A Conversation with CJizzle

cjizzle

If you've been at The Sixty One any length of time, you're surely acquainted with the unvarnished hip hop stylings of CJizzle. CJizzle has been at the top of some of those lists, but takes it all in stride and really doesn't give a crap if you don't like his music. Meet the man behind the hand, CJizzle.

Batface89: You have a song titled 'Who are you?'... Good question. Who are you? Who is CJizzle?

CJizzle: My name is Charles Julian Altendorf, I go by CJ and of course my rap name is CJizzle. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin I but have lived all over the United States including 1 year in Illinois, 6 years in wisconsin, 7 years in Raleigh, NC and four years in Florence, Kentucky (it's by cincinnati). As you can tell by my last name I have heavy german decent but I am 7 generations removed from germany. I miss wisconsin almost every day and have many times tried to figure out a way to move back there. I love the food the people and just the philosophy of life their (and I am a HUGE Green Bay Packers fan). My favorite sport is football, I played it all four years of high school despite never becoming a starter. I also am a very independent thinker when it comes to politics, so don't catch me on a bad day if you think very conventionally about them. There is more to know about me but that is pretty much all I feel like typing.

Batface89: I listened closely to your lyrics at The Sixty One yesterday. Myktoronoto said: If someone took all of CJizzle's lyrics they could do a 2008 version of the movie 'Kids'. He writes like he thinks and the scary part is a lot of kids I hear and I talk to think like him. Please talk about your song writing process and your inspiration for your lyrics.

CJizzle: All of my songs have a simply rhyming pattern (in case that isn't obvious enough) and I try to make each verse near the same number of lines but not quite. As for my inspiration, well most of my songs are based on life experiences and how I feel about them. For example, the first song I made that people in my high school liked was titled 'Homecoming King Can't Be No Rapper' and it was about how I felt gibbed because I was nominated for homecoming court sophomore year and I didn't win despite the fact 2/3 of my class said they voted for me. My friends and I think it was because my high school administration didn't like me. Another to keep in mind about my music most of the time I try to make my music not completely serious because I feel like too much music today is too serious and depressing.

Batface89: Totally. On the song 'Now and Forever' you mention that people on the internet say your music sucks, and yet, you've almost developed quite a following on T61. Are you the William Hung of Hip Hop? How do you handle people dissing your music? How would you like people to react to your music?

CJizzle: I wrote the song 'Now and Forever' before I even heard about T61, in reference to the small majority of my high school and people on myspace that were dissing my music. As for being the william hung of hip hop, if I were so, I would be rich, wouldn't I? Didn't he make like a million dollars? I take criticism in stride on my good days, on my bad days I blow up and write angry songs.

Batface89: Speaking of 'Now and Forever', the beat on the drum machine really stands out. Can you talk a bit about the equipment that you use and do you do all of the sequences yourself? How do you record?

CJizzle: I bought this software from Staples called Cakewalk Music Creator 2. With the software came short recordings of many percussion instruments and different guitar notes. I take these sounds and I mix them together and copy them over and over again to make a beat, music creator makes it really easy. As for recording, when i originally started I had a piece of shit $10 microphone that was taped up because it was broken. After finishing my first two albums Life At Boone County High (part 1) and Life At Boone County High (part 2), my uncle bought me a fancy German microphone for Christmas and I have a fancy stand for it so that is what I've used ever since.

Batface89: Fancy German Microphone - now that's a great name for a band. The name CJizzle - I was reading on Myktoronto's wall that your name comes from a disease you have. Can you talk a bit about your name?

CJizzle: CJizzle as a name is a way of getting back at those who tormented me. Freshman year of high school some of my classmates (one of which I still have great disdain for) found out about my issues with having an overactive bladder (having an accident every once in a while) and picked on me because I was a virgin and had no girlfriend by saying I that masterbated a lot. So the called me CJizz... well I added an le and rolled with it and it turned out to be a mysterious and thought-provoking rap name.

Batface89: Hehe, I agree. Getting Jacked? What exactly does that mean? Does it come from a true life experience?

CJizzle: Getting Jacked is when a guy puts a lot of money into a relationship with a girl and she doesn't commit to him fully or is being very slow with it. While the song is stretching it a bit, I kind of had that situation happen to me a lot. The song was also written not long after Kanye West's 'Gold Digger' came out.

Batface89: Why the blurry photo with your hand in front of it for your profile pic? It's almost like you don't want people to know who you are... like KISS in their make-up days.

CJizzle: There is no hidden meaning behind the blurry profile photo. I had a shitty digital camera and made that picture for an english class because I thought it would be funny and i had no good pictures on my computer. I do have clear pictures now.

Batface89: Comradeinarms has a question for you: If the anti-Christ shall appear with 'a mouth speaking great things', antithetically, does that mean you are the True Christ?

CJizzle: Yes, BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP ME ALL YE SINNERS!!!!

Batface89: Ha ha. You're going to hell now :-). What is the most misunderstood thing about your music and you as an artist?

CJizzle: The most misunderstood thing about my music is it's not easy to do what I do. I'm making satire in a way. I'm not trying to be totally serious and I'm not trying to be completely bad and few people who've tried can do it.

Batface89: I'm not a musician but I can imagine it would be tough. So, you're in college. What are you studying?

CJizzle: Currently my University of Kentucky paperwork says I'm studying Civil Engineering. However, I'm debating doing something else with my life because I don't enjoy the way college is set up.

Batface89: What is next for CJizzle?

CJizzle: I really don't know, I have a lot to decide before I have a plan with my life.

Batface89: Well, good luck with college and your music career. Thank you for taking the time for the interview!

5 comments:

Apocalypse said...

THIS was a really good interview. It took guts to interview him and it took balls for him to lay it all out on the line. May not listen to his music, but I respect the man.

Jon Clark said...

I know.
I felt compelled to read the whole thing, which surprised me.

myk said...

Well done Batface! Kudos to CJizzle for being so open and up front about himself.

I would like to put in perspective one comment I was quoted on "He writes like he thinks and the scary part is a lot of kids I hear and I talk to think like him." I do not want to infer that I think there is anything wrong with him or people that think like him. What is wrong is that a growing amount of students/youth like CJizzle have been subjected to an era where self-seeking and insensitivity are all but encouraged...anyone with a brain ends up as a cynic; and that is sad.

Dwyndal said...

great interview. Props for Cjizzle for doing his thing and not what others want. Good job learning his programs and making unique beats with what's there. Starving artists don't just use Guuuuuuitars anymore.

I thought the hand was to stop a two finger poke to the eyes. Laurel n' Hardy anyone, 3 stooges even.

Thanks CJ thanks Bat

Unknown said...

Thanks for the interview Batface.
I have done my fair share of picking on CJizzle, but I hope it reflects more as jest since we are all a family on the 61.

Thanks for giving the interview CJ. Nice to hear more about you than the music. :)