We were lucky to catch up with Torrance (Ammbaataa, DJ Ammbush) Scott recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Torrance (Ammbaataa, DJ Ammbush), thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on was Instant Vintage by Raphael Saadiq. My friends that went by the production team name Jake & the Phatman produced on the Lucy Pearl album (Raphael Saadiq, Dawn Robinson, Ali Shaheed Muhammad). Jake & the Phatman started teaching me engineering on Pro Tools (digital audio recording program) during those Lucy Pearl sessions. After the Lucy Pearl album Jake & the Phatman worked with Raphael Saadiq on his first solo album which would be Instant Vintage. Jake & the Phatman brought me in to continue learning Pro Tools as well as record some of the first drafts of the Instant Vintage album.
It’s the most meaningful because my Wife (Girlfriend at the time) and I were having our first child during recording sessions of Instant Vintage. I would go from the Hospital to the studio and vice versa. Another thing that makes it the most meaningful project is being able to see first hand how creating from the Heart produces the best sustainable art. Receiving that confirmation is important when you choose to pave a new path as opposed to following paths with the least resistance. Witnessing how the Instant Vintage album has been held in high regards for so long also reaffirms the idea of sticking to your own script. As a music person being able to record an album that’s in my real Top 5 albums is a great feeling.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up in East Oakland on one of those blocks where I could potentially see the inside of 60% of houses on the street on any given day. I lived between my Family and my Grand Parents house so I had different music experiences growing up. The soundtracks to both houses were Soul classics but my Grand Parents had more gospel in their collection. My first favorite song I can remember before Hip Hop began was by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots “Disco Duck”. Disco Duck was a disco satire with a “Duck” as the main performer. Dees was a Memphis DJ. As Guru from Gangstarr put down on their song “Mostly Tha Voice”, Disco Duck was the first voice I gravitated to before Hip Hop voices were established..
“I used to hustle, now all I do is relax and strive
When I was young, I was a fan of The Jackson 5. -NaS
“My home had the Soundtrack with some of the usual suspects: Al Green, Marvin, The Jacksons, Stevie. Soul music held the position of my music of choice till the day I heard “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. What’s interesting about this song is the fact that it’s been cited as being the first Hip Hop song heard by a good segment of the Hip Hop community from every part of the country. To see a song pollinate so strong without the use of the internet were early signs of the future of the Culture
Hip Hop became “my Music” and all other music genres fell out of interest to me. The reason they disappeared is because Hip Hop was more than a genre, it’s all encompassing from dress, speech, walk, talk and every other expression. The concept of me being involved in the Culture started from the emergence of the Queens NYC group Run-DMC. Though Joseph Simmons and Daryl McDaniels (Run and DMC) introduced the World to the Hip Hop culture from the MC perspective, my interests were focused squarely on the DJ, Jam Master Jay. I gravitated to DJing after realizing the DJ was the foundation and could contribute without using their voice. Like a lot of kids, the journey to finding your voice may not be a straight line. Through the element of DJing, I was able to find my community and my voice at the same time.
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My first output as an MC was through a 12′ record single with the then newly solo MC from New Jersey Hip Hop group The Artifacts, Tame-One (RIP). The single was released through the label Urban Productions which was led by Bukue-One, a Bay Area Skate/Graff/Hip Hop staple. Based off of this single, an opportunity to tour Australia materialized. Tame-One didn’t make the trip. Los Angeles Super MC and Freestyle Fellowship member Aceyalone would ultimately headline the A-Team Tour with DefWish Cast, some of the founders of Australian hip hop, Hopping on a plane for 14 hours, landing, and then hearing the same songs I was listening to in the USA changed the way I saw Hip Hop. This trip to Australia in 1998 made me realize the power of Hip Hop as a cultural movement
DJing in its essence is the act exploring, discovery and amplification. Traditionally, a DJ’s mission is to discover what’s new and taking chances exposing it to whoever is listening. The goal is to be the first DJ to play a certain song/artist using your own metrics to determine what’s a good song. This metric system translates to other industries such as art + fashion, This metric system that’s developed aka “courage” is what fuels the passion to discover and amplify. Trusting the way art makes you feel is a skill that’s developed over a life time. Having confidence in yourself and your beliefs are key to DJing. I have a passion to learn what’s new and amplify it to best of my abilities.
