Hailing from Bankhead Atlanta, GeGe the real one is building a loyal fan base with her hard-hitting lyrics and boss vibe! Coming from a place carrying legends like the Ying Yang Twins and T.I., GeGe uses her life of music and dance to turn everything she touches into gold, building a legacy of her own. She has been busy working amongst some amazing industry creatives to include Street Execs producer King Cee O. GeGe TheReal1 might find rapping fun but she does not come to play! As one of the realest coming up in the game she has built a following of over 26K on Instagram and a fan base eager for more real rap from GeGe. Her track “2Real,” released in August, definitely let her fans know just how much of a boss she is… So I had to catch up with her to talk about her music and upcoming projects!
When did you start writing music & how have you evolved since recording your first song?
I really think it’s really just in me, because I love to dance, too. I just love music overall.
Who are some of the artists yours inspired by & who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I really love Future, Drake. I really love Drake, too. But Erykah Badu is really by far, most her, and Patti LaBelle. I used to listen to them when I was young. So it’s like, I know how to mix it up too.
You’re getting ready to drop your official website, what are some of the other things you are working on for your brand?
Okay, so as far as writing right now, I have actually finished my second EP. It’s called “Viagra” and it’s going to be dropped like January. So right now, we just working on videos and my merch. Like you said on the website, my merch dropped on the website and all that type of stuff. We have just little minor setbacks, like the little prices and stuff is in a different language so I’m trying to wait till they fix that. But other than that, everything is going well, I dropped my first video and we’re working on another video. I got a lot of stuff lined up. I have been working with a lot of artists as well. I’m really trying to boost my credibility with music, so I won’t… I don’t really want to sound the same.
As a female coming up in the industry, what are some of the challenges you’ve face and how have you overcome them?
Yeah. When I first did my song, my music was being uploaded and stuff to other websites, and people was getting paid off my music and I didn’t even know. I had to get copyrights and trademarks, and everything.
What is your relationship like with your management, & how did you become involved with her and Blackination?
I love them. They’re like family to me, really. It’s like it’s really no different from family. Everybody has problems sometimes, but as long as you can come back as one, then it was not… It wasn’t a problem. So, I don’t really have a problem with them. They’re real cool, cool people and they get the job done. That’s all that matters.
They call you GeGe the real one so what qualities qualify someone as real to you ?
If you can’t be yourself, you’re not real. And I’m not just saying like just being yourself without make-up and all that stuff. That’s not, not being yourself, like just not being yourself at all. Trying to satisfy others and stuff like that. Doing disloyalty things towards people, that’s not real. I try my best not to surround myself around people with those type of intentions and energy, because it kind of rubs off on you.
After beginning to take music seriously, GeGe was heard by Goddess Entertainment Management, which lead to not only a management deal but a record deal with indie label BlackiRecords. After recently celebrating her birthday, GeGe is ready to go into her next year of life grinding harder than ever! Stay on the lookout for all of GeGe TheReal1’s upcoming videos and project, but in the mean time vibe out to her track “2Real.”
Virginia emcee Ro$$etti has developed a strong pen game with bars filled with metaphors and heavy punchlines. The rising artist picked up a pen before anything, beginning with writing poetry. Attending a performing arts high school helped to nurture the talent that resides within Ro$$etti. After a short time playing college football, he then began taking music seriously and putting his words to music his sophomore year of college. As a battle rapper, Ro$$etti has secured a solid spot with RVA Rap Elite, where he uses the competition he loved from the game of football to lyrically spar with some of the most talented emcees in his area. Ro$$etti has been busy working hard and upon the release of his newest 14 track grail of lyricism and and raw emotion titled “What Would Percy Miller Do” (WWPMD), I had the opportunity of catching up with him to talk about his journey and the new tape!
Who are some of the artists who inspire you?
Jay-Z is my favorite rapper, 100% just… I don’t know, it’s the way that he’s able to incorporate wordplay into the music, but it not feeling overboard or overwhelming or nothing like that, I feel like that’s an important skill to have, so definitely HOV. I love Rick Ross, love Kanye, honestly anybody who got some soul today stuff, I’m going to rock with them because to my core, that’s what I like. You know what I mean? My parents, they always were playing soul music in the house, whether that be the Marvin Gaye, Patti, or whoever it was, so that’s why my music, a lot of it, is very sampling and soul-based because of that. So I’d say those are the people musically who really influenced me. Like I said, because I went to that performing arts school, I was a writer, and I was really in tune with that side of things more so than the music earlier on, so I really was reading Langston Hughes pretty heavily at one point, not as much anymore as I should, but I was definitely into Langston Hughes at one point, like Sylvia Plath, I was reading a lot, so…it’s just one of those things where my writing style of music, a lot of that transfers from who I was as a poet prior to putting it on beats.
How did you get involved with Rap Elite, and how has battle rap evolved you as an artist?
No, not at all. For one, like I said, I was an athlete, so while I realized that wasn’t going to go to the next level, that competitiveness was still inside of me. I’m just a naturally competitive person. So one day I was on Instagram, just scrolling through and I just kind of came across the page, I saw they was doing the monthly cyphers and all of that, and at that point, in any room, I had been in, I was the best rapper clearly. So I’m like, “Alright, well, I’m just going to go here and win this shit or whatever,” and then I pulled up and saw it wasn’t that, I’m like, “Oh no, they rap rap,” so it definitely pushed my pen to get better, just seeing how there is another way to put it together, the way that I’m doing isn’t the only way to go about it. So granted when I pulled up, it was… People was doing their thing, I was definitely able to stand out because I don’t really like to say arrogance, but I’m not sure what the… I’m not sure what the right word is, so I’m just going to… I’m going to stick with that. Like it’s a certain arrogance about myself like when I’m rapping that naturally people are going to kind of pick a side at that point, you either like what I’m doing or you don’t, but regardless, you’re going to be tuned in.
So from my first cypher and everything, I did well, made it to the sudden death round, and then after that, it’s just they really embraced me. Any time I’m putting out a freestyle, dropping a video, they posting it up on their page, just always showing… Just always showing love, that’s how I found your platform through Rap Elite because I did that freestyle over the one “Brown Sugar” beat or whatever. So yeah, Rap Elite. I love Rap Elite, just the staff and just honestly just giving artists a platform to just come get your shit off for real because we didn’t have that before, so definitely shout out to them. And then as far as the battle rap goes, I actually have another battle set up for this Sunday, it’s like a private event or something like that, but I got another one coming up this Sunday, and again, that’s just the athlete in me just wanting to compete and you know really testing my pen and just go in there, man to man against another person and just be able to just talk my talk.
You were featured on Benny the Butcher’s mixtape, “Who Can Rap.” How did that feel and how did the opportunity come about to be featured on the tape?
That album, that was crazy. But the way that that worked, honestly, I guess… I reached out to him a few times, Any time I put freestyle on my page, just kind of forward it over to him and whoever else, just trying to get some eyes on my stuff, and then I was in my living room, it was me and my girl and the dogs, we were just in there shooting the shit, fucking around or whatever, and then my phone vibrated and I looked and in my inbox, it was Benny, and I’m, you know… I’m like a kid at this point, like you know what I mean, like what’s going on? Type shit, so from there, we just started chopping it up through the inbox and everything, and he told me he was putting this tape together and to send them a couple of joints and he picked one, threw it on there.
