HHS: With your man Blueprint popping up virtually everywhere, where has Illogic been between albums?

Illogic: umm….chillen. (laughter) nah I’ve been out on the road here and there and really at home just preparing for this album to come out. Getting everything prepared for the release and getting things lined up and trying to get some tours lined up and everything. I’ve been putting in work behind the scenes more lately.

HHS: What was the purpose of going a different route and releasing the hard to find “Write to Death” vol 1.

Illogic: Well…really we were looking into some distribution avenues for Celestial in the last year or so and I needed a new record.  I hadn’t have anything come out since Got Lyrics and that was like what…2001 I believe? I needed something to kind of bridge the time between 2001 and now. I just felt like I needed something. I hit the road with Blueprint last summer and I decided I needed something out to have. Some new music from me with a lot people complaining I don’t put out enough music. YaknowhutI’msayin?

HHS: Yeah that’s true man…

Illogic: I needed something out there and also something different just to get people ready for Celestial Clockwork because the Write to Death album was a lot more abstract than Celestial is and I don’t think I’ll go that far out anymore. But it was something that I needed to do I felt.

HHS: With Unforseen Shadows deemed an underground classic. How do you think your fans will accept Celestial Clockwork?

Illogic: Well my fans I already have I think they’ll enjoy it. It’s something that they possibly have been waiting for to come from me being that the kind of album that Unforseen was and with the many topics I did touch on Unforseen. It was kind of all over the place. I think a conceptual album from an artist like me, that you know people have been following for a while, is something that they’ve been looking forward to. They’ll be ready for it, I think they will like it.

HHS: Unforseen Shadows was more a narrative and Got Lyrics was battle laden. What can we expect from you on Celestial Clockwork?

Illogic: With Celestial it’s a lot more personal. It’s a lot more stories. It’s a lot more concept driven. The album basically revolves around  really me and my life and what I went through. I think people can expect a lot of heartfelt songs. A lot of things that they can hopefully relate to and learn from. That’s what I’m hoping to get across with this album.

HHS: “Second Trimester” has got to be one of the most well written rhymes on a very controversial subject. How did you come about creating this amazing song?

Illogic: Well it’s based on a true story, something that actually happened to me. An ex-girlfriend who I was with had gotten pregnant. She got an abortion without telling me. It envoked those feelings and I needed to just get them out in a non-violent way. My writing is usually my therapy so that’s how that song came about.

HHS: With joints like “Stand” and “Second Trimester” being so descriptive can we assume that these come from personal experiences?

Illogic: Yes, especially on Celestial. Most of the songs that are introspective and pretty deep and more conceptual are about life situations. They are true stories that actually happened to me or feelings that I have about the subject. Like the song “Stand”, because I didn’t grow up with my biological father, I had a lot of animosity towards him as a person just because of how our relationship or lack thereof had been. So that’s where a lot of that came from. So most of it is very introspective and I think that I write better out of pain then writing just to write. I think most good songs come from life changing or life altering experiences that happen in our lives.

HHS:  Where is it that you gather the courage to put yourself out there to your public like that?

Illogic: I think that everyone goes through things for a reason. And I felt me being an artist and me being a writer and God blessing me with the gift that I have. I think people can learn from a lot of the situations that me personally have gone through because I have learned from situations that I have seen other people go through. Whether it’s on record or friends that I know that I have talked to about certain things. I think that at the time that I wrote a lot of the songs I was feeling kind of alone and that no one really understood exactly what I was going through. I was just by myself. I think me being able to express myself and put myself on paper and put myself on record like that can maybe give some other people comfort that “I’m not the only person that ever went through this” or “I’m not alone in this, he got through it” or you know just talking to grandmother or mother just about certain situations in life they have to know that nothing is real under the sun that everyone goes through certain things and that you are not alone in life. So I think that is what I’m trying to convey. You are not alone and you are not the only one going through this situation and that you can rise from it.

HHS: Unforseen Shadows you wrote when you were like what…16?

Illogic: A lot of the songs that I had I started writing when I was like 16. Between 16 and 18 is when it was written.

HHS: So what was the time frame with Celestial Clockwork?

