Your music has an experimental tone. Should music as a form of art always challenge the listener?
In our opinion music doesn’t always have to challenge the listener. Often the exchange between a song and the listener can be purely a momentary pleasure. In terms of long lasting, impactful music that truly connects with its audience and keeps its cultural relevance over time, the answer would be, yes. In that case the art should challenge the listeners in some way. Evoque an emotion or incourage to stop and think for an instance. What music incorporates those attributes for each individual listener, who are we to say?
What is the story behind your name?
The idea behind it is that our names respectively begin with a “C” for Calvin and an “L” for Lawrence. In old roman numbers C and L stand for 100 and 50, you add those up and you get 150. Thats where ONE:FIFTY came from.
Favourite album of the past year?
Wasn’t released in 2020/21 but Mac Millers “Swimming” has been on heavy rotation ever since its release in 2018. Probably still the album that gets the most plays from us. There is something new to discover every time you listen.
Your also have very cool dark vibe. Tell us a song with an atmosphere, you wish you had composed yourself.
The atmosphere of “On My Shoulders” by Sabrina Claudio is something we would have loved to have come up with ourselves. Amazing song.
MAIJAH: My sound in three words would probably be dynamic, lyrical, and sparkly.
Mental health and overthinking. Tell us a few things about your new song MIND
LAURENTIS : I struggle with bad anxiety myself, which is what I had originally gotten into performing and music to help get over. We hadn’t really discussed themes for the song but when Maijah sent her hook and it had a similar vibe to talking about anxiety I knew we had something in common there. I think that negative self-talk is something a lot of us do and it can really bring you down, it always felt like there was almost another person doing that negative talking to me all the time and I think we thought this track was a good way to personify that struggle and tell that story.
MAIJAH: I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember, so mental health is always something on my mind when I create. I think many artists are that way. When Laurentis first sent me the beat I felt this eerie depth to it and immediately connected to the complexity of the track. I was also going through a time in my life where I was having a lot of self doubt specifically toward my music career, and kept getting the message over and over again that the main block was the fact that I wasn’t believing in myself enough… that’s where the idea of being my own worst enemy came in, and the secondary layer of needing to keep myself even closer to watch and beware of those self destructive tendencies and mindsets.
Your pop vocals fit perfectly with Laurentis rap. How did that collaboration happen?
LAURENTIS : A friend of mine had Mentioned Maijah and sent me her Instagram, I was impressed by her stuff so I dm-ed her and whipped up a couple of super simple beats and we started working on them together. I don’t think either of us really expected the track to be this cinematic and intricate when I had originally sent her the base of the beat it was literally just the guitar, that vocal sample in the intro, and some drums that didn’t make it into the final cut. I was so impressed and inspired by the hook she sent back, and from that hook, the track just grew and grew. I rewrote and re-recorded my verse 3 different times trying to get that full cinematic feel we ended with. She re-recorded her hook a few times but to be honest we could have had something awesome with just that very first voice memo she sent, Maijah’s a really talented artist.
MAIJAH: A mutual friend saw that both of us were looking to collab with new musicians, and Laurentis ended up reaching out to see if I was still looking to work with someone who produced beats. I could tell by looking at his album “Liquor, Love & Lost Thoughts” that he was clearly multi-talented and had the ability to experiment with a wide variety of sounds. After he sent the first demo to me, though, I could tell that he not only had an understanding of my current sound but had some really fresh ideas for what we could make together. We sent recordings back and forth and I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting our two sounds blended together, because I feel like it’s not something that you hear too often.
Which is your most personal and honest lyric?
LAURENTIS : For me I wrote the first verse so it’s kind of the negative antagonist of the track and that second verse/bridge is really the more thoughtful person we all try to be. There’s this line in the bridge “I just need the 808s to drown em out” and I thought that was something that I feel all the time that music and especially hip-hop, RnB, heavy bass stuff was always there for me to try and forget about my worries for a while and just let the 808s drown the negativity out.