He actually has another project that he’s doing that I’m going to be featured on that one as well. So yeah, he’s been a real solid, just giving me feedback on my stuff more and more so than anything else, just… Even beyond the platform that he gave me and brought me a few fans and stuff like that, just having somebody like that to be able to just kind of school me and tell me some things that they think I could do to improve the things they think that I do strongly and all of that. So definitely salute to him, that’s been a big help for me for sure.
Talk to me about B-side bars.
My train of thought with that is just like in the past like month, as I’ve been leading up to my album I’m going to drop, I can recognize that I’ve sucked at social media for years. That’s just not something that I’ve been good at and that’s another thing I can thank Rap Elite for, honestly, just seeing other artists, different things that they do to try to just stay active and visible and stuff like that. Shout out again to them for that but I was just kind of brainstorming, thinking of different things that I could possibly do, just to keep myself visible whether I have something dropping or not. And the thing that I can always lean back on is rapping. Like in the past, if I just know, I’m like, “Hold on, I ain’t posted nothing in a month, I need to throw something out.” I can rap, so I’m just going to put the phone in my face and rap, put that out the type of deal, so I said, “That’s something easy that I can do.”
And then I thought about… Like I said in the post when people rap, they run to “Banned from TV” or they’ll do “Dead Presidents.” So it’s always the same beats people are picking, so I’m like, it’s hella songs out there that weren’t radio singles that are dope to me, and I love them. So one, I’m always down to share music with people, because I like when people share new music with me, so I’m like, this will be an opportunity for me to just share music that I love that people might not be aware of just showcase some of my abilities and it’ll just give me something to post just because, again, I’m not a social media dude like that. People definitely seem receptive to it and I’m excited to see where it goes. I want to keep on trying to raise the production value as time goes, like shoot actual videos and stuff for them, but yeah, for now, it’s just something cool I want to keep doing and see where it goes.
What was it like making WWPMD and what was your message to your listeners?
All right, so with this album, honestly what I’m trying to convey is kind of an arrival, I guess because I put a album out last year, but this was before I had a base. Now I have people who have been kind of on my ass for two months, when is this album coming out because I put out a mix-tape in June. And I guess, I said a line on there something about an album coming in July something like that, it was it was a freestyle, so whatever. But people really took that shit serious. So since July up until now, it’s people hitting me every week, “Yo, when is this coming out? You playing.” So it’s one of those things where I just kind of want to establish an arrival now that I have somewhat of a base and some of the more known people in my area, know who I am, this will be the first album that they really get to listen to and in real-time and hear some of the growth from me as an MC. And then I mean, again, I’m competitive person so I want to show people that I can rap my ass off.
That’s why I’m trying to put this all together and all that for sure, but I rap. So my goal is definitely for people to take that away when they listen to it. And it’s also about my shift and my train of thought, I guess. Because while I am a rapper and I love rapping, I’m thinking a lot more about the business side of things, and how to grow myself, marketing-wise, and everything like that. So I’m touching on some of those topics as well. Which is why I chose the title What Would Percy Miller Do? just because, if any other rapper in the history of the world, knew how to branch out and do other stuff it’s Master P, he sold everything.
Cozi the Artist (say it like Kah-zee) is putting on for the city of Dallas, with his smooth flow and rhythmic beats. His passion for music is not a new thing, but, as an artist, he just began releasing music a few months ago. Don’t get it twisted though, he has only been releasing music for a short time, but his developed creativity and style shines bright in all of his tracks. Cozi hit streaming platforms strong with his first track titled “Badd,” capturing listeners with his harmonic voice and catchy lyrics. He’s been non-stop since, releasing hits like his most recent tracks “Me and My Girlfriend” and “Percs.” After he hit 200k streams, I had to catch up with Cozi to talk about his music and goals as a rising artist.
When did you start writing music, and what are some of your goals as an artist?
I started at a young age, probably about nine years old, that I recorded my first single. But I didn’t start taking it real serious until a couple months ago. Dropped out of college pretty much and decided to run with it. Goals as an artist, I would say, just continue to put out the music that I want to put out, that I love, for as long as I can. In the music business, longevity is a big deal. It’s tough to do it, to consistently do it, so as of now, I’m trying to build a fanbase to where they’re loyal to my music. Anything I put out, as long as it’s good, they’re going to love it.
What is the music scene in Dallas like for rising artists?
I’ve heard things, but I can’t really say as much because it’s only been four or five months, and with COVID I haven’t been able to link with the Dallas scene as much as I’d like to. But from what I hear, it can be tough, but I think that’s anywhere, everybody’s trying to get it. Dallas is barely on the come-up, so we don’t have a lot, like a legitimate pipeline here where we got that one big person who’s just putting everybody on. I think everybody’s trying to get it at this point, and it may come off as they’re worried about themselves. But I don’t really think it’s like that. Most of my crowd is coming from out of state, and that’s mainly due to COVID. With the Internet, how it is now, I’m able to reach different states, and that’s where most of the buzz is coming from.
What made you decide to just start releasing your music?
That’s some crazy shit. I don’t know if you’re in tune with Twitch and all that.
But it started getting big, and I was following SuperStar O and Team Hitz, I don’t know if you know them. But Team Hitz, I followed him for a minute, but when COVID started, I got on my phone a little more and I started seeing that he was going live and listening to people’s music and stuff like that. So I hopped on and I submitted some music, and he was fucking with it, a lot of people were fucking with it, and it started to give me a little buzz. I had a song planned out already, ready to drop, but I was holding back on it because of everything that was going on, with George Floyd and the whole movement, it just wasn’t the right time to put out music. And at the last minute, I started getting all that buzz and I just let people know I didn’t do any promoting for this, but I know a lot of people want to hear my music because at the time I didn’t have anything out. So, it was a random drop that I did, but it was all because I hopped on his stream and I started to get followers from it.
Who are some of your influences?
Growing up, I was into a lot of the Tupac, NWA. I’m 22 now, but that was what my pops was listening to at the time. A lot of people in the late ’80s, early ’90s, that’s what they were into, so I grew up listening to a lot of that. But also, oldies, like ’50s and ’60s music. I know that’s weird, but, Sam Cooke, Temptations, Brenton Wood, Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles, people like that. That’s where I get that artist side from, because at that time, you really had to have talent to be in the music industry. There wasn’t no auto-tune or the stuff that we have now.
Your track “Me and My Girlfriend” recently passed 200K streams, how does the hype feel and what are near future plans for your music?
Yeah, to be honest, that record right there, I had recorded it, I thought it was cool and shit, because I’m real big on Tupac. I got this 4-foot painting in my room of Tupac, I fuck with him heavy. And I showed it to my brother, and he was like, “Yeah, that shit’s fucking hard, you need to put that shit out.” I was like, “Nah.” My latest release is the one that I was really wanting to push, so I sent this one out on some, “Fuck it, I’ll just get it ready just in case.” When I got the mix back, from MixedByRican, the shit was crazy. He flipped the whole fucking song. So at that point, I knew like, “okay, yeah, I gotta run with this shit.” I uploaded it… Actually, I think I was promoting it like a month before I dropped it. And everybody was hitting on like, “You need to drop this shit as soon as possible, like now.” Ended up dropping it randomly, and then out of nowhere it blew up, but most of the feedback is good, and, I don’t know, this shit is crazy, I can’t really describe it.
