stvnlmnt: Behind The Mixtape Q&A As we get close to the end of 2015, Steven Lamont (@stvnlmnt) and us at @obesecitizens decided to sit down and talk about his debut mixtape. From the creative process to the situations surrounding it, here it is: The Q&A #OC: The tape was amazing. Steven: Thank you. I literally put as much as I possibly could into it. 22 tracks didn't feel like enough music, but then again it is an hour long. I hope people actually decide to sit down and vibe to it. #OC: Nevertheless, this project is truly one of a kind. How did the making of the tape begin? Steven: It all started with 'AshyToClassy'. As Cap Stylez, I was beginning to work on a project called "Odyssey". The concept behind it was just to look at life differently as I find myself. The next song I made was 'Ultimatum'. This song alone carries a lot of weight because I could've died the same day I made it. My girlfriend stayed over my house that night, but the vibes were different. As she was sleep, those suicidal thoughts snuck up on me. Next thing you know, I'm popping Excedrin pills one by one. I stopped after the 8th pill. I sampled 'All Up To You' by Con Funk Shun. A half hour later, I wrote and recorded it. By the time I finished mixing it down, I had an hour and some change left to go to work, but I started losing control of myself. My mind was paralyzed with fear and my body wasn't responding. Luckily I got sent home. I called my girl to tell her I was back. She came through ASAP with some McDonald's. I just laid on my bed with her beside me. You can't make situations like that up. If it wasn't for her, I probably would've popped more pills and died because of it. #OC: We're glad that you're here. On the tape you talked about a lot of issues going on in your life, from leaving home to losing your true love. However, the pain in your voice sounded more angry than sad. Steven: Yeah. In the past I would blame myself for EVERYTHING. Now I was legit abandoned by the only people I would make time for. Dwelling in sadness would only send me deeper into depression so I chose anger in order to project how I really felt. #OC: As long as the message gets across. That's all that matters. Steven: Exactly. #OC: You and @reich9 make great music together. Steven: I'm hipp. Waadie gave me gold with his verse for 'Blessed Negus'. Me and Nashi whipped up 'Basis' from scratch. Whenever I work with The 9, you're bound to find gems in what we say because we come from a similar place mentally. No matter how much love we show, people never reciprocate it unless it's for personal gain. #OC: Amen. Now one song that really stands out is '@d0pedanc3r'. How did you come up with the concept? Steven: @d0pedanc3r, no pun intended. But for real, the entire song is dedicated to her. When I was at a low point in life, she was there. She proved that she was just by consistency alone. #OC: Consistency...a great quality. Speaking of consistency, Fisherman Cap definitely played his part on the project. What inspired the production? Steven: Colors. Moods and emotions. Stories. I make sure that I put everything in my music, so that means I put in 200% when I make the beat for a song. The beat is simply the foundation. Once the foundation is made, I follow up with the lyrics to complete the picture. It's all about the vision...and imagery. Without that, there's nothing to see. There's nothing to experience. #OC: Indeed. Like 'Abyss'...that's a song that doesn't need to be explained. Steven: You hipp. I don't like talking about my problems as it is, so my music basically let's you walk in my shoes. Nothing's made up. Everything's honest and heartfelt. Good and bad. #OC: And still you got hits like 'Know Me' and 'Obese'...how do you do it? Steven: With Obese Citizens, our motto is aim big. Everything doesn't have to be a sob story. We still gotta motivate each other to keep our head up even when it feels like there's no way out of misery. We only got one life. #OC: *Daps* Steven: All the hate needs to stop. People are dying because there's no love. If it wasn't for the love from the people still in my life...must I say it? And that's why I'm always passionate about it. Love is the greatest thing on Earth. Nothing can compare to it. Without love, life has little to no meaning. That's why love needs to grow. Forever. Steam Steven Lamont's debut project 'stvnlmnt: The Mixtape' now at https://SoundCloud.com/stvnlmnt/sets/stvnlmnt-the-mixtape!
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