But for people who are extremely good at what they do, they always welcome those creative collaborative opportunities. Let’s change that chord, let’s drop out everything in this section and then build it up here. Like "Oh, this is what’s happening, this is what’s popping, this is what we do." Whereas I’m like, This is what we can do, you know what I’m saying? Let’s push the envelope. I mean, for some people it makes me hard to work with because I’m nitpicky. How did that Music Theory knowledge come to be implemented in your hip-hop music? Because I think when people think of music theory, they might have their own preconceived notions about it, but I was just curious- when you’re making beats, specifically, or talking with other producers, does your musical background really come out? But I’m a Spanish teacher by trade, that was my first teaching gig. But they started one out here, and I was teaching Music Theory, I was teaching Music Engineering, as well as Financial Literacy and all kind of other stuff. It was a recording arts school, and they had one out in Minnesota, at the heart of where everything kicked off with the Black Lives Matter movement round two. The last teaching job I had, I taught at the High School for Recording Arts. I read that you were also a Music Theory teacher in high school? I kind of was groomed, me and my brothers, and my cousin Tiffany, we were all groomed to do this. Now, I’m thirty-four years old and, you know, we gettin’ it. I’ve just been at it throughout my entire life. My first thing when I went to college, I started my own independent label and built a studio and all kinds of things.
By ten years old I’m writing raps and songs and stuff, and by the time I’m thirteen, I’m making beats. My mom sat me down and started teaching me piano as early as six years old, so that was the start of it. Seeing that instilled something in me like, I can do this, you know? You never question yourself when the people who raised you are doing it at the highest level. So as a youngster, coming up, I was always in the middle of jam sessions and church services where the people on stage, killing it, were my family. He played behind Destiny’s Child, you know, you name it, he probably played for them. He played for like, Chaka Khan, Prince, he toured the world with everybody.
So it started with her, my mother and my uncle both do music professionally. But she was in the studio and they were like, "Alright, we want you to sing it like this," and she was like, "Oh, no, baby, I’m gonna sing it how I sing it," you know what I’m saying? And they were like, "Alright, well if you’re not going to listen you can do your thing," and she was like, "Thank you, goodbye." She actually sang “Midnight Train To Georgia," among other songs, you know, before it came out. And then somebody discovered her, so to speak, and she had an opportunity to get signed. She was one of those singers that had to enter through the backway because she was singing in clubs where she couldn’t actually hang out. Her father was a pastor, and then when she became an adult, she was always touring, singing in clubs. She grew up playing in church, singing in church. So, my family’s musical background starts with my grandmother. For those who might not know, can you walk me through your family’s history with music and how that played a role in your artistic development at a young age?Ībsolutely. I definitely wanted to capture that in the music. Writing for other artists, writing literature, my time in the classroom. I had been writing for a minute in different capacities, you know.
Something I really wanted to say, too, off the bat, was the writing on the album was so well put-together, it really was clear that for a new artist - quote-unquote new, I know you’ve been doing this for a long time - you know what you’re doing. I couldn’t feel better about what we did this year.ĭefinitely, and the year's not even done. Taking down Rhythm + Flow, and Black Habits is a fantastic body of work. I wanted to congratulate you on all the recent success.
Thank you so much for doing this, taking the time. D Smoke: I’m doing good man, how are you doing?Ĭan’t complain, honestly.
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