Recently, I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Milwaukee, WI veteran rap artist Dana Coppafeel, in order to conduct my first interview for my new blog series, Qwik Interviews. Dana's
musical work has been recently featured on monumental music websites like Rolling Stone
and MTV. He is a staple in the local hip hop community and is considered
to be one of the greats residing within it. His work ethic alone will demand
your respect while his eccentric sound will command your attention. If
you consider yourself to be hip to the rap scene in Milwaukee, then you
would have been familiar with his name long ago. If you consider
yourself hip to the underground rap scene in America, then it will be
wise to pay attention to Dana.For those who may not know you, who are you?
DC: Dana Coppafeel. Wisconsin native. I've been in a few groups like the Intel Agents, Rusty P's, KingHellBastard and the House of M. I've worked with people like Sadat X, Riff Raff, Action Bronson, Akrobatik and Strickland from EMC.
What is the origin of the alias Dana Coppafeel?
DC: It was given to me while I was living in Madison, WI. I never really had a rap name and I guess, maybe at the time, I was looking for one. It happened outside of this place called Q-Neeks, which was located on State Street, at the time. I was there with The Crest, Adam, Jack Cracker, Mike Virus and this kid Flip Fillmore.
As we were walking out of Q-Neeks, we saw a chick rapping outside. Anyhow, I was really drunk, and it just kind of happened where, I palmed this girl's ass while she was rapping. Everyone started laughing. She didn't like it, but it was funny. The name "Coppafeel" came up and I just ran with it from there. It was an earned name.
How long have you been recording under this moniker?
DC: I've been around for a minute. Dana Coppafeel probably came up when I was in the Intel Agents. We were recording but we didn't have names per say. Mike Virus just went by Mike. I don't even think he had his name yet. One day while working on the Intel Agents album, he came up with it. With the Rusty P's, I think I just went by the names Dana or D Invisible, or some shit like that. I went through all kinds of names trying to find the right one.
Do you consider yourself to be a solo artist?
DC: I guess at this present moment, I'd say yes. I've been working with Uni-Fi Records label-mate SPEAK Easy on an EP that we've just recently released, but it was more or less a Uni-Fi compilation featuring us.
How many musical bodies of work have you been a part of?
DC: I've worked with a lot of people and put out a lot of stuff. There was an album, a vinyl and a couple of mixtapes with the Intel Agents. There were some vinyls with the Rusty P's, a lot of projects with KHB, and a mixtape with the House of M. Also, there's the Uni-Fi EP with SPEAK. I've released a solo album and a couple of solo mixtapes. I've collaborated with a couple of artists from Illinois like Michael Mic Check and Covert (Empire) artist Fresco, as well as a couple of artists in Iowa. Collectively, I'd say I've been a part of well over 900 songs.
What have you been up to lately?
DC: As I mentioned, we just finished up the EP with SPEAK for Uni-Fi Records. It's doing really well. We've received some national attention from MTV, MTV Hive, and Rolling Stone. We just did an interview with Respect Magazine. I think there's some stuff coming out with Urb Magazine soon. AOL Music just started an exclusive streaming of the EP today, that will remain in effect until the end of the week. There are a few videos to finish up for the EP. I'm just basically focusing on the EP for right now but I'm still working on music; still staying in the studio.
We won a single deal with a company in New York called Loyalty Digital. SPEAK and I will be putting out an A/B Side with them; so that's in the works as well. I also do a little freelance graphic designing for artists who may be looking to have something created to represent them. I understand the artist's plight so I try to help fill the void in those areas. I also have a clothing company with my girl called Royall Street. Those are my other focuses and what I usually do with any spare time. I try to drown myself with art and not really worry about too much else.
How did that feel to have your work shown on outlets such as MTV and Rolling Stone?
DC: It felt great, you know? It feels validating. It validates your cause and what you've been working for. To actually have these people, who make or break people's careers, feel what you do. It feels great to break those walls. It feels like you're winning and getting closer to what your goal is. Just like with anything though, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to turn into anything, so you have to be level-headed.
Don't let it go to your head. Just have fun and enjoy it while it's happening. Just continue to focus on your music and ways to make it better. Focus on how to get it into those people's hands and to keep making that connection vibrant. A lot of my "dream postings" have happened over this last year. Even without this stuff, I'd still be very happy where I'm at musically and what I've done, but this type of press and appreciation just adds that extra motivation to the process.
You definitely display a healthy relationship with your fans on Twitter. How much time do you invest in this process?
DC: I try to stay on Twitter as much as I can. I check it daily just because Twitter has been the best way for me to reach my fans. Whether they like your music or they hate your music, they're real people giving you real feedback. The criticism and the critique is real healthy. Facebook tends to be more of a local social media platform. That's the one thing that I really like about Twitter is that people around the world, that I wouldn't normally get a chance to speak with, can actually take the time to hit me up.
