We had the opportunity to sit down with one of the most exciting bands out there right now and had a chit chat with Japanese Cartoon. Speaking to Le Messie and Wasalu Jaco (Lupe Fiasco’s real name), we found out more about Japanese Cartoon, how the Internet has shaped music into what it is today, Lupe’s FBA (Fake British Accent), how fashion and music mesh together and much more. Big things will be happening for Japanese Cartoon in the near future, so soak up the interview and we hope you have as much fun reading it, as we did talking to them.

What does the name Japanese Cartoon mean? And what’s the significance behind it?

WJ: I really like Japanese cartoons, Japanese anime and stuff like that. And so if I ever had my own band, I was going to name it Japanese Cartoon. I was thinking that somebody would have already used the name, but no one did, so I was like ok, Japanese Cartoon it is. Japanese cartoons are the craziest things, they have the craziest plots, the craziest stories, and I watch them to learn stuff from them. Almost like watching a documentary or something like that. And it was just a big influence on me when I was a kid. I used to try and write anime, even in my hip-hop music, I would write songs based on Japanese cartoons like Akira and what have you. And in a Japanese cartoon, you could do whatever you want, be whatever you wanted to be. It’s violent but at the same time it’s peaceful, it has a meaning but it’s also like aggressive, all these different elements come together and I just thought that it would fit dope with a band.

Tell us more about the awesome artwork on the album cover.

WJ: The actual cover of the guy screaming, was actually done by Shohei Otomo, the son of Katsuhiro Otomo – the guy who did Akira. So I reached out to him. I had previously bought a bunch of his pieces and I was just like, do you think you could do an album cover? And he was like, cool. And Nathan Cabrera did the Japanese Cartoon logo, while Messie handled all the other artwork.

LM: Yeah, all the extra artwork.

WJ: So between the 3 of them, Shohei did the cover, Nathan did the actual band logo and Messie did all the other gallery artwork and posters.

Having just released the first Japanese Cartoon album online; in your opinion, how has the Internet changed music?

WJ: I’ll give you my take on it coming from the music business and then Messie can give you his take from not being in the music business. I think people realized that to mobilize and get product all over the world traditionally and physically is just ridiculously expensive. Imagine trying to send somebody a CD, from one country to the next and that CD has to go through customs and all that stuff. So imagine sending 10,000 CDs and what that bill would be and what have you. So I think that on a logistical level, that was what excluded a normal artist from the game. Cos they had no way to get their music to anyone else, except where they could physically carry it. Paying for shipping and what have you was just out of the question. So the Internet kinda came in and filled that particular void. And music isn’t something like a t-shirt, where it has to be a t-shirt, or a watch, where it has to be a physical watch. Music is something that can be digitized and sent everywhere, in different mediums and formats. And I just think that the Internet and music work so well together. It’s like music and film are the only kind of products that can be digitized and sent and really exploit the Internet. So on that end, logistically, it was the best way to do it. And that was why we did it like that. That was the easiest, quickest way to get it around the world for the least amount of money. Not no money, but the least amount of money. And I think it helps.

LM: Following on with Lupe said, the Internet kinda fast forwarded everything over the past 5/6 years. It’s like the evolution to everything else. Its put people in a place where people are searching harder and trying harder. We’re trying to make better music because of this surge. The surge of the Internet and fast sending of files and so on and so forth. So I just feel that its an evolutionary process. I’m just really happy being here now, I feel like this is where its at right now. Everything is at your fingertips. You can make a song, press send, and a 100,000 people can hear it, just like that.

I get that and all, but just a couple of days ago, I picked up a couple of CDs. And I just missed that feeling of buying a CD, ripping apart the shrink wrap, putting it in my Discman and listening to it on the way home. I miss that vibe.

