What does this project mean to you, and though this is the first we’ve heard, is it the first collective project you’ve made since you’ve started?
Yeah this album really means a whole lot to me and took a long time to bring together. Some of these records are some of my first good one’s I made years ago. I really wanted to showcase my palate and approach production wise in it’s purest form. 4r is definitely something I love top to bottom and making it all cohesive was almost as fun as recording the homies. Having Key on this album means a lot and he makes it look so easy, man can engineer better than most too.
What is the inspiration behind the aesthetics of this album? Visual art and sound-wise, what were the key benefactors to the creative direction of this project?
I have a strange connection with LA and had so many life changing experiences there. To me nothing beats driving around LA at night thinking about how everything changed so fast and how strange it all is. In a lot of these records I tried to capture what that felt like. Reproduce that experience so other people kinda realize what’s possible. Night drives in LA is why the visual content is out of a car and shots of cars driving. Kinda a motif I plan to keep around for now with these next two projects coming this January.
Who were the most important people, other than yourself, involved with making this project what it came to be?
To begin with, the artists that were down to be on this are some of the most genuine people/artists I’ve met. These people are beyond creative and mean a lot to me personally. The samples I used are amazing and I really hand chose the samples and producers very deliberately. Very few producers align with what I like to hear so it was awesome to learn from and build off these samples. A couple of my personal favorite producers that I actually listen to all the time have music out similar to mine (Keem and Des) and it’s a huge reason why I’m doing what I’m doing in the first place.
What were your personal motivations behind this album? What did you want to say with this project?
I gotta give everything I have creatively to this world. After years of experiences, learning, and building my discography; I have the confidence to unveil what I know how to do. It’s my first step into my contribution while I’m here.
How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before, without using words that have to do with music. (e.g. happy, melancholy, energetic, sultry)
Your favorite artists artist, any of all kind. If you’re an artist/creative mind, just listen.
Who do you listen to on a regular basis? Who are your go-to artists that really strike your creative nerve?
The people I listen to are what I ultimately aim to emulate in my own organic way (especially for quality/cohesive reasons), I am a version/extension of their sound(s). I.e.Earl, Liv.e, TDE, Keem the Cipher, Tyler, The Internet, Q, Steve Lacy, Outkast, & Knxwledge. Knxwledge almost everyday (main inspiration for intro and outro/gotmyheadright)
Walk us through the steps the group takes to create a track. What is your creative process? Do you guys happen to just walk into the studio and throw some beats on until one sticks? Or is there a more delicate process involved?
Most of these records were made on my own time locked in my room for hours/days. 4r the Folks was the only live session I created from start to finish. Pulled up to the homies and we always record but we were working on his EP and we made this. Definitely came out of us and him organically and I tried to bring Quentin out of his comfort zone just enough to let him shine in places he wasn’t aware of. I learned that from Pharrell actually, a huge part of making original records is to expose parts of each other you didn’t know was super tight like weird pockets or just catching funny/cool ad-libs to add in the mix. I could definitely write a book on this one cause it’s my favorite part but yeah very grateful to know this kid for so many years and I definitely wanted to put homie on since I learned so much working with Rory and Zay.