Legacy is important to RL “T3” Altman III. That’s because he’s spent a good portion of his quarter-century in the rap game both establishing and then securing the legacy of some hip-hop titans. But after spending so much time “speaking” for others, the Detroit-born emcee is ready for the spotlight. And he acquits himself well on Mr. Fantastic, his concise, recently released solo project.
T3 is best known for his role the legendary Detroit hip-hop group Slum Village. Originally comprised of James “J Dilla” Yancey, Titus “Baatin” Glover, and T3, the group first started earning attention in the late ‘90s and early ’00s for creating hip-hop that was simultaneously laid back and grungy.
Both Dilla and Baatin eventually left the group, and both sadly passed away much too early. T3 carried on the Slum Village moniker, with a shifting lineup of other Detroit icons. With Mr. Fantastic, he steps out of the group setting to earn recognition as a fierce emcee that can hold his own as a solo artist.
Mr. Fantastic is notable for its brevity: at eight tracks deep, it only runs nineteen minutes long. T3 very much gets his bang for his buck though, working exclusively with Oakland-based producers Teeko and Ruckazoid to record a project that says a lot in a short amount of time.
The team of T3, Teeko, and Ruckazoid work well together, as they create a project that’s evocative of T3’s previous work with Slum Village, but possesses its own identity. The producers’ work is soulful, but contains rougher edges well suited to T3’s sharpened rhyme style.
Mr. Fantastic features frequent T3 collaborators and Detroit mainstays like Illa J (Dilla’s younger brother) and Frank N Dank (each on a separate track). The title track features a posthumous verse from Baatin; Ruckazoid had recorded music with the one they call Titus before he passed, and added an unused verse to the track.
T3 is pretty amped about the reception that Mr. Fantastic is receiving so far, and says he’s excited about beginning this new phase of his career. I recently had the great pleasure of speaking with him about the new project, his future plans, and Slum Village’s legacy.
You’ve put out a few mixtapes before this, but where does Mr. Fantastic fit in as part of your discography?
This is my first official solo project. It’s a little overdue. I feel like now is the right time to get out there.
How did you hook up with Teeko and Ruckazoid?
The Internet is a beast! I’d taken a leave from Slum Village, and I was planning to record my own project. I was introduced to them through a playlist that DJ Jazzy Jeff made. I listened and I heard some fire! I knew this is what I’d been looking for. Their beats were aggressive, yet soulful. I thought that this is going to sound good with me rapping on it. So I reached out to them and we made it happen.
Have you met them in person?
Yeah. I flew out to Los Angeles and we did a live event together.
So did you record the project together with them in the studio, and did you get the work done by sending each other beats and the lyrics?
We went to the studio together, but the majority of it was sent over the web. I prefer to sit and rock with my producers, but I didn’t have the time to do that with these guys as much as I would’ve liked.
So did you have a particular vision in mind when putting out this project?
I wanted to prove that older rappers are still dope. I think there’s room in this game for both the old and the young to make music. I always want to push and show love and support for younger rappers. But with Mr. Fantastic, I wanted to show that cats like me have still got it. It’s a look back at my beginning.
I think it’s a dope record for tone. A lot of it’s laid back, but I wanted to give people that boom-bap, in your face hip-hop.
Mr. Fantastic is only 19 minutes long. Was there a particular reason that you decided to keep things so short for this project?
When Slum Village recorded both with Dilla and afterwards, we would go on for a little longer. But I decided to make this project the T3 way. We kept things short, sweet, and to the point. I kick my two verses, and then I’m out.
Is there anything that you’re feeling the most on Mr. Fantastic?
I’m really feeling the title track. I feel like it’s a representation of what Dilla brought. I want to uphold that legacy and foundation. The Baatin verse on there was a surprise to me. Teeko and Ruckazoid didn’t tell me that it was going to be on there, and I didn’t know it was there until I heard the finished song.
So do you feel that Slum Village as a group receives the respect it deserves?
People in Detroit and around the world respect what we’ve done. Slum Village have always been musicians, and I think our legacy will grow more and more. We’re getting younger fans all the time. Part of it is because now music is able to reach other demographics that we wouldn’t reach before. And more and more fans are discovering our music. The Slum Village legacy is in a good place. Now I want to show people what I’m about.
So do you envision Mr. Fantastic as the beginning of your career as a solo artist, or do you see yourself going back to Slum Village in the near future?
I’m planning on rapping solo for a while. With Mr. Fantastic, I have a solid solo project. It helps to re-introduce myself. Now I have a few more solo projects coming. I’m recording a jazz/soul project with Daru, a producer, and Jermaine, who sings background for D’Angelo. That’s about 55% done. Then I’m recording Vol. 3, where I’m going to tell my whole life story.
I feel like now I’m not set on a certain sound. I can really experiment. It’s a good time to go out there and have some fun. I’ve been doing this for close to 25 years, and the fun factor is really important.
We always ask artists what their five favorite albums of all time are. What are yours?
Wow. Let’s see. A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders. Lyte As a Rock by MC Lyte. Walking With a Panther by LL Cool J. Does it have to be hip-hop?
Nope. It can be anything.
The self-titled album by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66. That was really inspirational for us and really important to our movement. After that, Busta Rhymes’ It Ain’t Safe No More. That’s my favorite by him.
Anything else you want to add?
T3: I feel like music is in a good place, because you can make something from the hip, and it will come out. When I was coming up, it wasn’t guaranteed that your music would ever come out. Now we’re at a place where everyone can hear it. It might blow up, or it might not, but people still can hear it. That inspires me to keep doing music.
LISTEN: