City: Africa was everything I imagined and more! Minus the long flight lol I/we loved it. The people over there were so welcoming and kind to us we pretty much felt at home. Also the party scene over there was shocking they love uptempo dance music just like we do in the states. Oh yeah I can’t forget about the food. The food was ridiculously good, but I must warn you they use olives for everything I repeat EVERYTHING so if you like olives you will love the food there lol.
24: What was the purpose of your trip
Jase: We flew out there mainly to shoot the music video for Alabina Beach. This is a record we did with Amine produced by DJ Kore. Basically the song is a good feeling type of record where the artist Amine is on the hook and 2nd verse singing in Arabic. So the song in itself is a Kulture Shock! HANDS DOWN the best video shoot we’ve done to date!
24: How many countries have you guys visited
Group: Bahamas, Jamaica, Canada, Italy, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands (US and British), Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, United Kindom, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua,
24: How did you guys come together
Jase: City and I were already making music since 2006 and actually had a Deal with a Label out of New York. That deal fell through due to some “technical difficulties” with the label. After that we got into the song writing business where we met Steph working with the FlipTones. She was always an amazing singer and we worked with her on a couple records which we were shopping to labels. Big Chuck at Poe Boy wound up bringing us in after we gave him a CD full of hooks that they wound up using most of the songs on. We then later brought Steph to him because he was looking for a solo female artist. Some how the idea came up for us all to join together to make a one dynamic group and the rest is history.
24: What is the name of your new single you were promoting in Morocco
City: The name of our new single is called “ROCK STEADY” it’s produced by DJ Kore from Paris. It’s really a uptempo/ dance record. Over there (Morocco) the feedback for the record was PHENOMENAL! Every club we went to Back it up 2 and 3 times. The club patrons were dancing harder to our record then they were to a lot of records already out on radio. We hit about every club in Morocco and every club in Morocco added it to there playlist. The feeling was great to see the feedback. Seeing people dance to your song and act like they know cause it just sounds so good is a wonderful feeling. Its one of those songs that when it comes on you feel like you know it.
24: What is the name of the album & when can we expect it
City: The name of the Album is “DANCE or DIE”. The name basically describe what type of music we make we want to keep the party going and the club dancing so either you dance or die lol its our musical campaign basically. On this album we worked closely with Dj Kore from Paris; he has a lot of records on our album. Also we worked with Nehemie, Chad Beatz, Disco Fries, Vinny Venditto and others. We are anticipating a late spring/early summer 2012 release date for the album.
24: Was Morocco a ‘kulture shock’ or did you do the shocking
Steph: Being that all of us come from different backgrounds i dont think any of us were “shocked”.We went with an open mind not really expecting anything but grateful for the opportunity. But it was still a learning experience for us and we appreciate so many things from the people and their culture. I tried to shock em. (laughs) I wore a one piece little body suit on stage and i was actually nervous to wear but they love it. and my nervousness subsided. i felt so at home on the stage there.
24: What was the most exciting part of your trip to Africa
Jase: Ah man were do I start! I was excited just get on a real camel lol. At first nobody was with me till we all got on … Steph was scared to death and City’s camel needed anger managment HAHAHA. There were so many exciting things that we did though its hard to call it. From flying in the Chopper over the city, to playing soccer with the kids in the hood and giving out soccer balls. I’ll tell you what, the long flights were Definitely the most NON exciting part though!
24: What can we expect in the future from Kulture Shock
Steph: Our single “Rock Steady” is dropping soon here in the states. We are really excited about this song. It made its debut In Morocco and like city said earlier the response to that song was incredible. Also our song Alabina Beach is still doing great over seas as well. Right now we are just in the studio working on our up-coming album, “Dance or Die” And just looking forward to some upcoming shows one being back in Morocco for the summer.
24: Any last words
Group: We just want to say we are so excited about this year. We have a lot of things planed. First with our single “Rock Steady” dropping; then our album DANCE or DIE coming soon after. Look up our song with Amine “Albania Beach” we just shot a video for it, which is doing really well over in Europe. Also we got some events planned for WMC this year in Miami. A lot more viral videos on the way. Basically what we want to say is “get ready for Kulture Shock”. Our time is now so get ready to Dance or Die. Shoutout to Big Chuck the boss. E class. DJ Kore who is like the fourth member of the group and of course our whole staff and team at Poe Boy. Kulture Shock this is 2012.
City: Africa was everything I imagined and more! Minus the long flight lol I/we loved it. The people over there were so welcoming and kind to us we pretty much felt at home. Also the party scene over there was shocking they love uptempo dance music just like we do in the states. Oh yeah I can’t forget about the food. The food was ridiculously good, but I must warn you they use olives for everything I repeat EVERYTHING so if you like olives you will love the food there lol.
24: What was the purpose of your trip
Jase: We flew out there mainly to shoot the music video for Alabina Beach. This is a record we did with Amine produced by DJ Kore. Basically the song is a good feeling type of record where the artist Amine is on the hook and 2nd verse singing in Arabic. So the song in itself is a Kulture Shock! HANDS DOWN the best video shoot we’ve done to date!
24: How many countries have you guys visited
Group: Bahamas, Jamaica, Canada, Italy, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands (US and British), Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, United Kindom, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua,
24: How did you guys come together
Jase: City and I were already making music since 2006 and actually had a Deal with a Label out of New York. That deal fell through due to some “technical difficulties” with the label. After that we got into the song writing business where we met Steph working with the FlipTones. She was always an amazing singer and we worked with her on a couple records which we were shopping to labels. Big Chuck at Poe Boy wound up bringing us in after we gave him a CD full of hooks that they wound up using most of the songs on. We then later brought Steph to him because he was looking for a solo female artist. Some how the idea came up for us all to join together to make a one dynamic group and the rest is history.
24: What is the name of your new single you were promoting in Morocco
City: The name of our new single is called “ROCK STEADY” it’s produced by DJ Kore from Paris. Its really a uptempo/ dance record. Over there (Morocco) the feedback for the record was PHENOMENAL! Every club we went to Back it up 2 and 3 times. The club patrons were dancing harder to our record then they were to a lot of records already out on radio. We hit about every club in Morocco and every club in Morocco added it to there playlist. The feeling was great to see the feedback. Seeing people dance to your song and act like they know cause it just sounds so good is a wonderful feeling. Its one of those songs that when it comes on you feel like you know it.
24: What is the name of the album & when can we expect it
City: The name of the Album is “DANCE or DIE”. The name basically describe what type of music we make we want to keep the party going and the club dancing so either you dance or die lol its our musical campaign basically. On this album we worked closely with Dj Kore from Paris; he has a lot of records on our album. Also we worked with Nehemie, Chad Beatz, Disco Fries, Vinny Venditto and others. We are anticipating a late spring/early summer 2012 release date for the album.
24: Was Morocco a ‘kulture shock’ or did you do the shocking
Steph: Being that all of us come from different backgrounds i dont think any of us were “shocked”.We went with an open mind not really expecting anything but grateful for the opportunity. But it was still a learning experience for us and we appreciate so many things from the people and their culture. I tried to shock em. (laughs) I wore a one piece little body suit on stage and i was actually nervous to wear but they love it. and my nervousness subsided. i felt so at home on the stage there.
24: What was the most exciting part of your trip to Africa
Jase: Ah man were do I start! I was excited just get on a real camel lol. At first nobody was with me till we all got on … Steph was scared to death and City’s camel needed anger managment HAHAHA. There were so many exciting things that we did though its hard to call it. From flying in the Chopper over the city, to playing soccer with the kids in the hood and giving out soccer balls. I’ll tell you what, the long flights were Definitely the most NON exciting part though!
24: What can we expect in the future from Kulture Shock
Steph: Our single “Rock Steady” is dropping soon here in the states. We are really excited about this song. It made its debut In Morocco and like city said earlier the response to that song was incredible. Also our song Alabina Beach is still doing great over seas as well. Right now we are just in the studio working on our up-coming album, “Dance or Die” And just looking forward to some upcoming shows one being back in Morocco for the summer.
24: Any last words
Group: We just want to say we are so excited about this year. We have a lot of things planed. First with our single “Rock Steady” dropping; then our album DANCE or DIE coming soon after. Look up our song with Amine “Albania Beach” we just shot a video for it, which is doing really well over in Europe. Also we got some events planned for WMC this year in Miami. A lot more viral videos on the way. Basically what we want to say is “get ready for Kulture Shock”. Our time is now so get ready to Dance or Die. Shoutout to Big Chuck the boss. E class. DJ Kore who is like the fourth member of the group and of course our whole staff and team at Poe Boy. Kulture Shock this is 2012.
City: Africa was everything I imagined and more! Minus the long flight lol I/we loved it. The people over there were so welcoming and kind to us we pretty much felt at home. Also the party scene over there was shocking they love uptempo dance music just like we do in the states. Oh yeah I can’t forget about the food. The food was ridiculously good, but I must warn you they use olives for everything I repeat EVERYTHING so if you like olives you will love the food there lol.
24: What was the purpose of your trip
Jase: We flew out there mainly to shoot the music video for Alabina Beach. This is a record we did with Amine produced by DJ Kore. Basically the song is a good feeling type of record where the artist Amine is on the hook and 2nd verse singing in Arabic. So the song in itself is a Kulture Shock! HANDS DOWN the best video shoot we’ve done to date!
24: How many countries have you guys visited
Group: Bahamas, Jamaica, Canada, Italy, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands (US and British), Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, United Kindom, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua,
24: How did you guys come together
Jase: City and I were already making music since 2006 and actually had a Deal with a Label out of New York. That deal fell through due to some “technical difficulties” with the label. After that we got into the song writing business where we met Steph working with the FlipTones. She was always an amazing singer and we worked with her on a couple records which we were shopping to labels. Big Chuck at Poe Boy wound up bringing us in after we gave him a CD full of hooks that they wound up using most of the songs on. We then later brought Steph to him because he was looking for a solo female artist. Some how the idea came up for us all to join together to make a one dynamic group and the rest is history.
24: What is the name of your new single you were promoting in Morocco
City: The name of our new single is called “ROCK STEADY” it’s produced by DJ Kore from Paris. Its really a uptempo /dance record. Over there (Morocco) the feedback for the record was PHENOMENAL! Every club we went to Back it up 2 and 3 times. The club patrons were dancing harder to our record then they were to a lot of records already out on radio. We hit about every club in Morocco and every club in Morocco added it to there playlist. The feeling was great to see the feedback. Seeing people dance to your song and act like they know cause it just sounds so good is a wonderful feeling. Its one of those songs that when it comes on you feel like you know it.
24: What is the name of the album & when can we expect it
City: The name of the Album is “DANCE or DIE”. The name basically describe what type of music we make we want to keep the party going and the club dancing so either you dance or die lol its our musical campaign basically. On this album we worked closely with Dj Kore from Paris; he has a lot of records on our album. Also we worked with Nehemie, Chad Beatz, Disco Fries, Vinny Venditto and others. We are anticipating a late spring/early summer 2012 release date for the album.
24: Was Morocco a ‘kulture shock’ or did you do the shocking
Steph: Being that all of us come from different backgrounds i dont think any of us were “shocked”.We went with an open mind not really expecting anything but grateful for the opportunity. But it was still a learning experience for us and we appreciate so many things from the people and their culture. I tried to shock em. (laughs) I wore a one piece little body suit on stage and i was actually nervous to wear but they love it. and my nervousness subsided. i felt so at home on the stage there.
24: What was the most exciting part of your trip to Africa
Jase: Ah man were do I start! I was excited just get on a real camel lol. At first nobody was with me till we all got on … Steph was scared to death and City’s camel needed anger managment HAHAHA. There were so many exciting things that we did though its hard to call it. From flying in the Chopper over the city, to playing soccer with the kids in the hood and giving out soccer balls. I’ll tell you what, the long flights were Definitely the most NON exciting part though!
24: What can we expect in the future from Kulture Shock
Steph: Our single “Rock Steady” is dropping soon here in the states. We are really excited about this song. It made its debut In Morocco and like city said earlier the response to that song was incredible. Also our song Alabina Beach is still doing great over seas as well. Right now we are just in the studio working on our up-coming album, “Dance or Die” And just looking forward to some upcoming shows one being back in Morocco for the summer.
24: What can you tell our audience about that they may want to know
Steph: HUH (laughs) yes the boys are single. (laughs) and me too. and just that we really love and appreciate our growing fans from Miami to Paris, Paris to Morocco. and also if you don’t know who we are don’t sleep on us cause Kulture Shock is coming BITCH!
24: Any last words
Group: We just want to say we are so excited about this year. We have a lot of things planed. First with our single “Rock Steady” dropping; then our album DANCE or DIE coming soon after. Look up our song with Amine “Albania Beach” we just shot a video for it, which is doing really well over in Europe. Also we got some events planned for WMC this year in Miami. A lot more viral videos on the way. Basically what we want to say is “get ready for Kulture Shock”. Our time is now so get ready to Dance or Die. Shoutout to Big Chuck the boss. E class. DJ Kore who is like the fourth member of the group and of course our whole staff and team at Poe Boy. Kulture Shock this is 2012.
At just 19-years-old, Brianna has been making some noise with her single “Marilyn Monroe,” which was remixed by Wale, and now she’s looking to take it to the next level…
Name: Brianna Perry the YRB
Age: 19 Reppin’: Dade County, Florida (305!) and my labels Poe Boy Music Group/Atlantic Records
My style and/or skills have been compared to:
My fashion style has been compared to Beyonce.
My rap style has been compared to Eve.
My standout records and/or moments have been:
“Marilyn Monroe”
I’m gonna change the game by:
I’m going to change the game by taking the FACE OFF and giving it a new one!
I’d Like to Work With:
I’d like to work with Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce and Bruno Mars
My goal in hip-hop is:
My goal in hip hop is to win a Grammy and get a No. 1 record on the Billboard charts!
I’m gonna be the next:
I’m going to be the next hip-hop sensation!
To check out more of my music go to: Website:www.briannatheyrb.com, Twitter:@briannatheyrb, Facebook:www.facebook.com/briannatheyrb, YouTube: www.youtube.com/briannatheyrb,
We came of with this new interview idea called the 24/7 series. It's 7 questions based on what you're doing 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Here's our first with Miami Mc Ghostwridah
24: So what's GhostWridah up to these days
GW: Preparing for the new year… Collection myself, strategizing, praying etc. Just trying to get my self ready for the biggest year I've ever had so far, in 2012! I'm more than confident in my new mind state, music, and thought process. I'm excited as you can see.
24: Can we expect an announcement as to what label you're going to or if we're there's a Roc sign your future
GW: Well nothings concrete until the ink dries. We haven't signed anything as of yet and our focus is just on getting better and creating a wider awareness for the GhostWridah brand which will make for an even bigger deal than the ones put on the table this year. We've had sony Offers, Capital Offers, as well as an Atlantic records EP offer but we haven't found the right home as of yet. As far as the Roc nation rumors;I'll say I'd love to have Poe Boy and the Roc partner up for my project. It all just has to make sense for all parties involved. You never know what the new year might bring in.
24: You released American Alien earlier this year, which was an incredible project. What can we expect from you on the next project and when will you be dropping it
GW: This next project I'm working on, I feel is the first of it's kind. I always like to push the envelope and do things that haven't been done. I can't speak much on this one cause it's kind of a christmas gift for my fans. But I will say it's set up to inspire those who seek GREATNESS! I try to make music that will challenge the listener to be better, to be the best at whatever it is they do. So this project will definitely be something that can be held in as high esteem or higher than an American Alien or an In Love With My Future. On another note I am dropping an LP titled No Apologies next year… Look out for that!
24: How Do you select beats for your projects
GW: The beat selection is a very tedious process. I usually sit with my [L.Y.F.E. Music] producer Lowkey, and construct a sound. In all honesty there's a new sound in Miami that we are surely and undoubtedly responsible for and that's mainly one of the reasons we continue to stray away from one sound on every project. A lot of these artist don't believe in innovation, so they tend to emulate the guys responsible for "THE NEW." I am not in any way shape or form saying we made Miami what it is cause we all know thats not true. I will say i plan to make Miami everything it's going to be! Bet on that!
24: What's your next move
GW: Man, I have so many idea's and plans that are already in forward motion, i'd need another interview to explain it all. But I'm in the process of designing and producing a clothing brand that's going to shake up the world! Fashion is a muse for me. I love the response you get from a well put together outfit. I decided to give it a try, and see where the good lord takes me. Other than that the music… The music I plan to put in the coming months is breathtaking. I'm telling more stories, putting real life situation faced on the regular into music with backdrop production thats almost feels like a Han Zimmer composition. Also looking to take my Company The L.Y.F.E. to new heights as well as building on our NEW society driven Us Guys brand. I'm working, people!
24: What do you feel your biggest contribution is or will be to Hip Hop
GW: There's not much new under the sun these days. I think it's my willingness to evolve on the regular. I'm an artist who is somewhat disgusted with complacency! I feel like each of my projects are different and sound different each time because of this. So I feel I'll be the artist that in 10 years is still pushing hip hop to the outter limits. I want to be the artist from miami that took the world on a ride they've never been on!
24: Thanks for your time, and as always keep up the great work. Any shout outs or last words
GW: Thanks for having me. Just want to shout out my entire Poe Boy family, The L.Y.F.E. Music as a whole and to everyone that's been holding me down and supporting me unconditionally, I appreciate y'all, greatly! God first, get your money and give a little.
On the AMC drama Mad Men, 71 percent of the business falls off the books as soon as Lucky Strike walks out the door. Panic sets in, and Don Draper – creative director of the ad agency – pulls the only card he seems to have left. In a full-page letter to the New York Times titled, "Why I'm Quitting Tobacco," Don writes of the ill effects of cigarettes, saying, "If you're interested in cigarette work, here are a list of agencies that do it well." He lists every single one of his company's competitors. It's a shrewd move, desperate as it is.
In the more real world of hip-hop – which is also no less fake – Young Jeezy has similarly managed to change the conversation. Whereas it was once about Jeezy's cold streak, now the conversation is once again about authenticity, or that's the message coming from his new documentary, a side-piece product to the long-awaited album TM103 (out December 20th).
A Hustlaz Ambition, which premiered last night at New York's Landmark Sunshine Cinema, gave hip-hop fans two choices: go with the rappers who haven't lived what they rap about, or go with Young Jeezy. "He's believable," says Drake in the film. "He lived that."
is a whack-a-mole point, hit over and over again, by Jay-Z and Diddy; by eight-year-olds posted on the block; by a rep from Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. T.I. adds, "You've gotta be cut from a certain cloth to talk this." The argument Jeezy makes throughout seems directed entirely at one rapper in particular: Rick Ross, who was once a corrections officer named William Roberts. (Jeezy and Ross exist on terms that border on unfriendly, sometimes crossing over that line.
) Sure, the question of authenticity makes for compelling conversation, just as it did in the 1990s, but it's not foolproof – a rap sheet doesn't make music. In any case, the documentary forgives Tupac, whose personal history didn't match his persona – he was one of Jeezy's childhood musical idols, along with Da Brat. And so it's too bad that the possible motives behind the filmmaking cloud the picture. It should exist on its own: Jeezy's history is unbelievable, which is to say that it's almost too real. He can't remember the exact age he started dealing crack, but it was young – "Shit, I was probably 11.
" His mother, drinking, would displace anger toward his absent father on young Young Jeezy. She would spit words in his face: "Pussy. Face like a pussy. Nigga." Unable to coexist, Jeezy left, dealing drugs out of his grandmother's house in the wee hours before middle school, avoiding cops who jumped out of ice cream trucks so as to be undetected. He says, "I served my uncles, I served my family. I whooped my uncles for stealing my shit." The lowest moment onscreen comes when he finds his mother at a crackhouse, and he's unsure of whether to beat her or the people who sold her crack – and then he realizes that he is them and they are him. "It was a reality check," Jeezy says.
"You think it's your way out [of the trap], but it's taking your mama out." (He and his mother have since reconciled; she appears throughout the film.) There are lighter moments, of course, thank God. (Expect no less of the man who invented the 'Ha-Ha!' ad-lib.) The film opens with Jeezy explaining how he had to stop his plane to pick up a huge payment on a European runway. He gets the check in hand, only to stop the plane again: "I didn't know how to cash a check." Further in, Jeezy and his drug partner buy a recording studio, only to find that it's a studio in name only: There's nothing in it, absolutely nothing. Once they furnish it, they start a music label, because, sure.
More bad news: their first signee is immediately bussed to jail on a murder charge. Needing a rapper to just rap, someone turns to Jeezy and asks the age-old question, "Shit, you wanna try this shit" Jeezy, who is absolutely not a rapper, begins talking, rolling his voice like hot coals over the beats, filling in empty spots with "Ayyy!" and whatever else. History, made. All of the hit records, all of the money, based off of a fleeting whim.