The track was mixed and mastered by MixedbyRican, what was it like interacting with him and how did that interaction come about?
I met him through SuperStar O, too, so shoutout Team Hitz and SuperStar O. He gives out a lot of opportunities on his Twitch, and one day I asked him, “Do you have any engineers that you recommend?” And he put me on to MixedByRican. MixedByRican, he works with A Boogie, Riff Raff and all of them. So it was crazy. Whenever I talked to Rican, I was like, “O sent me over, maybe you can hook me up with something.” He was cool from the jump. And that record, I sent it to him, and he didn’t hit me back till like a month maybe. And like I’m telling you, whenever he got it back to me, I knew like, “Damn, this is why this shit took a month, because he really went in on it.”
Who is Cozi and what do you want to be known for as an artist?
I just want to be a staple in the industry, really. I know a lot of people say it, but I don’t just want to participate, I want to contribute. This is why I added the “artist” on there, because I want to be able to switch back and forth and just be versatile, but at the same time, really fit into what I’m doing, not on some flake shit, like, “Oh this is easy.” I really want to make music to where I can flip from hip-hop to rap, to trap, and all the fans, they’ll really love that shit, they’ll rock with it. You know what I mean?
From Schoolly D and Vinnie Paz to Uzi Vert and AR-AB, Philly has – and always had – some of the most explosive, original, and promising acts in Hip-Hop. Coming straight out of the North-East side of the city, Real squad 215 [“Vellcrow”] (one of the region’s best kept secrets) has been quietly bubbling and building an insurmountable buzz. Now, after a string of high-energy/profile performances, his raw talent is boiling over, and beginning to spill across the nation.
over 100 gigs under HIS belts including the Billboard Hot 100 Festival with Wale, and TLA in Philadelphia.
Giving literal meaning to his hometown’s nickname as the city of ‘brotherly love,’ 25-Year old Vellcrow – widely known as the #PhiladelphiaTurnUpKing – respectively, have an intriguing catalogue of tunes making the online rounds, and a strong live presence he’s been blessing audiences with over the past year. In fact, he has well over 100 gigs under their belts including the Billboard Hot 100 Festival with Wale and TLA in Philadelphia. He’s won numerous artist showcases throughout Philadelphia, New Jersey, DMV, and New York City, as well.
Currently working with a strong management team – and with a clear vision of what success looks like to him – Vellcrow is on a steady path to success. With a full-length LP in the works and a never ending stream of increasingly high-profile stage performances, its not a matter of ‘if’ this Philly artist will reach the top, but rather, ‘When’
The “accidental executive” shares how she rose through the music industry ranks to become an EVP — at the same company she once applied to be a receptionist for.
Any journey to a corporate leadership role requires a unique combination of passion, perseverance, timing and extremely hard work. When we hear about leaders in the corporate world, we often don’t consider their life before those major roles and how they landed those jobs. Behind the scenes, there’s typically a number of failures and successes, opened and closed doors, hope and disappointment. Every story is different.
Juliette Jones of Atlantic Records is a self-proclaimed “accidental executive.” As Executive Vice President of the label since 2013, she has been the driving force behind radio hits by Meek Mill, Cardi B, Bruno Mars, Lil Uzi Vert and Gucci Mane to name a few. Jones was an accounting major at Maryland University who planned to be a doctor, so how did she end up as one of the most influential African American women in the music industry? We caught up with Jones in New York City to learn how she landed her current job, and all of the elements involved to place her there.
When did you know this was the industry you wanted to venture into and how did you land your first job?
I was attending Maryland University majoring in accounting and working for MCI when I met and interned for Arlinda Garrett, a radio promotion and marketing expert, who was responsible for introducing me to the industry. I was offered a job to hand out tapes at the club and I couldn’t believe I would get paid to do this. As a student, I was in the clubs anyways, so it was an easy “yes” to get paid for it. I went on to intern for five years, dabbling in all aspects of the industry, attending major industry events, and rotating through each department to gain experience and exposure. After that, I was hooked.
What was your next move after this internship?
I moved to New York City to work for free, and I believe I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t done that. Through a series of connections and help from my friends in the industry, I landed a free role at WBLS New York. Sometime after that, I applied to be a receptionist at Atlantic Records and didn’t get the job. I eventually landed an entry-level gig as Jive Records’ first Mid-Atlantic regional promotion director for urban music with some stops along the way.
In 2001, I encountered my first big career challenge when I was fired from Jive Records. This came as a complete and total shock, but I took it as a sign that it was time for me to move and it forced me out of the nest. They told me I could stay on in a different role, and I could have been very comfortable there because I knew what to expect. Instead, I took a job at Hits magazine in LA as an editor for urban. Changing coasts gave me the opportunity to meet an entirely different community, which ended up being very educational.
A few years later, I returned to New York to work at Virgin Records where I felt I something to prove. Two years later, we merged with Capitol Records and my new boss Ronnie Johnson was the first person to give me the shot to head up an urban promotion department. Ronnie believed in me and supported me, and I appreciate him for that to this day.
What inspired you the most along the way to keep going?
Promotion is typically a job that men do, but early in my career there were more women doing promotion and running labels for me to look up to, thankfully. But honestly, what inspired me the most was that I loved the work and I wanted to make a good living doing it. Now, I am surrounded by a small circle of incredible female promotion executives at major labels who continue to inspire me.
Doubt and fear is a normal part of the process when pursuing a career. Did you ever have doubts about if this is where you were meant to be and how did you overcome it?
There were many times that I would cry in my office and break down to my coworkers because of how stressful work became, but I always felt that it was important to keep going. I felt the fear and would keep going anyway. I would often experience the “imposter syndrome,” but what mattered to me most was being very good at what I was doing. So I would cry in my office, wipe my face off and get back at it. My boss at Capitol was really great and had a very pragmatic way of dealing with the frustrations of the business. Since I tend to be more emotional, he would always remind me that this job should not cause anxiety. That perspective was so important.
How do you stay fresh and continually improve within your role and at this point in your career?
This is something I am always thinking about. If you don’t move with the beat of the music business, then it isn’t for you. To exist in this industry, you have to be adaptable to changes to advance. Young people are so important because we can hear their perspective on pop culture and what their experiences are. Further, collaborative work is essential in the business of promotion, as it is a team sport at the end of the day. I may be the shiny face at the front, but without the people on my team, we would not be able to do what we do.
When did you discover that this was your calling?
From the very beginning, I was passionate about the music business, but I never had big aspirations. My goal was to make six figures. I think it’s essential for women to own that they want to make money and not shy away from that fact, so they know their value and advocate on their own behalf.
In addition to getting paid, I also aspire to do the the best I can: I’m competitive. I was specifically drawn to radio promotion because I like quantifiable results that are not subjective or based on opinions. Number one is number one and everyone sees it every Monday morning when the charts come out.
What was the best piece of advice you received early on in your career?
