The Witzard Presents: Another EXCLUSIVE Interview with Seanh On Villainous Follow-up, SADEVILLAIN II (DOOM + Sade Mash-up)

"After /r/jimmyjrg created those stems of MF DOOM, I knew I had to follow up SADEVILLAIN with a [sequel] and this is exactly what I've done. I've had nothing but free time on my hands and went right to work on this project. The amount of recognition of the first tape got was insane, it was incredibly overwhelming and I still thank everyone who has listened to it," Seanh AKA clerksfanboy AKA Snh AKA @TheSeanh2k11 recently wrote within an /r/MFDOOM Subreddit titled I Present to You... SADEVILLAIN II. I've spoken with Seanh a few times over the course of the past year since the release of SADEVILLAIN (2016) and last I knew, he was busy crafting some original beats for an Aesop Rock remix project, which became his recent Aesop Rock vs. Seanh EP. It appears as though Seanh quietly uploaded SADEVILLAIN's proper sequel, fittingly titled SADEVILLAIN II, Monday afternoon and seemingly wasn't picked up by an media outlets until @okayplayer Tweeted out: "Ol' Metal Fingers and the iconic British Soul singer are joined once more in 'SADEVILLAIN II,'" that very evening. I then, promptly reached out to Seanh via Twitter DM and submitted an interview request—itself, oddly enough, a sequel of sorts to our 2016 conversation and Seanh's original DOOM EP—and today, a mere two days later, voilà, you have the very SADEVILLAIN II-cenric interview you are about to embark upon! Seanh initially posted a SADEVILLAIN II link within the /r/MFDOOM Subreddit (which has since been taken down.) Although, full-album SADEVILLAIN II streams are currently available on Soundcloud and YouTube, as well as a direct download from mixtape-hosting hub, DatPiff.


Sincerely,

"Master Allah Truth Truth" (M-A-T-T)
The Witzard Founder & Editor-In-Chief

I. What was your typical recording, remixing, and mashing-up process like for SADEVILLAIN II and how did it differ from your processes while creating its 2016 predecessor, SADEVILLAIN?

My process was pretty much the same; I listened to a lot of Sade and picked out songs that I thought fit the flow of DOOM well and flipped the sample [whenever] possible to give it a different feel to the original. I then added drums to the sample and then, added DOOM's vocals, thus creating SADEVILLAIN. I also added a prelude track called "Fun Is High," which was fun to make. It was a little skit to go into the "Blunted" track featuring [Sean Price and] vocals from old commercials.

II. Have you received any type of feedback from either DOOM, Sade, or any of their respective affiliates? If not, what was the highest form of praise you've received on the SADEVILLAIN project(s) thus far?

No feedback from either DOOM or Sade and to be honest, I'd be worried what they'd think of it. I know a lot of artists don't like their stuff being remixed and what not, but it would be cool to know if they have heard it. The biggest praise was from Lupe Fiasco, who Tweeted out the first SADEVILLAIN [album] a year ago on Twitter, which I thought was really dope.


III. I remember you saying you got the DOOM a cappella stems from Reddit user /r/jimmyjrg, but how exactly did you go about obtaining and choosing the various "features" peppered throughout SADEVILLAIN II?

In terms of choosing the features, not a lot of thought went into it. I would have liked to add guys like Earl Sweatshirt, Aesop Rock, and Apani B, but none of them had any stems that would have worked. So, I chose artists who would have complemented DOOM's [flow]. I also originally had Ghostface Killah on the "The Toughest" track, but changed it last minute to Raekwon because I preferred his flow and style more; you might see some sources saying "(ft. Ghostface)," but that's only because I forgot to change the title's name.

IV. Would you care to briefly speak on a few of your other recent Bandcamp releases, namely Aesop Rock vs. Seanh EP and Stand Alone EP? Also is Stand Alone, as it sounds, your first release of completely original material?

My other Bandcamp stuff isn't anything to shout about. I created an Aesop Rock tape because I was new to his stuff and wanted to mess around with his stems and see if I could create a beat that gave him a darker feel, [which] was fun to do. The "Stand Alone" EP was my attempt at a "Chill-Hop" tap, featuring soft drums and soft melody loops that was supposed to give off a relaxing vibe. It was purely experimental, as I don't rate the tape that high, but it was still fun to make.


V. What are your Top 5 DOOM or DOOM-related releases (be it full-lengths, singles, EP's remixes, etc.) and why for each, Seanh?

This is going to be tough! I'm a huge DOOM fan, so I'll give you my Top 5 official projects that DOOM has worked on (from 5th to 1st): Born Like This, MM.. FOOD, THE MOUSE AND THE MASK, Vaudeville Villain, and MADVILLAINY. Just speaking briefly on each tape; Born Like This (2009) being DOOM's latest solo project, I feel like this tape is fairly under-rated. DOOM's raw lyrics shine throughout this project and the production is fairly minuscule, but that's only because DOOM really wants to show you he can rap raw if he wants to... tracks like "Cellz," "Ballskin," and "That's That" have some of the rawest lyrics of any DOOM project. THE MOUSE AND THE MASK (2005) album has a very cool concept—the cartoony samples really fit well into DOOM's persona. It makes it sound as if DOOM has his own show and he's just giving us a tour on his life as a cartoon. It's a really cool album that is always on repeat. Vaudeville Villain (2003) is by far, his most unique album—the weird futuristic vibe of his alter ego/younger self really shines through. The amount of movie references in the project is crazy and it's always fun to listen to! The last two, MM.. FOOD (2004) and MADVILLAINY (2004) get spoken about a lot. MM.. FOOD is the first project I heard of DOOM—the food references and double entendres are out of this world! And MADVILLAINY is his greatest project, in my opinion. The crazy unique samples that Madlib pulls out really makes this album more that just a musical project, but an experience that everyone needs to go through, no matter what genre of music you're into.

VI. What exactly do you have planned next for creation and eventual release? Now, would you ever do a third DOOM-centric release or are you planning to try to distance yourself a bit from SADEVILLAIN I-II from here on out?

In terms of what's next, I really don't know. I probably won't make another SADEVILLAIN [project]. I feel like two is enough, but never say never. My plan is to continue producing, try and step my game up, and maybe work on some original stuff, while I try and progress further as a producer.