Autmn Rains - Safehouse (EP)

Autmn it's great to have you back on Nefarious Supply, the last time we talked you had just released your newest project Run2U, so since that time how have you been, and what's new? 

Thank you so much for having me back, I really appreciate the opportunity. I have been really busy but good! I have just released my second EP “Safehouse.” This project was executively produced by LxndxnAve, with co-producers DV$TPH, B4H (Better4herr) and Downsilence.

Since we last caught up what are some things you have learned about yourself, the process of making music, and the overall music industry?

I feel I have grown so much as a person since my last release. I don’t feel as pressured as I used to in terms of getting my music out there. I am of the view now that the right people who need to hear my music will find me. I can just be myself and attract what is meant for me. My music process is also way more relaxed, as much as I still push myself to grow as an artist, I feel I am embracing the journey and process way more. I am not as fixated on things being a certain way and I trust that if something doesn’t work out the way I want or envision, it means there’s something better.

It’s a way better place for me to be in mentally. In terms of the music industry, it’s definitely been eye opening in terms of the highs and lows. I have learnt a lot by educating myself, I still have a lot to learn though I am more comfortable with setting my boundaries when I need to and only accepting opportunities that align with me. I have also been mentoring other artists and producers and helping them on their individual journey with the knowledge I have learned up until now, so that’s been really rewarding for me. 

What artists and albums have been in heavy rotation, and what is your favorite project of 2021 so far? 

At the moment I am loving Dylan Sinclair and Vague Detail. I feel they are both going to be huge inspirations for me heading into making my next project. 

So let's get into your newest project Safehouse if Run2U was an introduction to you Safehouse feels like an even deeper dive into your expression as an artist. So just walk us through this project including what inspired it, the inspiration behind each song, and how it differs from Run2U? 

Yes Safehouse is definitely a deeper dive, I had thought of the concept just after I released Run2u and the majority of it was actually done at the end of 2020. I was originally planning to release it then but delayed it because I felt like it was going to be a full length album to be released at the end of 2021. However, about a month ago I decided that the project was done because nothing further was coming out that felt cohesive with this group of records. It needed to come out for me to then move onto the next chapter which will be the next EP and I probably wouldn’t have put it out if I sat on it any longer. I was actually inspired a lot by being in lockdown, in Australia we were in lockdown for about six months on and off. Because of this I was forced to make my house a sanctuary and it really felt like a “Safehouse.”

I had to face myself during this time and deal with a lot of my own triggers and so these were all the records that came out while I was going through this. I feel the production and mixing improved since Run2u, this time around we (LxndxnAve and I) had better equipment and were able to complete most of the home studio. I feel like because I worked on myself more as a person and having grown more into myself and my voice, you can hear it that in the delivery it’s more confident in comparison to Run2u. The whole project was executively produced by LxndxnAve again and he also co-wrote with me. A lot of the time I write what comes to me in the moment when I hear the beat, I don’t usually plan what I am going to write about that’s never worked for me. I just go off feeling and trust that if it’s meant to come out it’s meant to be on the project. I often feel the process of creating a project is cycling through the “bad” records until you make the ones that “hit.”

Intro – The snippets in the intro are actually unfinished records from between the period of recording Run2u and Safehouse. It was LxndxnAve’s idea to emulate the car scene and I was so excited when he did this because I feel my music is perfect for late night drives (plus I also love to drive it’s where I get a lot of my ideas). 

Right Now – Co-produced by DV$TPH. I actually wrote that record in one go, I was feeling down that day and disappointed in a lot of people so that was a collective type release for me. It almost didn’t make the project because I wasn’t sure about it to be honest I was just venting, but I am glad LxndxnAve pushed for it because a lot of people seem to resonate with it. 

Everytime – This record was completed in sections, LxndxnAve wrote the first few lines and I came back in a few times when I felt the urge to finish it naturally. I feel like beat just moved me and so that’s literally what came out. 

Needs – Co-produced by B4H. The beat on this record really inspired me, it’s not a usual R&B beat it’s more Drill/R&B so it put me in the space to deliver what came through when I heard it. LxndxnAve really helped me with the cadence and being able to finish it because he started the record. 

Safehouse – I told LxndxnAve that I wanted to call this project Safehouse and so he had the idea for me to have a song called that. I remember he played the melody when we were just relaxing and I soon as I heard it the first verse came to me. I felt like I was floating when I heard it, it came so easy. He really helped with putting the hook together and I came back and wrote the second verse a few days later. All of the background vocals were recorded later on, I wanted to experiment with seeing what I could add and have them more in the front to compliment the main vocal and this isn’t something I usually do. 

I wish – Co-produced by Downsilence. For this record I literally got on the mic and freestyled the hook in one take, and it ended up being the one we used. I had no idea what I was talking about but that’s what the beat made me do. This record felt so unorthodox I had never heard a beat like that and it just felt right, it took me a few sessions to complete it. That song to me is like I am putting out my manifestations when I am saying “I wish.” 

