Terrell Woods, who plays this town as Carnage The Executioner is a busy guy, he is working on new recordings, playing live shows and starting beatbox contests. Most likely if you’re heading out to a big Hip-Hop show in town here, he will be in the line-up.
Seeing him play is an eye and ear opening experience when you wonder where all those sounds are coming from. While, there might be a few rappers and hip-hop groups in town that might sound very similar. Carnage The Executioner seems to stand out from the crowd. His sound is undeniably him, and you should give him a listen.
Carnage The Executioner lets us know why he is so busy, what he is working on and how it all goes down.RIFT: You have been pretty busy for a long time now, and it always seems like you have multiple things going on. What are you working on now?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: I stay busy for sure! Only way to be! In addition to constantly trying to reinvent how I present my live show performances, I’m working on “Ravenous” a new solo album to be released in April of 2016. I’m also spearheading the release of a new Hecatomb release: that’s my crew with roots spanning from all over the U.S. to Germany. Hecatomb Industries is also my own label & is financed by only me. It’s my crew’s 10 year anniversary this year!
RIFT: Using the effects and loop pedal for the beat boxing, how did that process evolve and is it still changing?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: Live looping came from wanting to expand on my music creation abilities. It started with me backing Desdamona up & our group, ill chemistry, where I was mainly just a raw beat boxer. After about a year & a half of doing that, I saw 2 local singers, Debra G. & Molly Dean, looping their harmonies while playing & looping guitars live. I was totally blown away!
So after having them explain to me what they were doing, I bought a Boss RC-20 of my own to work with. I knew it would give me more “range” as far as how rich of a sound scape I could create with nothing but by mouth with a loop station. I realized I could do something different from what I’d seen every other rapper doing at the time.
Then my trusted artist friends Jack Cracker from The Crest in Madison, WI & Eyedea saw me performing live & doing parts of my set using tracks to rap over with the other part looping my beat boxing. They recommended I do my entire live set rapping over my beatboxing. I never looked back!
Over the past 8 years, I’ve expanded my pedal utilization from 1 pedal sitting on the floor to a pedal board with 7 different pedals attached to it. I have bass-altering pedals, a sound effects vocal processor, an organ pedal to be used for guitar & Wah filter pedal. If my process is to further evolve, I’ll have to make myself a bigger pedal board. I’m fairly versatile with what I have, though. I’m looking to put together a dynamic instrumental set where I perform & don’t rely on rapping at all. That’s a challenge I’m totally up for!
RIFT: When you write songs, do you think more of how it will come off in the studio or in a live setting?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: Both. It really depends on the song. Some songs are written with the notion that they have to come off as easy-to-follow to an audience. Others are not to be performed live & will be a part of an album. One thing I’m always sure of, though, is that I’m capable of accurately-delivering every song I write for the studio in a live setting – even if I don’t plan to ever perform it live. Breath control, clarity & annunciation are very important to me. I don’t want to simply be a “studio rapper” who can’t duplicate studio magic live & relies on enhancements, and I refuse to become lazy with my writing.
RIFT: What’s the best part of the local Hip-Hop and Rap scene?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: I think there’s a wide range of skilled emcees to choose from around here – should people decide to support more than just what’s presented to them by our local media. I think I have quite a few possible collaborators I could call on. There are lots of DJ’s also & many of them are well-versed enough in music, in general, that they are able satisfy all types of crowds. There are also lots of venues around the Twin Cities that book Hip-Hop, so, overall, finding a place to throw a show is not too difficult. The local press will also cover artists who have a strong reputation or those who are generating a buzz.
RIFT: What is your writing process like?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: I like to write songs that mostly have a focus or a concept. If I have that, I usually come with a hook first, then compose the verses around the hook. I sit down to write when the words are just coming to me almost non-stop. I don’t force my lyrics. I can usually tell when it’s the “right time” to write a particular song. I tend to prefer writing to beats because I’m a percussive rapper who develops cadences around the way the drums are programmed. The closer-to-a-finished-product I have with a beat, the easier it is to write to. I’m not limited to this process, though, as I do sometimes write without beats or concepts.