MAIJAH: I mean in this song I only wrote the hook, so for sure the standout lyric of mine is “I keep my enemies close so I keep myself the closest.” I mentioned it a bit before, but there’s a lot of different layers to that line, and it resonates with me to this day! When you get really into spirituality you’ll learn that the biggest block of manifesting your dreams is your own limiting beliefs…. To me, that self doubt is what I believe to be my greatest challenge, and, in a way, my biggest “enemy.” However, the way to fix self doubt is with confidence and self love, so I need to keep myself close. There’s double meaning there in the general phrase “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” and the fact that my biggest enemy is me, and the way to befriend my enemy is becoming closer to myself. I don’t even know if it makes sense all written out though!
Favourite album of the past year?
LAURENTIS : I’m going to say preemptively “Donda” (Kanye West) or “Silk sonic” (Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars), whenever those damn things drop. But of the albums that have dropped already this year, I was rockin with “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” (Tyler the Creator) and “Faith” (Pop Smoke) mostly.
MAIJAH: My favorite album of 2021 so far has definitely been “Be Right Back” by Jorja Smith! Honorable mention to Bia’s “For Certain” though, since it was technically dropped at the very end of 2020 and was all I was listening to at the beginning of this year.
What is the most useless talent you have?
LAURENTIS : The most useless talent I have is I’m double-jointed all over my body, it used to be a lot more drastic when I was a kid but I can pretty much touch the back of my hand with my pinky.
MAIJAH: Outside of music and art stuff I’m not really sure if I have anything I would consider a special “talent” but I do have a pretty good memory specifically in regards to people. Like I remember birthdays and random facts about acquaintances I had in elementary school and stuff (though that also might just be because I remember everyone’s astrological signs so who knows).
One last thing we should know about you?
LAURENTIS : The last thing you should know about me is I love to experiment, try out new music gear, new instruments, new sounds. I love trying on new genres and seeing what I can bring to my sound from them. Always excited to try out something I haven’t heard before
MAIJAH: I guess the last thing I’ll say is: I have a lot of big dreams and am definitely only getting started in this industry, but music has always been my life and I feel really dedicated to using any sort of platform I end up with to make the world a better place. I want anyone who listens to my music to know they’re not alone and their existence matters. Never give up!!!
Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the story behind it?
Use 2 Love You is about reminiscing about a toxic relationship. The relationship finds itself ending with abuse. Verbal, physical, and emotional.
What is the main topic of your lyrics?
The lyrics describe how the toxic relationship was ending and how I “Use 2 Love You” but I’m living better without you now.
Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?
Most definitely! An R&B artist named JayT. We actually went to the same college in NYC. His voice is phenomenal and he been working hard putting his music out there. If you’re an R&B lover definitely check him out.
What would you change in the music industry?
I would change how everything tends to be a popularity contest. There are many talented artists that do not get the shine they deserve due to not sounding a certain way or doing what is considered “cool” copying trends. It should go back originality and talent.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
The best advice I was ever given was that, don’t expect everyone to like your music. I think as I started making music, I expected everyone to love and appreciate what I create. As I learn more about it all, I realize not everyone will like a song or even how I sing. On the other hand, there are people who anticipate my next song and loves my voice. So I’ll continue to make music for those that do enjoy what I put out.
Should we expect an album in the near future?
I am considering creating an EP in the near future. My last few songs have strong r&b/pop elements to it. I want to become more experimental with my sound. I think I really want to tap more into my R&B bag.
I’d say my sound is Chill, Game-like, and 808-Bit. By 808-Bit I mean that I take 8-Bit / Chiptune synths and pair them with modern production, usually with 808s.
How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.
Zero, since I produce my own music. I guess technically the answer is one, since I do end up using a beat. It’s just that I don’t have to listen to more than one beat to get to one I want to use. I just make one and tweak it until it’s something that I like.
My creative process starts with the production. Usually I have an idea and I just take it into Reaper (my DAW) and start messing around — and I do literally mean messing around. I just play until I come across a sound that I know I can work with, or one that grabs my attention. From there, I keep playing until I have a few rhythmic or melodic ideas. They’re usually not together at this point, like they could be all over the session. I could have a melody sitting at 0:01 and then have a whole ‘nother idea sitting at 1:47 or just somewhere out of the way until I can piece all of them together into a cohesive melody or rhythm. I guess I work in a very piecewise manner.