As an intern, I met the radio DJ George “Boogaloo” Frasier once at a brunch, and he said, “Let me tell you something, baby girl: All these [celebrities] in here catching your attention, bedazzled and flashy, most of them can’t help you. If you want to be an executive, you have to know who can help you. If people aren’t trying to teach you anything or don’t give you the impression that they see any potential in you, leave them alone.”
When I got access to the labels, the rock stars to me were the executives, not the artists. I love working with artists and promoting their art, but I appreciate the talent behind the scenes as well.
I think it’s also crucial for young people starting out in their careers to be inquisitive and willing to learn. I can say that many of the people I’ve worked with have become my mentors. It’s extremely important to me that I help pave the way for the next wave of female executives.
Originally from Paraguay, Fito Espinola has taken his personality, amazing vocals, and hypnotizing guitar skills across the world to places one may only be able to dream of. His journey began at a young age and his story leading up to becoming a Latin Grammy nominee has been miraculous, to say the least. Fito Espinola has recently been sharing his talents with the world by sending short performance videos, better known as Fitogram’s to the friends and loved ones of those who order one. He has recently released a new single titled “Caminando” and is working relentlessly on his next album. I had the opportunity of catching up with Fito to talk to him about his adventures and music.
When did you first begin playing the guitar and at what age did you know that music would be your career path?
I started playing the guitar at the age of seven. All I wanted was a guitar, but unfortunately, my father, he bought the guitar. I used to love so much that guitar that I lied it on my bed, and I covered it with a blanket. So one day my sister came, jumped in the bed, not realizing the guitar was there and broke the guitar. My father couldn’t afford to buy another one so I had to wait seven years to have another guitar. I continued playing my guitar seven years later officially. But, yeah, it was kind of sad. But I knew that I loved music since as long as I can remember. And yeah, when I was just a little baby, when I gained use of memory, I recalled that I was always singing, and I always had music in my mind. I always wanted to learn to play the guitar, and I wanted to be a musician. That was my will.
How did you come to performing for different cruise lines and what are some of the differences in the performing environment?
I started working with cruise lines because of a friend of mine. He’s a performer. He developed this amazing concept called Olé Olé. He fusioned guitar rhythms with a sensual dance of Flamenco, and powerful, passionate, and with the projection of what’s going on the stage, what’s going on on screen as well. It’s a very, very good concept. He worked with them for many years, and he just got tired of it. [chuckle] He told me, “Fito, you wanna work on cruises?” And I said, “Yeah, sure.” So he sent me out to do an audition. So I auditioned for the cruise line, and they loved our show, and they loved the performance. They said, “You are on.” We started working, performing, and doing our shows in cruise line. The difference between working in the cruise line is that you cannot go anywhere. [laughter] You have to stay in the water, in the ship, in the vessel. But it’s a whole production, it’s a production show. So you’ve got all your engineers, your stage manager, and everybody else to help you to have the best show possible for the guests. And they have big, big theatres inside the cruise ship. Some often are like 3,000 people, big cruise ships. But it’s very good. After a while, you get very, very… Not tired, but maybe anxious or tired of being always in the sea, and it’s kind of tiring as well. But we were always guest entertainers, so we were treated very good. I had my own cabin, they gave me a suite. They treated us very well. [chuckle] We performed once a week, two shows of 45 minutes, and one at 7:00 PM, and the other one at 9:00 PM, and that was it. The rest of the time, we were free to roam wherever it was, so everywhere the cruise ship goes, we get off the ship and go visit the country. I’ve been to Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Central America. I’ve crossed the Panama Canal four times… It’s a great experience.
What was the inspiration behind “Simplemente Te Quire” and how did it feel to be nominated for a Latin Grammy?
Simplemente Te Quiero is a song that I started writing when I was heartbroken. It’s always to musicians or artists, they always get heartbroken and they start writing music. You have to take it out of your soul, of your heart, you have to take the pain out. So I think one of the ways to do that is to write something, to write about it, and to present it through music. And that’s how it became. I used to live in Miami, and I started a song, but in the middle of the song, I was in the middle of the broken relationship. And also, I almost got killed in Miami, somebody attacked me from behind. I never knew who attacked me because it was from behind. They hit me in the head with a pipe, they led me out. A couple hours later, I woke up, and I was all covered in blood. I was by myself in this alleyway ’cause I was playing in this venue that they didn’t have much security. So it was very late in the morning, and I was performing with the band, so everybody else left, I just stayed. And in that minute, I was in the middle of composing the song and this happened to me. And fortunately, I recover, I’m back on my feet.
Yeah, it’s very crazy. I got unconscious, I left out unconscious. And the funny thing is I was recording on my phone to leave my greeting on my phone. And the machine says, “Hey, to record your voice message, press one,” then when I pressed one, I remember up to that moment. After that, I don’t remember anything. And it got recorded on the phone, my greeting. So everything that happened stayed recorded.
But that was actually in the middle of me writing the song. I was working on the verse… On the bridge, on the second verse. Anyhow. [chuckle] But after that, I felt I had to finish the song because I feel that this song was part of me, that it marked something like before and after. So that was the writing history on Simplemente Te Quiero. I am a member of the academy, then I call some friends and I told them about the experience. I told them that I wanted to do a music video. We flew to Las Vegas, and then we flew to Los Angeles, and we filmed in the desert, and Los Angeles in Beverly Hills. And we put it out, and we actually won the song for the Grammys, for the list of the Grammys, and it’s been there so it’s a great experience. It’s wonderful to be part of the music industry.
What types of opportunities have being a member of The Forbidden Saints offered you and what was it like performing for Armenia’s Independence Day?
Well, the opportunity with the group of Forbidden Saints with the orchestra is that we’re all friends, and my brother plays with an artist called Yanni for 14 years, he’s very well known. Yanni is a world class musician, and he’s very famous, and my brother plays with him. I used to go to watch the show, to go to the concert, and I make friends with the musicians. One day, we decided to put together this concert of the best musicians in the world and to perform. It came out from a TV show with that in Los Angeles for an award TV show that they were going for, and the Armenian community in California is really big. From there, start developing little by little, and I got to meet the most amazing musicians in the world. That was a very amazing experience, and that opportunity, to ask to be the feature orchestra in Armenia’s Independence Day of the city, of the capital in Yerevan, in front of 150,000 people… We went there six weeks before the show, and we were here for all those six weeks. It was amazing, amazing… We played for two hours straight, and they featured a different artist from the country, like a popular artist from the country, but we were featured there. The orchestra featured in the Independence Day. After the reviews came out, the audience say that the only thing was, “The show was too short.”
That was one of the biggest stages that I played in. And the food is unbelievable.
For those who haven’t heard, what can listeners expect to hear from your new track “Caminando?”
That album is going to be the same line of the music that I’ve been working on, but this one is going to have a little twist, because I live in the Cayman Islands. I’ve lived there for four years. And they have a lot of influence from the Caribbean music; from Soca, from Reggae, and Calypso. And it just hit me up really, really, really, really badly in my heart. I love it, I love it. And the combination that I’m working on is to mix my style and to put it like the rhythms of almost like Shaggy or Sean Paul. With Flamenco and that’s the next step that I’m working on, on this concept of the new music that I wanna put out starting next year.
