iNTERVIEWORLD

-- Providing Culture For Our Generation. --

[interviewworld]

Being an underdog and performing w/ his father are a few topics @ChrisWebby tackles in this episode of "Behind The Unsigned" #BTU #smsaudio http://t.co/NCy9G06dXA

[massappeal]

Kevin Gates: A New Kind of Rap Star

Photo by Durty Harry

Kevin Gates sits down at the round table in the Mass Appeal office and immediately pulls out a crystal necklace that was tucked inside his shirt before gearing up for our interview, as if to ward of any evil within the room. When asked about the necklace, Gates firmly states, “Those that know don’t speak, and those that speak don’t know.” He promises that even if he told the story about the garment, we wouldn’t understand. He explains that he “didn’t pay anything for them;” the stones came to him, which he explains in-depth with his song “Twilight.” His powerful presence is a bit intimidating, and his curt attitude would come as a shock to most. Frankly, Gates could care less about stereotypes or anyone’s feelings if it’s not broadening his mental spectrum. He isn’t out to make anyone change their minds about him.

The Louisiana-born rapper, mostly known for the success of his 2013 mixtape The Luca Brasi Story, started his career back in 2007. Since then, he’s dropped nine mixtapes, which all serve as therapy for his severe depression— a topic he openly talks about. Although he harbors a recent history of incarceration and a tattooed-up exterior, there is more to Gates than the stories surrounding his “ass-eating” fetish and his recent Instagram beef with Young Thug.

Read the full interview here

[massappeal]

“Rhythm Roulette” With Mac Miller aka Larry Fisherman

[massappeal]

Through the Lens: Young Thug

“Through the Lens” is Mass Appeal’s new photo series, in which we give folks a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite artists via the photographers that work with them on a daily basis. This week, Atlanta-based photographer Cam Kirk shares six never-before-seen photos of Young Thug.

[interviewworld]

LIL WYTE: THE RAPPIN' GOOD OL' BOY

"Peep the @Lil_Wyte_ episode of #SHALTZSHOTME...it's better than reading!!" - @JShaltz

[interviewworld]

Interview: Lucki Eck$ on His Mellow Style, Drugs, and Being an Outlier in Chicago’s Rap Scene

It was almost exactly a year ago that a Chicago rapper not even 18 years old named Lucki Eck$ dropped a mixtape called Alternative Trap. While every other Chicago rapper out was making hard, aggressive rap that sounded like war, Lucki was floating above it all in a Xanax cloud. Working with producers like Plu2o Nash and Hippie Dream, Lucki mastered a mellow delivery over hypnotic beats that sounded like an escape from the harsh reality of a city in turmoil.

Since that mixtape, Lucki has been busy. He got picked up for tour dates with Danny Brown, has been working with the XL Recordings camp, made a song with FKA twigs (and he’s playing a show with her tonight), and all of this is sparked from the music he made when he was 15 and 16 years old. He just turned 18, and he’s experienced a lot in the past years. He promises the best is yet to come, and we believe him.

Can you talk a little bit about growing up in Chicago and when you first got into making music. Growing up in Chicago, it was always soulful. Before that, it was kinda street. When I was growing up, we had Kanye and Common and the other people weren’t really as relevant. So the kids from Chicago that wanted to rap when we were younger, we wanted to be like Kanye. That’s how I first kinda got into it.

How old were you when you first started making music? I was a little kid, in 7th grade but I started taking it seriously my freshman year of high school.

You’re 17 still now, right? Yeah, I turn 18 soon. [Note: He's 18 now.]

Are you still in school? Yeah, I’m homeschooled.

So you’re going to finish high school? Yeah.

A lot of the music coming out of Chicago right now is very aggressive and your style is way more mellow. Is that natural for you or were you trying to do something that sounds different? Yeah, it’s natural. It would be pretty hard for me to start making aggressive music or to make anything aggressive, period. It’s a natural thing, I like the vibe of it.

