well as doing computational work for The Evolutionary Informatics Lab under Dr.'s Dembski and Marks...so that will give someone a lot of thoughts on scientific and philosophical issues. This is normal for me...before that, I was reading a book on the remaining unsolved Mathematical problems of the new millenium. Daily I read news concerning social movements in Latin America and abroad. I have friends who are involved in social justice struggles and participate myself sometimes (in direct action, not just musically.) Anyway, these are the seeds for my blog discussions as well as my lyrics. Economics shapes the
dynamics of society and the power structure within it; if you don't understand the economic structure of a situation, you don't understand the situation. That's why I write on economics as well.
Do you get into a lot of debates regarding your bold statements?
You better believe it! (laughs) It is ok, though. Yeshua said that the prophets faced opposition and were killed for their statements of truth. Yeshua was killed for his statements of truth (as well as for our ransom.) I don't expect anything less. If people all agree with what I say and treat me well, then I'm not speaking the truth. In the words of an old philosopher: "Truth has never been the path to popularity."
For those who disagree, sometimes I respond, sometimes I don't. Proverbs tells us to answer a fool according to his folly, or else he'll seem wise in his own eyes and also to not answer a fool according to his folly, or else you'll become like him: in other words, different circumstances require different responses. For those who have actual, honest questions, I'll always take time to answer them. For those that just need to have their pride cut down, sometimes I'll do so, but I don't like to...as it is a temptation to my pride in doing so.
And sometimes people don't want to find the truth, they just want to air their own opinions or put down what they hate. I don't waste my time with these people. If you're 100% convinced that G-d doesn't exist and no evidence whatsoever could shake that conviction, then only G-d can help you. My powers are limited to reasoning and persuasion...some people have long ago moved beyond rational argument and are left in the realm of knee-jerk emotional response. These are the ones who call ID "creationism" (while ignoring the clear differences between the two positions) or think that undocumented immigrants somehow don't deserve Christian compassion and charity. Only G-d can change hearts, I can only speak truth.
If you could change one thing in the world, one thing only, what would it be?
I'd make Yeshua king over all the nations. Since that day is promised to happen (come quickly!), I would say I would want justice on the earth in the meantime. If the world had perfect justice, in the sense of a merciful but effective righting of all social/political/environmental wrongs, what else would we need? This, sadly, will not happen until Messiah returns, but I'll work towards making the world a more just place. Not perfect, just better.
How has iTunes been with 'Sword'?
Since it is being promoted by Regen Records (www.regenrecords.com), and they are a small independent label, it has been very modest. I don't know the exact numbers, since they are the ones in charge of selling that album, but I know it isn't anything to boast about.
When's the release date for 'Son of Slaves and Lords' and where can we pick it up from?
Son of Slaves and Lords (SOSAL for short) is two songs away from completion. I am working on the last two songs right now. Other than this, I am still in the process of clearing the samples used in the album.
After those two things are completed, I will release the album directly via my website (www.atomthaimmortal.com). My best guess is towards the end of summer or sometime in Fall.
As for the means of distribution, I have been in prayer over the past several weeks over this project and have felt that G-d wants me to not charge for it. Instead, I will start with 100 or so free downloads. I will then have a donations paypal account where those who want to spread the music can donate to it and for every dollar donated it will add two more free downloads to the total. In this way, people can "pay it forward" and directly help others to discover and get the album for free. Everyone will be able to bless others through the process.
I'll probably have physical CDs available as well, which will cost, but only to cover the costs of the discs. I won't take profit from those, but will offer them as a courtesy for those who still like to own physical discs.
The money collected from the donations will go towards two charities that have need at the moment, so that way G-d's work will be blessed through the album, not my bank account. I'll have other albums in the future that I may decide to sell, but not this one. I want to give this one to G-d, since it is the one I hold most dearly. G-d has been speaking to me and I don't want to ever worship money as a god.
Thanks for taking the time for us, any closing statements you'd like to make?
Yes, thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to your readers. May G-d's blessing rest on every person who reads this and may he show himself to you in dramatic ways this week. G-d is real, Yeshua is real, and everything we love about this world will pass away in 100 years. Only G-d and people, our interactions and relationships with them, will matter at that time. And He forgives!
Be blessed!
Atom
You can pickup 'Sword of 77 Faces' from Regen and soon 'The Day the World Changed' will be up there as well. We'll spread the news when 'Son of Slaves and Lords' hits the net, in the mean time check out Atoms MySpace and Website, which has a good number of songs up to stream. Thanks again Atom!
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Just wanted to update you. I released my third album "Son of Slaves and Lords" and it is now available for download at www.atomthaimmortal.com
Be blessed,
Atom