WJ: I think that’s just the tradition. Cos I miss the same thing too. I remember how I used to have to get on a bus, to get to the mall to buy the CD. And then I was really limited because I only had like $15, so I gotta really get the right CDs. And you really had to work for it. The artist had to work for it, you had to work for it and you cherished the moment. You cherished that tradition.

LM: It was the whole physicality of things.

WJ: When you digitized it, you kinda lost that. You can’t touch it anymore, so you kinda lost that. Nowadays you don’t even see the money that you’re using to pay for stuff on the Internet, its like ‘click’ and you get your music, ‘click’ next track. You don’t really take the time, as much time as it took going to the store. You don’t really embrace it because it’s right at your fingertips. I think that will never be the same, I think we’re never going to get that back. Except for us that wanna do that, go through that whole experience, cos I still buy CDs. I still go to the department store and what have you and buy CDs and listen to them in my car.

LM: But here’s the funny thing. That’s what the vinyl people said about CDs. And that’s what the CD people are going to say about the MP3s. And its going to go on and on.

WJ: Cos for vinyls, you had to change the heads on the record player. And it’s like, I had to change the heads and sit and play it and you can’t move, you can’t shake nothing. It can’t be too loud if not the music will shake.

LM: People used to say things like, I like the weight of the vinyls cos its heavy and when you listen to it, it has crackle pops.

WJ: Yeah, yeah. So it’s the whole physical experience of everything. And its changed, and we’ll never get that back. So we lost that tradition. Back in the day you had to work for it. Now you don’t really have to work for music. But, on the artist side, artists still have to work. The way we look at it, is like we still have to write it, still have to go to the studio, still have to record it, still have to physically mix and go through all that stuff and physically upload it. And then press send. So from the artist stand point, I don’t think we lost that integrity. Even though we know that it’s gonna get out there and everything is happening so fast, we still gotta make it. And so as an artist, we still cherish that. And I think that the music is actually getting better. The actual music, the technic, the technical aspects, the sound; I actually think that it’s better than it was. But the experience of the person getting it has changed radically.

Yeah, it has definitely changed. But back in the day when we spent all our money on a couple of CDs, we would listen to them for months. And pay attention to what the artist was trying to say in their music.

LM: It was like you kinda respected the artist more. But thats what makes the artist work harder now. Cos it’s harder for us to get their attention, it’s harder for us to send a message out, where they would go – ok i’m getting this for free but what makes me stick to this particular band? Whereas before it would have been something physical. Like I just bought this CD and this CD means a lot to me. Its my money for the week, but now we don’t have that, so the artists strive a lot harder to get the attention of the listeners ears. Catch them and convert them into a supporter, a fan. And I think that the messages come out a lot stronger. The messages come out a lot more technical, a lot more strategic. The artists just have to work a lot harder to get to people as opposed to before.

I’m pretty sure that technology and the Internet has helped Japanese Cartoon a great deal, seeing how the entire band is scattered all over the globe. Give us a little insight on how the recording process went down.

WJ: When it initially started, it was just me. It was just Lupe. It was just me in my studio and what have you. And the first song that we did, which was Army, we didn’t have a guy to play the drums so our bass player had to beatbox it. So that’s why it’s beatboxing on the song on the song as opposed to drums, cos thats all we had. As it kinda developed and when I started to take it more seriously, other people around me started taking it more seriously, then we got a drummer. Then we got a guitar player, then we got this guy and that guy etc. And so creatively, it was a slow build. Everybody kinda like hands in the pot, I have an idea, I have a bass line, and sometimes I would have a full song and I just needed you to come in and play this. And sometimes, I would only have one piece of a song, and none of us know what to do and then a friend would come in and play the drums. But he’s all the way in New York, while everybody else is in Chicago, while such and such is in L.A. But with Messie, it was more like Messie was sending us tracks the whole time and we were like, what are we going to do with this track, let’s put it on the next record, let’s put this one here, let’s use this one there. Yo, that’s dope, but lets wait and use it the next time round. But the big thing now, is remixing the album; so now Messie is full on remixing the “In the Jaws of the Lords of Death” album already. He’s going to be doing that while I’m performing in Macao, and such and such is in Vegas and the other guys are somewhere else. And if were to go on tour, Messie has to come out to L.A. so that we can rehearse and the bass player has to come from Chicago and the keyboard player has to come from New York etc. It’s the ultimate collaboration, it’s the most ultimate collaborative effort of all time.