Do you like the other stuff that’s coming out of Chicago right now? Yeah, but besides Chief Keef, Chance, and a few others, it’s all kind of a Chicago cliché.

How were the shows you did with Danny Brown? Oh, that was so fun. I only did five dates so I was on the bus for a week but it was so fun. It made me a way better performer and I know how to embrace crowds way more.

How’d that happen, did Danny reach out to you? I think it all happened through the Red Bull program because me and him did a song for that. So they gave me the opportunity and I said, “Yeah.”

Do you enjoy performing live? Yeah, I liked it. I didn’t used to though.

You killed it at SXSW. Thank you man.

I don’t really like writing to the main rhythm of the beat so I try to find a background instrument to write to.

Your production choices are really unique. Do you hear a beat first then write or do you just have all these songs and then try to find the right beat? Nah, I hear the beat first and then I write. Sometimes it gets real hard because I don’t know, I don’t really like writing to the main rhythm of the beat so I try to find a background instrument to write to. Then I find the melody. That’s how I do it. But some people don’t really use a lot of instruments in their beat so it’s kinda hard to make music with them, but I still do it.

You have your own crew of producers that you work with. As you keep making music and getting bigger, are you gonna branch out to some of the big name producers? I would if they can make the type of beats that I can rap to. I really don’t want to force myself to rap over any other type of beats because then it wouldn’t sound good. [Laughs] But I would try.

What’s next for you? Do you have any upcoming collaborations or projects that you’re working on? Danny Brown, of course. There’s an upcoming mixtape dropping in July, and I got a video dropping in like two weeks. I also have a song with FKA twigs coming out. [Note: Check out his songs with FKA twigs, "Ouch Ouch" here]

That’s awesome, how’d that come about? She’s amazing. [Laughs] Through the XL camp. I’ve been working with XL for like a year now.

Anything else we can look out for?  My new project, seriously. Because on Alternative Trap, I was on some 15-year-old shit and I used to like drugs and I used to like the topic. I knew it would get people’s attention if I put it over these beats. I was just scheming. But my next project, I’m so beyond drugs. I mean, I’m 17 and I live in Chicago so drugs are a big part of my life and a big part of the music but I’ve experienced a lot since that last project. Content-wise, this is going to be better.

What kind of content is it? Relatable content, but not like a corny relatable. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. But when you hear it you’ll be like, “Ah, Lucki was right.” [Laughs]

[interviewworld]

Agenda NYC 2014: Illustrator Kevin Lyons Talks Murals, New Collabs, and Favorite Brands

Anyone attending Agenda NYC this year was treated to the mural being painted to the far left corner of the auditorium. At the center of it all was illustrator Kevin Lyons, the same genius who helped Mighty Healthy put together a dope 10th anniversary capsule collection not too long ago. We caught up with him in between brush strokes to talk art inspiration, upcoming projects, and a few of his favorite clothing brands.

You just did the capsule collection with Mighty Healthy. How did that one come about? [Mighty Healthy founder] Ray Mate and I are friends, and we have mutual respect for each other. He told me they were doing a 10th anniversary [collection], and asked if I was down to do something for it. I immediately thought about these apple characters that I’ve been doing. Ray has done so many apple tees to the point where you think of an apple when Mighty Healthy comes to mind — similar to the way you think of “punk” for Supreme. I thought it would be fun to do a series of apples that all represent the crew and New York as the Big Apple. It’s funny because the collection is very black and white, since that’s the way the market kind of demands it, but it’s fun to throw in a little color.

With your stuff, it always comes out colorful, bright, and cartoon-inspired. Where does that come from? It came from everywhere, starting with a childhood filled with Garfield eyes, Jim Henson puppets, and different graffiti characters. Even in present day, I continue to do the simple shapes and characters that are a lot of fun to draw. That’s why I do it.

Let’s talk about this mural you’re doing here at Agenda. Where is this going after? It belongs to Ray, so it’ll probably wind up in Mighty Healthy’s showroom or the office. I like doing public art that’s on the performance side of live art painting. Not a lot of dudes do that anymore. I also work in watercolors and crink, so I don’t need spray cans. It allows me to work inside. Agenda has turned into the perfect place to show off the medium. I like doing these fast things. There’s no pressure; it’s just fun to do.