After stitching together an instrumental, I’ll usually have one or two words or phrases that keep repeating in my head and I just keep those in mind and listen to the instrumental on repeat. As I’m listening, I write down my thoughts in a sort of stream-of-consciousness type manner…just writing the words whether full sentences or sentence fragments. From there I usually try to map those fragments onto melodic ideas and then keep slowly building until I get a phrase, a verse, a chorus, and eventually a song.
This process for me is NOT fast at all (funny enough my girlfriend, Tiqua, disagreed with this..maybe I work faster than I thought. I know I just summarized it, but it could take days to years depending on the song. Some songs you just get stuck on, and have to let sit before you come back to it. And I don’t mind that at all. I think it’s a good thing to let a song “marinate” before finishing it. I say that because it’s sort of like giving an idea the “test of time” before it’s released. So if I notice myself humming and thinking about that melody before it’s even a full song, then I know I might have something special to work with.
The other thing that’s important to my process is that I tend to keep my “mistakes” when producing. So if I accidentally drag a file over to the wrong track and it makes a new sound that’s interesting, I’ll generally try to keep it in the song, as long as it fits. My friend Deron used to call those “happy mistakes” and I have to agree with him. I mean think about it, I’m adding elements into my songs that I’m not even thinking of, they just happen. I believe keeping those things in my music has helped me vary my style a little more and make it more interesting.
For which lyric you are most proud of?
In all honesty, I don’t have a lyric that I am particularly proud of, but if I had to choose one, it would be:
“And I know it’s lame But I can explain Can’t deal with the same Damn thing all day”
This is from the chorus on a song I wrote called “Digital World”. I only chose it because it pretty accurately describes myself and my style, even though that’s not at all what I was trying to do while writing the song.
Favourite rapper, lyricist and producer?
Sheesh, this question. Don’t really have a favorite anything right now but I’ll go ahead anyways. Uh…rapper is probably Lil Uzi Vert. I just really like how he’s been flowing recently. Flo Milli too man, her flow is super dope. BUT, Lil Wayne will always be my GOAT. Lyricist is Lupe Fiasco. Producers…jeez. There’s so many dope producers I can’t even choose one, but I’ll list a few: Pharrell, DJ Dahi, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., P’ierre Bourne and a special shout out to Supah Mario for keeping video game sounds in hip-hop. He’s doing some really great work.
What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?
Hip-Hop culture represents people who have to fight to succeed against the odds. People who are real, uncut, determined, youthful, and sometimes rebellious. So I would say that Hip-Hop symbolizes strength in the face of adversity.
Favorite music related film?
Don’t have one. I don’t watch movies that often.
Should we expect an album in the near future?
Not the near future, but not the distant future either. Non-committal answer I know, but that’s where I am. I do have an album that’s “outlined” right now, but I still gotta “color it in” if that makes sense. Not to mention planning the release and the marketing yadda yadda…The music itself is almost there, maybe 50-60% done. I’m just heading into the final lap now.
Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the main idea behind it?
Queen is a love song for those who have been hurt before, encouraging them to give love another chance. This song represents my thoughts and everything I’d like to say, personified by the confidence my music gives me.
What is the main topic of your lyrics?
My lyrics all come from a place of realness and relatability. Real life experiences, because you can’t sing about places you haven’t been. Things people are afraid to say out loud or can’t find the words to say. Deep down I’m a lover at heart, so most of my songs focus on the emotion of love.
Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?
Besides myself? I’m going to shamelessly plug my cousin out in LA. Verskotzi is literally killing the game right now and his “ARC” series needs to be heard.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
Honestly, the most challenging thing for me is staying consistent. Obviously a huge part of growing a fanbase is providing regular content. Which is why I’m really excited about creating a new channel to consistently release covers and other musical ventures.
Favorite music related film?
I’m a huge fan of musicals and I really love the biopics that have been coming out recently. But three movies come to mind for me: Straight Outta Compton, Bohemian Rhapsody, and The Greatest Showman.
You’d give up making music for…
Nothing. Music changed my life for the better and I could never give up a passion like that.
Tell us a few things about your new song. What is the story behind it?