New Jersey native Sad Hippie is an alternative R&B artist who has released a few soulful bangers and is on her way to the top. Her popular track “Bad Habits,” is captivating and introduces her listeners to her mellow vocal range and relatable lyrics. The track is three minutes of soulful notes floating over a smooth R&B highlighting the bad habits we secretly all have. As an artist Sad Hippie is working to develop her brand and provide more hypnotizing hits for her fans both old and new. I had the pleasure of catching up with her to talk to her about her journey and future plans as an artist!
Who is sad Hippie and when did you start writing music?
I’ve been singing since I was a little girl. I’ve always been singing. I didn’t start taking my music seriously until around 2015-2016. It was actually after a big break-up where I kind of just, was like, What am I good at, what do I want to do? I had a little crisis. I had a brain injury in 2014, October, which really changed my life, and then that’s when I got into the whole Sad Hippie thing. I was like, Who am I? What am I most inspired by? And I was really inspired, it was weird while I was going through a really rough time, so that’s when I realized I really want to go hard, I really want to put my all into my music and then it’s kind of all been since that time.
Being Latina how inspired by your culture, and how do you incorporate that into your music?
I feel like I haven’t incorporated it yet the way that I would like to. I definitely would like to, and I definitely will. I would say it just really gives me that fire, because people think like, Oh, they’re going to meet Sad Hippie and I’m going to be very sad and like this but I’m not, I’m outspoken, I’m honest. I’ll tell you how I feel, my mom always raised to be very hard working, my mom is very, very hard working and she’s a Latina, she’s from Colombia. I’m very close to my family in Colombia, I love how I feel when I’m there, I love escaping from here and going there, everything about it there, the food, the culture, the people, the liveliness. I guess maybe it’s a big part of who I am without me even really knowing it, and I would definitely like to sing in Spanish at some point and collaborate with a Spanish artist.
As a person who cares strongly about mental health, what are some of the things you would like to do with a larger platform?
I think just being able to speak about mental health, I feel like it just doesn’t get that attention. So recently, I was doing this project when I was still in school, and it was about the rise of anxiety and depression for Generation Z and millennials, and I actually feel like social media has a lot to do with that. I feel like we’re in this era of technology and constantly being bombarded with all these different things on social media, and no one really talks about the negative side of it ever. No one ever talks about it, but I see what it can do, and I really would like to open up about that and just see where that takes me, see how I can help people with that or what I can do to minimize that addiction to social media and things like that and how it affects mental health, I think would be dope.
Haeni Kim, a top choreographer in Korea danced to your track “Feel Me” and all the video got over 19K hits. How did that feel for you as an artist to gain not only so much exposure but international as well?
My heart was beating so fast, I couldn’t even believe it, I didn’t expect it at all. It’s so funny because when I made “Feel Me,” I never even saw it as the kind of song that somebody could dance to, you know what I mean? I would hear it and it was very slow, it was very emotional, it was such a vibe, I never saw anybody dancing to that, so then when Haeni Kim, when she dropped that and she tagged me on it on Instagram I remember just being like, “What? She’s killing it.” And then I feel like the song got way more views after that, and then all these other different dancers started making these, she started that whole thing, that really was all her, that was insane. I couldn’t believe it, she was hitting every beat, she was so in it. She basically, to me it’s like she brought the song to life in a different way, because it shows that even a song like that you could get into it. You know what I mean? Dance-wise, movement, oh my God, it was so cool.
You’ve worked with some great producers, who have you worked with and when it comes to producers what do you look for?
I always go for this XO Toronto vibe, like this weekend vibe, and I always search beats, I’ll be like… I’ll be like black, like the weekend, type of beats always, when I found the Cobra beat, Cobra is a producer for Bad Habits. I’ve never met him before; I just got the lease for the beat. And that was literally what I looked up when I found that one. I fell in love with that beat, it’s always been like that. I’m hoping to find a really dope producer that I can work with consistently, but I haven’t found yet. Right now, I’m trying to work with Cassius Clay. He is Rich the Kid’s producer, which is pretty cool. He does want to work with me, but he’s been really, really busy these past few days, so that’s been kind of hard. I guess we’ll just see, it’s still up in the air, you know, I haven’t found my person… Like my producer, producer.
You were just featured in a music video for Nate Taylor, what was that experience like for you & is being featured in videos for other artists something you want to continue doing?
Nate’s been following me for a very long time on Instagram, and I’ve always been a very big fan of his music. His music is the kind of vibe of what I go for, which is really cool. I love that he’s in that stage of… He’s not super big yet, but he does have a lot of fans and a lot of people love and listen to his music. So I guess we always relate on that music level, and then, it was actually funny, I was supposed to be on that song, but then something happened with his management team, and then they were just like, No, we’re not going to do that, we’re going do that with her for a different song, were going to leave this one for just you. Then he was basically just like, you know what, do you want to be in the music video? This is completely your vibe, this song makes me think of you, whatever, so I was like, Alright, and I just pulled up and we did it.
You started working with an organization at Full Sail University, tell me about that organization and what they’re doing for you?
One of the students her name is Evette. She put me on big time. I had no idea about Full Sail. I didn’t know about 3300+Climbing at all. This was so long ago. She reached out to me, she was like, Hey, I’m working on a project. I really need an upcoming artist. I was like, Yeah, throw my song in there girl! I was like throw my songs everywhere where you can… Then I realized that it was actually a bigger competition, that 3300+Climbing was really looking for an artist, and I knew it was serious when I ended up in the top eight, and then I had to put in that audition video, because all throughout quarantine, all through our COVID, I thought that that wasn’t even going happen anymore. I thought that the competition was just like, Not, and then I ended up winning, and then now I’m so excited working with 3300+Climbing. So Excited. So yeah, I don’t know. It was just another really big surprise for me!
What is next for you in your career vision-wise ?
I want to put out a lot of music, I want to put out really dope EP, I want to show more of myself, and I want to put out some really dope merch. I’m always talking about Merch, but I just really like… I like unconventional stuff, and I feel like I haven’t been able to show enough of what I can do and who I am and who Sad Hippie is. I’m really in the process of just putting more of myself out there. I definitely think that Full Sail 3300+Climbing, they’ve really kept me consistent with every day doing something, even with my social media pages and this and that, and making sure I keep everything in order and organized, and it’s been a big help to me, so… Awesome.
What kind of impact do you want to leave on listeners when they hear your music?
Just raw, authentic emotion. I want, not just women, but especially women to feel empowered when they listen to me. I notice now that I really do give us that vibe, because women always hit me up, like yeah I feel like a bad bitch when I listen to you. I feel like this, I feel like that. Whatever. And I’m always like, Yo, you know what? Maybe that is the energy that I want to give off. You can make it through anything. I made it through some really rough times, music came out of that, so I want people to feel empowered. I want people to feel good, and I want people to know that everything I create is coming from a really authentic place, I don’t just BS with my lyrics or anything like that, it means like music means a lot to me, and I really try and show that in my music, so yeah, I guess just authenticity and empowerment.