What do you have coming up next? I have two kids collections coming up. One is for Ruff and Huddle out of London, and will include kids bomber jackets and T-shirts. The other is with DC, which will be a snowboard collection. It’ll be jackets and stuff like that. I did the same type of collection for adults before, but this one is strictly for the kids. A big thing we’re doing at Art Basel is the premiere of two skate shoes I did with adidas. That’s the big collaboration I’m preparing for next, so look out for that.

Since we’re at Agenda checking out all the latest apparel, what are some brands that you really love? Past or present. The first brand I was ever involved with was SSUR. Russell [Karablin] and I go way back, and he’s still trailblazing and doing stuff that people are only thinking about doing now. His old stuff is even being recycled. It’s awesome that he has a contemporary crowd though. I love Loser Machine and Dark Seas, which are the two off brands from Obey. I think they’re quirky and weird in their own way. Now that Obey is pretty much a giant, those two really stand out to me. I’m also a big fan of Hall Of Fame because of the New York roots. Mighty Healthy is a big one too, of course. I’m just psyched to see the new stuff and be a part of it all.

Written by: Brad Clarke

[interviewworld]

Interview: Wiz Khalifa on Life Lessons, Kid Cudi, and the Last Things He Googled

By Mustafa Abubaker

There’s no artist whose independent grind paid off more thanWiz Khalifa’s. Ever since his cross-over mixtape Kush & OJ broke some type of imaginary ceiling (and Twitter records), Khalifa has made his presence known everywhere he goes. On his new album Blacc Hollywood, due out August 19 on Atlantic Records, he promises a stadium sound and positive vibes. Pigeons & Planes recently spoke with Khalifa about Blacc Hollywood, being spiritually self-aware, finding happiness, and the last thing he Googled.

What’s your earliest memory of music? Earliest memory of music is probably listening to Alexander O’Neal and stuff like that with my dad. Singing Chubb Rock lyrics. He used to listen to a whole lot of ’90s rap.

I live in Atlanta, which is sometimes referred to as Black Hollywood… any influence on your album? I know you shot the “We Dem Boyz” video here. Yeah, it could definitely be a huge influence because the energy of the youth and the people down there and the fashion, music, film. Everything is always moving forward. Not necessarily like the cameras and, you know, because of the party scene… but because of the ideas and the energy that’s down there.

What are your dreams like? Do you ever have lucid dreams? There’s certain times where there’s functions that don’t work in my dream. Like, I won’t be able to see correctly—just weird shit.

When I’m 90, though? I’ll probably just be getting high and watching whatever my favorite TV show is at the time.

Do you fear death? Nah. I just feel like life is all about experiences and learning new things and doing them over and doing them differently. Just not letting anything become old. Just finding new ways. Even when I’m 50, I’m gonna have a chance to reinvent what I did at my age now. Knowing that excites me. When I’m 90, though? I’ll probably just be getting high and watching whatever my favorite TV show is at the time.

Are you afraid of anything? No, I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of anything. I don’t think anything would happen to me that I’m not able to handle.

How important do you think It is to be your own hero and your own biggest fan? I think it’s very important. The better you are to yourself, the better you can be to other people. Knowing your self worth is so important.

If you could gain a new skill instantly like Neo in The Matrix, what would it be and why? Flying a helicopter. I was just in one and I was thinking to myself, “I could use this as a means of transportation everyday.”

How do you really know anything for sure? Everybody has something deep down inside them that drives them towards something. It’s just the path that you take to get there. It’s just picking and choosing. You know right from wrong—it starts there. Then it’s like what you want to do with your life, who you choose to be around, and how you choose to handle situations. There’s so many different ways to do it. At the end of the day, you just keep your originality, keep who you are, and never lose that. Everything else kind of comes from that.