Just out of curiosity, why the British accent when you were rapping/singing on the album?

WJ: (Laughs) Ohh, you mean the FBA (Fake British Accent)? Honestly, it was the only way that I could get the songs out. And for me, I love and grew up on things like Monty Python, Vinnie Hill, and my favourite artists are like Coldplay and I love the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and so everything that I really love has a British accent. Plus, my step-father is English, true blue blood caucasian English man; and so I felt like it was my right cos part of my family is English. But then also, creatively it was the only way that I felt comfortable getting the songs out. Cos I don’t like to sing in my normal voice, and if you see, as the album progresses, I use it less and less. That was because I was getting more comfortable hearing my own voice, but I felt like it was such an injustice to go back and change everything. I was like no, that was the way it came out, raw like that, that was me being afraid to sing in my own voice. So there you go, take it all. I’ll take whatever bumps and bruises and whatever people have to say.

The accent is very noticeable in Jaws, the first song of the album.

WJ: Yeah, it stands out. Can’t hide. But that’s kinda like the point of the album. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid of the past, don’t be afraid to evolve, and when you evolve, don’t look back. Don’t be ashamed of where you came from. That’s where I came from and I’m gonna own it. And by the time we got to the end of the album, there is no more accent, cos I don’t need it no more. Now I’m comfortable. I had to go through that to get comfortable to be able to make the album.

There were reports early on in the year about Japanese Cartoon and speculation about whether you were part of it. Was all that ‘publicity’ done on purpose to keep people on their toes?

WJ: I think it was a self-fulfilling kinda thing, I didn’t know what it was going to be. I wasn’t even really taking it seriously early on. So there was no need for it to be anything. It didn’t need to have any kind of shape or a front man, or a band, or anybody behind it. But as it started to progress and started to have a mind of its own, it started to be like that was the comfort zone. Cos it kept people away just enough so that we could finish it, and really develop it and not really care what people had to say about it, kinda like, to protect it. And once it got to the point that we couldn’t deny it anymore, it was already too late. It was already out, it was already kinda going and I was already performing songs. But its crazy, cos there’s still some people out there who don’t think its me, which is cool to me you know. Because there others, that when they heard it for the first time, they immediately knew that it was me. But it is what it is.

When was the first time that you guys met and what made you want to work together?

LM: Back in 2004, I was talking to Lupe on the Internet. I had just started my brand (FALSE) and he was like the first person that mattered that came back to me and said like, yo I love your brand and stuff like that. At that point, I was star struck but at the same time very honoured, so one day the opportunity arose and I asked him to come down to Singapore. They had this idn conference and I didn’t think he would come, but he did. And when we met, it was like symmetry, light attracts light. And this is how I think we have progressed over the years. It’s not been like, this is what we are going to do or that’s what we are going to do. It has always been organic, we just come together and things just happen. And I think there’s a lot of strength in that, a lot of spirituality in that. Symmetry.

Did either one of you ever imagine that you would someday form a band with someone else halfway around the world?

WJ: Well we had previously worked on “The Cool” together, so we’ve already worked together in that capacity all the way around the world. And I love adventure, I love venturing out, going to different places, getting involved, seeing whats there, interacting and collaborating with the people there to give you a different perspective. Cos I feel that my mission is to give people a different perspective. So I live it. So for me, I came to Singapore, met Messie and it was like, you do music? And I was like, let’s do a song. And we did a song, and I was like, yo that was a dope ass song. Let’s do some more songs you know. Its kinda like if it makes sense, let’s keep doing it. If we did a song and it was terrible, we’d be like, that song was whack, let’s just do t-shirts or go eat or something else. But it was good you know.