I spend a lot of time on Twitter just trying to respond to my followers that reach out to me. I try to follow them back as much as possible. Instagram has also been a really useful tool to connect with people. I enjoy Twitter and Instagram for this reason, because it's not a localized audience like it is on Facebook.
Is there any advice you could offer to any producers who are interested in working with you? Do you prefer a certain instrument or sound?
DC: There isn't necessarily one type of style that I like. It's really more of a sonic approach; how it sounds. What I'm really looking for is something that sounds full, with a good full bass line. The sounds need to be authentic. I want that Pete Rock bass. I want to feel my kick drums. I don't want the kick to get lost in the bass. I don't like it to sound muddy. I don't like them to sound thin, either. I don't mind if the beat is really repetitive as long as it sounds full.
What I mean by "full" is when I hear the track, the only thing it sounds like it's missing is a rapper's voice. I like to try to push myself and rap on anything as long as it sounds right and sounds good. I'm open to a lot of different production styles. People always ask me about what kind of beats to send me and I always respond with, "just send me what you'd think I'd like." It has to grab a mood from me. It has to inspire me. It has to sound authentic and it has to sound real.
Oh, and I'm not looking to buy beats. [Laughs] Not to be a dick, but you know you're not going to buy my raps. Are you? You're not going to buy my hook when I spend just as much time writing that as you did creating that beat. I'm still going to write these songs with or without your beat. Buy something from me and I'll buy something from you. That's how it should work. Just know, that I'm not looking for your 2-for-1 deals on beats or anything like that. I'm looking to make music that I feel and you can't put money on that; unless you're Premier or Mad Lib or somebody like that. If I had the opportunity to buy a Premier beat, then yeah, I'm going to try and do that.
What kind of advice would you like to offer an artist who is interested in working with you?
DC: Hit me up and be open-minded. Just be cool. If I'm able to do something for you, then I'll definitely let you know that. I try to keep my opinion as honest as possible, but at the same time I don't try and step on anyone's toes. I don't usually like to tell people that their baby's ugly, you know? Be open to someone who's going to give you the truth. I'm not a "yes man."
Real artists and people who want to progress aren't scared of critique. They're looking to be criticized because they want to push their art to a certain limit. You have to be aware of what each person is willing to accept. Don't be a know-it-all, because I think I know more than you. [Laughs]
Speed Round - (Where one word answers are perfectly acceptable)
What's your favorite dish at your favorite restaurant?
DC: Spicy Tuna Maki at a place called Izumi's, I can eat hundreds of those.
What's your favorite drink?
DC: I like to juice so one of my favorite concoctions involves a mixture of carrots, apples, and lemon.
Do you watch TV?
DC: No, I don't try to watch TV. I watch TV shows but I try to stay away from advertising or anything close to resembling anything that I can't control.
As far as the shows though, I like The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Weeds, Vice (on HBO), Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad and old school Transformers cartoons on Netflix.
Do you have a favorite movie?
DC: Grandma's Boy is one of my favorite movies just because it caught me off-guard. I wasn't expecting it to be at all what it was.
Do you have an all-time favorite video game?
DC: Fallout 3, Warhawk, and the original Goldeneye for N64.
Who is your all-time favorite comic book character?
DC: The Blue Beetle and Booster Gold from DC Comics. Some people may not know of these guys but they were old Justice League cats. Wolverine was also a favorite of mine growing up. The 1970's X-Men were always badass.
Longshot, actually, is one of my favorite comic book characters. He was always in a bad situation but it always worked to his advantage. His power was luck. No matter how shitty the situation was, he's going to get out of it. So, as long as he was in the comic book, and you were rolling with him, you were good to go. My dad was into comic books, so comics were kind of in my blood.
Stemming from that last question, if you could narrow it down to one or two options, which super power would Dana Coppa possess?
DC: Either invisibility or mind reading.
What was your graffiti name?
DC: I have plenty of them. I used to use the name "Myth" or "MYIF." I used to get into graffiti in the 90's. I mean, I never really painted a lot. I did more bombing and tagging with a few burners here and there. Comic books, graffiti and raps were basically my high school vices.
Who is your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?
DC: Raphael, because he was ass-kicking and the strongest.
Who is your favorite member of the Wu-Tang Clan?
DC: Ghostface; just everything about him.
Lastly, what's something that many of your fans may not know about you?
DC: Every now and then, I too, like a Lil' Wayne song.
To hear more about Dana, or his work, you can follow this link to stream his new EP with SPEAK Easy and Uni-Fi Records on AOL.com. You can also find, follow, and tweet Dana Coppafeel on Twitter using this widget right here.
Tweets by @danacoppafeel
Thank you for your time Dana, and thank you to my readers.
-QW
For your enjoyment, here is the video for the first single off of Dana & SPEAK's new EP, featuring talented Milwaukee rapper Prophetic, titled "One of These Kids" directed by Xavier Ruffin.