The story holds interest well: it's a friendly reminder of who Jeezy is and everything he stands for. Unfortunately, for an arthouse film, it's inartfully made, as if director Chris Robinson directed one of his underlings to direct someone else to direct it. Samuel L. Jackson narrates, stretching the word "money" until it sounds like a he's playing a character – Jules Winnfield doing an audition.
The pacing is a bit askew, a rush through a worthy life story; Jeezy's battle with Bell's palsy is treated as just another speed bump, introduced and dismissed within a minute's time. And yet – even with all of the flaws, and there are many – the story holds everything together, which is clearly the most important thing to Jeezy
Hip-hop artist J. Cole insists that no one has been waiting longer for his first studio album to drop than J. Cole. But just try telling that to fans who have been following him since his first mixtape, The Come Up from 2007. Or even those with a cursory knowledge of hip hop who have been intrigued by his reputation as the first artist signed to Roc Nation, the record label started by Jay-Z in 2009. That was the same year Jay-Z invited his protégé to rap a verse on the Blueprint 3.Appropriately, the track was called A Star Is Born, and on it, J. Cole spent a few lines contemplating his impending fame. He kept the momentum going with two more mixtapes – both confirming his status in the freestyle firmament – and several cool collaborations, but two years passed and no studio album. Cole World: The Sideline Story finally arrived on Sept. 27 and coincided with J. Cole’s first headlining tour, which makes stops in 76 cities across North America and Europe before the year’s end. On Amazon.com, the album already ranks as the bestselling hip-hop album. Still, he remains largely unknown outside the genre. This means that the towering 26-year-old is either about to become the hottest breakout star since Drake or a talented MC who fails to translate to a mainstream market. J. Cole’s first single off the album, Work Out, features a sample of Paula Abdul’s Straight Up and is cute, catchy and romantic in a non-committal kind of way.
He acknowledges that the song represents a different – and necessary – side to his otherwise moody, often autobiographical lyrics. “Even visually, we shot a different video at first and it was too dark and I needed it more lighthearted – something less serious and with colours,” he says. The artist has fine-tuning his performance skills along the way, opening for Rihanna, Jay-Z and Wale. “I’m more confident now,” he explained the evening before his recent sold-out Toronto show. “You know whoever is there is there to see you as opposed to going in with the mind state of having to win people over every night.” Jermaine Lamarr Cole was born in Frankfurt, Germany, but moved to Fayetteville, N.C., with his mother Kay, who he calls his “biggest supporter.”
He later moved to New York and attended St. John’s University, graduating magna cum laude. But life did not change overnight once he signed with Jay-Z. “Everyone kept asking me, ‘Hey, what’s your relationship like with Jay-Z’ But I was like man, I don’t really even know the guy yet,” he says. “There was a bit of sitting around, you know. I was waiting on my cheque.” Whatever delays J. Cole experienced on the studio side did not preclude him from putting out mixtapes – music available to download free – which allowed him to build a reputation as an articulate MC who produces his own beats and raps about real-life issues in the style of Tupac Shakur, with nods to other hip-hop greats such as Nas and Jay-Z.
He also started playing with the notion of “Cole World” (a play off “cold world”) on a track in The Warm Up mixtape and it stuck. Now, it seems his expectation of himself is nothing less than worldwide success, so much so that he is already referring to this stage of his career as the “innocent period.” “I’m just now starting to see the signs of no return,” he says. “I’ll look back on these three years like, man, those were the days when we were just freestylin’ and learning, before we got too jaded and now we know the business in and out and what needs to be done and it’s still fun but it’s a different kind of fun. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get this back. But it’s always like that.” J. Cole and Drake, who made the leap into mainstream last year, are often compared to each other. Some people embrace them equally, others take sides. Together, they recorded In the Morning, an oozy track about sex at dawn that is on The Sideline Story. Drake did not appear at J. Cole’s Toronto concert as he has done for other performers this year; J. Cole says he didn’t want to “abuse the friendship.” Laughing, J. Cole flatly denies the suggestion of a bromance.
