Category: Interviews

SadHappyRabbit – TANJIRO [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

Moody, Aggressive, High

How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

I’ll usually produce around 10 tracks and then write to my favorite 7. The track total can change depending on if a producer sends me a beat I can’t resist. After every album release I’ll get a month of really bad writers block and not be able to make anything. Then after that month is up my days will consist of making beats and going through my steam library for video games to sample from.

For which lyric you are most proud of?

This is a very hard question because I like a lot of my lyrics cause many of them are in jokes amongst my friends and myself. I’d have to say it’d be the lyrics that started my first venture into rap, “Sitting, all alone in my room.”

Do you think there is a true underground hip hop sound today?

Oh fuck yeah. I think hyperpop and hip hop around that sound definitely is stronger than ever and the community is so active. Also if you listen to guys like Sematary or aldn they have a very distinct sound.

Trap music came to rule the world, but at the moment the genre feels stagnant. What does the future hold for hip hop in general?

I think hyperpops role in the underground will become more important as time goes on. Even if people aren’t a fan of the vocal aspects of the genre I think that the producing is going to stick around for awhile.

In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?

High.

What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?

well i don’t exactly have a career at this point so I’ll still be working at pizza places or coffee houses.

Thank you!

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Luccii – Beam Me Up [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

Vibey, Eclectic, Focused.

How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

I usually make all my own beats so my process really depends on where I’m starting with the song. Like for this song I started off thinking about some old Kanye beats, found the samples I wanted and then was off to the races. Sometimes it’s not that simple and it can take months to craft something the way I want it to be, but usually it comes out as one big idea.

Do you like the idea of collaborating? Is songwriting a lonely process?

Songwriting for me is usually a pretty lonely process. I would say 9 times out 10 I’m just holed up in my studio working by myself, but I have collaborated some. I’ve worked with artists like Your Neighbors, Jaxxon Wynn, and Alex Jackson on past projects.

Do you think there is a true underground hip hop sound today?

I think hip hop and music in general is going through this weird phase where everything is underground and nothing is underground at the same time. Everything has influences of something else in it and with the way the internet is we can go extremely deep down the rabbit hole that is any given genre. So what is super mainstream to some people is super niche to others, but there’s not many household names coming out anymore so to put it all in one word. Both.

Is Spotify the music industry’s new Gatekeepers?

Yes. 1000%. Social media too.

What was the best film you have watched during the quarantine?

I really haven’t watched a whole lot of films while I’ve been in quarantine, but I think the best new thing I’ve watched in general is Black Mirror, that show’s crazy as hell.

You’d give up making music for…

Nothing, this shit is my therapy and I don’t think there’s anything on earth that would make me want to stop creating

Thank you!

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Jozie_ramone – Starscream [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

enigmatic, defiant, uncanny

How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

I produce all my stuff. Typically if I like what im making I write to it after freestyling a bit. if I don’t feel it I don’t force it. I show up every day to put in the work but im okay with not having a certain outcome. Its about having fun for me. I do this to leave society behind. Its boring, bland and life sucking and music is my escape.

For which lyric you are most proud of?

All of them. Its a privilege to have a the gift of musicianship. I’m more proud of those who chant like my lyrics and listen to me unconditionally.

Favourite rapper, lyricist and producer?

Favorite rapper is eazy e, he was my intro to hiphop. Lyricist is Eminem. He totally made it okay to say whatever you’re feeling and proved to be stronger than those taking him down. Favorite producer ties between Tyler the creator and Kanye. They’re true producers. they arrange and put thought into the music. anyone can loop shit.

Trap music came to rule the world, but at the moment the genre feels stagnant. What does the future hold for hip hop in general?

There will be no future if people continue to cosign clones. yes great artist steal but it doesn’t even feel original. I’m not taking jabs at those that are successful but any artist should always be themselves without shame.

In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?

Any state of mind, I do not require a ‘Mood’ or or mindset to make music I just do it. So anyone in any state can listen to me. You just have to dig through my catalog and match your own mood.

Should we expect an album in the near future?

The album is dead, but if you stick around you’ll get a song or two a month out of me. I value quality over quantity but I love to share music so id rather drop frequently.

Thank you!

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Y. SAMUEL – BLUE FERRARI [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

Introspective, Genre-breaking, Unique

How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

I make the majority of my own beats, so if I make a beat I like, I start writing to it before I move on to another track. Typically, I only finish songs I like. I make a ton of music and I make music fast so if a song grabs my attention long enough to write an entire song, it’s usually going to be one that I put out. When I’m getting beats from other producers, I know within the first 10-20 seconds if I’m going to use it or not. I never force songs over beats that I don’t like.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

Honestly just me. I write from the heart about experiences I’ve had or want to have. In early days, I used to tell very specific stories about my life. I realized that no one could really relate to that, so I started using those stories to create more broad, relatable lyrics that everyone can resonate with. I never “cap in my rap”, but I definitely write about situations that haven’t happened. They just haven’t happened YET.

Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?#

I could list 1000 people, but my first favorite artists were Kid Cudi, Kanye West, The Beatles, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Eminem and Fall Out Boy. I think my music reflects that wide variety because you couldn’t say “Oh, he’s 100% a rapper” or “He’s 100% a singer”. Both my vocal styles and my production styles vary a lot from song to song.

What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?

Hip hop as a concept gives an incredibly loud voice to people who have consistently been silenced. There’s no denying it’s a Black genre. It’s Black culture. That’s not to say other races can’t participate or contribute, but to be in the space is to accept, recognize, and celebrate its roots.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

“Young sammy, you deserve everything in life” When I was younger I was dealing (and still do deal) with a lot of anxiety, depression, and self-doubt. I had it in my head that anything good to happen to me was a facade for something terrible to happen. I wasn’t confident in the fact that I was making great music and great strides as a person. I still struggle with knowing that sometimes now, but I’m lightyears ahead of where I was then. That’s what Blue Ferrari is about.

Should we expect an album in the near future?

You should expect an album VERY soon. I’ve dropped 3 EP’s this year titled, “Y.” “DOT” and “SAMUEL” respectively. This was intentional, leading up to my album coming out in the next month titled, “YDOTSAMUEL”.

Thank you!

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Jimbopy – Hyperbole [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

Nu Wave Bop (Nu-Bop)

Your music has an experimental tone. Should music as a form of art always challenge the listener?

Music should always in my opinion take the listener to a place or create an emotion they can relate to. It should be used to fill a hole in your life, even if your life is full of plenty or feeling empty. The Music should never challenge the listener I should just be felt.

Which is your most personal and honest lyric?

The line “What am I suppose to be” is my most personal lyric, since this song is about all the people that are or have been judged and forced to change only because they are different and it’s a line where the story in the song overcomes.

Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?

The artists that have inspired me are artists from the old world such as, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Eagles, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, James Brown, pretty much all the stuff I grew up with music from the ’50s to ’80s and they all have one thing in common, great stories and ways to inspire their listeners through their sound.

How Important are political statements by music artists? Can music have an impact on politics?

Where it can be great in musical stories, musicians should stay out of politics since these days people are de-platformed for their beliefs, and if your not on a certain side of the coin what’s the point of voicing your opinion in public.

What was the best film you have watched during the quarantine?

The best Film I watched was Probably “Green Book” to quote IMDb “A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South”. Was good shit.

You’d give up making music for…

If I had to choose, I would give up music to be a new technology developer someone who can build technology mainly to make the world better either for the disabled, the earth clean energy, just anyways to make life easier.

Thank you!

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Rose Spearman – After the Renaissance Comes the Blues [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

Ass shaking, swamp soul, bluesy electronic vibes!

Your music has an experimental tone. Should music as a form of art always challenge the listener?

No, I don’t think that is always necessary. I believe just as long as the music makes you feel something. Music should be your comfort, your chill zone, your best friend in hard times and good times, to make you dance, or change your mood

Tell us a few things about your new song.

The story My grandfather was an Afro-American man who was an opera singer in the late 40 ties, who had fallen in love with a young Jewish girl my grandmother. They had a (secret) affair and then on top of it she became pregnant with my father, while jazz music was rising the song tells the story at the end of the 1940s in Harlem, NY,

What comes first, the music or the lyrics? Tell us a few things about your creative process

Either way can happen, sometimes melodies first and sometimes words first… interestingly the way you start has an impact on where the song is going!

Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?

I run my own music label so that would be many artists that we release music for the world should know about:-) please check mars-worldwide.com and check it out!!

What would you change in the music industry?

Streaming income for artists. It is really not enough

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

So much advice throughout my life, so much I haven’t listened to LOL……I guess my own life discovery that only with awareness you can change things around

What is the most useless talent you have?

asking everybody’s star sign

Thank you!

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ALi – party [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

i would say it’s a mixture of pop, hip-hop, and dance, but i never like to make labels with my music because i always like to expand my boundaries with genres and make something new everyday

How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.

i usually come up with an idea for a song in my head and then make the beat as i envision it to be, or if i don’t have an idea right off the bat, i play around with sounds for a bit and then usually i slowly start to envision soemthing out of the sounds i play around with and the beat ends up building itself slowly. that’s how i made this album as far as production-wise. i spent all of last year doing just that and i ended up making around 30 beats till november of 2020. in november of 2020, i started recording vocals for the album and from there on out till may of 2021, i hand-picked 13 beats that i wanted to create songs for on the album.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

i would say collectively throughout my whole discography, it’s just self-confidence and being happy. in my new album ‘party’, i continued that, but i also wanted to touch on other topics, such as insecurities & strengths, reminiscence, resilience, and hope.

Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?

the list is so long, but some notable people are definitely Selena Gomez, Doja Cat, blackbear, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding, and Charli XCX, especially for this album.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?

the self-funding process i would say. i’m an independent artist and finding yourself and your art does get challenging at times and it sometimes even gets to the point of “is this even worth it?”, but then i realize that i create music because i want to do it and i am passionate about it, and people relating to it and making my music their own is success to me.