At the end of the day, you just keep your originality, keep who you are, and never lose that. Everything else kind of comes from that.

What would you change if you knew you were never going to die? I wouldn’t change anything. I just want to keep moving through life and keep learning.

Is the country you live in really the best fit for you? Uh, I question it at times. I mean… America. Just growing up here you get accustomed to the American way but when you’re gone you’re like, “Ah, man, I miss America.” But there are so many other places. Maybe if I was away for longer and went through America withdrawal, I would be good.

This girl recently told me that she thinks happiness is just a temporary feeling and it’s not a real emotion. It’s just something you feel for hours or maybe a couple days at a time. Do you think that’s true? Nah, that’s not true. Not true. Happiness is like… you can be a happy person in general, and nothing can ever get you down. Those type of people exist. And certain people, you know, they just need something to make them happy.

These photos recently surfaced of you and Kid Cudi out somewhere. What’s your relationship like with him? I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t be mad at a collaboration. Man, Cudi is a really big artist in my mind. He’s a huge artist. I look up to him. He came up before me. He was able to do what I’m doing now before I was able to do it. I looked at his path, his performances. He gets a lot of money to do what he does. I look up to him for that and I respect him. I think a collaboration hasn’t really happened due to that respect. We don’t really try to push it too far. We just respect the hell out of each other.

What’s your favorite 50 Cent hook? “21 Questions.” But he didn’t sing that one. RIP Nate Dogg. You wanna know what really one of my favorite 50 Cent hooks is? “Candy Shop.” That was classic.

What’s your personal favorite TGOD [Taylor Gang or Die] scenario? Oh, man. Taylor Gang or sit your nuts in a bear trap.

What are some of the last things you’ve Googled? The location for OAK in NYC, because I’m in New York and I went shopping. I Googled Anita Baker because I randomly forgot her name. And I Googled how to spell “impersonation” because I was about to type it in a tweet.

Blacc Hollywood drops August 19. What kind of vibe can people expect from this? It’s big music. It’s really big music. It’s really my best way of describing how I feel and how I want people to feel about life. That’s pretty much what all my projects are, just my outlook on life. I want people to feel positive about themselves and their game plan for life. Blacc Hollywood is that motivation.

What are your favorite place to eat on tour? If they got Pappadeaux’s there, I’m good. I fuck with Pappadeaux’s.

Being this major label recording artist while simultaneously being a family man, how is it balancing the two? Does it ever get overwhelming? I’m just learning that it’s really all about sacrifices. The more you get, the more you have to sacrifice in order to make it all work. When I started out and was a little younger, I didn’t have too many responsibilities, I didn’t have to look out for anything. It was kind of like the Wild Wild West, anything goes. Now, there’s things that I want to be around for that I can’t be around for. Being on tour for seven weeks and not seeing my son is really, really difficult. That’s something I didn’t have to deal with before. Before it’d be like, “Oh, I’m going on tour for seven weeks? Fucking party!” That’s really what it is. It’s like the real life sacrifices, the things that matter that you have to juggle with the stuff that you have to do.

Me knowing my purpose and knowing my path, it’s easy for me. I know it’ll pay off later. I’ve done things and unknowingly made sacrifices and they’ve paid off now. Later on I’ll just be able to whatever I want to do in life. That’s what I’m headed towards.

When will you be good enough for you? Is there some point when you will accept everything about yourself? Man, I just think it’s going to be a constant struggle. Especially as an artist. Artists like to please everybody. We like to please ourselves, we like to please our family, we like to please people who we don’t even know. A whole lot of thought goes into that. There are rare moments where it all settles down… and it’s like, “Man, this is what we do it for.” You just got to bottle those moments and keep it moving.

[ posted by Pigeons on July 23, 2014 in Interviews ]

[interviewworld]

This is truly a blessing from a higher power and as long as I understand that there’s really no limitations to what I can do. Everything is forward with me. When I’m in the studio I’m looking for creativity I haven’t matched yet, a feeling I haven’t felt. It’s a high. When you look at people like Jay Z, Nas, Dr. Dre, these people are established, but they love music and they love that high. You always want that feeling of creativity.”