Turner Allen, our audio engineer who is also featured on the song, at Timeless Recording Studios invited 380 Melo & I one night randomly for a late night session to hang out and see what we could make. We didn’t have any plans or vision of making anything, but came through to see what would happen. 380 Melo pulled up the ‘Amethyst Skies’ beat and all of us loved it. We all freestyled on the song until we had something cohesive on it, and it luckily came out amazing. We were in the studio that night until about 3 AM. It was also really fun to make because individually none of our music sounds like ‘Amethyst Skies’ so all three of us were doing something we didn’t usually do and had to step out of our comfort zone. And even though none of us made music that sounded like this, we ended up with something where our individual sounds meshed really well and created a huge Summer vibe. A lot of that mesh definitely came from the fact we were all already friends and it was easy to try something new in front of each other and get criticism and bounce ideas off each other in real-time while recording. It was definitely the most fun studio session I have had so far.
What is the main topic of your lyrics?
The lyrics are about a complicated relationship I was in where both of us were confused about what to do, and the lyrics are focusing on me asking her why she’s confused and that we can make everything alright if we choose to. It’s me questioning her decisions and what she wants to do next and telling her I know what I want is to move forward. 380 Melo and Turner Allen’s verses focus more on the “fuck you” side of emotion and how they won’t tolerate the indecision and move forward alone.
Favourite album of the past year?
My favorite album that came out this past year was probably Whole Lotta Red by Playboi Carti. My favorite album that I found in the past year though was Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols by the Sex Pistols.
What would you change in the music industry?
I would want to change the amount of transparency between labels and artists. I think artists now more than ever need to be highly educated on the music business as well as focusing on their art, but labels should also be more transparent and honest with how they conduct business and their contracts.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell him to continue not being afraid of what others think and do what you want. That’s the advice I’ve followed my whole life, and it usually takes me exactly where I want to go. I would tell him to stick to the path he’s on and don’t worry because everything is going to be fine.
Insomnia, loss and unfulfilled love… Tell us a few things about your new song Outta My Head
The song in its core is about unfulfilled love; for me this manifest through my insomnia, which has been a huge issue in my life since I was a teenager. The song was written at 3 am during a sleepless night. The lyric “Shout out, scream ‘get outta my head’”, is fairly literal in this way; wishing you could empty your head from your memories of this one person you can’t be with. I’m not really a traditional singer/songwriter, so the way I approach the crafting process of my songs is mostly through sound design and production. The chords and melodies I use will evoke the feeling and vibe I’m going for and, in the case of this song, a few repeating lines will complete the picture.
How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process.
It really depends! If you asked me this question before 2020, I’d say I just produce beats and I end up developing the ones I think have the most potential into fully fleshed instrumental pieces. But, as you can hear in the song “Outta my head”, I now sing on my music, something I started doing since the pandemic started. My current process is to start with some chords or a melody, build a simple beat around that and then write the lyrics and record vocals. After this is done, I’ll fully flesh out the production and try to make something that fits the sonic character of “Alvinos”. I think it’s a huge advantage of mine that I have 100% control of the creative process, from writing the music and lyrics, to producing the song and then singing the vocals. It enables me to start the creative process from so many different angles. When it comes to “Outta my head”, I started with the beat and I knew I had to record vocals on it because the vibe fit perfectly with the album I’m currently working on.
How do you relate to the UK music scene?
Since I moved to the UK in 2016, I’ve been constantly learning and studying the music scene here. I’ve worked with Grime rappers and did a lot of mixing and mastering for Grime projects, something I really enjoyed. I also love UK Garage; when I first started producing music, I was constantly making House Music so, naturally, Garage caught my attention. I was obsessed with MJ Cole and have dozens of Garage tunes on my hard drives that I never released! The most important thing though, is that through all these genres that are indigenous to the UK, I learned so many production techniques and genre tropes that became part of my own sound in a unique and natural way.
Which is your most personal and honest lyric?
It’s from an unreleased song that’ll probably make the album. The song is called “Not you” and it’s about a secret love/crush on your best friend. The lyric goes:
“Cuz you’re the flower I’ll never smell, you’re the secret I’ll never tell, I could have anyone I want but not you, not you…”
I guess I choose this one because the song is a bit more “traditionally” structured, with full verses and choruses and because, even though the first half of the line is quite sweet and metaphorical, it ends in a cocky and literal way, that I guess is also a bit more optimistic than how I usually view these things in my real life.
