With the smell of incense and old records in the air, I met with local rapper E.R.I.C. [Every Rhyme Is Crucial] in the back room of Bebop Records, where he manages the store. Originally from Ackerman, real name Eric J. Barksdale, E.R.I.C. is making his mark on the hip hop world. He has his first solo LP Goin’ Thru A Thang in stores now and its first single “Help Me,” with its sneaky, heavy-bass beat, is doing well at local radio stations. I sat down and talked with E.R.I.C. about his musical influences and how the Bible inspires his rhymes and other aspects of his life.
B.M.: Do you remember the first time you started to rap?
E.R.I.C.: “Yeah, it was back in those Beastie Boys and Run-DMC days. We used to do talent shows and just edit and just change up all the Beastie Boys’ and Run-DMC’s lyrics because we couldn’t really curse at French Camp, which was where I graduated. I really full-fledged started rapping in 1998.”
B.M.: What are some non-hip hop artists you like right now?
E.R.I.C.: “I like Citizen Cope. I like Ben Harper a lot, too. And the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
B.M.: How do you think the South is changing hip-hop right now?
E.R.I.C.: “I think David Banner has definitely opened up the doors, and the whole Atlanta thing, people are definitely looking at the South more.”
B.M.: What’s your favorite rapper and his best line?
E.R.I.C.: “I always have to say Tupac was the greatest rapper. I can’t think of any specific line because he has so much. But I love his ‘Dear Mama’ song. I like songs where people really speak the truth. A lot of guys say they speak the truth, but they really don’t. You can say your mom’s on crack and everybody around the world will feel that, but there’s stuff I wouldn’t say because I wouldn’t want you knowing that about my mamma.”
B.M.: Who’s the first big name producer you’ve worked with?
E.R.I.C.: “Black Out. He’s done tracks for Playa Fly and Gangsta Black, and he is actually on the song ‘Catch Up’ off my CD. He rapped the last verse, but he didn’t produce the track.”
B.M.: In “Help Me,” you talk about how where the world is now, is just as it was predicted in the Bible. Are you very religious and does it play a big part in your rap career?
E.R.I.C.: “Everybody has their faults. I know right from wrong. That whole thing came after the 9/11 situation. I saw where some things were right and some weren’t, and it felt like we were making our own rules. All you really have to do is read the Bible to know the truth. I don’t go to church a lot because, it’s just my opinion, but there’s a lot of people I don’t feel. So the best I feel like I can understand it is to read it myself, just like anything else you do. If you want to learn about something, just read up on it. But, you know at French Camp, I can’t lie; [the Bible] is all they teach us.”
B.M.: Beyoncܬ or Amerie?
E.R.I.C.: “I say Amerie because I don’t know of her having anybody. [Laughs] The door is still open on her. But Beyonc‹¨, she’s not only beautiful, but she’s talented. Whether it’s singing or making her own clothing line, she can do it all.”
B.M.: What song first inspired you to start rapping?
E.R.I.C.: “I can’t really say it was one song, but when Tupac passed, that’s when I was like ‘This is what I gotta do.’ Because when he and Biggie were living, I was content to listen to them, but after them, the door was left wide-open.”