Exclusive: Ryu Interview

We are really excited to announce that we did an interview with the one and only Ryu!!! Thanks a lot for the questions you guys sent us. Almost all of them had to do with Fort Minor so we didn't include any names. Check below what Ryu said about GBC, Fort Minor, his buddy Mike Shinoda, his favorite music, the fans and much more!

Ryu, what are you up to do in 2011? 2010 has been a great year for

GBC. Your resolutions about 2011? 
To become the biggest hip hop group the world has seen since the Beatles. Although they were not very hip hop.

Is it difficult to be a hip-hop star and in the same time father and husband? How would you feel if one of your children might choose to occupy with music?

 It can be difficult at times for sure, especially when traveling, but I've been doing this so long I'm kind of used to it. I don't really have a choice in the matter, its my job. I wouldn't have a problem with my kids doing music. I would of course warn them of what to expect when you choose that life. After I explain it, I'm not sure if they would want to do music anymore.

Which are your favorite bands and artists? Who is your inspiration to make music?

I like a lot of different music. I listen to the Beatles a lot. Not the goofy "Twist and shout" shit. Some  of my favorite songs are "A day in the life" , "Blackbird" , " I am the Walrus" . I like The Cure, Morrissey, The Smiths, New stuff I listen to is Phantogram, Sleigh bells, Lil B, Vampire weekend, Kanye West.

Many of us had the chance to meet you while Fort Minor debuted. So, it comes as no surprise to ask you about your collaboration with Mike Shinoda. Can you tell us a bit about him as a bandmate and as an artist? How did you meet him?

I met Mike about 15 years ago through a mutual friend Chris Barnett. We all lived in the same area and started recording demo's together in Mike's bedroom. He of course ended up doing Linkin Park and I did SOB, and later we did Fort minor together. I think its crazy that we both had dreams of " making it big" in music and were able to remain friends through the years and actually share in each others success. We've traveled the world together and had lots of good memories. As an artist, I really trust his opinion on everything from artwork to live performances. He definitely knows what he's doing.

How do you feel about what you’ve achieved with Fort Minor? Any chances for a new record sometime in the future?

I have mixed emotions on Fort minor. I loved what we did, and we had some success with it. I think we could have kept that album going for another year or 2 and really made an impact. I think it was cut short and wished we could have followed that album up with another one. We have no plans to do a new FM record at the moment. I dont know if we ever will, or if I would even be asked to be a part of it, but if the opportunity presented itself, I would love to do it again.

And now let’s talk about your current band, Get Busy Committee. New record coming up this year. How was the experience of the recordings? How long have you been working on this one? Will it be an innovation for the band’s sound or same style as ‘’Uzi Does It’’?

We actually recorded this album in a 14 days in Connecticut in August 2010. Since then we have added a couple more tracks. I think this album has all the good elements of Uzi does it as well as a new innovative sound. We love it, and think this album could be huge.

Which song was the most difficult to write and why?

To be honest. no song was hard to write. We just have fun when we write and record, so it is never difficult. If a song doesn't come to us naturally, we don't use it.

Can you describe us with a few words the rest of the band? With which one you feel really close?

I'm equally close with Apathy and Scoop. For me to choose who I'm more close with would be impossible.

For which song you feel really proud of being a part of  Get Busy Committee?

Shit...?? I don't know, thats a tough question. I guess I like them all! I celebrate the GBC's entire catalog. My favorite song at the moment is Laura Ling.

We’ve heard that every single GBC gig is a big party! In which country would you like to perform the most?

Oh yeah..a GBC gig is really more of a party than a show. I would of course loooove to go to Greece. We have lots of fans in Brazil and Germany as well, so I would really like to hit those places in the near future! I wish I had some fans in Fiji or the Bahamas, we need to tour there!

You have plenty of fans around the world. From the FM era until now. What do they mean for you?

I love my international fans to death! They have always been so supportive of anything I've done. Very loyal and they go the extra step to help get our name out in their respective countries. Hopefully one day I can meet you all and thank you in person!

Thanks a lot for your time. We respect it a lot. May 2011 bring you what you’ve been searching for! 

Thank you! And thanks to everyone who submitted questions! Shout out to all the LP/FM/GBC fans! You guys are the shizznit! 

From behalf of the entire KAU team, I wanna thank Ryu for taking the time and doing this interview for us. You're fucking awesome and thank you for the constant support you show to us and the blog!