Sad Hippie is in full project mode working hard to give her fans new hits to blast from their speakers. Her style is fire as well, so be on the look out for her to be producing some crazy merch. Overall, Sad Hippie’s genuine personality, hypnotizing voice, and desire to spread positivity to others is going to catapult her to the next level.
Utah native Buppy, left everything behind and took his lyricism and melodies to LA. This artist’s pop-trap style accompanied by head banging beats has given him the creativity to produce tracks with catchy melodies and relatable lyrics. At just 16 Buppy has created a brand, developed the knowledge to continue to excel his career, and provide bangers like “Alexis Texas,” that has well exceeded 70K streams. I had the opportunity of catching up with Buppy to talk about his journey and growing brand.
When did you start writing music & who are some artists that inspire you?
Yeah, so I started writing music four years back. Some of my biggest inspirations would probably be Lil Peep, I like him a lot, I like Kendrick lyrically, and I think flow-wise, and this is a weird one, because a lot of people don’t really see it in my music, but Benny the Butcher… I think just his flow and his delivery and his rhyme schemes especially. Yeah. Those are some of the more song writing inspirations, and I started four years back.
When did you decide to make your move to California, how did the move change you as an artist?
So, I moved to California like three weeks ago, and I moved primarily because COVID actually kinda allowed me to do school online now, and then I got a pretty big offer that I can’t really disclose, but it was out here, so I kinda am pursuing that as well as the school is now online, so that helped out. And my artistry and music, since I’ve gotten out here, it’s been hard to find studios because of the whole COVID thing and getting to record, but I’ve written a lot of music and I’ve met a lot of people who’ve kinda mentored me on where I’ve taken my music, and it’s definitely getting better and it’s changing into this more like R&B type vibe and I like it a lot.
What inspires you to want to experiment with crossing the lyrical complexity of artists like Benny the butcher with pop tracks?
Well, I don’t know, I just think grunge and drugs, and then think of… That’s usually associated with certain cultures, certain people, and I’m kind of trying to break that. There’s a lot more people that have some shit they live with or shit they do… Some sin and shit, and I think pop rap is like a genre that people haven’t really delved into and made like… I feel like emo rap… It’s too big of a genre right now. There are too many things inside of it, and I feel like if you ever talk about something dark, then you’re considered an emo rapper, but it’s like… In reality, I feel like… Trippie Redd is a good example. When he was dropping his first stuff, a lot of that was super like dark, synthy type stuff and now he’s a lot more mainstream. But I want it to be like Benny the Butcher meets Trippie Redd meets like, I don’t know… At points, I think Kid LAROI, but now I want to take in the more like an R&B side, so I don’t know where I want to head.
Being 16 but strong willed to make it in the industry, how do you overcome some of the challenges of just being young and having to do everything yourself?
The primary one is just getting taken seriously by anybody. How I’ve overcome that is kind of just like… It’s the whole idea of just doing things without people being okay with it. It’s generally you would wait ’til you’re 18 to even consider not going to some school and going to LA. For me, it was like, “Fuck it, 16 I’m out.” And I’ve just kind of like pushed myself to just keep doing this independent path of just, “Holy shit, he’s 16, but he’s still pushing to be an independent this year.” And it’s like people see that and it’s less about my age at that point, it’s just about the fact that I went from 700 to 10k in four months, my stats are here. It starts becoming about the music more, and that’s what I appreciate about music especially.
Talk to me about your management, how did the relationship start and how has their support helped you as a rising artist?
So, it’s kind of funny. A lot of people have strong management teams. I would say that I have a very strong management team. However, I’m not under a label at the moment, I’m signed to nobody. My sister is actually my impromptu manager at the moment, which is not contracted, it might be within the next year, just how things are going. But… Yeah, she makes music as well. She’s signed to Asylum Records at the moment. And she’s been like my impromptu manager. And I’ve just kind of run stuff through her. I came up in a time where it’s like, gigs don’t matter right now. So, it’s like, I’ve not been booked anywhere. She’s never gotten me a booking, but it’s like, I’ve gotten the promo help I need, I’ve gotten where to distribute, what to distribute, I’ve gotten the content help, I’ve gotten the people to just say, “Yo, this sucks, this needs to change.” And then on the side of getting a photographer, I mean, that’s the weird thing with me, I came into music already having a content team. I already had people who were around me who shot photos of me and did videos of me, so it was easy to just build a team and make content. It’s still to this day, it’s just me and my roommate shooting videos and photos, and we edit them every day and just throw them out and some Latvian kid… I have a Latvian editor.
Resonance Entertainment, did you start that for your own personal music, & what are you goals for the brand?
I just recommend this to every artist, like if you’re coming in and dropping music and you know nobody, instead of having the little DK like, 1097, whatever, on your thing, just make your own label, and just roll with it. Because when you get your knowledge panel, the thing that’s going to pop up for labels is going to be DK197857… And you don’t want that, you just want your label or whatever, so that when people start writing Wikipedia’s , it’s easy to just cross reference, “Oh, he was signed to Resonance Entertainment, okay.” So I started Resonance with another kid named Kenji, who’s just a super talented artist as well. I mean, we had my photographer and his videographer, so we had it like that and then we have like my sister and a few homeboys that we knew, and my photographer is also a producer. Then we just went out and we found artists in Australia, New Zealand, we have an editor in Latvia, we have a producer in London, and we used to have a producer in Serbia but ended up cutting him. But we have a bunch of artists then in California and the US as well. It’s at like… It was at 20… We recently rebranded and revamped some stuff, so now it’s at 10. But yeah, you’ll start seeing some of those people become bigger names, and start… beause right now Resonance is more… It’s like we have a few big names, Peech, who now is signed to TLG, so he’s unsigned from us, but Peech, Eleanor and me, we’re some big names, and now we’re just trying to build everybody up. But it’s more like, I’m doing, every week, I do marketing sessions with those 10 artists. I’ll do branding sessions. It’s just stuff I learn, I’ll come to the table with and stuff they learn too they’ll come to the table with. Essentially it’s just a way for 10 people to get better, much faster.
As an artist what do you want to be known for?
My brand is… I want to make a strong highlight on family and that… Like friends, fans of mine, or family of mine. And I want to make a community in that respect. I also have a strong drive to bring about mental health and mental health issues. But I don’t want to do it in the way where it’s like corny as shit, it’s just whatever you are going through, at some point, it’s going to come to your face you can either get through it, or you can let yourself just give up. And at that point, I want to be able to be the person to be like, “You can actually do that.” And then the other big thing I want to be which kind of like coincides with that. I want to be the kid who just showed a bunch of other people that they don’t need to sit in the boundaries that were created for them. Especially with school and parents, and religion, whatever. It’s like I grew up in Utah a Mormon place… I was the kid to a professor and I now am not really in a school, and live in LA, and post a bunch of shit that Mormons would never be okay with. And it’s great because it’s like people like me for that. And that’s what I want to be known for. That’s what I think other people should do.
Your track Alexis Texas just hit 70K streams, how does that feel for you and what’s next for you as an artist?