What would you change in the music industry?
Honestly? If there was an app in which you could upload your videos/performances/reels/stories, whatever it may be, that also magically organizes them and neatly uploads them to all your social media platforms, that’ll change the game! The social media world is very exciting and creative but at the end of the day, as an indie artist, it’s very hard to handle Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter and all that all by yourself. I guess I wish there was a way we could either all settle for one, or for that magic, imaginery app to exist!
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
I guess to just work within my own timeframe. It’s very tough, especially in our era of social media, to remember that success comes in different ways and times of our lives. Just because others achieved more at a younger age, it doesn’t mean you are failing or trying to catch up! I just learned to take my time and enjoy each success as it comes.
When was the last time you danced?
In my kitchen last night while cooking? I try to cook everyday because it’s my second passion and I always play out loud music and dance to it! Some of my songs have even been inspired by my dishes, such as my song “Sexy pasta & Korean film”!
Tell us a few things about your new song Dunkelheit
When darkness came into my life, and it happend a few times, I had to deal with it somehow.One of the worst enemies of man himself is one’s own darkness. I try to see the darkness as an old friend and I know him quite well by now. Its attraction should not be unterestimated..he knows how to get you. But there is still this litte light in me. Like a little candle in a large dark hall, smaller but stronger, nothing and nobody can blow this out. You don’t destroy all the love in my life, not my family, not my friends, and through them not me!
Is language a barrier in music?
I apreceate this kind of question, and I mean the spirit of the question in general. I would say no, I think music is a bridge between our langueges. For me it means realizing that we are basically all the same, the music can speak a language that we all understand. Music could caress my soul in really any language. It can feel like a caress or maybe like a slap in the face. No further words are required.
How do you relate to the Berlin music scene?
I love the variety here! The multicultural Berlin makes music very passionately, is versatile and highly motivated. This is also where professionals meet amateurs, and great new things are created. A wonderful place for creative people.
What does hip hop symbolize in your opinion?
I would like to leave the historical significance aside. Hip Hop has something dynamic about it, but it always gives you the power to free yourself. You don’t have to learn an instrument or take expensive lessons, you write freely and practice your texts wherever you are. Every hip hopper feels like a god from the very first song they write. Free yourself by writing. The word freestyle alone speaks for itself. You just need inspiration and feelings. Great talents can be found everywhere, regardless of whether you are poor or rich. Nothing prevents you from rapping, getting noticed or just finding yourself.
When not writing music, how do you spend your time?
Corona has limited me a lot, I spend most of my time with my family and friends when possible. I green my living space, love to cook or do sports.
“Want it all back” has a lovely, chill vibe. Tell us a few things about it. What is the story behind it?
This song was my realisation to nurture and take care of myself and my relationships to make sure I stay true to my heart and avoid making choices I might regret. It can be easy to feel like the grass is greener elsewhere or look at a past version of yourself and want to go back there especially with everything going on in the world right now, we all want things to go back to the way they once were because it’s familiar but sometimes change is necessary and can be a good thing.
For which lyric you are most proud of?
“We can always realign, on our better days, and we can always take our time”
Artists and people who have influenced and inspired you?
Ooh, that’s so tough! I’d probably say Sabrina Claudio, Galimatias, Odie, Alina Baraz, Snoh Allegra, Miraa May and Emotional Oranges to name a few.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
Probably navigating the industry as an independent artist and the danger of comparison. When I first started off I had no idea what I was doing and it can be a pretty daunting process but perseverance and hard work always helps. It is so great to have a standard to look up to and ensure you’re creating quality but also making sure to never sabotage my true essence and heart in the creative process just to fit a mould. Working on my sound and finding my authenticity with my music took work and I’m still trying to figure it out but that’s also the beauty of my evolution and growth within myself and my music.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Hard work always pays off, just keep moving and learning as much as possible but trust your journey and keep in mind that everything happens in divine timing. Never compare yourself to others and If you’re ever unsure, go within and listen to your intuition, she’s always right. Share your knowledge openly with others and show up for your friends always!
Should we expect an album in the near future?
Definitely! I can’t give you an exact date, but I’m working on it 🙂
HipHop Paranoia 