Every hip-hop head worth their weight in vinyl knows that the culture originated in the Bronx in the 1970's. What many may not know about is the extremely rich history that other cities have had in shaping the culture, especially the impact that Philadelphia has had. Two women who are definitely in the know are Leah Keturah Caesar and Nikkie Harris, producers of Raw Talent: A Philadelphia Hip Hop Dance Documentary. Phrequency caught up with the two young filmmakers and talked to them about the challenges involved in brining their documentary to life, the artists that inspire them to create and what they hope to accomplish with their film.
 
Phrequency: Before we get things started, how about a little introduction from each of you for those who may not know who you are.

Leah Keturah Caesar: Keturah, a.ka. Krazy K from West Philadelphia. I'm a b-girl and an emerging film producer.

Nikkie Harris: I'm Nikkie Harris, a.k.a. Victorious. I'm an emcee, a vocalist as well as as an emerging producer. I'm co-producer of Raw Talent: A Philadelphia Hip-Hop Dance Documentary, and of course of from the best side, the West side.

K: West Philly!

N: West Philly, all day.

P: How did you guys originally meet?

K: Me and Nikkie, we've been best friends since age eight. We have a lot of things in common. We're not really new to the artist scene, music, dance. We've been involved in it since we were young and that's how we met.

P: What made you decide to make this documentary, and what led you to the name ?Raw Talent??

K: Well, I'm a dancer and I used to be in a dance company called Versatile. They were very hard on us and would always speak on the term ?Raw Talent?. ?Raw talent, raw talent. You gotta have that raw talent, but you gotta be unique and original.? I left the group and I started realizing on my own as a solo dancer that Philly has a lot of talent and none of it's being documented. I wanted to know who are some of these legendary dancers, b-boys, your poppers your lockers. Everything tends to go back to New York being the home of hip-hop, but I know Philly has contributed to hip-hop culture. I was like, I'm going to do a documentary on it and I'm going to call it Raw Talent.

P: How long ago was it that you got the idea to do this? 

K: I first discovered this idea maybe a year and a half ago and I decided to take classes at Scribe on how to write a treatment. I got more and more and more into it. I did have some prior experience in film in high school doing short documentaries, but that's pretty much it. I really just wanted to capture the talent of Philly's hip-hop dance culture.

N: K got me into film. She first told me that she had the idea of doing the documentary and that's my best friend and I whole heartedly support her in any of her endeavors. I was kind of a fly on the wall almost during her experience with Versitile. I saw her progressing artistically, creatively and career wise; starting to think more on an adult level of actually taking control of her career and moving on her passions. She started doing the documentary in January or February of 08. I would be there to support her but I wasn't necessarily a part of the documentary. She would confide in me about challenges and such she would go through and eventually in July or August of 08 she told me she was looking for a co-producer and that she thought that I would be the perfect person. I jumped on it because obviously that was my best friend and I wanted to support her, but at the same time I saw the potential and the necessity in what the documentary is about.

P: The documentary is about the hip-hop dance scene. What's your favorite aspect of the dance scene here in Philadelphia? Is there a particular style of dance that you prefer?

K: First and foremost, Raw Talent is a Philadelphia hip hop dance documentary, but it's also glorifying Philly's DJing and graffiti culture and their relationship with the dance community. Philly is the DJ capital. My favorite dance style is breaking because it's the most challenging and most dynamic. I started off as a b-girl. It's the hip-hop dance, it's raw, it's very challenging and I love the aggression and passion behind it. Nikkie used to break too. We were influenced by my brother. He threw a lot of b-boy jams here in Philadelphia.

N: We used to rap on her karaoke machine. We were in third grade doing it. We used to tag up all the time. It just came natural.

K: We've preformed together before in the past. She'd be rhyming and I'd be break dancing on her sets.

N: This is who we are. We're grounded in this and very passionate about it, which is why we want to document it. Really, just the Philly hip-hop lifestyle because it's so much different from anything else we see on breaking movies and documentaries. New York is known as the birth place of hip-hop, and not to take anything from any borough in New York, but Philly just has the crazy style and we've had crazy influence on a lot of New Yorkers. Even today Philly doesn't understand the concept of swag that we give to the culture.

P: You mention the breakers, DJs and writer specifically, while commercially hip-hop has always focused on the emcees. Was it a conscious decision to focus the documentary on these less visible elements of the culture?