“That just sounds so wrong!” he says. When he’s not on the road, J. Cole lives in Queens, N.Y. (apparently, Brooklyn is too trendy for his taste). His look is understated; as he says on one of his songs, “I’m not into flashin.’ ” Translation: He’s not big on the bling but appreciates nice things. “I’m getting there but not enough to really claim it,” he says of his style, while also adding that he envisions a clothing brand along the lines of Jay-Z’s Rocawear one day. It comes as no surprise when he says he's beginning to see himself as “the CEO of J. Cole.” But J. Cole did not always aspire to rap mogul status. “It’s the stereotype for young black males, but if I weren’t doing this, I would honestly be trying to chase a basketball dream.
For real. It was my first love.” A lean 6 foot 4, he certainly would have met the height requirement. The court has remained a running theme in his music; he often refers to himself as the “LeBron James of rap” and the video for Work Out shows him distracted by girls as he plays a game of pick-up. And then, of course, there’s the album title. The subtext of Cole World: The Sideline Story: “I made the team, aka I made the record deal and it was like this celebration moment,” he says. “But then I realized, now that I’m on the team, it doesn’t really mean anything because I don’t want to be the last one on the bench. What good is being on the team if you never get in the game” Now, J. Cole must prove he’s hip hop’s most valuable player
Grammy Award winning Hip Hop artist Lupe Fiasco has always had a progressive, urban spin on his intelligent and soulful sound. His third album Lasers has met with great success netting him his highest selling and chart ranking album to date. And that could be because it is also his most diverse and experimental album as well with a world message that is as relevant as the more romantic songs are charming like chart topping hit “Out of My Head”. I spent a few minutes chatting with the candid and amicable MC between stops on his Lasers Tour and he told me the evolution of his sound stems in part because “I’m more comfortable in my own skin, you know. I’m a little bit more aware of what my fan base is and how I can grow that fan base, how much freedom I have to experiment with different forms of music and I’m a little bit more comfortable with the reaction from the press, which is inevitable when you do things like that.” Not only does Fiasco’s sound put a fresh spin on Hip Hop but his lyrics are among some of the most inventive and relevant in the industry. When I asked him about his creative process he openly revealed, “I think sometimes it’s not as deliberate as it may seem.” Continuing, “Part of my creative process early was, whatever everybody else was doing, I would do left, you know. If everybody was turning right I was turning left, and if everyone was turning left I was turning right kind of a situation. But now, it kind of comes out of nowhere sometime to be honest.” Then added, “The message definitely comes from the world. The actual content comes from CNN or Al Jazeera or just things that I know exist in the world. But the actual putting it together, the styling and the music format and whatever, I have no idea.” With such a dynamic sound it shouldn’t surprise you then to learn that Fiasco’s influences and musical preferences are as wide ranging as experimental electronic music to quality driven alternative jams and reggae. “There’s definitely a canon of music I listen to. There’s a lot of the more experimental electronic kind of world, so things like Glitch Mob and M83 and then from the alternative world and the rock world I also like Silver Sun Pick Ups and Radiohead and Metallica and Killswitch Engage.” Concluding, “And then there’s my favorite band of all time which is, The Prodigy. And when it comes back to hip hop I still like Nas and Mos Def and even the newer guys like Kendrick Lamar and Kid Cudi who can definitely kind of catch my ear and keep my edge sharp I guess.” Lupe will be on the road for the next ten days in support of Lasers and he says his favorite song to perform this go around is, “It’s probably ‘I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now’. It became such a sleeper hit for us live that we literally do the song twice. We have a lot of fun and the crowd reaction is fun.” After the tour the talented and ambitious rapper doesn’t plan to slow down at all disclosing, “Me and my partner Scott started a dj collective called Sound Clash so we’re working on that album right now and hopefully we’ll have a single out by Halloween and will try and push an album out around that and tour and all that. There’s a Lupe Fiasco mixtape that’s coming which hopefully we’ll have out before the end of the year and that will hopefully lead up to the next Lupe Fiasco album. And that’s really it, just more touring, touring, touring and music, music, music, music.” He concludes, proving his success stems from a rich and cultured passion in music itself. Continue reading on Examiner.com A conversation with Lupe Fiasco – National pop music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/pop-music-in-national/a-conversation-with-lupe-fiasco#ixzz1ZpZVHsAq
