Linked up with Compton rapper Buddy at SXSW to discuss a range of topics like his new single “Black” featuring A$AP Ferg, his upcoming debut album, working with Pharrell, being featured on Nipsey Hussle’s ‘Victory Lap’ album, musical inspirations, and more.
Watch the interview below.
TWITTER: @IAMBNYCE
INSTAGRAM: CONTENT.PAPI
If you’re not hip to Rexx Life Raj yet, I guarantee you once you press play on his music you will be hooked! I linked up with the Berkeley rapper after his set at the Nice Kicks showcase at SXSW. We vibed out and talked about his dog, his experience at his first SXSW, working with Russ, his forthcoming project, making relatable music, and more. My guy even spit a little a capella freestyle after the interview to display his lyrical skills as well.
Listen to the full interview and freestyle below via SoundCloud.
@IAMBNYCE
Maxo Kream was pretty busy at Austin’s SXSW music conference, but I was able to link up and have a sit down conversation with him. The Houston rapper shared his admiration for Nas, talked about his forthcoming project, what producer he really wants to work with, his musical inspirations, told me he has a single coming with PnB Rock, and more.
Listen to the full interview below via SoundCloud.
@IAMBNYCE
The 2017 edition of the South by South West, music conference in Austin, Texas kicked off over the weekend. Although there was some performances, the real action doesn’t begin until this week with several music showcases from Def Jam, Dreamville, HotNewHipHop, The Source Magazine, Atlantic Records, TIDAL, and others.
From signed musicians to up-and-coming independent artists, I’ve compiled 17 artists you absolutely should NOT miss if you are attending the annual music conference. Check it out below.
RICK ROSS
With his 9th studio album, ‘Rather You Than Me’ dropping this Friday, you know Rick Ross is going to light up the VIBE Magazine showcase with new songs and special guests. The performance will take place March, 16th at The Mazda Studio from 12:35 am to 1:05 am.
DREAMVILLE
One of the most successful teams in the industry, Dreamville, will have their own showcase at Old School on March, 16th, beginning at 8:30 pm. Catch performances from the team’s own: Bas, Cozz, Ari Lennox, Omen, J.I.D, Lute, Ron Gilmore, and a set from DJ Nitrane.
2 CHAINZ
A staple in hip-hop, 2 Chainz, has an extensive catalog that is sure to turn a party up. The Atlanta rapper has been one of the most consistent artists of this era. You could see Chainz at EMO’s on March 16th at 10:45 pm.
MIKE WILL MADE-IT
Mike WiLL has been in the studio heavy working on his forthcoming project, ‘Ransom 2’. The mega-producer, has produced for the biggest names ranging from Rihanna to Drake. With two showcases scheduled, the producer may just drop some new shit off the upcoming ‘Ransom 2’.
METRO BOOMIN’
Responsible for many of the hits topping the charts, Metro Boomin’ is an absolute can NOT miss. Metro will be doing a 1-hour set at Antone’s on Friday, March 17th. You know he’s guaranteed to bring special guests out.
DJ ESCO
Future’s sidekick, DJ Esco, has had been very influential figure in music. The electrifying DJ always keeps the crowd going as he plays different trap sounds, while rocking the audience. Find Esco at Empire Garage March 15th and Mohawk Outdoor on March 18th.
A$AP FERG
The Trap Lord had a very successful run through last year’s SXSW showcases. This year he’s minimized his work load to one show, but it is sure to be worth it. Ferg will be at 800 Congress March, 15th at 1am.
TY DOLLA $IGN
Get ready to get ratchet with Ty Dolla $ign. The LA superstar will perform as part of Atlantic Records showcase with TIDAL at Stubb’s on Saturday, March 18th. Ty will go on at 11:10 pm.
DAVE EAST
Dave East is one of the most lyrical new artists out. The New York-product displayed his deadly lyrics on his L.A. Leakers freestyle, which you can watch HERE. East will also perform at Stubb’s March 16th.
KENT JONES
DJ Khaled’s artist, Kent Jones, broke out last year with the single, “Don’t Mind.” Kent dropped a new single over the weekend. Catch the Miami-representative performing at Empire Garage on Thursday, March 16th at 10:30 pn.
MAXO KREAM
Maxo Kream has a nice blend of sounds that is influenced by the south. The Houston-born rapper will close things out at the Palm Door on Sixth Patio on March, 16th at 1:30 am.