I dropped Alexis Texas and that was the first track I’d done in a studio. I did 11 after that in the studio that are just sitting in a folder. Then I have 20 that I just have on my computer that are demos, that I’ll like… If I ever like them, I’ll take them to the studio. But yeah, I dropped “Duffel Bag” because I made that on my laptop, and I just had it. I was like, “I want to put this out.” So I put it on SoundCloud. But yeah, for… Next for me. I mean, that’s what I’m kind of figuring out for myself. We want to do another two releases before the year ends. And then we want to do singles throughout the next half of next year with an album coming in the last half.
I think like a lot of people just have to think about singles versus albums and how that really plays in. If you don’t have the budget to fund an album nine times out of 10, you shouldn’t drop it. The reason is, is not because you care about stats, it’s not because you care if someone’s streams it… you put that time in and you’ve made that quality of work, and now it’s not getting appreciated and you shouldn’t settle for that. Especially younger artists, and you see a lot of them, they’re throwing away their childhoods for this shit. I promise you. They are working jobs every day, trying to promote music that probably won’t get anywhere. But that grind is real, people do work 40-hour weeks at 16, working for music, I did it, I know people who do it. Then there’s kids who move to LA and throw away all of the shit they know and just work it out and figure it out, and live on ramen. And it’s like… That is a real life and I do value everybody who lives that way, and I respect it and I’m trying to do the same thing.
To be so young, Buppy is secure in the fact that his only way to go is up. A solid team player, he desires to watch the artists that he works with grow by sharing knowledge and connections. Constantly working, Buppy plans to grow his reach as an artist and continue to bring new heat to your headphones! Be sure to check out his fire visual for his track, “Alexis Texas!”
Atlanta native, Jústin grew up in a house filled with R&B vibes and Aaliyah’s “Rock the Boat” playing on repeat. Surrounded by music he knew that it would become a career in the future. As an attendee of The Douglas Anderson School of Art, Jústin was provided with the “outlet and the opportunity to be unique and creative.” Jústin wrote his first single his freshman year of high school, which led to a crazy performance at his school, sparking a mini fan-base with the expectation of more! A future that Jústin thought included becoming a choir director, quickly changed when he realized making his own music would allow him to express his true creativity. This true creativity would lead to him to his recently released bar heavy, uplifting second album titled “Rookie 2 King”. This 8 track project is 24 minutes of heavy hitting lyrics that will definitely touch your soul. I had the opportunity of catching up with Jústin to talk about his project!
You just released a new project titled “Rookie 2 King,” what inspired the project and what does this project mean to you?
I will have to probably take it back to my middle school, elementary school days. I wasn’t really the biggest kid, I wasn’t popular at all, I was the smart kid that was in the corner singing, so I got bullied a lot and it kind of… brought down my self-esteem, and then later on I got diagnosed with anxiety disorder, so that hit me hard as well, so the stuff I was going through at home plus at school really took a toll on my self-confidence, but it wasn’t until high school that I had the opportunity to kinda showcase my talents and grow. And when I get that, I kinda became more confident not only in myself, but in my talents and this album is a representation of that, not even just the bullying at school, but just to be constantly trying to get people to notice my music for the past year and a half, hitting up A&Rs and hitting up radio stations and blogs and them turning it down constantly. It’s kind of a declaration to let them know who’s the king, who’s the best, that I could beat your best rapper, so that album is a representation of that.
So having anxiety and being an artist and constantly having to be in front of people and put yourself out there. What are some of the things that you do to stay motivated and not let that hurt you and your music career?
I lean a lot on my family, my mom and my brothers and even my girlfriend and her family, they’re really… They inspire me every single day, they just tell me to keep on going, they give me love, but sometimes it’s tough love too. The album is not as good as it needs to be, or I can do something better vocally on my song, they’re really quick to let me know, but they let me know that I have the ability to do it, and that makes… That’s the world for me, so that’s what kinda keeps me going through it.
You recorded your tape in Hollywood. How was that experience for you and who helped you with the making of the project?
I wasn’t even intending to record at LA at the time, one day my mom just out of the blue said, “Hey Justin, do you want to go to LA?” And I was like, “Yeah, what kind of question is that?” But the most important thing she let me know is this is not a vacation; this is a business trip. The whole time I prepared myself for a business trip, I’m going to record some music, the best music I have ever… I realized that I’m going to LA I need to step it up. This is not Jacksonville, Florida, this is LA, this is where the stars are born, stars are made, so I had to step up my game. So fast forward to going to LA, I found a really nice studio and I tried something different, and I tried doing a 12-hour session.
Wow, is this a one-take project?
This was a one-take project. I went to a studio at LA, Union Recording Studios, and my mom was there… I started at 11:00 PM, and I didn’t get out ’till 11 AM in the morning. I get there at 11:00, got my two Red Bulls with me because it’s going to be a long night. Long story short, the producer, he sees me, thinks that I’m a typical SoundCloud, mumble rapper or whatever, and I start with the singing songs because I know the rapping songs will probably make my voice hoarse. I get done with my first song, and he doesn’t even turn off the track, he’s just staring at me. And my mom was just thinking in her head like, “Yeah, he is what he is.” He told me, “You have perfect pitch.” After that I got all of my songs recorded in two hours. The rest of the time, was just him mixing. He spent five hours mixing, and we actually had time left over, so I wrote two more songs in there and they recorded the last two because I had so much extra time.The experience was amazing. It wasn’t as challenging as I really assumed it was going to be. Hardest part was really just staying awake, but I loved it.
So what were the two extra tracks they weren’t on there before?
The first was, “Wade in the Water: Prelude. And then the last one was The Special Thank You at the end and I had them kind of check where I wanted it to go and then I did a whole bunch of takes because I kept forgetting people to thank. [chuckle] Those were the last two tracks. It’s so interesting, because the “Wade in the Water”… The second part of that where I’m singing is acapella. I was wearing a chain in the studio, I used my chain and I kind of shook it into the mic on one of the tracks. And that acted as the chains of slaves. And then another one, another take, I was actually stomping in the studio, that represented the slaves marching, and then the breathing hard, I did another take on that… I just wanted to re-enact what it really felt like to be in a situation like this, I just used the environment around.
You’re not really a gospel rapper but you are spiritual and it’s evident in your tracks, what inspires you to share that part of your world through your music?
At a young age, I kind of learned that church is not always where you will find God. I grew up… The first couple of years of my life I was homeless, so there was no Church for us. The Church was the homeless shelter, the Church was the streets, my car. But I learned so much about God through individual testimonies that you can’t really find at Church. Church sometimes they want to set up this perception that it’s perfect in there, can’t make no mistakes. When that’s not reality, so it doesn’t really teach people how to go along, and apply what they learned in Church to actual life. That’s why I said a lot of Jesus finding is done more in the streets than it is in Church. I always tell people, “You personally might be the only Church somebody ever gets to go to.” So that’s the one inspiration. Another one is concerning the industry. I know how wicked or cruel it can be. What I want to do is, I don’t wanna settle for being in the industry, being successful. I want to be the best, I want to be the greatest to ever do it, but I want to do it in a way that I can show people that I did it on God’s terms. I did it God’s way and I still came up on the top, so that’s the biggest inspiration I would say.
At the end of your track “Atlanta Bull” you say that Atlanta has a long way to go with the community, so from someone whose grown up there what in your eyes are the biggest changes you would like to see in Atlanta?