Kendrick Lamar  Complex 2014

[interviewworld]

FIRST EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FROM LORD SOLO!

        We're back with the very first...brand new exclusive interview with Lord Solo of the Lost Mindz Collective! The Cleveland local just released his debut ep "Vivid" and self directed video "Bad Dreamz" featuring Lord Stalin. We asked him a few questions for you guys so check it out!

      Q. Hey! So what's your day been like so far? Good, just chilling with the fam (Lost Mindz Collective). 

  Q. Where are you from and how's the come up for a young rapper? I'm from Cleveland Ohio, the come up here isn't that hard if you really put in work and connect with people that's on the same shit, you know. 

    Q. Do you have a name or specific idea for the type of music you make? Nah but it's different, it's like an alternative rap I guess, you can call it (that) haha. 

  Q. What are your favorite bars you've dropped so far? I don't know. Most of em are my favorite. It's hard to say for real. 

  Q. Tell me a little about the process of making your debut EP "Vivid." Well I was just laying tracks in then I decided to make an EP. The first track journey is more of my newish style then it goes back to older tracks when I was actually finding my flow. Then the last track was a track with my newer flow "lucid Dreamz" - and then it's a sequel to it on my brother Stalin's up-in-coming tape called "bad dreamz" and that music video just dropped too; on Peacecollection LMC YouTube page. Check that out.

        Q. What do you get into when you aren't creating music?  Skateboarding, meditating, shooting videos, smokin good tree haha, creating designs for my clothing line and just chillin and mobbin with the fam. 

  Q. What type of rap music do you NOT make? Shitty rap haha, I don't rap about money and all dat I just rap about what I do or whats on my mind. I believe I'm pretty decent compared to some rappers that already made it and are ass.

  Q. Big ups for rocking with us from the beginning! Let everyone know where they can find and follow you! Hell yeah fosho. Follow me on Twitter and IG @_lordsolo  Soundcloud: lord solo  YouTube: Lord Solo  #God #LMC #KMOD 

[interviewworld]

Murs & Mayday! Detail The Evolution Of Their Friendship & Musical Direction

Exclusive: Murs, Wrekonize and Bernbiz break down mixing a more upbeat sound with hard lyrics to expand their respective loyal fanbase.

Murs is a successful rapper. That’s a completely factual, objective statement. He’s partnered with Guerilla Union to throw the annual Paid Dues Festival, owns property and previously cut direct distribution deals with the likes of Fontana/Universal through SMC Recordings to independently release his music and recoup a larger share of the royalties. It would also be completely objective to say Murs has never had a crossover radio hit. His two appearances on Billboard magazine’s Top 200 albums chart are for 2006’s Murray’s Revenge and 2008’s Murs For President. June 10, 2014 will see the release of ¡Mursday!, a collaborative album with Miami-based Hip Hop group ¡Mayday! marking his official debut project with Strange Music. A quick look at previous ¡Mayday! collaborations with Lil Wayne or their 2012 Klusterfuk EP with Tech N9ne, which debuted at #12 spot on SoundScan’s weekly sales report, hints at the business advantages of working with ¡Mayday!. Or, you can just ask Murs himself.

“I didn’t sign my life over to Strange Music to fuckin’ make underground records,” Murs explained, during an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. “I came to make positive music mainstream again like De La Soul.”

At face value, it’s rather simple. Strange Music picks up yet another valuable free agent signing, while Murs gets both the platform and creative control to potentially bring his brand of Hip Hop to MTV and terrestrial radio without compromising his stance. As usual, it’s a unique and opinionated stance informed by the fact that he’s a Southern California resident, a successful businessman, a father and a Migos fan. Business aside, ¡Mayday! got the opportunity to solidify a relationship with a frequent collaborator and add a new member and a friend to their circle. As obvious puns go, it’s a dichotomy that’s rather Strange. One would assume ¡Mayday! and the rest of Murs’ new label mates wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Murs Explains Why Many Male Rappers Exhibit Hoeish Behavior

HipHopDX: Murs, on “Zones,” you say, “Radio rappers always sayin’ that they so rich / Rhymin’ about the clothes that they wear, I swear it’s hoe shit.” As someone who has gone on record about wanting to be on the radio, what did you mean with that line?

