sam shindel-spencer – Communiqué

Adé Hakim On His Role in the Modern Renaissance And Being On To Better Things

Adé Hakim, (AKA Sixpress) is a Bronx creative, who has been creating his own sound alongside sLUms the NYC hip-hop collective for some time now. He was credited with the production on Earl Sweatshirt’s recently released single “Nowhere2go” and is at the forefront of a new generation of artists in NYC. He stopped by the WKDU station on April 20th for a short on-air playlist of beats themed “Black History Month Lives On”, and a conversation to discuss what he’s been up to, the modern renaissance, and his latest project: On to Better Things, along with much more. After our interview, Adé went on to play a prodigious set with fellow New York producer Sporting Life at Big Mama’s warehouse to an audience of fans he was quick to unify.

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Artist Profile: Freddy Guwap

I recently was introduced to Freddy Guwap, an upcoming local West Philadelphia rap artist who has received some big-name cosigns in the music industry. We got a chance to catch up and discuss where he’s coming from.

What’s up man – how are you, and what are you up to right now?

Wassup fam I’m doing good, maintaining my work.

How old are you, and what part of Philadelphia are you from?

I’m an 18yr old artist born in Brooklyn, raised in West Philly 61st and Jefferson.

What kind of role does your music play in your life right now?

Music plays a big role in my life, keeps me out of trouble and it’s always been a dream to inspire others with my craft.

What kind of music/rap did you listen to growing up?

Growing up I listened to artists such as Soulja Boy and Chief Keef. It’s many other artists I listened to, but I don’t have a specific genre, it’s whatever that gets my attention.

What made you want to be a rapper?

What made me want to rap truthfully was my childhood friend Joshua who passed away a few years ago. Every day at lunch from 2nd grade to the beginning of high school they put me on the spot to rap, as he made beats on the lunchroom tables. It helped me get better and it’s a big part of how I make my music and why I choose beats with a lot of hard bass. I also had a friend named Tamir who passed away during middle school that was already into making music in the studio. Honestly, he inspired me to go to the studio because if it wasn’t for him being the only 7th grader in the studio, I probably wouldn’t have taken action to go and record. But after he passed, I took music more seriously.

How would you describe your style?

My style is indescribable it’s just Wapstar shit, ain’t no telling what I’m gonna record.

Young M.A. recently cosigned you, how did that come about, and how does it feel having the support of one of the biggest female rap artists out there?

The Young M.A co-sign came through my team, my manager and most importantly my music and work ethic. It feels good to have an inspiration like the Queen showing love. I’ve had many people show me love in the industry such as Slim Jimmi from Rae Sremmurd, YBN Nahmir, PnB Rock and Loso Loaded, that’s why I know it was destined for me to make it in music. But M.A. was actually genuine, it’s a few more who are too but not everybody is going to like you for your music, it’s about if you have a fan base behind you.

She was into your new track Da Skeechie, it’s been gaining some traction.

Da Skeechie is the hottest song out, video shot by ShuggC the hardest videographer, you’re gonna hear a lot more about him too.

What can we expect in terms of the future? What kind of goals do you have for 2019?

I don’t know what the future holds but expect success. My goal for 2k19 is just to have an even better work ethic than I do right now, the more I work the more I’m going to see progress.

Any shout-outs?

I wanna shout out my family, my supporters and everyone on my team.

Thanks Freddy, appreciate your time, looking forward to what you got coming.

I’m looking forward to what I have coming too, we don’t know what else is in store. Thanks for your time.

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/freddyguwap

Instagram: @freddyguwapp

Artist Profile: Wes Phili

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I had the pleasure of chopping it up with local independent rapper Wes Phili on how he’s been, where he’s been, and what went into his debut album Black Flower.

First of all, how old are you, tell me about where you are from, and what kind of influence where you are from has had on your music.