KAP G
Atlanta has one of the most influential sounds in the industry. Atlanta rapper Kap G is keeping the scene alive with his trappy sound. Since his single, “Girlfriend,” the Mexican-American rapper has been on the up-and-up. See Kap G at the Atlantic Records, “Make Trap Great Again” showcase.
G. PERICO
Los Angeles rapper, G. Perico, has stayed true to the traditional West Coast sound. If you haven’t yet, listen to his recently-released ‘Shit Don’t Stop’ project. G will perform at the 512 Rooftop on March 16th at 12:30 am.
DON MYKEL
Uptown, New York’s Don Mykel has been bodying freestyle after freestyle and consistently putting out quality music. Don will show off his skills at two Source Magazine showcases, being “Respect the Plug” on March 15th and “Legally Loud 4” on March 16th.
ZOEY DOLLAZ
FreeBandz rapper, Zoey Dollaz, is one of the nicest new rapper out of Florida. His new single “YAYAYA” featuring Future and Koly P is a party-starter. Catch Zoey performing at The Source Magazine showcases, “Respect the Plug” on March 15th and “Legally Loud 4” on March 16th.
ROCKY BANKS
One of the hungriest up-and-coming rappers, Rocky Banks, was one of my “Indie Picks of the Week” last year and has really continued to develop. His recent project, ‘Trust In Banko’ proves he will be a mainstay in hip-hop for years to come. Rocky will do two showcases. See Rocky at The Palm Door on Sixth for the “Welcome to tha South” showcase on March 15th and March 16th at the “Fresh Picks” showcase at Club 512 Rooftop.
SAINT JHN
Brooklyn’s SAINt JHN, is an emerging rapper/singer who has a different sound than other New York artists. After going on tour with Post Malone last year, SAINt is destined to show the world he’s a force to be reckoned with. See SAINt’s melodic performance Saturday, March 18th at Empire Control Room.
@IAMBNYCE
You know TK N Cash had to stop by and chop it up with us on their stop in LA. Fresh off doing 15 shows in three days at SXSW, the duo sat down with B Nyce to discuss their upcoming E.P., their experience being in the music industry since their early teen years and about the creative freedom they have being signed to 300 Ent.
Listen to the full interview below:
@IamBNyce
R.I.P. PHIFE DAWG
Hip-hop lost a true pioneer this week with the death of Phife Dawg, who passed away at the age of 45 after a long battle with diabetes.
His family released a statement which you can read below:
“We regret to share the news that on Tuesday March 22nd, 2016, Malik has passed away due to complications resulting from diabetes,” the statement reads. “Malik was our loving husband, father, brother and friend. We love him dearly. How he impacted all our lives will never be forgotten. His love for music and sports was only surpassed by his love of God and family.”
He impacted many lives since the inception of supergroup, A Tribe Called Quest. The funky lyrics he spit to those classic instrumentals will forever live in my head.
The 5-foot Assassin released five albums as part of A Tribe Called Quest and one solo album in 2000. He was a true poet, lyricist and musician.
I hope you all will Find A Way to the Award Tour as you link up with miss Bonita Applebum to have Hot Sex On A Platter as you embark on the Scenario.
My favorite Phife Diggy line was the one below:
"I like em brown yellow Puerto Rican or Haitian, my names #phifedawg from the Zulu nation" RIP 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 🔊 pic.twitter.com/IryjzR9ybF
— Nayrb (Content Papi) (@iambnyce) March 23, 2016
Feel free to share your favorite Phife Dawg line in the comments section.
R.I.P Phife Dawg. https://t.co/g2pkMT0hx6 #TBT pic.twitter.com/6urci0Hmte
— TimWestwoodTV (@TimWestwood) March 24, 2016
https://twitter.com/HQonESPN/status/713486012131880960
.@IceCube on Phife Dawg: "He's going to be missed. He's a giant pioneer, to me, in that style of rap." #RIPPhifeDawghttps://t.co/NEkb5oH4j8
— REVOLT (@revolttv) March 25, 2016
Straight from the heart. I represent hip-hop. #RIPPhifeDawg
— Elliott Wilson (@ElliottWilson) March 23, 2016
LA native Taboo of #TheBlackEyedPeas @TabBep called in to talk about #PhifeDawg and his impact on hip hop https://t.co/XnE2fPB8om
— The Cruz Show (@TheCruzShow) March 23, 2016
Phife Dawg talks the impact of his lyrics with MTV News in 2000. #RIPPhifeDawg https://t.co/4Lj3776AII
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) March 23, 2016
REST IN POWER, Phife.
