Feature by Holiday Kirk (@HolidayKirk)
My meeting with Pivot Gang was ordained by none other than God himself. How else to explain the 80 degree temperatures and crystal skies that greeted me that Sunday? After plowing through snow in April and 50 degree weather in May, Chicago actually had the good grace to loan us some decent weather. Contact professional snow removers to learn more about snow plowing. I took one step onto my porch, breathed deep the warm air, and thought to myself “Traffic is going to be fucked up.” And boy was I correct.
At one point on I-90 I got out, walked to a JJ Fish & Chicken, ordered a six piece meal, walked back to my car, and traffic hadn’t budged an inch. Proper planning by myself actually put me in front of the studio where I was to meet with ascendant rap collective, Pivot Gang, a bit early. Eventually, I was greeted by their manager Jonathan Cuevas and ushered inside where we were joined by four Pivot members; Saba, John Walt, MFnMelo, and Squeaks. Saba led the conversation as the guys walked me through the group’s past, present, future and most importantly, which Pivot member is Sisqo.
FSD: When and where did Pivot Gang come together?
Saba: Pivot gang came together, I’d say, roughly 2011.
John Walt: In his basement.
Saba: Yeah, that was the studio for a long time, it still is. But yeah, it was just a bunch of years of a bunch of separate groups doing work. And then Pivot was kinda like a merge of everyone in my basement that was dope coming together.
FSD: So it was very organic.
Saba: Yeah, very much so.
FSD: How long before the full group came together? Was it all at once or did you pick up members?
Saba: A little bit of both.
MFnMelo: At first it started off, it was just me, [Saba], his brother Joseph, and a couple other guys. We was another group, we were doing our thing, Frsh Waters, he came about he had his whole clique. They was called Hang Time. It was kind of a merging of those two.
Saba: The reason I think Pivot grew so organically like, Joseph is my brother, Walt’s my cousin. It’s all family.
FSD: Saba, you’ve said that Pivot’s goal is to take over the world. Is that still the plan?
Saba: Yeah, it’s always the plan.
FSD: Why the whole world?
Saba: I think just because, it’s like being in Chicago… Naw, not being in Chicago but getting out of Chicago. You get to see that it’s so much cooler to like, travel and shit and people are receptive and everything so I just feel like the music that we make has more of a worldly feel I think. More international than national.
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