D Man, first things first thank you for agreeing to interview with Nefarious Supply! To get the interview started to tell the audience a little about yourself, where you’re from, and what for you into making music?
Firstly, thank you for the opportunity to talk with you on your platform. I was born in Chicago, Il, and moved to Cleveland when I was 9. And I feel like music has always been in me. I really started to develop my ear for music in high school. I was selling compilation mixtapes of artists I was feeling at the time. I even made the mixes my high school basketball team ran out the locker room to before games. I also wrote poetry during that time. Eventually, those interests developed into passions when I began recording my own music.
What major player artists have had the biggest influence on you, your artistry, and the type of music you make?
Wiz Khalifa, bar none. The messages he has consistently conveyed since he first started rapping has been a huge inspiration for me. His really pushing just being a genuine, hustling type nigga has always resonated with me.
In addition to artists how has your location played an important role in your life, and how is the area as far as underground talent?
I come from the Midwest. It’s not an overly glamorized place. Its where you really have to get it out the mud to get to the places you want to be in life. It’s tough to get noticed when you’re not from a major market area, you have to be a lot better than the people who are from those areas. You look at Ye, Cudi, Wiz, guys from the Midwest who put out amazing content, that’s really the only way to make it out of this region. As far as Cleveland’s underground scene, there’s some talent, but I don’t think a lot of guys are backing up their work with the investments necessary to really promote it. It takes a lot to not only create the project but also the music videos and visuals to compliment it.
I gotta say, bro, you’re pretty fly do you have a stylist, or is that all you?
Thanks, man, No stylist. I follow a couple of fashion blogs to stay current, but my style is centered on rare pieces I come up on when I get opportunities.
So from your Instagram page one thing that stands out is your focus on Financial Freedom, so tell us what does financial freedom means to you, and how does the goal of financial freedom fit into your goal of becoming and well-known artist?
Financial freedom is having the ability to create what you truly want to create. You can’t follow your heart when you’re tethered by poverty. I believe that financial freedom is the key to living the life that you’re truly destined to live. Not only that, but you’re able to set your family up to discover their passions without being forced to enter the rat race. As to how it intertwines with my artistry, financial freedom is something I preach proudly. I want the message of securing financial freedom to really resonate with people because I just feel like the world would be a better place if people spent more time chasing their true passions rather than killing themselves just trying to get to the next day.
Tell us about 49Grand?
49Grand is the product of a collective group I’ve been working with for a while now. It started off as a clothing brand in 2016 and has really evolved into more of a lifestyle brand. Its meaning is about being bigger than life, that’s really the meaning behind GRAND. It’s really becoming another platform for us to really show our creative sides and display our process to the people who rock with us.
Okay so music man you just released your new project “I Said What I Said” tell us about this new project?
I SAID WHAT I SAID is my debut project. It was about a six-month recording process. Its name was really me introducing myself to the world. Throughout the project I was authentic as possible, I told you who I am and what I’m about and I’m leaving that there and moving on, which is pretty much where I got the name. It’s a very personal project for me because of how I chose to introduce myself. It was recorded mostly in my basement and I really felt like that helped me dig in and be myself over these beats. I worked closely with the production team throughout the process. I think all of that collaboration really helped me be able to convey exactly what I wanted to over the crazy beats they were sending me.
Who did you have on production on the album and how did you link up with them and get them to help you with the project?
I had David Wesson, a well-known producer out of Detroit contributing to the project. I hit him up on Instagram, had an authentic conversation, and we decided to collaborate off that. I linked up with Jakes And Beats, really the same way. *Need something about brando* I heard some of his beats and hit him up instantly. Then OGBill was a lot more of a personal connection. He’s the little brother of one of my closest friends. When I heard he was making beats, we immediately started working together and we’ve really grown together musically. OGBill made most of the beats on the project was the driving force behind the sound and production. My engineer James Drew was a huge part of the project as well. He executive produced and helped curate the sound of the album. Then some of my day one friends contributed to the order of the tracklist and really helped me develop the feel of this project. It was honestly a huge group effort from a number of people close to me.
So what’s next for you man when can fans expect some visuals off the album, and when are you releasing a new project?
So we have some visuals already out including music videos for “For the Dolla$”, “Midas Touch”, and “Get By”. I’ve got a video for “Catch a Play” in editing as we speak so that should be coming soon and ill be shooting a video for “1 of 1” shortly. I’m already back in the studio cooking up some new music so you can be expecting a project probably in the next couple months.
In addition to musical goals what are some personal goals you set for yourself this year, and where do you see yourself at the end of the decade?
Within music one of my personal goals would be to have at least 4 projects released in 2020, do some shows, get some radio play and continue to develop a solid base, obviously the largest goal being getting signed and doing some collaborations with some well-known artist. Outside of music, I plan on starting a label, purchase some property, get more into financial investing, also get more involved in mentoring youth, which is something that I’m really passionate about. Lastly, I want to be able to put my team on. In a decade, my goal is to go from a player to a coach in this entertainment game. I would have put in the time and gained the experience to really show the next generation how to create a lasting brand that impacts generations.
Who should we feature next on Nefarious Supply (what’s their social media handles)?
@OGbillx definitely deserves a feature, and @JamesDrew as well. Those guys are extremely talented and are definitely going to succeed in this music industry.
Any last words?
Check out “I SAID WHAT I SAID” on all streaming platforms. Also dropping a podcast find that @futurefirst on Instagram. Real Niggas are coming back. I promise you that.
Big shoutout to D-Man for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply be sure to check out his project “I Said What I Said” which can be found on all streaming platforms. If you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date wit him you can find him on Instagram, Twitter, and you can check out his collective brand here.
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