K: The documentary is really based around hip-hop dance. Breaking will always shine because it is the hip-hop dance, but you also have rockin, popin, house, old school 90s, even to today with Philly's own Wu-Tang. The music is similar but different, the styles are different. I could do a documentary on breaking, but it's a documentary on hip-hop culture.

N: It wasn't a conscious decision to exclude emcees, because they aren't being excluded, but it's not the focus. Emcees are definitely showing love and speaking up on Philly's hip-hop dance scene because most emcees you know used to dance or still dance, or uses to write or DJ. Really, they all go together.

K: First I wanted to start of more with dance, but the more research I came across, the DJ culture is the music culture and there wouldn't be any dance. You need to know the music because you need to dance to it. When you see the documentary you'll realize a lot of DJs from Philly have influenced a lot of the New York DJs and graffiti art is just so raw itself. It's very secretive but very loud and I feel the same way about breaking. It makes a strong political statement, like graffiti art.

P: How far along are you in the process of creating this film?

K: We're still in the beginning stages. I'd say the intermediate beginning stages. It's going very well. We've interviewed several people over the course of the past few months. The documentary is scheduled to be finished summer of 2009.

P: Besides you two, who does the team working on the project consist of?

K: We are the team. (laughs)

N: Shot out to people who stuck with the project so far, because when I first came on to the project, K was working with a nice little production crew. Eventually because the money isn't flowing people start to dwindle off and you can't depend on people because maybe they're flaking or maybe they don't have the time people would need. This is very major to us; like i said we're coming out of our own pockets. We take it very seriously. This is our life. People who may have not been as devoted we had to part ways with, but  shot out to Adachi, shot out to Marv...

K: We also have support from the DJ'. Skeme Richards has been very supportive. Statik has been very supportive of this documentary. We have people outside of the production crew who have been working with us. Shot out to Grand Wizard Rasheed, Tracy [Thomas] from the Action Figure crew which is a DJ collective here in Philly. Shot out to Lady B and shot out to Kim who is our publicist.

P: You mentioned people flaking off and money issues. Any project of this magnitude is bound to run into some issues, but what would you say has been the most challenging aspect of creating this documentary?

K: For me, it's the money. Because we don't have a real budget, some people have canceled on us at the last minute, and that would hinder the progression with events or with interviews and location shots. It's really just been the commitment from the production crew, and with interviewees at times. That's been the hardest for me.

N: It's crazy because it's a really heavy workload on top of the rest of life. I'm a young mother, a single mother, shot out to my baby boy, but I'd say financially has been the hardest part. I mean, research, from talking to people, to the internet to the library...it's a lot and we're just in the beginning, but the hard part really is money.

P: What has been your favorite or most memorable experience in making this documentary so far?

K: For me it's researching. I'm a very inquisitive person, I've always been. That's the reason why I wanted to do this documentary, so it's actually researching and finding out how rich out culture is. The researching blows my mind. I'm like ?Wow, this really happened??

N: That's probably the most exciting and interesting part, just the learning high. For me it's actually meeting and sitting down and talking with people who have mounds of knowledge in their heads but maybe never talked about it because nobody ever asked. I love that. I love to dig and I love my experience with this documentary.

It's definitely a unique situation and we definitely look to inspire other young people, especially the ladiest. Both of us are really into that and hopefully that will be one of our accomplishments once this documentary is completed.

K: And to inspire emerging filmmakers such as ourselves who don't have any schooling in the film industry to just say hey, we were driven we did it and you can too, which i think is a major major thing. We're learning as we're doing it and that's why I appreciate it so much more.

K: Know that this documentary, the information the archives are going to be exclusive. It's going to be creative, informative and very rich and it will make you feel like ?wow, Philly is the shit?

P: Being as immersed in the Philadelphia hip hop scene, you come across a number of talented artists. Who are your favorite emcees in the city? What DJs in the area are your favorites for when you want to go out and dance? What local parties do you guys go to?

K: Reef the Lost Cauze because he's passionate, he speaks to people, he supports us. 

N: He has a very genuine personality. He's a cool ass dude.

K: I'll say Hezekiah, because I love his live shows. He actually puts on a performance.

N: If you've never seen Hezekiah perform, go check out a Hezekiah show.

