By – Dank Lucas

Cali Bay Area emcee Paulie Rhyme has blessed stages all over the world. But before moving to The Bay he was a longtime staple of the underground Cleveland hip-hop scene as a solo act, as well as a front man for the eclectic Finless Brown outfit. A true road warrior, I have seen this guy do a show in Cincinnati, drive through the night to Cleveland to shoot a video the entire next day, only to tear down another stage in Cleveland that night on no sleep whatsoever. Armed with a dope stage presence, tireless work ethic and fan-friendly demeanor, Paulie sets out this weekend to once again conquer the road. I caught up with him before doing so to ask him a few questions…

– Where is Finless Brown?

“Finless Brown has run its course and we decided to let it go after this last member change in late 2007. I was really against it at first because we had always said that Finless Brown was bigger than the people in it, but more so a representation of the people who supported it. I think it just got to the point where carrying that torch for the members who were left was a bit much, especially when we had decided that we were going in different directions musically. So myself, Moto, and Dave (drummer) started a new band, Miles Outside, with a few cats (Bob and Justin) that we had played some shows with, and clicked with. Gordo (DJ) is still dejaying and getting more into production. Dan and Leo are pretty domestic right now and not doing too much in the music realm.”

– Tell us about your new mixtape and tour, and also what you think of the mixtape game as a whole.

“The new mixtape is called The Industrial Arts Mixtape and is a companion to the tour of the same name. The tour is our first of the year and is going to be used to promote the new Miles Outside record From the Outside In. I think its works well when you do something special for the tour, so this time I decided to get with a homie of mine in SF, DJ Scotty Doo, and put out my first artist-focused mixtape. As far as the mixtape game is concerned, as with the industry as a whole, it is hella saturated. You got a lot of folks who are putting out low-quality non-mixed CDs, slapping Lil Wayne’s face on the cover and shipping them out. The artistry of what a mixtape is has been lost to a vast majority of people who are calling themselves DJ’s. You do have a small portion of folks who are doing it on a high level and attempting to be artistic and creative, but you have to either be hip to them or sift through the sea of B.S.”

– What’s different about living in The Bay vs. your Ohio roots?

“The Bay is bigger population wise, which helps a lot in regards to putting in work and getting your message out to a lot of people. It’s also a travel spot, so you get a lot of people who come visit all year round from all over the world. You can rock a show and have 25 or 50 folks in the crowd not even from The Bay, then they take it back to their spots and it spreads that much more. There is also a definite independent spirit and support system out here. People definitely get down and support indie, from music to art to clothes, whatever. I think Ohio was critical in getting my work ethic down and working out the beginnings of my sound, but living in The Bay has definitely taken my career to a different level music-wise.”

– Tell us about the ODB tribute song and about working with Lord Jazz of Lords of the Underground

“I was and still am a big Wu-Tang head. At one point I had like 25 Wu-Tang CDs. So when I got the track from Besto, I was sitting on it for a minute. Then in between Finless Brown records I started to work on a solo EP and that was the first joint I recorded. I just wanted to pay homage to someone who was really influential in regards to taking chances with this music and not letting boundaries hold back his expression. It was like a way to just get loose on the project and let go in ODB fashion. Working with Jazz was like a dream come true. I was a big fan of his work and we just became real cool on one of his trips back to Cleveland from France. He gave us an opportunity to work with him on the first Finless LP, so that was pretty dope. And when I needed something for the PDA EP, it was a no brainer. Hopefully we will get to do something else in the future.”

– As an emcee who sharpened his skills touring with a live band, what do you think of The Roots on Jimmy Fallon so far?

“I think anytime you can get hip hop on the idiot box to the masses and expose people to something that they may not have been too familiar with, like The Roots, it’s all good. Fallon is a G for that. I hope it blows up and they stay on ’til I’m 80. The dope part about it is that Black Thought is still an integral part of it. I didn’t know if they were going to include him as much as they do, which is even doper. They killing it.”

– Tell us about the feeling in The Bay this new year after the Oscar Grant tragedy

“I was actually in Japan when it happened but I got the video sent to me. It was one of the scariest things I’ve have seen in awhile. I just felt like things had gotten completely out of control. So you can sit there or you can say something. People have really mobilized and protested and rallied against what happened to Oscar with BART and Police brutality in general. I think as artists, we can get the word out to our folks and support as much as we can. I think a lot of young people felt victimized through that incident and it lit a fire. As far as the way it is being handled, I don’t think that initially they knew how to handle it with all the pressure they received from the community. Hopefully the people who are investigating the incident will do the right thing and justice will be served. Four cops just got shot in Oakland a few weeks ago, so there is added tension now from a lot of different sides trying to figure out how to keep the community together.

– How was Japan?

“Japan was awesome. Rocking in front of people who don’t speak the language, or speak very little, and still connecting is a testament to the power of music. I got to rock for primarily Japanese crowds as well as primarily English crowds, which was interesting cause its like Australian, English, American, etc. So not quite a hip-hop crowd, but moreso people who go to the English spot versus the Japanese spot, which were like hip-hop spots. It was cool, people were cool, the food was great, got to see some different things and spread the music.”

– I say Pac > Rakim…you?

“Well I would say there would be no Pac without a Rakim. If you remember the theme from Juice that Pac starred in, that was a Rakim song. I think it really just depends on what we are talking about. In regards to catalog or current impact there is an argument for Pac. In regards to the whole picture of hip hop, I think it’s hard to argue the impact of Rakim. He, along with one or two others, changed the way people rhymed once he dropped with Eric B.”

– Booty or Breasts?

“Breasts no question. Gotta love’em!”

– Buds or Beers?

“I am definitely more of a drinker. I think it has a lot to do with going to school in rural Ohio. Kegs of Red Bull, Natti Ice, and Bud(weiser). Being in Cali though, the quality of greenery is on a whole other level.”

– Do the Cavs got what it takes this year?

“Lebron is on fire. The team is way tighter than when they went to the finals, so I am saying they could definitely win it all this year.”

squared circle

Check out the new Miles Outside release From the Outside In 

Paulie Rhyme is also on MySpace and his new mixtape can be obtained through email at finlessbrown@gmail.com or by dialing him up at 415-867-8932.