The Inner City's Cliche

Could you introduce yourself to everyone & give a little back ground information about you?

Hi. Im Tennille and I’m a Taurus and I like long walks always haha. I have three solo mixtapes out, A BRONX TAIL, 10FDOOM/10ILLEMATIC, & A BRONX ZOO. I live with and sing with The Cool Kids in Chicago, I’m a South Bronx Native, and I like Pigeons.

how does your hometown influence the sound of your music?

 The South Bronx is who I am, It is very much so represented in my music, literally and through energy. My attitude which was given to me from my experiences growing up here is one of independence sincerity and thugged individualism, which I try to portray through my music, and I feel in its uniqueness is shared through my most people in my city, regardless of their origin or chosen paths.  

What was the inspiration for the name “10iller”? We see a little similarity flowing with your first name.

Exactly, my mother named me Tennille after Toni Tennille of “The Captain & Tennille” 10ille is the shortened version, 10iller and other flips of my names are just variations..

What was the transition like moving from NY to Chicago?

Chicago is tight. I had never thought I was moving out of NYC until I made the decision to make the move, and it was scary. The politics of the cities are very different, I’m used to a giant melting pot of cultures mixed and fused.. Chicago which is very segregated showed me a whole different point of view on specificness of raw culture. Midwest culture is so different and amazing, I’ve been there since 07, and the most literal way I can describe how living there has changed me is that now I can lay comfortably in an in between of fast and slow. Not that Chicago is slow by any means, but definitely more relaxed. I do yoga in Chicago and smoke slow. I walk fast with a metrocard and think a mile a minute when im home in NY. 

Who or what would you describe as your strongest influences?

Strongest? eesh its a collective. My smooth grandfather and his rat pack listening brain library, my Jamaican mother, my tough block boy brothers love for west coast shit, the funky shit my dad played in his whip whenever Id see him. Aaliyah TLC and Mya, Lauren Hill MARY JANE GIRLS. Dwele..Price and James Brown, Yellowman..Mary J, Prodigy Doom Grimm and Nas. Maxwell, Gil Scott Heron. Althea and Donna. Digable plaents. Even if their styles specifically havent influenced me the feeling i get listenin to their jams have..The cool kids.. not just their music, but their music taste is wild massive and open, they put me on to alot of new ways of thinking. Studying Opera and music history. Visual things, artistic friends. The coco cherry mango rainbow lady in front of my moms building. Harmonies and feelings and the math in music influence my specific ways of getting my thoughts out the most, if that makes any sense.  

What’s your favorite album ever?

I cant fully commit to the word ever haha cus i switch up over time, It was written and In search of probably has had the most rotation of all time, but I can say Al Green Lets Stay Together is and has been my favorite song..

How did you get your start in music?

I started when I was 11 at this proffesional childrens choir that opened up on my block, out of the love of a tight group of people who came to the hood out of the love of their hearts and for the love of real music. It was called Highbridge voices, we studied opera arias music history, we had personal voice lessons, it was free.. I learned the legit shit first.. I went to Laguardia High school of Arts and performing arts in Manhattan for highschool… I was a vocal major..I dropped out.. but it stimulated my brain something crazy.

What was the first song you ever wrote like?

 1st song, was this song zoom in, its been left unheard by any other than friends, but the next one, which was the first song I ever recorded was Alright Ok, produced by Chuck Inglish in 06 or 07.

How would you describe the sound of  your “A Bronx Tail” project?

 Inspiration came for the personal feel and want to pay homage, of course the movie “A Bronx Tale” set the structure. I was in Chicago, missin home, so I came home and started writing it.

What was your inspiration for “The Brooklyn Zoo”

 Animals. Animal instincts in humans and recognizing them. NY street lingo, my dogs, birds, the pigs, all that. 

I remember hearing you on  “Jump rope” off  of The Cool Kid’s “Gone Fishing”. How did that collab come about?

 I had been living with them, we had already made mad jams, Chuck came up with the idea mostly, I cheffed in a few inputs, it happened.. and people liked it.

What’s it like working with Sir Michael Rocks  and Chuck Inglish?

Its always amazing doing things your meant to do with your family. So phenominal. Regardless of specifics and length in the game and all that shit, I’ve never met anyone fuckin wit their unique musical genius.. and ive met everyone. 

What are some artist you would like to work with in the future?

 I really want to work wit Doom. From scratch. I’ve dreamt of working with Gil Scott Heron, but it wasnt in the cards. I’d love to work wit Fela Kuti’s son he’s so tight. I want to work with some people with similar  mental energies that have opposite musical energies cus I like being pushed to think newer and i like to push. I want to go to Jamaica for a few months and work with some older cats. The older seasoned heads and even new heads that look at music as an art form rather than a come up are the ones that interest me the most. Fusing energies when artists are sincere always have somethin amazing as an end product.  

Do you have any words for other female emcees out there?

 Yes. Dont limit yourself to a female emcee if your an artist. Call yourself an artist if you are one fuck a gender. But if you are just a female emcee.. I cant really comment I don’t  know bout that mind…

How did you come up with the idea for your Nas and MF Doom inspired project “10illematic/10fdoom”?

It was also a homage type thing. A major time when i was grasping who i am and want to be was in Highschool, I wore big clothes, cut class and listened to Nas, everything was serious, serious things were happening all around me… Doom I came up on after highschool, but I felt them, extra and the most. It made the most sense to me. Their stories were of a similar theme of my own and others around me. I got it, I felt it, so I transposed my message through them. I’ll thank them in person one day,,

On  A Bronx Tail there’s a song called Sandman with a dope Mobb Deep Sample from “upnnorth trip” how’d you pick that beat?

Chuck and Mike’ll tell you Prodigy and Hav has often been my ambiant clean the crib music providers..That song was my shit. I came up on the instrumental, and I had a real story that fit on it. 

One of my favorite tracks off of Bronx zoo is Special Herbs, is there any correlation between this track and MF Doom’s Special Herbs & Spices series?

 Of course, all the 10FDOOM tracks are special herbs and spices beats, which I purchased, and I aint gon lie I be stealin music… however. Yes.. that was doom influence, and weed influenced, and despite it all I Like to think of my self as a medicine woman of sorts, I collect herbs and teas and crazy seeds and incenses, Herbal life 4 life. 

How would you say you have improved or grown as an artist from A Bronx tail to Bronx Zoo?

I recorded the Bronx Zoo myself dolo  except a track or two, but had my boy Brains mix it, but Bronx Zoo comes directly from my stomach. From the protools sessions to the messages.

What did you do differently to prepare for Bronx Zoo?

 I had the tracks done earlier.. less procrastination more preparation..

What would you say is the biggest difference between Bronx zoo and A Bronx tail?

To me.. the Bronx zoo had more new tracks.. so they were probably more relevant to the way im thinkin currently.
What’s on your ipod playlist right now? I dont have an ipod, that new Sir Mike on rotation, and some new Chuck inglish beats.. not cus theyre my bros cus theyre tight haha.  Uhh That new ASAP ROCKY tape just came out I been listenin to that MF Grimm and Gil Scott Heron heavy the past few days of my labtop..

How do you go about selecting beats for your project?

If i hear it and it hits me.. I just ask for it haha. People send me beats, I listen to them all.  I got mad Inglish beats on deck, Tye Hill, Michael Uzowuru Hannibal beats  Like of Pac Div and Polyester Ziptopher, new homie Kris P Khream.. Im aways in all of their ears for new shit..and mad other homies in btwn. 

Any last words?