What was the best film you have watched during the quarantine?

Shutter Island for sure. i might get called out for never watching it before, but it’s a must see for everyone. it really messes with your head, but in the best way possible.

One last thing we should know about you?

i wanna thank everyone so much and please have a listen to my new album ‘party’: i want everyone to make this album their own and feel free and celebrate life as we know it, even though it might be challenging to do so in this time. i love seeing people enjoying my music and relating to it in their own way, and that really gives me motivation to keep going. thank you so much!

Thank you!

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BKR – Dirty Money Clean Hands [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

authentic, unique, lyrical

Tell us a few things about your new EP.

All the beats on my new EP are made by an amazing boom bap hip-hop producer named K. Pizzle. The tracks on this album have a range of vibes, from grimy to uptempo, while having a common underlying gritty feel about them. I had fun experimenting a little more with some singing on this one, but I’ll always stay true to myself and make sure the bars are on point no matter what.

Which song of the EP is your favorite?

My favorite songs vary day to day, but I’d say at the moment Neutered In Neutral is my personal favorite.

Do you think there is a true underground hip hop sound today?

I think underground artists should always make music they want to make and develop their OWN sound without trying to sound likeother. So, I guess by that definition there can’t be one true underground hip hop sound. With that said though, I do believe the listeners can tell when someone is being authentic with their art, or just trying to bandwagon.

What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?

Hip hop is a representation of the people. The good, bad, and the ugly.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to be more patient. Stick with things, sometimes the pay out takes time.

You’d give up making music for…

I have a beautiful wife and 4 kids, so if I ever had to give up making music it would be for them. In a heartbeat.

Thank you!

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Mishell Ivon – Champagne Dreams [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

Funky, Authentic, Cool

Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the main idea behind it?

“ Champagne Dreams” came about via instagram.

I connected with Sally on IG and we thought it would be cool to do a track together. It worked out well!
We co-wrote the track flipping ideas back and forth on lyrics, melody and structure.
Marcus Phillips handled music + production.
Sally was on vocal production

I don’t know if we started out with a main idea behind it.
The song just came together so naturally piece by piece and the end result was something funky, fresh, fun and fierce.

Which is your most personal and honest lyric?

“Forget them haters, let them concentrate on everything we are and everything they ain’t !“

#truth

What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?

I go through phases.
I did so much writing during the pandemic, it actually helped me level up creatively and concentrate on ideas I hadn’t been able to fully devote time to while being out and about doing live performances. A break from the stage had some positives but, I believe all artists need that energy jolt they get from their people up close and personal. It is good that the performances are starting up again. I missed that.

You also have lovely grooves. Tell us a song with a groove you wish you had composed yourself.

Marcus Phillips is thank for the groove on “Champagne Dreams” Fabulous Musician / Producer!

Hmmmm a track I wish I would of composed myself?

No Idea… there a lot of dope songs out there!
Anything Prince or MJ lol 🙂

In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?

Open, Free, conscious , happy, depends on the song really.
There is always a message so to listen with an open ear is a good start, some listen to music to get into the right state of mind.

One last thing we should know about you?

Creative wise?
I have a few other original projects if you’d like to check them out, NOVI, The Electric Soul Syndicate, and Mion Nite to name some.They each have their own soul…

Personally?
I drink coconut water like it is going out of style #loveit

Thank you!

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Splaze – Tried To Give [Interview]

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Describe your sound in 3 words

Visionary. Imaginative. Decisive

What is your creative process like?

I view my creative process as very natural and non forced when it comes to creative thinking. I go to a “creative” mode very easily, I think a part of this also has to do with my single-sided deafness. I hear things only from my right side which means that the sound that I hear hits the creative side of the brain. And when I immediately hear things I see pictures of scenarios and movies in my head.

What is the main topic of your lyrics?

The main topic of my lyrics varies from song to song, but I always write scenarios that have happened in my life. I like to keep things as authentic as possible and I believe that’s where people recognize themselves from when they hear my songs.

Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?

There’s a lot of artists that have inspired me in many ways, especially when I was younger and was hearing Pop, Rap & R&B hits all the time. It would be a long list if I mentioned them all. Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown are a few of the list who have influenced and inspired me, however, I’ve listened to so many artists and have taken so much inspiration from every single one of them, which is why I believe many people like my music. They hear a lot of artists in my voice, yet it’s a totally new fresh voice that they didn’t know they were missing until now.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?

I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced as an artist so far, is marketing. Marketing is not a cheap thing and you have to find ways to look for different solutions to market your music which is not an easy task.

When not writing music, how do you spend your time?

When I’m not writing music. I most of the time listen to music and imagine myself singing them myself on stage, in music videos, etc.

What is the most useless talent you have?

I don’t have any useless talents, every talent of mine if useful 🙂

Thank you!

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