For The Critics

ForTheCritics.com caught up with The Scholars and had a quick conversation about a few things…Mainly, The Scholars’ name, Extra Credit, The current state of artistry in Pittsburgh and Keeping your grades up. Take a look….

ForTheCritics.com: So, you guys just dropped Extra Credit as a Prelude to “Keep Your grades up”…Where did the Scholars name and the Academic theme come from?

Primavera: It actually started after we left college and began to work on a collab project in 2007. We’re both able to express ourselves in an intelligent manner and with wittiness. After brainstormin’ for about a week, and writin’ “The Scholars” down in my notebook on every line on the page, I called Ghost and pitched him the name, and he liked it. It stuck from there.

Ghost: Haha f*^#. Pretty much what Vills said.

ForTheCritics.com: So is “Keep your Grades up” the official album from the scholars?

Primavera: It’s still not 100% fully determined if “Keep Your Grades Up” is goin’ to be a street album or a mixtape, but we want it to be official.

Ghost: I myself, am leaning towards it being a mixtape because I want do some more work with DJ SpaceCity. He’s mad official on the ones and twos. I was thinking about dropping a solo street album before a Scholars street album.

ForTheCritics.com: What part of the city are each of you from?

Primavera: I’m from the North Side, born in Northview and raised in The Commons.

Ghost: I was born and raised in the Hill District of the ‘burgh. Pittsburgh Natives usually can’t tell tho. I try to be the brain of the hood. Pause.

ForTheCritics.com: What type of music would you say you make?

Primavera: Heartfelt Hip Hop.

Ghost: Hip Hop. I try to make the type of music that I grew up listening to. Music with substance that people can feel.

ForTheCritics.com: What was the biggest situation in your life that influenced your music the most?

Primavera: I was goin’ thru some trouble with my girlfriend at the time in 2008, and she was infamous for doin’/sayin’/accusin’ me of somethin’ stupid. I would get mad and just zone out, and just think to myself, “Man, this gotta be the dumbest bitch….ever!” Bein’ as that Ghost and I are roommates, he heard a lot of the stuff too. My anger fueled my desire to write in a sense; before that, I would often get writer’s block and do somethin’ else haha.

Ghost: For me, it was being dismissed from college. I was under a lot of stress and turmoil and needed someway to express how I felt about it, thus, Smarten Up!! was created. Smarten Up!! was like the “I got kicked out of college / my girl dumped me, f*&^ her mixtape. Haha

ForTheCritics.com: How long have you been making records?

Primavera: I wrote my first 8 bar verse in the 5th grade, wrote sparingly after that, then I got to Schenley High School and started to write more. From then, I freestyled on a few tracks when I was 16 and just put them on a CD for me and my cousins and friends. So I’ve been gettin’ on wax for about 6 years now, but I’ve been writin’ for close to 12 years.

Ghost: I also wrote my first rhyme in the 5th grade but didnt start writing consistently until i was 11 in the 7th grade. I have been recording on wax for about 3 1/2 years.

ForTheCritics.com: Who were your biggest influences and music and who’s your favorite artists out right now?

Primavera: My biggest influence is The Wu. My uncle was a big time Wu Tang bumper, and I always loved the beats they flowed on. I always like Ghostface the most, and he’s my favorite artist ever. I don’t really listen to a lot of new music, but I like Skyzoo, Sha Stimuli, Sean Price, Little Brother, and a handful of other underground people…and The Scholars of course.

Ghost: My dad played A LOT of Wu back in the day. So they are a BIG influence in my music, Raekwon and Ghostface specifically. Deck too. Other artists are Nas, AZ, Kool G. Rap, some earlier Nature material, and The Cool Kids.

ForTheCritics.com: You’re took the stage at the Black Family Reunion this upcoming weekend, How was it?

Primavera: Well I sure as hell hope to get a positive response haha. I just would like some more recognition.

Ghost: We garnered an opening act for Rick Ross from that performance. I’d say it was a success

ForTheCritics.com: Is there anybody in Pittsburgh that you want to Collab with?

Primavera: Yeah, I would like to hop on a track with Boaz. He’s nice. And on a production tip, Big Jerm needs to sling us some damn beats.

Ghost: I’d like to do some music with Wiz. It seems like he’s getting back to the hip hop and away from the bullshit.

ForTheCritics.com: Are there any details about “Keep your Grades up” that you want to share with the public? Anything different we can look forward to?

Primavera: It’s not the average, ignorant music that has become so called “quality music”. But it’s still fun, heartfelt hip hop.

Ghost: Shudup boi. I’d like to share that with the people who hate on our shit. lol Keep Ya Grades Up coming soon.

Link to the Smarten up mixtape (Click Here)