The Art of Brand Building: The Snowgoons Way
First and foremost, the Snowgoons consists of...
Det Gunner, J.S. Kuster, Sicknature and myself Dj Illegal aka Manuu Goon. We all produce beats, Sicknature kicks rhymes as well and I, Dj Illegal, dabbles with Deejaying.
The Snowgoons signature sound is a result of...
True and real hip hop! We have been down with hip hop since day one and we started out as fans first. We are still fans and listen to all types of music. We got a lot of influences from different life situations. The Goons are all from different places even different countries. But at the end we always revert back to the original hip hop roots.
Listening to your music I noticed that you guys make music that brings out the best in artists. From German Lugers all the way to Sparta, you guys remain consistent. You guys started your ascension in 1999, did you believe that Snowgoons would be the household name that it is today?
I believe 100% in our name and in our sound. Since I started doing music I felt confident with what I'm doing. To me it's more important that we have fun doing this whole music thing. I really like to perform and rock shows so that's a big part of what the Snowgoons do.
We are in a better position then other producers cause we can spin at parties or do live shows with other artists like M.O.P. or Reef the Lost Cauze just to name a few. But everybody in the crew is hardworking and we push each other to the limit. It is almost like an in house competition on a friendly level.
I have also noticed that you guys stay close to your German roots and you guys continue to record material with German artists. Describe the current state of German hip-hop and what artists will be making noise in 2012 and beyond?
There are many artists out there that we support and rolling with. I really feel like the 90's flavor is coming back a bit.
10 years ago there was a bad wave of gangster and fake rap really popular in Germany and it is still kinda popping.
But there are many good and solid artists doing things now and our German album Terroristen Volk just gives you a good list of those real hip hop artists.
The Snowgoons discography is quite lengthy and the collaborations range from Brooklyn Academy, Canibus, Mark Deez all the way to M-Dot, AOTP, M.O.P., and La Coka Nostra. What qualities do you expect from the emcees that you collaborate with?
First off we need to like the artist music and style. Not necessarily every song but the main package. Sometimes you find out after you work with somebody that the artist that you thought was cool ain't cool.
We try to work with people on a friend based level and do it actually for the music. It just does not work like that all the time but for the most parts. And of course we want the artist to put in 100% like we do with the music.
Last year, the Snowgoons teamed up with hip-hop group M.O.P. and released the ultra-dope Sparta. Describe the working relationship that you have with M.O.P.
I think MOP & Snowgoons was a good match. We always loved MOP and wanted to work with them. Finally we came together and they liked our music as much as we like their music and the rest is history.
It is incredible to me how much love and support MOP showed us. We already toured the album in Europe and it was a good experience for everybody in the MOP crew. We are about to do a second run later this year and also want to continue working on more music.
Recently, the Snowgoons released an album called Terroristen Volk. What did you guys want to present with Terroristen Volk?
As a producer crew we didn't want to put out an album in Germany that was all about hip hop or battle rap. Since we are so close to most of the German artists we worked with on the record, we thought we could deliver a message and we really could inspire them by giving themes to the beats.
On some of the tracks have little intros or interludes with a message so the artist knew which way we wanted to go. Mainly the album is a message for the people to wake up and don't believe everything the media or the government is telling you. We found the right mix of being political and still hip hop.
What are you guys currently working on?
There are a couple projects that we are working on right now. A new Sicknature album, Virtuoso, NBS & The Goondox (Sean Strange, Snowgoons & PMD) beside that we are constantly producing tracks on other peoples records like La Coka Nostra, Demigodz and so on.
How can the masses get in contact with you?
Best way is to follow our official pages:
YouTube
Any final words?
Snowgoons Dynasty is coming soon and we do it bigger and better every time. Don't forget we keep hip hop alive!
Would you guys mind sharing a few tips in regards to building one's brand?
Well the most important part thing to do is to keep up the quality and be consistent but that's not a big secret.
We just worked hard and try to do the right thing. We invested time and our heart and sometimes it takes even more than that. I'm blessed with my passion and I'm a creative person. Also everybody in the crew is giving 100% so we push each other to the limit. A great team can go everywhere.