My passion has evolved into my production company, Drums & Ammo. The concept of creating the platform was conceived after the shut down of SWTBRDS (Sweetbreads Creative Collective). Founded in 2009, SWTBRDS was a logo/brand created by producer Al Jieh, the artist Don John DaVinci and myself to release music, not a necessarily to become record label and establish a profit margin. The name Drums & Ammo was conceived the year of 2000, it was originally an idea for my ASCAP writer/production publishing company name. I got the name by putting a twist on a Guns & Ammo magazine a studio client left in my garage (where my studio was located at the time). The name Drums & Ammo would be considered for a label name and a publishing title, it landed as the name for the 5 person (brothers REL and Aries, 6Fingers, Al Jieh and myself) in-house music production team for SWTBRDS. After the SWTBRDS dissolution, I wanted to create a platform/website to showcase friends/family/associates that were creating music, art etc etc. In 2012 SWTBRDS took a trip to the Austin music conference SXSW, we printed a small run of Drums & Ammo t shirts for our team. From the interests gathered by some of our fellow conference goers I realized the Drums & Ammo logo could possibly be a source for merchandise that could fund the platform and its productions. Drums & Ammo merch has been used to create a community of artists who believe in the philosophy using their “Weapons of Expression” whatever that may be. Multiple merchandise collaborations have been made with local artists to promote awareness and amplify all parties involved.
DNA is a platform for supporting & highlighting artists “Weapons Of Expression” as well as the name of a clothing line worn by celebrities & tastemakers. Drums & Ammo exists as a production company that lives within the community making itself a source or go to for all things creative.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Months prior to the Covid shutdown the concept of producing small shows accompanied with exclusive show merch was already being discussed. Once the shutdown kicked off I pivoted to focusing on the merch, mostly design. With live shows being canceled, it makes it challenging to galvanize a community of artists or creatives. The start up of Bay Area Hip Hop collective “Grand Nationxl” changed the trajectory of the Drums & Ammo platform. Grand Nationxl began having regular outside events where they premiered new music, had live performances as well as video premieres on a movie scale projector in the Downtown area of Oakland. These gatherings became a refuge for the reality we were living in and also a space you could get in “closer” contact with friends and associates. From these events I was able to connect with the majority of artists I’d already known or artists I would get more familiar with. These events made getting merch ideas/samples to artists more possible by bringing the local creatives to the one hub where live music was still active.
Staying creative and using Drums & Ammo as a vehicle to support the arts/artists helped me through the most challenging times of the pandemic.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The way society could support artists and creatives is by using their individual voice or influence to amplify who or what they love without any strings attached. A thriving ecosystem includes people in the equation doing things for *dreaded drum roll”……… Free. If you believe in something that could change hearts and minds you should do what you can to support it without looking for a favor in return. In my opinion creativity is the cure for all of the worlds problems. Imagine being on the course of a triathlon, the artist have accepted the challenge of participating in the (swim/bike/run) race and the smallest amount of support from onlookers can go a long way. Through the art, Creatives live with their own struggles while simultaneously helping others when they put their work on display. Exposing oneself or “putting yourself out there” takes courage, assume the artist that resonates with you took a lifetime to develop this courage. Tell a friend, send a link, go to a show, buy merch.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.DrumsAndAmmo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drums_and_ammo/ https://www.instagram.com/ammbaataa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drumsnammo
- Twitter: https://x.com/DRUMSnAMMO
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drumsammo19
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/drumsandammo
- Other:
Image Credits
main pic @luciskronos
#2, #5 @bajwashoots
#3 @luciskronos
#4 @niko_parker_x
#7, #8 @noblphotos