26, from North Philly. Grew up seeing both sides of the fence. Divorced parents; Mother, a lawyer who would eventually move to a more quiet area just outside of Philly. Father, a working man living in one of North Philly`s several hoods. My music comes from my experiences growing up in both, along with having lived in NYC in my later teens & early 20s. Philly is an MC`s mecca…long history of battle rap and great lyricists just like its brother NYC. Reppin Philly is askin for that torch…and by default you can’t be weak on a mic if you wanna carry that…bein nice at ya craft is showin respect to those that paved the way for you.

What kind of hip-hop scene, if any, were you exposed to growing up?

“The Infamous” by Mobb Deep was the first album I ever owned. That was my introduction to rap as a kid…and I was hooked. From there, I then moved on to albums like “Illmatic”, “Enter the 36 Chambers”, “OB4CL”….and the rest was history.

You said recently you are in Japan for the time being, tell me a little bit about what you’re up to, and what the change has been like.

I came out here just for a change of scenery to help me reflect on my life and figure out what I really wanted to do with it. Felt like I was in a bubble back home, and I needed to get outta that and find a place of solitude away from everything familiar, where I could breathe and think clearly. Still a working man, but my free time is almost entirely spent on perfecting my craft. The goal being to live completely off my music soon.

In a sentence or less, how would you describe your style?

Eclectic… I`m a little a bit of everything and future releases will reflect that.

Who do you listen to music-wise? and who has inspired you? Hip hop related or not.

I listen to anything and everything. If it sounds good, I`ll listen to it; regardless of genre. Recently though, my playlist has been filled with a lot of Roc Marciano, Mick Jenkins, Mach Hommy, (Illmatic – I Am… era) Nas, Lupe Fiasco, and Black Thought. All of these MCs have elite pens, and you can learn something different from listening to each. No matter how much I improve, I`ll always be a student of the game.

You said it took about a year to complete Black Flower. When you first started did you intend for it to take that long?

Absolutely. I like to take my time when making music in general…and doubly so with Black Flower. Black Flower was me really challenging myself lyrically and content-wise. In my opinion, storytelling is what separates your average artist from your truly great ones…and instead of doing that with just one track, I wanted to challenge myself to do it throughout an entire album. One single story told throughout 10 tracks. A lot of effort went into this project, and I feel my penmanship grew with each track I wrote.

What does your writing process look like? I.e., medium, ambiance, company etc.

Complete solitude. I lock myself in my room and tune out everything around me, focusing only on what`s directly in front of me. There`s an interesting story from Nas`s early career about how he went “missing” for a day or so. He was found in a room that he rented just for writing, with papers filled with rhymes and verses scattered everywhere and all that. I`m not much different.

What goals, if any, did you have going into the creation of Black Flower, and do you think you achieved those goals?

No grand goals or schemes…I just wanted to test myself, tell a story, and create a listening experience as best as I could. If the end result attracted an audience & fanbase, cool. If it didn`t, also cool. This was more for me to experiment with my artistry and push my boundaries further. Do I feel I accomplished that? Absolutely.

How do you feel about how it’s been received thus far?

I`m pleased. I haven`t really been heavily promoting the album or anything I`ve done to keep it real… I`ll just finish something and if I like how it sounds I`ll put it out there, then will move directly onto the next thing. I`m assuming most are finding out about the album through word of mouth, and the feedback I`ve been getting back has been entirely positive. This just motivates me to continue taking my time to make sure everything I release continues to be of quality.

Tell me about your relationship with JLVSN, and how you two worked together to put together an album like this.

JLVSN is the god and is one of the most talented producers out there by far. He reached out to me letting me know he was feeling my sound, and proceeded to send me pure heat. Everything he sent me I connected with instantly, and knew immediately I was going to make an album with dude. Much more will be coming from us both soon.

What was the process behind choosing samples and some of the theme-central intros/outros?

I`m a film addict and I wanted to do something with that…so I decided to make a film through music. Once I had an idea in mind for the story I wanted to tell, knowing what to use for the skits came naturally. As for the samples, I knew what vibes and feelings I wanted the listener to experience on each track, so it was just about choosing samples that could bring those to light.

