IAME (Sandpeople / Oldominion)

Written by Tyler Hakes. Published: Friday, June 3, 2011.

Get Familiar: IAME (Oldominion / Sandpeople)Fresh off the release of his newest solo effort, Lame, Portland MC IAME of both Oldominion and Sandpeople is ready to hit the road. While most heads are likely familiar with his group work, we talked to IAME about his solo album and what it’s like in the life of him.

Name: IAME (pronounced I Am Me)

Real Name: Ryan McMahon

Age: 27

Hometown: Portland, OR

Label / Affiliations: Heaven Noise Recordings, Taxidermy Records, Sandpeople, Oldominion.. I’m also in a sort of new group that I’m introducing on the Lame album called McJameson (formerly known as Clockwerk)

Discography: Noise Complaints (2006), I Am My Enemy (2009), Lightfighter (2010), Lame (2011) — That’s just the solo catalogue.. my full discography can be seen @ heavennoise.com.

How did you get started making music?

I’ve actually written songs for as long as I can remember for some reason.. Like when I was a little kid, I used to try and write songs like ones I’d hear on the radio.. I can only imagine how awful they were.  Plus I couldn’t sing so I was just shooting in the dark until I got into hip hop when I was about 12..  I really got into it (obviously) and I started writing little cadences and rhymes that would pop into my head.  I started recording a lot of stuff when I was 18.. I put out my first album with a group named Redshield (with Mo-b & Simple of Sandpeople) when I was 19.

Who were your influences when you first started writing? How have they changed?

I’m still influenced by a lot of the same artists.. Pharoahe, Andre, Nas are some of my favorites..  Aesop Rock, Qwel..  Groups like Wu-tang, Hiero..  I’m surrounded by a lot of talented and influential artists.. My Sandpeople & Oldominion family definitely keep me inspired.  There’s a lot of new shit that comes out which is cool..  If I hear something I like I might analyze it and see if there is something I can learn from but I like to do things my own way and differentiate myself from other artists.  I listen to a lot of other styles of music and singers too, which I find to be influential even though I don’t sing.  I don’t think that rap songs have to be all punch lines and crazy cadences..  Sometimes less is more.

If you could do something over again in your life, what would it be? Why?

That kind ruins the point of it right?  I’ve done lots of stupid shit but it has helped me grow so I can’t say I would change anything.. I guess that wasn’t the question though.  I don’t know.. vacations are nice.. can I just constantly relive every dope vacation I’ve ever been on?

Tell us about a great music memory that you have.

I get really nostalgic when I think about making that Redshield album. We recorded it in Simple’s dorm room. I wasn’t even in college so that was the closest experience I’ve had to actually being a college student, being at a university..  It was fun and we didn’t know what the hell we were doing.  I still don’t really but I know enough for it to not be as fun as it used to be.. that was the blissful ignorance.

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