I write the personality, feeling & timing into the lyrics as I go. Instrument sounds create the mood & influence what I write about. I usually get 2 bars down, memorize them, then add to that, continuing with that procedure until I finish the song. That way, I’ve almost memorized the whole song by the time it’s finished. I type all of my lyrics to be printed. I tend to change little things here & there as I walk around saying what I’ve written to myself, so a song is not finished until it is totally recorded. That’s the gift & the curse of being a perfectionist! Haha.
RIFT: It looks like you handle most of the business side of your music career as well, what are those challenges like?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: I tend to have difficulty asking for help. I don’t like being upset with people for not doing what the say they’re gonna do, so its sometimes just easier to do it myself. Then I have nobody to be mad at but myself if something doesn’t get done, right?! Haha.
It’s hard, though, because I’d like to just focus on creating music. But I find that a lot of people are either just not reliable, or they know things & don’t always wanna share their knowledge with, or help others out. This type of thinking makes me somewhat of a control freak – where I like to have a say in whatever happens as it relates to my business. I believe in the “if you want something done right, do it yourself” motto. I delegate very few things surrounding my business to other people & it has gotten me thus far…Whatever “thus far” is…
RIFT: Much has changed with Digital downloads and social media. Do you feel that has helped or hurt you get paid or get your music out there?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: Social media has helped me get paid more as far as securing live shows. It’s really easy to network with people online. I like to talk to people, and I’ve been told I’m one of few who handles the various aspects of my own business. People are always surprised that I answer my own messages & respond to questions/inquiries in a timely, professional fashion. I think that helps me genuinely connect with people & leads to more making money opportunities.
I don’t sell much music digitally, but I try to make sure people know it’s out there should they decide to purchase it. Being I don’t have a big budget for online promo, I reach less people online with my music than an Indie label run by more than one person. If people want to find me, though, they’ll find me.
I have put music up for free download, but haven’t given into the belief that ALL MUSIC SHOULD BE FREE. I’ve heard the argument that artists who give all their music away make more money from live shows & other merchandise, but I need more proof of that with online (website) & digital sales before I exclusively take that route. My studio time is not free, so I have difficulty justifying just giving my music I paid to record away. Not saying this feeling won’t change, but I’m not there yet.
RIFT: You have done social work and have been a youth counselor, do you use some of that experience to connect with people in your music.
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: I use a lot of my experiences from my work & personal life in my lyrics as a means of better connecting with people. It might come off as more subtle, but the philosophies in some of my songs like “God’s Gift To The World”, “Save ‘My People’” & “Addict” on my Respect The Name album (2012) came from my work with youth & personal events. Sometimes it’s me kind of telling other people’s stories with a personal twist. Much of “Addict” came from self-reflections due to the skills I’ve gained in work trainings from the past.
A lot of what I’ve learned from working in social services I’ve been able to implement in ways that help me to better myself. Then I figure out how to channel that self-discovery into my writing. The last project I dropped, “The Ultimatum”, (2015) was somewhat of an escape in the other direction though. I wanted to make 1 more raw rap record before I go into more personal narratives & concepts I’ve come up with while working with people, as well as current events. I pull from multiple sources & rely heavily on the use of current events & in much of my newer, up-coming work.
RIFT: If you could give a piece of advice about anything what would it be?
CARNAGE THE EXECUTIONER: I would advise rappers to start developing talents other than just rapping. Having more than one skill to offer would make for better live shows. Learn to play an instrument or take singing lessons. Hell…Breakdance for God’s sake! Learn to beat box! It’s time we stop doing the same old thing that has been happening at Hip-Hop shows for 20 years!
I’d also advise rappers to work on performing better & being more engaging during live shows. Most rappers are boring to watch live.
And finally…STOP RAPPING OVER YOUR PRE-RECORDED LYRICS! It reeks of laziness & it’s a complete buzzkill for me. But what do I know?! I’m a 40 year-old boom bap rapper…