Bernbiz: We were also having tons of arguments at that time when you wrote that shit…

Murs: I just feel like it’s a traditionally feminine quality. Hoes—to be literal—hoes wear the most revealing, flashy things to get money and attention. And so many black males continue hoeish behavior. It’s not their fault really, because their daddies weren’t there, and you always want [attention] like, “Daddy look at me!” That’s why we throw money at people. That’s why we wear the gold chains. We’re a disenfranchised group of young men. I’m not faulting anyone, and I’m not judging anyone, but I call it like it is. If we don’t talk to each other about what’s really going on…

That’s some hoe shit. I don’t care what you wear. If we’re all in the locker room, my dude, I don’t care how much you spent on your shoes. We’re talking about Rap. We’re not talking about fashion. I don’t care if you have the new Jays, you still can’t rap, my nigga. You suck. I’ll serve you. You may have the contract, and you may have the free Nikes and you may go to the better school. But if it just came to me and you rhyming, I’d destroy you. Somehow along the way, it got to where a good rapper is judged by how many units he sells. Not that great entertainers should be judged by how many units they sell, but if we’re talking about Rap skills? Leave that shit out of the conversation, man. I don’t care what you wear.

A lot of you guys are so behind. I had Tom Ford shoes, but I had them three years ago. I had Tom Ford shades years ago, because I know people in the fashion industry that work for Gucci and so forth, and so on. When Tom Ford left, my friends put me on him like, “This is the new brand.” But I never rapped about it, because that stuff has no place in what you’re trying to do unless you’re trying to sell Tom Ford. But you’re not making any money off that. To me, it’s hoe shit. I like clothes too, but I’m not gonna bring it to the office.

DX: Without us going on a tangent about fashion, how did things diverge from the days of Slick Rick talking about his Ballys or Eric B. & Rakim rocking Dapper Dan into what you referred to as hoe shit?

Murs: It was secondary to your rhyming skills. You dropped “Children’s Story.” You can rap. You dropped “Hey Young World.” You’re doing things of substance and of merit, and also you’re fly. Rakim was also fly; he wasn’t fly and then an emcee. He was serious about the mic, he was serious about his mathematics and then he was a fly dude. His fade was tight, and his jewelry and everything was on point. And also, you saw it, so it didn’t have to be detailed. It was an esoteric thing, because you didn’t really want everybody up on your flavor. You’re not gonna tell people, “Hey, check me out. I’m wearing this and this, I got it here and I spent this much on it.” You’re giving away all the goods. Be fly. People have lost the technique and art of being fly. It’s still around, but it’s just a different way.

I can compliment people’s fashion sense. To me, it started in Harlem. Harlem is like the fashion capitol of Hip Hop. There’s a lot of fly, fly dudes from Harlem—as awkward as that is to say. Cam came out, and he’s from Harlem. He wore pink, and everybody wore pink. I swear, if you ask them the day before they saw Cam’ron, “Would you wear this pink fur or this pink polo?” they’d say, “Hell nah!” Then a dude came out from Harlem and lit it up, and it was like, “Ahhh, yeah. Gotta get that pink, yo.” So that’s how I think it diverged. I think it just became primary.

Also, they made me rap like that. I stopped rapping about mainstream rappers on the radio so long ago. But coming to Strange, I had to do the “Hard” verse, and I had to do the cypher verse. “Zones” was one of the first verses they sent me. And even on “Tabletops,” I don’t wanna rap like that [laughs]. I don’t want to rap about other rappers, and I haven’t done it in years. But Strange fans and certain folks dig it like, “Oh yeah, you’re back on that shit!”

Bernbiz: Great Hip Hop has a certain aggressive, “I’m better than everybody else” undertone to it.

