August 27, 2008 @ 12:03 pm

A Rap Group Named Tanya Morgan

Kofi Amankwaa Jr.

How three guys who met on the Internet became a real-life rap group

Tanya Morgan is proof that the Internet is the new hot spot for hip hop talent. The trio made up of producer Von Pea and Mcs Ilyas and Donwill, were formed in 2003 when Pea met up with Ilyas and Donwill through the popular online hip hop hub, Okayplayer.com. After sending each other beats and further discussing their love of music, the hip hop fanatics decided to do a full-length album together. It wasn’t easy though, consideringVon Pea lived in Brooklyn and Ilyas and Donwill were living in Cincinnati.

After releasing the online mixtape Sunlighting and the EP Sunset, anticipation began brewing for their debut LP, Moonlighting. Within in a year, the album was completed and debuted in March 2006 on Loud Minority Music. Their second EP, The Bridge is currently in stores now and has received rave reviews. And in early 2009, the group plans to drop their sophomore effort, appropriately titled Brooklynati

Currently on The Freshly Dipped Tour through October 1, Tanya Morgan takes a break to talk with VIBE.com about the group’s name, their musical beginnings, their connection on Okayplayer.com, their famous MySpace-themed video for their single “We Be,” the rise of the independent music scene and their future plans in the music industry.

VIBE.com: How did the name “Tanya Morgan” come about? As a rap group, it would confuse a lot of people if you went by a woman’s name.

Von Pea: It was a way for people to expect the unexpected. It was a metaphor for the group.

Ilyas: I guess it can set a standard to see how good we are. We would bang with the name Tanya Morgan and see how far we go with the name.

How did you guys connect on Okayplayer?

VP: The connection came about when Donwill and I would just be up there regularly for sake of browsing the Internet. We were just bored [laughs]. At the time, I was making music but I hadn’t really put together the final mixes and I needed somebody to give me a review of my music and what I’ve done so far. A lot of people on the forum liked to listen to the Tribes, the De La’s, and I wanted somebody that had the same influences as me to check them out. So, he sent me some of his music and I liked it. We became fans of each other’s music. He and Ilyas were in a group together. So, we agreed to make songs together and that was that.

What were your musical influences?

DW: My musical influences were scattered. I’m from Cincinnati and we hear music from everywhere: North, South, East and West. While I would be bumping Kool G. Rap, at the same time I could also be bumping Snoop Dogg. I would also be listening to UGK, or Three 6 Mafia for that matter.

VP: I came up with a lot of Native Tongue music. I was into that sound. I listened to OutKast, the Roots, anything that would fit to that sound. I was also fans of Jay-Z and Big Daddy Kane.

Describe the process of developing Moonlighting. What were the challenges you went through?

Ilyas: The process was weird at first because we completed the first half of the album without meeting each other. Then, Don and I went to New York to meet up with Von and complete the other half of the album. We were supposed to meet at a bar and I hear this cat outside who sounded a lot like Von and were like, “Yo, you Von?!” And he was like, “yeah.” It was a dope process and we had a great vibe. We felt each other’s energy. Once we finished the album, we were surprised how dope it was. Originally, we were doing it just for fun. We didn’t have a specific plan for it. We just went with it. That’s why we called it Moonlighting. We were “moonlighting” each other’s acts.

How did the video direction of “We Be” come about? Who came up with the MySpace theme for the video?

Ilyas: That was the director’s idea. Ethan Lader. He was sitting around listening to the song and he thought it would be a really great idea to have the video have a MySpace theme. It’s funny because before it became a big phenomenon, it was still a regular website. It was starting to pickup and I give him props because he was seeing that. He felt it was a novelty web site and the song would create a fun video.

DW: To lighten the mood, it was a straightforward MCing song and the video added depth to it.

Nowadays, you catch Gym Class Heroes collaborating with a well-known artist such as Busta Rhymes and Kid Sister collaborating with Kanye West. Will you find yourselves collaborating with someone like Lil’ Wayne?

Ilyas: You’ll never know what can happen. The music industry is filled with people who have an interest in all kinds of music and not simply ones they hear on radio. It’s proof that you don’t need to sell a million records to make yourself known in the public. That’s why you can see Kanye shouting out Big L on his records and you can catch Lil’ Wayne collaborating with Little Brother. Lil’ Wayne recognizes their feel and respects their music. This means that anybody who respects our music can work with us.

DW: Yeah, the collective influences aren’t really that deep. Artists are fans of the same music we listened to growing up.

Ten years down the road, where do you see yourselves?

Ilyas: I would say I want us to be a “hip hop Beatles” [laughs]. I want our music to be recognized and respected along the same lines as the Beatles.

DW: I want a legacy. We want someone to recall our music the same way anyone can recall “Around the Way Girl” [by LL Cool J].  I want Tanya Morgan to have a legacy. Legacy is very important.

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