How do you want to be perceived ?
How did you connect with UK artist 169 ?
Royce da 5 ’ 9 rarely ever gets credit , as one of your influences , what has he done for you ?
Proverbs 3:5-6 “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart , and do not lean on your own understanding . In all your ways acknowledge him , and he will make straight paths .”
Meeting SZA from TDE is one thing , but being able to open up for her is another , how was that experience ?
What are some goals you want to accomplish before this time next year ?
needed to go badly but , after a while it seemed impossible . I linked up with a couple people when I got to Atlanta and long story short , I decided to produce myself because after a while you learned the best quality sounds really just come from you . The best ideas come from you . Your vision can ’ t ever be clear unless you put it down . Since learning that , I produced my first full album called “ Good Company ”, write all my hooks , direct all my designs , etc .
How do you want to be perceived ?
I don ’ t think I have reached my full potential in any creative field I ’ m good at , but I do want people to continue to know me as the “ doer ” not the “ talker ”. Too many people talk about what they are gonna do instead of put faith and action into what it is they want to do . I learned over time to just say “ lets make sum shake ” and over the course of time I ’ ve grown as an artist and developed more as a man . But , evidently everyone is going to have an opinion about me . I ’ m just glad people listen to ‘ em and what I have to say . I ’ m as genuine as they come .
AGE : 19
COMIN ’ FROM : NEW JERSEY
CURRENT PROJECT : “ A TIME TO REMEMBER ”
BIGGEST INFLUENCE : Big Pun , Joel ortiz , Joe Budden , Elzhi , Jadakiss , 50 Cent , Common , Talib kweli , Royce da 5 ’ 9 ,
ACTIVE : 2003-PRESENT
How did you connect with UK artist 169 ?
That ’ s my brother man . Real talk . I don ’ t know what I ’ d do without that guy , man . I was in the process of working on ‘ Good Company ’, my 2nd public project , and in that same time period I hit him up about working on music . I didn ’ t expect him to respond cause that ’ s just how the game works . You either get the oop or you get dubbed and keep it pushing . In this case , he had heard my 1st project “ DAHLIA ” and was ecstatic . He said he hasn ’ t heard anyone like me come out of the UK or the states . We did exchange a few comparisons between us both , but overall he found me to be my own artist and respected my work ethic . We talked about working on a few things then I brought up Good Company and instantly he wanted me to send him more and more content to collab on . The first song we worked on was “ Who Do You Believe In ”, which I produced . The rest after that is history . Since then we talk all the time and we have been working on new music endlessly .
Royce da 5 ’ 9 rarely ever gets credit , as one of your influences , what has he done for you ?
Between the ages of 16 to 18 Royce , Pharaoh Monch , Mortal Technique and more gave me the real lyrical ability I carry today . They gave me the drive to go hard and become more serious about the game .
Proverbs 3:5-6 “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart , and do not lean on your own understanding . In all your ways acknowledge him , and he will make straight paths .”
I couldn ’ t ever put some topics into words because I was afraid maybe no one would listen if it wasn ’ t about women , money and bottles . But overtime they gave me the courage to say “ f * ck it , we ball ” and do whatever I could to grab the attention of the listener regardless of the topic . You know those artists that said Drake gave them the courage to speak out and be more honest ? That ’ s what those guys did for me coming up .
Meeting SZA from TDE is one thing , but being able to open up for her is another , how was that experience ?
Meeting SZA was like visiting an older sister that shows love every time I come through . Talking to her really inspired me . She dropped some gems on me and the rest of the people that were in the room . Honestly it was surreal at first . I took a picture with her and everything ... but then I realized she is no different from me . She was just at the right place at the right time , doing what she loved to do . I ’ m working to reach that point , but it ’ s only me just laying the foundation so , I only look forward for what ’ s to come in the near future .
What are some goals you want to accomplish before this time next year ?
I got a lot I want to accomplish . It ’ s geared more towards collaboration and opportunities . I can ’ t really talk about what I got in store because not everything is truly solidified , but I will say that when everything is said and done , those who didn ’ t understand will soon understand . My name is my name . I ’ m here cause God placed me here . I have a purpose . I ’ m fulfilling that purpose slowly but surely and one day I ’ ll be given the opportunity to bless others as well , but for now we just hustle to the finish .
19 .