50 CENT AND THE GAME PARTY AT THE SAME CLUB
One of the longest standing beefs in hip-hop is probably 50 Cent’s and The Game’s, dating back to 2005. Since then there’s been a number of diss tracks and even a couple of unfortunate violent situations between both entourages.
This past week it appeared as if things were a bit more peaceful with both rappers making appearances at the same club in Hollywood.
Although the two did not share a handshake or even a stage it was huge for both rappers to be in the same building after the negativity that has existed between them.
Game seemed to be playing peacemaker as he ordered more than a few bottles of 50’s Effen Vodka and followed by praising the taste of the vodka on his Instagram. In addition he mentioned the two “used to be as tight as @Kehlani pussy.” The post has since been deleted.
Nice to see the two can actually be in the same place enjoying themselves without any drama. Hopefully they can put their differences in the past and go back to making the fire music they once made together.
KANYE MAKES A QUICK MIL
Kanye West tweeted a couple weeks ago that he was over $50-million in debt. The situation appeared to be so dire he tweeted millionaires and billionaires to invest in ‘Ye.
Well, according to Mr. West he made $1-million in two days from “The Life Of Pablo”-inspired pop-up shop in New York. We’ve all seen the price tags on Kanye’s jackets, hoodies, t-shirts and other clothing so it’s very possible.
“The Pablo pop up was almost a pop up of influence,” he tweeted. ““but there is no other brand that could sell 1 million dollars of clothing in 2 days from 1 location!!!”
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/712416940711669761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/712417183473782785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/712423750520721408
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/712424774891409410
Well, if things continue to go as they are he just needs another 52 pop-up shops to be debt-free! Yay! Or should I say ‘YE!
JAY ELECTRONICA EMBARKING ON A TOUR
Although this may sound like a myth, Jay Electronica announced he will be going on a five city tour.
The tour is scheduled to be kicked off next week in San Francisco, CA. and most shows will be on the West coast, atleast for this run.
During his April 2nd show he’ll perform a J. Dilla tribute along with Slum Village, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat, Blaqroyalt.
Here’s all the tour stops and venues:
03/30 – San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom
04/02 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
04/03 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
04/06 – Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
04/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze
04/13 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
04/17 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
Listen to his newest song below:
Still no word on the album but don’t hold your breath. I’m sure if it ever drops it will include a Frank Ocean feature and may even drop the same day Detox drops. Jokes.
SXSW RECAP
The biggest independent music festival capped off this week and there was way too much to talk about, so let’s highlight the main happenings.
Drake closed out the final night of the Fader Fort as he surprised guests after Yo Gotti got off the stage.
Drizzy performed some of his newer hits like, “Jumpman,” “Energy,” “Know Yourself” to name a few.
You requested it, so we rewind. pic.twitter.com/DhqBPNj6uF
— The FADER (@thefader) March 20, 2016
In his final year of presidency, Barack Obama became the first president ever to take part in any festivities at SXSW.
Barack hit up the SXSW Interactive Keynote Conversation where he showed major support and appreciation to “influencers.”
During the keynote, the First Lady released a song to support her #62MillionGirls global education initiative which she discussed at the event.
Listen to a snippet of the song, “This Is For My Girls,” written by Diane Warren and features Missy Elliott, Janelle Monaé, Kelly Rowland, Kelly Clarkson, Lea Michele, Zendaya and others.
Althought there were countless David Bowie tributes at this year’s festival none was bigger than Anderson .Paak and The Free Nationals.
The combination of both genres made for one of the best Bowie tributes I’ve ever seen.
Paak is already a blend of genres in himself with the way he meshes hip-hop, R&B and even a little bit of dance. There was an abundance of energy and the band was simply graceful.
WRITTEN BY: BRYAN MELARA – @IamBNyce
Do you believe in second chances?
If this week’s Indie Pick of the Week, Rocky Banks did not, he wouldn’t be chasing his dreams today. The Houston rapper still remembers the fateful morning he woke up depressed in his home. That morning he took several drugs in hope of freeing himself from the depression and pain he suffered so badly from.
The mixture of drugs, coupled with a couple dab hits resulted in Banks losing all sense and feeling in his lungs, shutting them down as he hopelessly gasped for air.
“I remember waking up in the hospital and the doctor telling me, “On a scale from one to 10, 10 being completely healthy and one being dead, you were at a two,” he recounts. “It was right then and there I was like alright, God has favor over my life.”