K: Just to touch more on Hezekiah, most of my friends are into the emceeing world and I would get bored. I like to see people perform. So shot out to Hez on the emceeing note. I appreciate his music so much.

N: Shot out to Tuphace. We saw Tuphace and he killed it. It's been a while since I saw him, and last time he was doing his thing in Subliminal Orphans. and that was years ago. I dipped off from the music scene for a couple years and just to come back and see certain faces who have progressed is a beautiful thing.

K: He had a lot of energy, he was singing and dancing during his show, he had a featured singer he had a band.

N: Shot out to my girl DJ Roxy. Still doing the Zodiac and making moves. Her and DJ UV. DJ AfroDJiak. DJ Aura. All the ladies.

K: And Goldie Jawn, and shot out to Ethel Cee and Selina Carrera.

N: During that Black Lily era, women really started to organize and do the ladies movement in Philadelphia and it's still pressing on. Shot out to all the ladies of Philly, even the ladies of Philly via other places.

K: Hedonis.

N: Oh yeah, can't forget my girl Hedonis.

K: Skeme Richards, Rich Madina, Staik ,Illvibe Colletctive, DJ Auro, DJ Scratch, Jay Ski and Active and Exell from the Scratch Mechanics crew. As far as parties, Bodyrock, Hot Peas and Butta which is Cash Money and Skeme. Also my girl Ultraviolet she used to do Ladies Love Hip-Hop and Living Legends and those were some of my favorite parties. Tastytreats.

K: I just think Philly music is the shit. I think we're very diverse. You've got jazz, you've got funk, you've got hip-hop.

N: The way we dress, the way we walk, the way we talk.

P: Outside of the Philadelphia scene, what artists do you like?

K: Talib Kweli and Lauren Hill.

N: If they're not Philly I don't feel em. (laughs) Sike naw. I dunno, I'm so old school. Shot out to Nina Simone. (laughs)

K: I've been listening to breaks lately, msuic from the 50s and 60s. I recently found out about an artists called Frankie Valli and he has this song called ?Beggin? and b-boys go crazy when they hear this song, I just felt in and my soul.

N: Someone right now that I really love is definitely Amy Winehouse. I get down with Amy Winehouse and it took me a minute. Initially I heard her stuff when Back To Black started blowing up and I was like ?oh, ok. nice stuff? but didn't really get too into until...

K: Until your birthday when I bought you the CD!

N: Yeah. I heard Frank. Man!

K: It's unfortunate that she's...on drugs, but she's really a dope artist. One of my favorite artists. She does a banging live show, she really can sing and I think she's a good person.

P: What have your thoughts been on the recent issues facing this country? What are your thoughts on the election and how do you feel about the economic crisis?

N: Obama is my fifth cousin and Obama if you're reading this, what's up with a donation?

We're definitely living in historical times. I don't think having a Black president is the solution to our problems as Black people. When it comes to politics, I'm a pessimist. History just repeats itself. I definitely see some tough times ahead but we shall see. I think it's important that we focus on our spiritual selfs. I'm not as excited as people are about, but I look in people's eyes and see that gleam and the hope in their hearts, and you can't knock that. I just don't feel that, it would be great if I did.

K: I look at Obama to be a spiritual leader. I really do. Not saying that people weren't smiling, but it's a different vibe in the air right now. I wont' say he's the answer for black people, but to see you have a black person in president, that's a start.

P: Any final thoughts you would like to share with anyone who may be reading this?

K:You can do whatever you want to do if you work hard and you're focused. I really believe in that.

N: Keturah and I share a common passion, right now specifically it is Raw Talent. Even though we definitely get criticized and of course you can imagine the haters or the doubters, because it might not be as deep as hating, but the people that can't see the vision or can't relate to what we're accomplishing here. I say to those people, it's okay as long as you don't get in our way. Hopefully you'll give it a watch and that will change your mind. With what Keturah said, she's not just saying that to sound like something positive. We're living it.

Times are hard and we don't have to do this. Financially, this is extra, but it's a must. Be driven. Especially to the young people: if you have a dream, you can make that come true. If you don't have a dream, live a little. Dream. Dream and make it happen. This world is a big world and there are so many people in it doing so much different shit. Step outside. This world is huge. You can do what you want to do and if you don't know what you want to do, step outside and figure it out. You might find something. You might find yourself.