Only two features on the album, but Heem Stogied and Estee Nack definitely stood their ground, tell me a little about your relationship with these two, and how these features came about.

I first heard Heem Stogied on one of Mach Hommy`s earlier joints and thought dude was ill. So, I went on to check out his King Stogied Dump Gawd tape and was like damn…. dude raw as hell. Whole style from the flow, energy (unmatched here), cadence, and lyrics…all the coldest shit man.

I got put onto Estee Nack from the knowledge god Nick Gauder (fadeawaybarber). Listened to a few tracks of his on SoundCloud and was like yo…his talent is ridiculous. The rhyme schemes, unorthodox flows…there’s layers to his shit man…and those adlibs…no words man shit crazy.

They both came through and were perfect fits for the album.

How did you link up with Camouflage Monk? He has an insanely elite group of collaborators and you seem to fit right in skill-wise.

Camouflage Monk is God…you know it, your friends know it, and anyone else that`s up to speed with the renaissance going on in hip hop right now knows it. No doubt he`ll be revered in the same respects as Knxwledge, Madlib, and the likes real soon. I reached out to him and had him check out a track I did with Nicholas Craven (another god) and he was feeling it so we connected. Expect more from him & I soon too.

Based off some of the really personal songs on this album like What A Man Wants it seems like despite having been through a lot of strife, you have evolved to a very pragmatic outlook on everything. Speak on that a little.

“What A Man Wants” is the most personal song I`ve ever written. A lot of that song drew from previous relationships I`ve experienced, and in particular, touched on some feelings that I never got a chance to share with my woman that I loved, who had passed away in the middle of me making the album. Took a lot to write that song and finish it. It had my own personal experiences mixed with the story I was telling on the album.

On songs like Heist! You do some really quality storytelling, which has become a less followed path as of more recent times, what inspires you to do so?

The challenge of doing it. Storytelling without sacrificing lyricism…and by that I`m referring to all the similes…metaphors…entendres etc. that are a trademark of hip hop. Making a story interesting but easy to follow while still maintaining a certain level of wordplay ain`t an easy feat…and learning how to do that was a difficult but enjoyable process

What is your favorite song on the album?

High Tension is my personal favorite, then after that would probably be Pipe Dreams. High Tension, because as someone else put it, it`s got an abundance of “flavor”. Pipe Dreams because it takes me back to that old The Infamous & Hell On Earth era Mobb Deep sound.

Will you be returning to Philly anytime soon? What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get back?

Definitely… that’s home. Cliché but likely grab me a good Philly Cheese Steak…been a while…damn.

What can we expect in terms of future releases, collaborations etc.?

Big things…and I mean BIG things starting this year and going into next. Both in the underground scene and outside of it. A massive release with THE ONE AND ONLY God sorcerer Evilldewer, and a few high-level collabs. Stay tuned.

Any shows?

Absolutely. Plan on making a few trips back to do some shows around the end of this year and throughout the next. Maybe even sooner if the bag is right.

Thank you for the interview and the music Wes Phili, looking forward to what you have in store.

Appreciate your time king. Peace to you, and salute.

Listen to Black Flower here: https://wesphili.bandcamp.com/releases.

Instagram: @wesphili

Twitter: @wes_phili

From The Frontlines of General Admission

The White Bronco Tour rode its way to an overwhelmingly warm welcome at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia last Saturday. Action Bronson: rap artist, chef, painter, tv personality and author who released the album White Bronco last November, brought along his long-time friend and fellow rapper Meyhem Lauren, and the legend Roc Marciano for a tundra-flurry of raps. At the merch booth, there were Blue Chips 7000 tapes available along with t-shirts, hoodies and physicals of White Bronco, along with limited edition prints of Bronson’s paintings selling for $100. The show’s audience grew slowly as the show went on, behind each puff of smoke arrived more people until Action took the stage and the venue was packed floor to ceiling.

