Shaheed and DJ Supreme Talk ‘Take It Back’ Video – Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop

Sometimes a return to fundamentals is all it takes to remind you of the beauty at the roots of something great. At the roots of hip-hop—now a global phenomenon that speaks words of hope and compassion to people in their own language—are guardians of its precious gem of simplicity. Shaheed and DJ Supreme are two such sages, reminding future generations that all you need to tell your story are your rhymes and a rhythm to run it through. The timeless duo from Birmingham, AL keeps it real, using hip-hop to spread wisdom through their multiple LPs and live performances alongside acts like Scarface, Jurassic 5, The Jungle Brothers, and more. Over the years, they’ve rep’d Alabama under the Communicating Vessels label while promoting community-based initiatives through their non-profit K.R.U. (Knowledge, Rhythm, and Understanding). Catch the next iteration of Shaheed’s smooth lyrics and DJ Supreme’s soulful production on their upcoming LP, The Art of Throwing Darts.

Shaheed and DJ Supreme – Take It Back

Light a candle, some incense, or maybe just a sacred blunt and turn up the volume on “Take It Back,” Shaheed and DJ Supreme’s homage to fifty years of hip-hop. The track kicks off with a bounce as background singers chant the song’s title over DJ Supreme’s classic boom-bap beats. The backing hammers on as Shaheed plunges in with his typical confident delivery. Through hard rhymes that roll off like butter, he tells the story of hip-hop, name-dropping the likes of Tupac and Wu-tang as he reminisces on the purity of the early days of the trade.

The companion video to “Take it Back” (shot and edited by Richard Giles) finds Shaheed and DJ Supreme in an appropriate temple to recite their rap incantations: Seasick Records in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. As the duo drops line after line and beat after beat of praise to the craft, we discover rap’s saintly fraternity plastered over the walls of the humble record shop. The K.R.U. crew ravenously digs through the stacks of vinyl with the focus and ebullience of newcomers, displaying that the game’s founding fathers will never fail to provide an endless stream of wisdom and inspiration. You’re never too experienced to “Take it Back” and appreciate what got you where you are.

How did the idea to shout out all of the Hip Hop and rap giants of the past in “Take It Back” arise? Why was it important to you both to produce a track with this concept?

Shaheed: We wanted to show respect to those who paved the way for us and those we came up listening to and learning from.

DJ Supreme: Shaheed wrote the rhymes when he heard the track. The sample in the track was the icing on the cake. It’s always important to pay homage to the pioneers who came before us and laid the foundation for us to do what we do. We stand on their shoulders.

The set for the “Take It Back” music video is too cool! Why was the record shop the perfect location for the shoot and what were your favorite moments from filming?

Shaheed: The legendary Seasick Records were gracious enough to open their doors to us and it’s a great vibe and feeling in that store so it was perfect for the song and the feeling.

DJ Supreme: We’ve had a great working relationship with our peeps at Seasick Records for years. They have an extensive supply of hip hop so it just kind of made since for us to shoot there. My favorite scenes are of us crate digging. It’s such an important process within the culture.

Why is “old-school” Hip Hop timeless and relevant to our current society?

Shaheed: Classic hip-hop or old school Hip Hop focused on the art form and the elements more and it made sure to teach something to inspire as well so because of that it will always be relevant.

DJ Supreme: As you could see from the 50th anniversary Hip Hop performance on the Grammys, classic Hip Hop will always be relevant. Classic Hip Hop artists are constantly the movers and shakers of the entire entertainment industry. From movies to radio to podcasting, classic Hip Hop artists and the practitioners of the culture set the tone and will remain a staple in this industry.

How do you hope to grow as rap and Hip Hop artists and producers? What do you hope to accomplish in your music careers?

Shaheed: We continue to grow by exploring new sounds and concepts and ideas to push the culture forward to the next generation.

DJ Supreme: The main thing I want to see happen is for the genre and the culture itself to grow through outreach. As practitioners, we feel it is our duty to show the youth the fundamentals of hip-hop culture and we do that through our foundation Knowledge Rhythm and Understanding. With K.R.U. we hold free sessions within the community that teach the youth how to structure and write bars, make beats, break dance, and do graffiti. For more info, please check out KRUHiphop.com.

You have to choose one favorite Hip Hop artist or group of all time! Who is it and why?

Shaheed: Wow, that’s a hard one! Let me answer that like this: lyrically I would say Rakim, beat-making and producer wise I would say Dr.Dre or Dilla, group wise I would say A Tribe Called Quest or Public Enemy. I hope that answers the question.

DJ Supreme: If you were to ask me this question ten or fifteen years ago, I would’ve given a different answer, but for now I would have to say my all-time favorite Hip Hop group is The Roots. I only say this because of all the groups I’ve been blessed to witness live in concert, I’ve seen The Roots the most between 1994 to present time. Although they’ve had numerous line-up changes over the years, there’s no one out there that matches the skill and charisma of Black Thought. My second favorite group is Jurassic 5, and not just because we’ve toured with them, but their stage show is legendary. The things they’re able to achieve live on stage must be seen to be believed. J5 has such a strong following that they maintain a chokehold on the audience from beginning to end.

Are there any current or upcoming projects that you’d like to announce?

Shaheed: We have a new album coming in August called The Art of Throwing Darts – be on the lookout for that. It features Slug from the legendary hip-hop group Atmosphere, Akil the Mc and Chali 2na from the legendary Hip Hop group Jurassic 5 and Raheem Devaughn, and the legendary Percee P.

DJ Supreme: Our long-awaited full-length album, The Art of Throwing Darts, will finally drop this summer. We’re looking forward to the world hearing this album. It’s our classic sound with features from Chali 2na and Akil the MC from Jurassic 5, Slug from Atmosphere, Percee P, R&B star Raheem DeVaughn, and more.

Follow Shaheed and DJ Supreme:
http://www.kruhiphop.com
http://twitter.com/shaheed_supreme
http://instagram.com/shaheedanddjsupreme

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Tags: Hip Hop

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.