LM: The best thing was that he pushed me a lot with my music. Cos before I started fashion, I was actually struggling with producing. Things didn’t really work out for me, so I went into fashion and design. But when Lupe came to Singapore, he heard my stuff and he kept pushing me all the way. I actually gave up. And the only reason why I’m doing this today, is because of him. Someone actually believed in what I was doing. I’m just very happy being where I’m at right now.

What’s your take on fashion and music going together hand in hand?

WJ: I think it always did. The artist had to be dressed in something. And whatever they wore, became the cool thing for everybody to wear. Whether it be like Frank Sinatra in a tuxedo, sitting on stage, and people would be like ohh that shit is cool and imma get a tuxedo so I can look like Frank Sinatra. Or like Joe Strummer in a leather jacket or in a tee that he made himself and it was like if you looked into the crowd there’s a bunch of kids with tees that they screened themselves too. Or the Sex Pistols, Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm Mclaren and that whole kinda thing. Or like in Hip-Hop, you put on a basketball jersey and for a time, that was the shit. Everybody in the world, hat turned backwards, gold chains and all that crazy stuff. So I think music and fashion are always intertwined. And you’ll see the connection, if you look at people like Pharrell who are that. They are music and fashion mixed together. Or Kanye or Lady Gaga even, you know what I’m saying, on a more couture side. It’s like, you see her and you’re like who? WTF!?!? Cos of what she’s wearing. But when you listen to her music, you’re like ohh yeah she’s dope. But WTF is she wearing, you know what I’m saying? So like they’re intertwined. They’re kinda inseparable. They sometimes make or break bands. Cos sometimes you would go see a band, and if they looked f**king whack but they sound great, there’s nothing exciting about that. And then you go see another band, and they could suck but they look great and I’d be like I wanna dress like them cos they look great. But their music f**king sucks. And like the Sex Pistols didn’t make the greatest music, but they had the biggest fashion statements. Like to me, the Bad Brains made the best music, but they didn’t make the biggest fashion statements. Like in punk, they didn’t have some crazy over the top huge Swastika with crazy shit on. So it’s like their intertwined.

We’ve seen pictures of a vinyl toy of you, is that coming out soon or what’s the story behind that?

WJ: It was a one off thing that my friend had made for me, by hand. Actually Nathan Cabrera made it for me. But I think that we’re so deep in the streetwear/toy culture like he’s definitely a pioneer, he’s definitely an OG in it and I guess I’m an OG in it. I was on hypebeast when it was just like 10 people on it.

LM: We were the first 2 people to have blogs on it.

WJ: And I was hitting Kevin (Ma) directly with one of my first few interviews. So we go way back, and we’ve got so many connections and there’s going to be so much Japanese Cartoon shit, whether it be toys or whatever just because we can do it. We’re around the guys that actually make it happen. Everything that people expect it to be is going to come, and everything that they ain’t expecting is gonna come too. Toys, vinyls, everything.

Which are your favourite songs from the album?

LM: It’s a very difficult question for me to answer, because when people ask me that about the different lines and seasons of my label, it’s like asking a parent that has 4/5 children, which one is their favourite child. So it’s really hard to answer, because one can’t be one without the other. So I love them all equally, it is what it is.

WJ: I like Gasp, that was probably my favourite song. And then probably Heirplanes. So Gasp, Heirplanes and Crowd Participation. And Firing Squad.

Any confirmed live performances from Japanese Cartoon in the near future?

We’re working it out now, just figuring what’s it going to be and what it looks like. Got a couple of offers from different people. So who knows? Might be something with N.E.R.D. or it could be something else. We don’t know yet. But the first date, is gonna be massive. Wherever that is, its gonna be massive.