Meyhem Lauren, co-host of Action Bronson’s Viceland show Fuck, that’s delicious opened with a heavy 30-minute set, performing largely songs from the 2017 DJ Muggs collaborative album: Gems from The Equinox. Although in moments the crowd became lost during some of Muggs’s rawer production, they were brought back into form as Meyhem splintered off into some beat-free verses, flexing his rap muscles. He also debuted a song off of a brand-new Alchemist collaboration entitled Still Playing Celo. His performance was remnant of an opener but exceeded all barriers of talent that accompany that term.

“What’s poppin’ pidgeon
Feed ’em with dollar bills
But never give ’em wisdom
Being exhausted keeps the bezel frosted
Lost it. My mind that is, Braun Aromatic couldn’t have a grind like this”
-Meyhem Lauren

Shortly after Mayhem left the stage, Roc Marciano strolled to the forefront, Hennessey bottle in hand and his team behind him. He sipped his bottle before blessing the crowd with a sturdy, head-on-my-shoulders continuum of bars. He spat verses from a plethora of albums, more notably Rosebudd’s Revenge, RR2: The Bitter Dose and his own DJ Muggs collaborative album KAOS. Almost the same way that Marciano is able to switch his flow from rugged to flush, he handed off his Hennessey for a Fiji bottle in-between songs. Roc’s fans were in the crowd strong, some of which leaving immediately after his performance, solidifying his role as a co-headliner on this tour. For those who know Roc Marciano, seeing him perform is a wild sight, yet his comfort onstage was undeniable and his demeanor was true to his word.

“like a bum eatin’ out the dump, I’m the illest out the bunch. The butterfly was a caterpillar once. Son, if it’s love, then why bring it up like a grudge?
…blood drunk but, nah, I ain’t spiked the punch” -Roc Marciano

Once Roc Marciano had eaten his proverbial fill, Action Bronson “The Human Highlight Reel” took to the stage slowly, with a fist raised high and a stern look that emphasized his role as the main attraction. His entrance to the stage brought with it an applause that matched the volume of the amps I was fortunate enough to be next to. Shortly into his set it was clear Action had blown out his vocal chords slightly, and was experiencing the occasional voice crack on his higher notes. Either due to luck or his abilities, he was still able to produce an awe-inspiring performance, at one point being resourceful enough to do a cover of Biz Markie’s classic raspy voiced single Just a Friend. He continued effortlessly through the new album, tracks like Irishman Freestyle and Prince Charming were only elevated by Bronson’s live delivery and aerobatic ambience. Midway through his set, in memorial to the late Mac Miller, Action took a moment to perform the song Red Dot Music off of Miller’s Watching Movies with the Sound Off, which played out as a somber yet empowering service to his past collaborator and friend. For those who are in the know, the one and only Big Body Bes made a short appearance during Action’s set only to receive an encore in which he returned the stage yelling, “GOD BLESS, WHO ELSE? PHILLY WE OUT HERE!”. Action finished his set with an encore as well, performing a brand-new song with a lackadaisical flow and guitar strum layered production, it seemed like a well-fitted bonus track off of White Bronco. Action Bronson’s larger than life personality was humbled during his performance and he made sure to show love to the fans that had been with him for the long haul.

The White Bronco Tour is coming to a city near you and I suggest you get those tickets before they’re gone. No lack of substance, no Auto-Tone or background vocals, real hip-hop shared between the artist and the individual.

“Understand I’m only rhyming for this son of mine
And so my daughter can be a lawyer and reap the spoils
We ate the tuna, it’s suede puma, my look is Jay Buhner
Dawgie cause some of us just age sooner
I’m still twisted, rocking lizards from a strange river
Forbidden jungle in the joint paper, point shaver
Check the bio, I fixed the game between Kentucky and Miami of Ohio
I been wild” -Action Bronson