New York MC Consequence first gained the attention of hip hop heads with his work on A Tribe Called Quest's 1996 album Beats, Rhymes and Life. After years of grinding it out in the music business, Cons started to make big moves when he fell in with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint. Younger readers might recall his turn on last year's "Grammy Family" or any number of guest turns on The College Dropout and Late Registration.

 

His own album, Don't Quit Your Day Job landed earlier this year and we recently caught up with him to discuss a solo debut a decade in the making and its hopefully not-as-delayed follow up.

 

Shoutmouth: What's up? What have you been up to since the album dropped?

 

Consequence: I'm on tour with Musiq Soulchild and Chrisette Michele. Just working man. "Don't Forgetem" is out now and we got the remix of "Don't Forgetem" coming out actually this week, which is with me, Kanye, and Common. The "Uncle Raheem" video is dropping at the top of August. Just working man, trying to spread it out. Get the word out on the record. You know, the record for the most part has been pretty well received. I started working on the next album. It's going to be called You Win Some, You Lose Some.

 

 

Shoutmouth: So you've been in the studio on that or you're just writing?

Consequence: I've been in the studio.

 

Shoutmouth: Where are you these days? I know you're from Queens, but obviously you're working with plenty of Chicago dudes.

Consequence: I'm still in New York.

 

Shoutmouth: How's the reaction from fans and critics been to the album?

Consequence: Even more than critics, I think the people really like the record a lot. That's kind of been the driving force. When I got my first review, I got a "Large" in XXL. That was the very first review on it and I didn't think it was [a "Large"]. XXL kind of supported a lot of stuff I did, so I didn't really understand. I think that they feel like they might have dropped the ball, because there's been respect from consumers and critics.

 

Shoutmouth: Your subject matter is often more relatable than some of the more - I'll say - cinematic stuff out there...

Consequence: Well it depends on what kind of cinema you're talking about. Personally I think that Don't Quit Your Day Job as an album is very cinematic. It's just, "what category of a movie does it fall under?"

 

I wouldn't say it's a big action blockbuster, but I would say that it's a dope-ass movie. It's like a Tyler Perry meets a Soul Food meets a Blow. The narrative, I would compare to Blow because it's got the different modes a person goes through. I would say the Tyler Perry theme because, you know, you got the moms on there touching on the family side of things from the urban aspect. I think it's cinematic.

 

That's why I did the videos for the skits. Even when I did the skits I thought they were more visual than audio. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority [of people] who have seen the video for the skits have agreed. It rounded out the picture of what I was trying to give the people.

 

When I do the next album, the skit videos will be out first this time. There's a little bit of a learning process going on. You know on the promotional end of things... I didn't get the marketing rollout that a Beyonce or an Omarion would get. It made me be more creative in what I was doing. I was like, "alright I got this album. It's called Don't Quit Your Day Job, I got these skits. I got this mom on here who's very prevalent in what I'm doing as far as this record is concerned."

 

I just felt I needed to show that so that people could see the expression on my face and what I was doing - what was trying to be said in each on the skits. I think that we were successful in doing that. It opened up a lot of other people to what was going on with the record.

 

[Editor's note: Cons recently shot YouTube videos to accompany all the skits on Don't Quit Your Day Job.]

 



Shoutmouth: Speaking of that learning process. You've been around for a while. Was it hard to learn the business side of things and still be an artist? How does it feel to finally have the record out?

 

Consequence: Yes and no. I looked at it as, "this is it right here." It was definitely a great achievement just to get this record out. I've learned more putting this record out than I have in all my years being in and out of the music industry. Just doing the videos for the skits. Next album: that'll come first. I literally had to learn every department. It was to the point where I was at Sony and I wasn't slated to come out because it was like "the temperature on this project is cold."

 

I had other options presented to me like, "Yo, we could just go over here..."

 

I was like, "Nah man, that wasn't my plan! I ain't playing where we go through another situation and my record don't come out. I ain't with this shit. Nah B! No! Not this trip no!"

 

I was very adamant about that shit. I went about my business that way as well. I started breaking a couple records at radio myself. At the end of the day, for all labels on all levels, it's an industry. All industries, no matter what you do, are based on supply and demand. If people are asking for your product then there's a reason to service it. If you, right now, were trying to put out Sega Genesis, I don't think you could sell it to one Toys "R" Us chain. But if you had the pre-manufactured model to the PlayStation 4? Motherfuckers would be beating your door down!

 

It works the same way, so I just learned how to break records and how to keep up with publicity and I just learned each and every department of the record label and just started taking it into my own hands and we got the record out. And like I said now we're on tour and working on the next one and moving along and I think that the record is slowly but surely starting to have an impact on hip hop culture.

 

Shoutmouth: You're more of lyric-driven hip hop kind of guy. That kind of stuff isn't necessarily selling as well as it used to. Does that at all frustrate you?

 

Consequence: Nah. I accept the situation for what it is. [My album] is setting up a foundation for my movement to move forward. Hopefully this record will round out anywhere between 75 and 100 thousand [copies sold]. That means I've got 75 to 100 thousand people checking for my next record. I can say this: at least 80 percent of the people who bought this record are going to buy the next one. And even with me, some of the stuff that I let slip through the cracks when I was in survival mode, won't happen again.

 

Shoutmouth: Is there anyone you want to work with production wise on the next album?

 

Consequence: Jazzee Pha talked to me about doing something. I'm definitely looking at doing something with him. I might do something with Ali Shaheed Muhammad. We'll see what happens. I only want to do it if I feel it's going to fit into what I have going on with this album. One thing about Don't Quit Your Day Job that I think people like is how it flows from beginning to end. I think that's important. I think it's important to reestablish that continuity with records, especially for what I do.

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Check out Consequence and look for tour dates on his official website and MySpace page.

 

Here's the first single from Don't Quit Your Day Job, "Callin' Me."