Struggles with drug addiction began early in Banks’ adolescence. Throughout his teenage years, he dealt with a lot of conflict at home and began turning to the Houston street life as an alternative. That’s when things took a turn for the worst.
“I kept getting into fights, got kicked out of school and said fuck this shit I’m gonna just burn out,” he said. “I started getting into shit, started selling petty grams and shit just to get by.”
It was at the age of 17, that Rocky got more involved with drugs. He would take “anything that anybody offered him.” The drugs he consumed ranged from cocaine to Xanax bars and “everything in between.” However, his drug of choice was painkillers.
“I would steal Vicodin from my mom after she would go to the dentist and they would give her the shit after getting a tooth pulled or something,” he said. “I was really into the painkillers a lot, I would do them and just be just chilling.”
Nowadays music has become his new drug and escape. He’s turned dope lyrics, catchy hooks and symphonies into the painkillers he once craved. Music has became a major contributor for leaving drug addiction behind him, with the exception of marijuana, which he doesn’t consider a drug.
On his most recent project, ‘In Other News I Don’t Do Drugs Anymore,’ (I.O.N.I.D.D.A) he discusses his previous addiction and what his life was in full detail.
The ability to blatantly express his emotions on a track came from his poetry writing which he picked up in high school. Poetry helps him explicitly draw his thoughts and emotions out.
“Whatever the emotion is that day or that week rather, I’m going in making songs straight like that,” he exclaimed. “If I’m pissed off about something Ima unleash and spit fire on it, if it’s some type of shit I’m going thru Ima make those storytelling, serious records.”
On the song, “A lot” he pairs his futuristic style with that storytelling he described, while thumping on the hook in a Kendrick Lamar-esque manner. Check it out:
https://soundcloud.com/rocky-bank/alot-1?in=rocky-bank/sets/in-other-news-i-dont-do-drugs
The comparison to Kendrick Lamar is often brought up to Banks and he doesn’t mind it at all, as he views the Compton MC as one of his major inspirations.
“I get told all the time I look like him or I sound like him,” he said. “I know one day Ima run into him, talk about it and just laugh about it.”
Rocky has always been a fan of West Coast rap, growing up listening to it and admits to getting his style from N.W.A. Aside from N.W.A. and K. Dot, his other inspirations are Anderson Paak, Andre 3000, Kanye West, 2-Pac and Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson isn’t only an inspiration musically for Banks, he his also a huge fan of MJ’s choreography skills.
“My family is really big on Michael, so I came up on him,” he proclaimed. “I started doing all the fucking choreography, so that’s when I knew I could entertain people and keep a crowd.”
He’s been preparing to showcase those choreography skills at SXSW in Austin, Texas next week and has been spending a lot of time in the studio working on his next EP, expected to drop this summer.
“Ima keep making this music for the youth, the kids that really have something to say but really don’t know how to say it,” he says. “I’m really tryna go global with it.”
Listen to the full I.O.N.I.D.D.D.A EP here:
Follow him on his socials – @TheRockyBanks.
WRITTEN BY: BRYAN MELARA – @IamBNyce
Before this week’s Indie Pick of the Week, Torrian Ball ever thought of pursuing a career in music as a rapper he had the support of one of Chicago’s OG rappers: Twista, who he met at the ‘Chicago Legends Tour’ in 2004.
Ball was 14-years-old at the time, not even old enough to get into a concert without the accompaniment of his mother.
At the concert there was a contest where anybody in the crowd could go up on stage and kick a freestyle. The winner was chosen by the crowd and given the opportunity to meet Twista backstage.
Considering he grew up emulating Twista’s chopper style of rapping, this was a big deal for Ball and his Illinois bloodline.
“I used to rap just like Twista, that’s where my major influence come from,” Ball said. “I grew up on the Twistas, Do Or Dies era—the whole fast rap era with the Common and the Kanye West, all of that is where I got my inspirations from because I got to see it all evolve.”
He recalls the night he met Twista, where he won the contest in a landslide and was given the opportunity to go backstage.
After the show backstage, Twista pulled Torrian’s mother aside to express his admiration for the young rapper and invite him to go on the rest of the tour with him. Ball’s mother was a huge supporter of her son and granted permission for him to hit the road.
On the tour, a young Torrian would hit the stage in each city they resided to cover one of Twista’s hits at the time. Throughout the tour Ball continued to build a solid bond with the established Chicago rapper.
He maintained the relationship with Twista after the tour and would occasionally hang at the studio to soak up game. At the studio he also learned how the whole music-making process went down and became “the little kid they would send into the store to go get pops and shit.”
