You know that epidemic of “rock and rap” that was real big through part of the 90s? Well, you can thank Chuck Mosley for that. As the original frontman for Faith No More he pioneered the style that was later adopted by such huge 90s acts as Korn, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, Kid Rock and a host of others who don’t even bear mentioning. It’s not his fault, though: when Chuck first started rhyming over Faith No More’s slappy snares and rumbling bass lines he wasn’t thinking about starting a revolution or even a hybrid genre of alternative rock. He was just being himself.
“The joke is on me,” Chuck laughs while explaining the explosion of imitators that have since gained notoriety after following his lead. “I was sitting around one day listening to the radio with some friends of mine and they were like ‘thanks a lot, Chuck’ and they weren’t saying it in a positive way. They were thanking me derisively for all the crap that’s on the radio. If I had a dollar for all the stuff that made it to radio…”
Hence the title of Chuck’s latest output: Will Rap Over Hard Rock for Food. The style he made famous over Faith No more songs like “We Care a Lot” and “Chinese Arithmetic” is back on display as the seasoned Mosley (who also had a stint leading the seminal Bad Brains) returns to show the rest how it is done.
“We actually started working on this record in 1996.” Problems with the recording arose, causing Chuck to lose a lot of money in the process and in the end, instead of coming out with a full-length album, he was handed what he calls “barely a demo.” Help was enlisted in the form of producer Michael Seifert who had previously worked with artists like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Fountains of Wayne.
“Mike was the producer at the time and he felt really bad about the way I had been cheated. He even apologized and pledged to do whatever it took to get the record done. What it took was for Mike to get his own studio together and take control of the project. I was very happy to finally get it done and to get out on the road again.”
With a new, upstart label behind him (the Cleveland-based Reversed Images Unlimited) and a new band supplying the beats and riffs (Vanduls Ugenst Allliderasy), Chuck is back at it. This time he’s enlisted some pretty heavy hitters to accompany him. Korn’s Jonathan Davis (who cites Mosley as a huge influence) was tapped for a spot on Will Rap Over Hard Rock For Food’s lead single “The Enabler.” Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum, John 5 (Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson) and Michael Cartellone (Lynard Skynard) all make appearances on the album as well. Fellow label-mate Leah Lou also appears on the mellow, almost-acoustic track “Nameless.” There is definitely a diverse feel throughout the album with styles ranging from the Rap/Rock hybrid Mosley has been know for to more straightforward Pop-Punk sounds (“Punk Rock Movie”) to bombastic Alt-Rock anthems (“Tractor”) and everything in between. Not much has changed as far as Chuck’s vocal stylings and delivery are concerned. Listeners will easily recognize his very distinct voice from the moment he opens his mouth.
“Well, I learned how to sing in tune, that’s one thing. I started caring about how I sounded. Playing with the Bad Brains taught me that. Those guys were always tight and it forced me to take things a little more seriously as far as my singing went. When I first started with Faith No More I never had the intention of being the singer, but once I was kind of thrust into that position I came up with the style I used back then and even still today. I’ve gotten a lot better, but once in a while you will hear me miss a note, especially if it is live and I can’t hear myself,” he says, laughing. “But I like my voice now.”
The one constant theme that will draw listeners (both old and new) is Chuck’s ever-present sense of humor.
“With this record, I want to make sure people don’t take me any more seriously than I take myself. I definitely want people to get it, I guess. The world is so messed up; there’s already a lot of doom and gloom out there that I can’t even address it. I just wanted to do something that didn’t have to be taken so seriously. My personality is the same way: I don’t take many things seriously, that’s the way I’ve always been.”
Visit Chuck's Myspace page for more information and a chance to hear four songs off the album Will Rap Over Hard Rock For Food
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