J3551C4: Do you consider "crossing over" into the mainstream as selling out?

nonseq: Depends on the manner in which one crosses over. If the artist stays consistent with what they had done previously, it's not selling out. If an artist changes to reflect what he/she thinks is more likely to hit the mainstream, it constitutes selling out.

J3551C4: Why do you think there is such a negative stigma attached to commercial success even for artists that keep their creative and music ethics in tact?

demancey: Fans seem to support their favorite artists when they are barely selling enough records to recoup, and they take on an elitist attitude about it, like "I listen to The Roots, so I know real hip-hop, and that makes me appreciate the music more so than this random cat that listens to Nelly and has never heard of The Roots in their life"....Then when the artist blows up they feel alienated and then hate on the artist. Possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

J3551C4: What do you think about hip hop in the burbs?

nonseq: I'm all for it. That demographic actually buys hip-hop records in significant numbers, whereas other demographics might only buy bootlegs or mixtapes. If it wasn't for hip-hop in the burbs, 90% of rappers would not be able to eat from their current vocation.

demancey: Hip-Hop belongs in the burbs just as much as it belongs in the streets. It’s just music. You can’t place limitations on it. That’s the strength of hip-hop. It belongs wherever it is located at a particular time.

J3551C4: What criteria, if any, do you have in the selection of songs that you have remixed? Looking at what you have posted on soundclick.com...it is very diverse...Black Moon, Ashanti, Jay Z, Common, Nas, etc… Besides the fact that hip hop encompasses more than the media will give credit...

demancey: We go into it with the notion that we can create a track that is either better than the original, or something that changes the mood of the record. As far as what we will remix, we don’t place limitations on that. Anything is fair game.

J3551C4: Why remix an oversaturated/overrated artist like Ashanti? I HAD TO SAY IT!!!!!!!

nonseq: That was my call actually. I felt like Ashanti wasn't as horrible as certain factions claimed, but was easy to hate because she was singing over a Bad Boy jack for her first big single. I wanted to see what the reaction would be if I changed the track behind her. Thus the alternative mix and the other mix were born. Several of my female friends upon hearing them said "I hate you! You made me like this horrible song!" I figured I was on the right track.

demancey: When we decided to work on the remix CD, we wanted to make sure that we represented all types of popular hip-hop and R&B, and not just the underground. Remixing Jay-Z and Ashanti with our (dare I say) retro-soul sound seemed like the perfect chance to show what we could do.