“That’s really how I got my feet wet,” he said. “I was in the studio with him [Twista], when him and Kanye were working on “Overnight Celebrity,” “Slow Jamz,” I got to be behind the scenes when they were working on that, doing all the fine tweaks.”
Seeing Chicago heavyweights like Kanye and Twista work on their craft was enough for Ball to really take his rapping to the next level and pursue it as a career.
“I’m one of those artists that really, really takes pride in putting in that work,” he said in a stern tone. “I like to mix both my hustles from the old school to the new school.”
Mixing his hustles was something he had to do when he returned to high school for his junior year. On the first day of class he was involved in a disastrous car accident that left him paralyzed for 11 months.
“I had to teach myself how to walk again,” he said. “Just going through that time in my life I feel that one part of your body shuts down, the rest of them enhance. I really got in-tuned with my mind and expressing myself with words.”
The calamity further motivated him, serving in the interest of his hustle that didn’t stop even after his unfortunate accident.
Torrian’s grind has opened a lot of eyes and ears besides Twista’s. He has received support from fellow Chicago rapper GLC and Taylor Gang head-honcho, Wiz Khalifa, who he had the pleasure of meeting and making a song with.
Ball met Wiz through a promoter during a private summer pool party in Chicago which Khalifa performed at.
After Wiz was kicked out of a handful of hotels for smoking, the promoter called to ask Ball if they could bring Wiz to his house until Khalifa’s manager Will, was released from the police station for the smoking incident.
“I was like yeah, nigga. Of course you can bring this nigga to my crib,” he said giggling. “After they left my producer called me and was like, “yo Wiz wants to show love for letting him stay at your house, he said he has a hook for you.” I was like huh, for real?”
That hook was put on their single, “Wings”, which was released a year later and reached over 150,000 plays on Ball’s SoundCloud. Listen to it here:
https://soundcloud.com/torrianball/featuring-wiz-khalifa-wings-produced-by-big-head-beats
Ball hasn’t gone idle or let the Wiz feature get to his head. Instead he’s continued to work hard on his next project, ‘The 4 God’ EP which he says represents him as well as the “Quad Cities” by way of East Moline, where he’s from.
“I wanna be heard, I’m hungry,” he said. “The title basically is saying I’m the nigga running the city, doing my thing while I’m putting on for the city.”
His first single off the EP, ‘4 God’ illustrates that vision with lyrics like : “Niggas watch me starve, now they wanna play, when I was down wouldn’t front an eighth, had to fall back get my money straight, now my money coming like andale.”
Peep the entire song and fierce lyrics:
https://soundcloud.com/torrianball/4-god
Aside from the verbal abuse, the EP also demonstrates Ball’s skills on the board with the mixing and mastering which he is responsible for on the entire EP.
“I could never pay for enough time to vibe in the studio for them to mix and master my songs,” he said. “I was like fuck that, I’m gonna save my money and teach myself, I was blessed enough to know engineers that let me shadow them and come in after-hours.”
Torrian will be dropping ‘The 4 God,’ March 13th, the same week he is expected to perform at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.
His overall goal in music isn’t limited to getting signed but also to touch the heart of those who listen.
“Whether I make you wanna party, I make you wanna laugh, I wanna make you cry, everything I put out is gonna make you feel something,” he proclaimed.
Follow Torrian Ball on his socials @TorrianBall to keep up with all his moves and also the positivity he embraces through his movement.
“The movement is, ‘The Good Fly Young,’ do good, be fly, live young,” he said. “You go to my socials you see me encouraging my following on the daily basis to push that negativity out and let that positivity come in, because you can’t receive blessings in life until you push that negativity out.”
Learn more about him here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYSe-5QVVQc
WRITTEN BY: BRYAN MELARA – @beeroxx90
Nardwuar caught up with ScHoolboy Q at SXSW.
Lil Wayne sat down with Jimmy Kimmel Live from SXSW, and he talked YMCMB’s Rise Of The Empire, Austin, meeting Willie Nelson, being shot by a fan and accidentally shooting his own self.
Nipsey Hussle performed at Complex SXSW showcase, and during his performance to “Checc Me Out” Dom Kennedy came out to join him, and YG came out and performed “My N***a.”
YG and ScHoolboy Q performed “I Just Wanna Party” off YG’s My Krazy Life at SXSW.
Future debuted the intro to his upcoming Honest album. After that, he took a minute to explain how he was moved by “Drunk In Love” and did love song of his own.
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