Virginia holds a special place in my heart for so many reasons. It’s the place where I’ve done the most damage and improvement to myself over the course of my life. From going to school at UVA, dropping out to go to rehab, to deciding to pursue music full time; Virginia has been the backdrop to a majority of my life’s ups and downs. I know most don’t consider it the South, but we certainly do, and I think that shaped a lot of my morals in terms of how I believe people should be treated, and the time you should take out of your daily interactions to respect somebody. Virginia’s unique blend of people, regions, and scenes formed a lot of my taste and “aesthetic”. Virginia is larger than commonly perceived – its different scenes exist hours away from each other, but coalesce to form a musical identity different from any other. From Tommy to Shaboozey in Woodbridge, Pharrell, Pusha T, Missy Elliot, Masego in the 757, and Nettspend in Richmond, etc, there’s a lot of different artists, regions, and genres that reside in Virginia.
I could talk about it for a lifetime but there’s endless talent in Virginia. The only reason I chose to leave is because I felt like there wasn’t necessarily the infrastructure for me to grow as a person and as an artist. I had already made so many mistakes in Virginia that it felt like I needed a change of scenery, and that’s probably the largest part of it. I’m very passionate about continuing to return to Virginia in the future and building the infrastructure for the talent that resides in Virginia to succeed at home rather than having to move elsewhere. Not to say that there’s no infrastructure for independent artistry, but coming up it was hard to consistently find videographers, mix engineers, photographers, and venues that were consistently willing to work with an artist who didn’t have anything going on in the area. So, to be able to build out studios and other entities that could help mitigate the cost of production for artists in Virginia is something that I’m passionate about.
You blend Rap and R&B effortlessly. When and what made you fall in love with both genres?
I appreciate that! I think that’s something that comes from being an avid fan of both genres, and forming a great group of people around me who have a similar passion, and put that into the music. I would say I fell in love with both genres at an early age, although I couldn’t give you a specific time. My parents were never avid music consumers, nothing more than the typical radio stations and some of the larger commercial CD’s at the time. That was all it took though. My favorite CD in my moms car growing up was the Michael Jackson: HIStory Past, Future, Present compilation, we used to listen to that front to back on road trips. Hip hop was mainly taboo in my religious household, so a lot of my curiosity within the genre came from friends at school and their older brothers whenever we had the chance to listen in. A lot of my later memories of music are paired with memories of being berated for its contents. Odd Future as a group got my ass whooped on more than one occasion, and songs like “I’m Going In” by Drake, Wayne, and Jeezy certainly didn’t play well either. Overall, I’d say my love for both genres is more so nature than nurture, with curiosity leading to a lot of my favorite discoveries.
Do you think there’s a void in the alternative rap/hip hop scene these days? For example: Black Eyed Peas, Tribe Called Quest, etc. They carved out such a special niche in the hip hop world. Do you think you have shoes to fill?
I wouldn’t say there’s a void, I think music as a whole is, for lack of a better term, less centralized. There’s fewer entities and outlets that help to define the truly groundbreaking artists within each genre, and the primitive label structure isn’t working in terms of pushing new acts to the forefront. I can personally testify to artists like SolChyld, Samara Cyn, Wiseboy Jeremy, Wakai, Oble Reed and Blvck Svm as being some of the special artists making music in that lane right now.
What are you listening to?
Right now my music taste is about as manic as it gets. The Undisputed Truth, the Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, Long Live the Truth, Drakeo the Ruler had a posthumous album drop. He’s been one of my favorite rappers for the past 4-5 years, he’s truly one of the greatest writers I’ve ever heard. I’ve also been listening to a lot of corridos, mainly Grupo Frontera, Jarabe de Pablo, and Peso Pluma. I also really love Faye Webster and the homie Alex Banin.
Love your single “American Spirit”. It shows true grit. What was the inspiration behind the song?
This song is inspired by self isolation as a whole, and the idea of removing oneself and the negative and positive repercussions of that act. I had a pretty rough summer this past year and ended up just fleeing LA in an effort to regain some semblance of passion for the music. I ended up spending too much time away (a month and a half, I’m just paranoid) and lost a lot of my work ethic. I pretty much thought I couldn’t make a song again. So this came from a lot of effort and self realization regarding the negative effects of pushing people away. On the same tip though, I’m also acknowledging the growth and success that have come from isolating myself from those back home. Ultimately I hope it’s perceived as vulnerable.
What’s next for you?
We’re rolling out singles and visuals that we’re really proud of right now, and I’m going on tour with Tommy.
