Eddie Bravo: The Game Has Changed
EDDIE BRAVO: “THE GAME HAS CHANGED”
By Percy Crawford | October 06, 2008
“A lot of fighters wanted to sit in half guard and pound them and
rain elbows, but never try and pass the guard. When you have that kind
of attitude, you’re only going to get so far. Your game is going to be
so limited and you’re going to win some and lose some; you’re going to
bat .500 and not get very far. If you’re not trying to pass, then for
sure, you’re not trying to have a technical guard and then someone is
going to put you on your back and expose the fact that you can’t fight
off of your back. The game has changed,” stated legendary Eddie Bravo
as he talks about the evolution of mixed martial arts. Check out what
he had to say about some of today’s up-and-coming fighters, how they
differ from some of the older fighters and much more.
PC: Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me.
EB: It’s all good man. I enjoy it. Thanks for having me.
PC: How has everything been going?
EB: Everything is beautiful.
PC: How is the music business going for you?
EB: Music is beautiful man. Everything is looking great!
PC: What type of music do you enjoy listening to?
EB: You know I was a DJ at strip clubs for 10 years, which is a long
time, and I was on top of everything, even genres that I didn’t listen
to. I knew all of the top artists. It was because I was a DJ, but since
I stopped DJing and focused my life on Jiu Jitsu, I kind of lost touch
with these bands. I really don’t know any of these bands that are out.
I’ve never been a fan of too many bands to begin with. I’m very picky
and it’s so hard to find an album with just one great song, let alone
trying to get two or three or a whole album. It’s just like they’re
putting out anything. They’re just guessing and putting shit out.
There’s only certain stuff that I like. I’m very picky. I grew up a
Metal Head, new wave, Goth, Electronica and industrial stuff like that.
I grew up banging my head and listening to depressing music, but I
always wanted to combine the elements of Hip Hop. When I first heard
Anthrax and Public Enemy with “Bring the Noise”, I was like, “Holy
shit, that’s the kind of Hip Hop I want to do.” Because my frequency
wasn’t…I wasn’t on the same frequency of funk and old James Brown
samples, you know? It was the East coast and even the West coast, my
body just doesn’t feel it. I always felt the metal, alternative music
and the dark stuff, but man, when I heard Anthrax and Public Enemy, I
was like, “This is what I want to hear.” I felt the rapping and I love
the fact that there are no limits in rap. Rock has to be metaphoric,
vague and poetic. In rap, you could do that, but you can also be
straight up, violent and dirty. Rap has no boundaries. You could really
say what’s really on your mind without trying to sound all romantic and
shit. That’s why I decided to make Hip Hop that I would like; Hip Hop
over metal. I like the 80′S Rock Electronica stuff; basically what’s
going on in the south. The south is all on that shit too.
PC: That’s where I’m at, in the south, so I definitely feel you on that.
EB: Yeah, when the southern rap first started getting huge like 6
years ago, I remember being in Tennessee for a seminar and the first
time I heard Lil John, everyone went nuts and I was like, “Wow, this
music is really good. This is the kind of Hip Hop I would listen too.”
That’s when I first got exposed to southern rap. I wasn’t even aware of
rappers in the south, but southern rap is definitely the best rap for
me fo
