HTF have managed to catch up with the hip hop legend that is Tony Touch despite his normal busy schedule, as well as promoting his sixth studio album; ‘The Piece Maker 3: Return Of The 50 MC’s’. He really has worked with anyone who is anyone in the rap game and his latest project is no different. We discussed his new project, what it was like to work with Eminem, his future plans, and if there actually is anyone who he would like to work with which he hasn’t yet.
HTF: Yes Tony Touch, how’s it going over in NY?
Tony Touch: Yeah it’s all good man, how are you?
HTF: Yeah I’m good. I’m going to jump straight into it if that’s alright?
Tony Touch: Yeah bro go for it, I’m ready for ya!
HTF: First question, how come you decided to merge the 50 MC’s project with the Piece Maker series?
Tony Touch: It was a marketing tactic really, Piece Maker 3 was something I knew I wanted to do to, just finish the trilogy. People having been saying for a long time to do another 50 MC’s and it has been something which has always really worked for me. But I didn’t want to do a ’50 MC’s 4′ because it would just be weird so I decided to bring the two brands together and it worked well so I stuck with it. But yeah it was a marketing tactic really.
HTF: For me, the new album has got a old school hip hop mixtape feel about it, lots of features, shout outs, scratches, and then put out by a top DJ.
Tony Touch: Yeah man, that’s exactly it. I always try and keep it vintage.
HTF: So what were your overall aims and ambitions for this project?
Tony Touch: I just wanted to keep it vintage ya’know man. Tony Touch, pretty much stayed to my name, its worked for me for so many years. Playing that boom-bap New York rap that I’m known for ya’know. It wouldn’t have made sense to gone outside my lane, there’s a demand for the music that I’m recognised for and I just stuck to that lane.
HTF: Of course the nature of this album is unbelievably diverse.
Tony Touch: Yeah man.
HTF: Are there any factors you make sure to take into account when putting together a diverse project like this?
Tony Touch: Nah ya’know the majority of the artist who I wanted to worked with on the album I have previously worked with. So I kinda looked upon it as a reunion album. I stepped out my lane a bit with some artist, artists who I haven’t worked with before, artists like Too $hort and Bun B. Ya’know those guys are respected veterans and I have never worked with them before so I wanted to do that as well. But in the most part I reached out and worked with people which I had a long standing relationship with.
HTF: What was it like, and what did it mean to you to be able to rhyme over DJ Premier beat?
Tony Touch: Yeah it was a must have ya’know, he produced the anthem for the first album, The first Piece Maker and R.I.P. with Guru. And ya’know that’s family right there so before anything, I have been working with Premo for so many years. I reached out to mostly family members for this record so he’s actually family and he is one of the best of all time when it comes to producing music that I enjoy listening to and presenting. We’ve got history and it was only right to come back to him to do another track for this project.
HTF: How important was to work with The Beatnuts on this project?
Tony Touch: Well again were talking about family, these guys have had me for 15 years ya’know. I’ve got extensive catalogue with those guys, and as well as being friends and family with those guys (Psycho Les & Juju) it was another marketing tactic. People affiliate me with those guys, and their library is sick ya’know, they have so much music and beats which they have produced that the world hasn’t heard yet. It made perfect sense, I have hundreds of beats with those guys and to have them on half the album was a no brainer.
HTF: One of the big features and moments on the album has to be Eminem’s appearance.
Tony Touch: Yeah defiantly.
HTF: Seeing as he hasn’t put anything out in 3 years, how hard was it to get him on the album?
Tony Touch: I’ve been working on his radio station for almost 9 years now, I’ve been down with Shady45 for about 9 years so I’ve had a pretty extensive relationship with him and his crew and have been down with that circle for going on 15 years now. He was on the first Piece Maker and the 50 MC’s which I recorded in 98′ so. I did have to be more persistent this time round, more follow ups than most artist but most importantly it got done ya’know.
HTF: It must be a question that’s hard to answer, but was there somebody you particularly enjoyed working with on the album, artist or producer?
Tony Touch: Ya’know everybody brings a different angle to the album but I’ve said it before and I’ll let it go on record again it’s KRS-One. It was a priority for me to have him on the album, from the era I grew up in like listening to rap, he’s like one of my all time favorites so having him on the record was defiantly a priority.
HTF: So do you have a favorite track on the album?
Tony Touch: Hmm, favorite track…I guess it would make sense to say the one in which we put the most time into, there all great, but we put a lot of time into the ‘Slaughter Session’ record with Slaughterhouse ya’know. There’s a lot of live instrumentation on that record so we put a lot of work into it, and I was pretty proud on how that came out.
HTF: The last couple of questions are more a bit more general, are there any rappers/artists around at the moment who you would love to work with which you haven’t yet?
Tony Touch: I have yet to get Rakim on a collaboration with me, he’s probably the only one. I’ve toured with him but I’ve never recorded with him so that’s one of the missing links.
HTF: So whats the near future got in hold for Tony Touch? Anything you’d like to mention at the finish?
Tony Touch: Well I have a artist I’m presenting right now, her name is Soni withanEYE. We’ve got a video circulating right now, a great single with Raekwon from the Wu-Tang Clan which is sick. But yeah I’m just putting all my energy into executive producing her album and just promoting mine. And that’s it.
HTF: I think that’s everything. We’ll defiantly keep an eye on Soni withanEYE then, and it’s been a huge pleasure Tony thank you very much for your time.
Tony Touch: Sounds good man! Thank you for your time and good luck.