Murs: Yeah, I was just past that, you know? I feel like I’m Tim Duncan. I can do that, and I’ve done that. But I just turn around and walk back down the court. Like, if you wouldn’t have asked… I really don’t feel strongly about it. It was just something fun to do to try to keep pace with them, ‘cause I think their swords are much sharper in that chamber of their mind.

Bernbiz & Wrekonize Detail How Murs Fits In With ¡Mayday!

DX: That leads to an interesting question. Last time we talked to these guys, they had wrapped up Wrek’s solo project and the ¡Mayday! album. How did the process change adding on to your previous work with Murs?

Wrekonize: It was just easier this time, because last time we had two projects going at the same time right next to Tech’s album. So it was just madness…

Murs: And you guys had music on all three…

Bernbiz: And we had members leaving the group at the same time too…

Wrekonize: Yeah, and we had members stepping back taking a little hiatus or whatever. So it was like chaos for us. This felt way more natural and fun. We had the music already prepped for it, and we already have a relationship with [Murs] from doing songs and just being fans. He came to Miami, and it was two weeks of recording, fun, Xbox, eating, drinking… It was cake compared to last time.

DX: Since you brought it up, do you still have members kind of on the outs?

Bernbiz: Oh, nah. Once you’re in ¡Mayday!, you’re never out of ¡Mayday! It’s a lifelong endeavor. My homies Plex [Luthor] and Terrel, are out just kind of learning some other stuff. Plex is trying to become the next amazing coder/hacker; he wants to create stuff with music and coding. Their goals are still the music, but they just want to expand a little more. Road life is so crazy, and that’s all we do. We’re always out on the road, and it got a little too tough for them.

DX: You guys have performed together, and you’re actually friends. What’s the been the biggest change in your collective dynamic since “Hardcore Bitches?”

Bernbiz: Before [Murs] was an acquaintance. Now you’re a friend. Before, I feel like maybe Murs wanted to come to Strange—at least before we knew that he did. I feel like he masterminded a lot of this. And by the same token, he understood that it worked for everybody. Now it’s like we got a homie out of the whole package. In the beginning, it’s not like it was awkward. But it’s like anything else in life, it took a minute to get to know each other.

Murs: Yeah, I think I’m adept at fitting in because I do so many collaboration projects. We both come from large group environments—Living Legends and ¡Mayday!—so it’s just knowing how to fit. It’s about recognizing Bernbiz as the boss. He’s the alpha male in the situation.

Bernbiz: [Laughs] Shut up! Man, you love saying that.

How “¡Mursday!” Appeals To Strange Music Fans & New Listeners

DX: The other side of that group dynamic is the actual music. After Believers, where ¡Mayday! talked about shifting their reality, how did you come to a consensus on how high-concept you wanted this album to be?

Bernbiz: Murs definitely came in with a strong idea, and he listened to our previous work before we got signed. He felt when we joined Strange, we took a bit of a dark turn—which I think a lot of artists who sign to Strange do. The fanbase there wants that raw, dark, hard kind of Hip Hop. When Murs came in, he asked if we could do something that was brighter and more on the fun scale of the dark arts. That’s kind of the approach we took. Sonically, ¡Mayday! started to fuck with a lot more brass, horns and parade/big band kind of sounds to translate that sound. That’s something we had never touched on.

Wrekonize: It made it more unique for a ¡Mayday! album. We wanted to have a little bit of a unique sound in the beats besides the fact that we’re adding a new lyricist to the mix.

Murs: We were arguing when I first came through. They were like, “Man, I wanted to do some boom bap, Hip Hop shit with you like “Zones.”” And I told them, “I knew you guys had the poppiest, radio hooks ever. I didn’t sign my life over to Strange Music to fuckin’ make underground records. I came to make positive music mainstream again like De La Soul.” That was when you could dance to something positive, but you didn’t feel like you were getting preached to. It wasn’t corny. It was just some good, positive Hip Hop. We’re losing the battle. That’s why I signed to Warner Bros. I asked them, “Are you guys gonna put me on MTV? Can I say what I want? Cool.”