Illogic: Celestial Clockwork was…. well actually Celestial Clockwork was supposed to be the follow up album to Unforseen Shadows. I was around 18-21. Around that age. That was the time of my life that I was going through personal things. Dealing with my fathers situation, still trying to find myself. I was going through this whole self esteem thing that I had, which was apparent on (the song) “Hate in a Puddle” on Unforseen Shadows. So Celestial Clockwork for me was like the last hurrah for all the negativity in my life. I had to get it all out and hopefully some good will come of it.

HHS: Does your spirituality play a big part in you creating music?

Illogic: It’s just a part of me. I mean I grew up in church. My grandmother’s a minister, my mother is really deep into church so it’s just always been a part of me ya know? It comes out in my writing because I know where my gift comes from. I know that God has given me this gift and with God being a big part of my life it just comes out in my music and is just such a big part of me.

HHS: How does the chemistry between you and Blueprint work so well? Are you guys like souls separated at birth?

Illogic: Honestly…I really don’t know. We met and we did Unforseen Shadows and even with Unforseen Shadows we was learning each other styles, strengths and weaknesses, and over the years (we’ve been friends for the last 6 years) we’ve gotten to know each other personally and that plays a big part in our chemistry on record. And we understand that alot of the things that we do talk about on Celestial Clockwork. Blueprint knew the stories behind the song youknowhutI’msayin? I think the fact that we have a relationship outside of the music gives us a better foundation for our work together.

HHS: Are you interested in venturing out and working with other producers, like RJD2 and more work with DJ PRZM? Or are there any mainstream producers you would like to work with?

Illogic: Yeah, actually before Celestial Clockwork me and DJ PRZM worked on a project. It’s not too long probably about 6 songs. I’m looking to work with some other producers in the future. I’d like to work with RJD2, I’d like to work with El-P, maybe get some stuff from Aesop Rock. Ya know there are a lot of producers I respect and that I’d like to work with, but right now the producers that I’m comfortable with are the ones who I’ve been working with. But hopefully in the future things will open up and I get a shot to work with some other cats.

HHS: With you being so under the radar what do you hope to make out of your career in the rap game? Are you looking to sign to a major or are you just doing this for yourself and your fans.

Illogic: Um… I’m looking to do whatever comes. If it just so happens that a major label is interested in me, and they allow me to have creative control while being signed to a major, I’m all for it. I’m looking to remain me no matter what happens. So whatever comes I’m just open to that. Wherever the music and God takes me I’m willing to go..

HHS: Are you planning to tour for Celestial Clockwork?

Illogic: We are working on all of that. Nothing is concrete but it is definitely in the plans. I’m doing a small run on the Eyedea and Abilities tour. I’m doing about a week on the East Coast. I do have a couple of things that I’m working on. Touring is definitely a big part of the underground scene.

HHS: Yeah… that in itself will broaden your fanbase because not enough people have heard of Illogic.

Illogic: Yeah, definitely and I understand that in order for me to be heard as much as I’d like to be I need to get on the road. There are some things in the works and I do look forward to getting back out there getting in front of people, broadening my fanbase, broadening my horizons and spreading my message.

HHS: What can we expect from you and the weightless camp in the near future? Hopefully more projects are in the works.

Illogic: Oh definitely! Blueprint will be releasing an instrumental album hopefully this summer or maybe the fall. DJ PRZM is putting out a solo album on Weightless hopefully this year. We do have a lot of other artists that we are working with so Weightless is going to be doing some big things. Just be on the lookout.

HHS: You are a diverse artist, can we expect any non-musical works to come out of you in the near future?

Illogic: There is some stuff that I would like to do. I did do a poetry book that I had on tour. But right now I’m concentrating more on the music and but I would like to venture out and do more things.

HHS: Whassup with the Orphanage? Is a project ever going to come out or is that just wishful thinking.

Illogic: The Orphanage is more like a native tounges. We have done like ten songs as a whole with all of us on the tracks and we are going to release those songs here and there on other projects. We’re not going to do an entire album as the Orphanage. It is more or less and ideal rather than a supergroup.

HHS: Any final words?

Illogic: Well I wanna say thank you to everybody whose picking up the album. And thank Hiphopsite.com for supporting me and supporting Weightless through the years and there’s a lot more to come.