I would like to see one, the Mayor, the Government inside of Atlanta just take more accountability for what’s going on in their streets. I think that’s very important. As many celebrities, and rich folks as there is in Atlanta… Personally, I don’t think there should be a single homeless person on the street unless that’s their choice and that’s their will to do so. It’s literally like you could go to one part of Atlanta, and you see rich folks and you see mansions and all this, but you cross the street and you see people living on the street and single mothers with their children on the street, living in boxes asking for food. I just personally, I don’t understand that. So if people are not going to want to do it out of their heart, I would like for people to take accountability, and if you have to force them to do it, so be it. But there should not be any homeless in the street, considering how much opportunity there is in Atlanta alone. Atlanta is like a New York City or LA. It’s basically just like, if we have all these resources, why are we not utilizing those for the people that can’t?
The last time we spoke I don’t even think you were at 10K yet n Instagram, your exposure is really growing. What have you been doing to keep getting your name out there especially during the pandemic when there isn’t really any shows?
One of the interesting things I like to do is, it started when I was in college in Southeastern my freshman year, I remember my album “I Not Sorry” came out and I was trying to figure out any type of way to get it out there. I’d be at Lakewood, Florida with people who don’t even know what rap is, literally. So I’m trying to just figure it out, and I came up with this idea to go into the bookstore and I got a giant poster, and then I went to Walmart and got a speaker, and I printed out my album cover and I pasted it onto the poster. And I got a table and I got flyers of my poster, and I basically set it out in front of the cafeteria and I played my music from the album on the speaker, and as people were walking in and they kind of inquired about what I was doing, I gave them the flyer and I saw my numbers kind of go up from there. It was then that I realized I have to step out of my comfort zone. So nowadays, you know, I’m at work… I work at Publix. I’m at Publix and my co-workers are jamming to my music, because I stepped out and let them know what I was doing… It was basically just reaching out, getting out of your comfort zone and actually approaching people, you know? And people are not really going to care unless you make them.
“Rookie 2 King” features several tracks with some of the hardest hitting ones being “King Peanut” and “Atlanta Bull.” The project is available on all platforms and definitely worth an add to your playlist. The future is bright for Jústin as he is working to build his exposure and fan base!
Virginia artist James Moss Jr has been enticing his fans both old and new, with consistent music that has dropped every Monday for the past month. Monday’s are definitely not everyone’s favorite day of the week; however, these releases accompanied by eye-catching and creative videos, definitely adds a little to the stigma the is Monday. James Moss Jr started in the basement with his homies and MIDI pads and has been growing as an artist for about ten years now. He used to go by the name AB and decided to change his stage name to James Moss Jr in honor of his grandfather. As an artist his creativity and versatility speak to the endless time he has spent growing and expanding his brand. I had the pleasure of catching up with James Moss to talk to him about his journey and his video for his track “Back Then.”
What went into the process of your debut project under your new name James Moss and how have you evolved as an artist since then?
My first project ever was a project, I released in high school, that was called Half and Half. When my rap name used to be AB, initials from my real name and stuff like that, but we decided to make some changes probably two, three years ago, in just kind of a rebrand, get things going again, but that was… Yeah. And actually, now that I’m thinking about it, it was a long time ago. My grandfather had passed away while I was still finishing up with school. And then after college I ended up moving into his old house in Virginia. When I finished up with everything and kind of decided, he’s definitely one of my heroes and everything like that, I kind of want to just take on his name, try to make something of it, so we kind of went that way with it.
Who are some of your inspirations?
I listen to everything, but inspirations, like today I definitely say up there, you got guys like Cole, Kendrick and Drake, and I know that’s the simple answer, but to me, those are the guys that are making music that just lasts forever. It’s timeless sounds, so don’t get me wrong, I love some of these new kids making the melodic stuff, doing their thing, and I love what The Game is doing, and all that stuff, but those three main ones, as far as hip-hop goes have really made that like a top two package, and they’re making music that’s helping affect lives and keep people around for a little bit longer. So that’s the lane I’d love to see myself in one day, folks that I kind of aspire to make company with, to invest in one day, and I know that’s kind of a big crazy goal, but some guys will have to chase them for a while.
what other styles of music are you influenced by other than hip-hop?
I grew up with a single mother, and it was a lot of long car rides to and back from sport events as a kid and stuff like that, of Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Earth Wind & Fire, just old Michael Jackson stuff, India Arie. You get Erykah Badu’s thrown in there, you get a lot of female R&B, even throwing some of the neo-soul scene like Maxwell and Musiq Soulchild and a lot of that stuff. So singing was always in the equation. I’ve never really been a great singer, but I always loved melodies and harmonies and all that stuff. I learned a few things in the last year that’s helped me deal with it, project that on the paper and get it on tracks and stuff like that. It’s been, definitely been a fun process.
As an artist what do you want to be known for?
As an artist, just based off my influences, the ability to make that timeless music, that timeless sound, and being able to speak on things about love, life, and the relationships we have with each other. Because that stuff never goes, that stuff will always be around. I want to be part of my generation’s Mount Rushmore, so I’m willing to take the slower path, and give up on the maybe the clout chasing now for real fans that’ll sit there and really ride for what it is that you’re doing every single time you drop something. Kind of in the process now of just building that fan base with the James Moss Mondays and trying to put something out every week for the remainder of the year, just build that audience. Then maybe I’ll consider dropping another project. But if I could be… I know that’s a long answer, but if I could be known for one thing, I want to be able to make music that, for the same reason that music helped me just to get through things and to help remind me of certain situations and places and things that I was thinking of.
What went into the making of the video for your track “Back Then” shot by Infamou$ G?
I dropped that for segment or week number three of James Moss Mondays. The video, was kind of me combining my two favorite things in the world, so ironically, I live in two completely different worlds. I teach golf for a living at Topgolf I’m the Director of Instruction so it’s a game I’ve been playing since I was five, six years old. Just kind of kept me out of a lot of trouble as a kid, and really ended up loving it, getting my professional golf association membership, so member of the PGA and play a lot of professional tournaments and stuff.
That video, I’ve actually been trying to do a version, some kind of version of that video for four, five years. I’ve been… I’ve always had that idea of like… I’ve seen videos of rappers on the golf course type, and it’s like, don’t get me wrong, it’s cool, it’s a good way to kind of just throw a spin on it. Again, just two completely different worlds, but the thing I’ve never seen was a rapper actually playing golf in that. And so usually they’re dancing by a golf cart, some girls holding golf clubs and things like that, and I was like, no, I want to actually show off the fact that I can play a little bit and rap and just combine, like I said, combine the two different hobbies, if you will. It was an idea I came and gave with, and he did an amazing job at executing it. I just said, “This really easy to film, we just go out and play a few holes, just film everything. Bring your drone out, and we’ll kind of come up with ideas on the fly.” Like I said, he executed on it better than I had been drawing it up in my head for the last four or five years so it was really, really fun.
Prior to the pandemic, James Moss performed a number of shows including a couple for the DMV’s #1 Hip-Hop outlet, The Clout Cloud. James Moss has continued to attract new fans through #jamesmossmondays, dropping consistent content and music to keep the attention of his fans as well as attract new ones. Check out the dope video created for his track “Back Then,” shot by Infamou$ G!