Travis [O’Guin] and Tech [N9ne] said the same thing. They wanna put money behind shit that’s gonna go places. If you listen to “Fragile,” he’s not trying to appeal. He has Kendrick Lamar on the song, so he could’ve went for another “Swimming Pools.” Even when Tech did a song with [Lil] Wayne, they got together and did what they felt. With “Fuck Food,” all the business people on the outside were like, “What the fuck?” But that’s what Strange is. I am trying to get on the radio, and I am trying to get mainstream, because I have kids now. Before I had kids, I thought it was important to put positive music in a place where it can compete. But I’m not gonna sell out, start saying some bullshit and misrepresent myself. But there’s nothing wrong with something people can dance to.

I can see how it affects my baby. I literally put him on my lap, and when someone sends me beats, I play it for me and him. If he doesn’t get hype to it, then I don’t want it. Even naturally, he’s all about the hi-hats. He’s about Trap music, and he has no idea. That’s what he feels. And it’s like, “Okay, this is the generation I want to reach. So let me try to do something with music that they enjoy, because I’ve done 50 9th Wonder records.” That’s archived, legacy…whatever. I love those beats. But I also love Migos, and I’m a huge fan.

Murs Recalls “Animal Style” & “Justin Bieber’s Black Baby”

DX: This is on a completely different note, but can you talk about the concept behind “New Toys (Hey Love)?”

Bernbiz: It was basically a song about the road. We wanted to do our version of Bob Seger’s “Here I Am.” We always loved the beat, and we called it our Wu-Tang beat, because it has this kind of “Can It All Be So Simple” or “C.R.E.A.M.” kind of vibe. So we always wanted to do something to that song. Luckily, it was cool that I wrote that verse about being on the road, and it wound up spiraling into a whole song. Wrek hopped on it, and then we got Kendall Morgan from “Fragile.” She brought her little white ass through and sang her ass off, and it was beautiful. She totally changed the song, because the song was missing a hook. We had three verses, and we didn’t know what to do for the hook. We knew the whole hook would be about your girl talking to you, but nothing was written. It was kind of an eleventh hour thing, like, “Man, are we gonna do this or not?” She came through and knocked it out in about two minutes.

DX: Last question. You did the song and video for “Justin Bieber’s Black Baby.” Are you a prophet? Did you see the crazy behavior and racial slurs coming?

Murs: I don’t know, man. I have no idea what’s going on. Maybe I need to retweet the link for the video. I never tried to build off the hype and shit. When I did the video for “Animal Style,” I had friends at the Odd Future camp. That video took a long time to shoot, and it dropped the day of or the day afterFrank [Ocean] came out. I was like, “Yo!” They knew I had been filming it, so they called me.

The funny thing is Macklemore put his song [“Same Love”] out, and he called me that day too saying, “Yo, I’m about to drop this song. I hope you don’t think blah, blah, blah.”

With Justin Bieber, even when he got arrested or whatever the first time, I had already done the song. Me and Curtiss… it was just some silly shit I thought of. I wanted to do a Trap record. I was only listening to Migos for a long time in my life, and I thought, “I want to do something like this, but I’m not gonna start talking about drugs all of a sudden. What can I do?” When Curtiss gave me that beat, I had to ask, “Will you let me do this song to your beat?” He didn’t care. I tried to do “Animal Style” to some other producer’s beats, and they were like, “You can’t talk about faggots on my beat!” So I’m like, “Whoa, bro.” I asked my homie Tabi Bonney—one of my best friends in the music industry—to shoot he video for Justin Bieber. He told me, “I don’t get it, bro [laughs].” That’s why he’s one of my best friends, because he’s super straight up with me. I told him, “I’ll pay you,” but he was still like, “Nah.” So am I a prophet or just out of my mind? Probably a little of each one.

 [ by OMAR BURGESS via HipHopDX ]

[interviewworld]

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