Talk to you – I heard the melody and I wrote the hook pretty quick. It was just something I heard in my head and it was just repeating. LxndxnAve initially didn’t see my vision but I am glad I pushed for it because he was able to help me finish writing it. 

Breaking Down (Outro) – LxndxnAve actually wrote the lyrics of this record he was repeating it randomly, I remember joking around asking what he was on about. I remember just zoning out to it and just letting my voice go where it needed to go. He played the keyboard at the end and was in such flow, I feel like he really tapped into something higher because he doesn’t usually play keyboard fluently. I really enjoyed the process of making this one and it tied together so perfectly with having the car emulation and finishing off the project. 

Similar to the previous project you worked with LxndxnAve & DV$TPH. How did the making of this project differ from Run2U, and what was your favorite part about putting it together?

When Run2u was created a lot of those records were completed in one recording session because the feeling and inspiration was there. With Safehouse, a lot of the records were actually completed in sections. Like Run2u, I wanted to maintain that organic feeling when recording and not just pushing the records out for the sake of it. I didn’t want to rush that process if it wasn’t coming to me naturally in that moment or if time didn’t allow. It gave me a better experience coming back to them because I was able to absorb half of the song then the second part would come to me later. My favorite part was putting the intro and outro together, I felt it tied all of the records together to really tell the story and take people on that journey I wanted them to experience.

So what’s next for you, where do you want to be by the end of 2021, who do you want to work with, and what is your number one goal?

My number one goal is probably putting this third EP together. I also want to mentor more artists. I am currently building a small community that is a “Safehouse” for everyone to support each other. What has helped me the most is having genuine people around me, and I feel it’s so necessary for creatives as it’s a long and lonely journey at times. I would love to work with Jayla Darden and have other producers work with myself and LxndxnAve for the next project. 

Any last words? 

Thank you again for having me again! I really appreciate your ongoing support to myself and all the independent artists around the world.

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Big shout out to Autmn Rains for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, be sure to check out her newest project Safehouse EP and if you want to stay up to date with her and her music you can find her on Instagram, Souncloud, and Twitter.

Hidden Hills Forever - Hell of A Night (EP)

Hiddenhillsforever it’s great to get you back on Nefarious Supply the last time we featured you was in September 2019 after the release of your newest project at the time WSTSIDE IN THE HILLS. So since then what’s new with you, how have you been, and what has changed in your career since then?

First off, appreciate you guys for having me, it’s been a minute. I took a lot of time to rebrand and create what I’ve considered to be a blueprint for myself as an artist in terms of branding, and setting goals to set myself up for a successful career.Since we last spoke, I’m now being managed by Tyland Jackson from Tay Keith’s label Drumatized. I feel that I’m definitely in the right place now more than ever to grow more as an artist based off-of the crazy opportunities ahead of me.

Aside from that, my name is growing everyday and I’m beginning to connect all the dots to get me where I need to go because of my hard work behind the scenes, it just feels like everything is falling in place foreal foreal. My main concern and focus is my mental health and physical health always, i leave the rest up to the most high.

How have you been growing your name and your network within this industry and since we last spoke, who are some new artists that you worked with?

Just networking through social media and just getting out more to put a face to a name, as well as utilizing my marketer to run ads and my PR on press releases to build my SEO. New features I would say would be on my new project titled “Hell Of A Night” I’ve worked with ImJaehall and Bryan Cheru. I have some crazy features in the vault but I cannot disclose who just yet just stay tuned.

In addition to building what are some things, you have learned about yourself and the music industry that you didn’t know back in 2019?

The industry is exactly what you make it, meaning how you carry yourself, who you decide to hang with, and how you decide to conduct business and who you decide to conduct business with. Honestly, as artists we feel rushed so a big lesson I’ve learned is to slow down and have your catalog, branding and some trustworthy people around you because It’;s either sink or swim in the industry and it can be a revolving door for anyone who does not have a solid foundation.

Also I’ve learned more about what luck can mean for an artist’s career “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity”, In other words”stay ready so you don’t have to get ready”, all it takes is the right place and time to change your life.

So back in 2019, you had just launched your independent label HILLSIDE RECORDS, so tell us about your experience going this route, and what are your plans with the label?

I always had a boss-like mentality and I’m such a self driven hard worker, so when i see some of my favorite labels such as, OVO, XO, Cactus Jack and more i just think why can’t that be me? I feel like I can accomplish anything and I have a group of talented individuals with the same vision and we all share a common goal. My Plan is to make a name for myself and put the gang on with me cause we already are some walkin platinum plaques just have to put that work in. It’;s there, I can feel it.

Currently what artists are you going to for inspiration and what albums are in your current rotation right now?

Don Toliver, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Blxst, Travis Scott and many more but I like to take an element out of each artist’s arsenal that makes them so dangerous and sought after in this industry. As for albums I don’t really keep up, I just put Spotify on shuffle and let it take me wherever.

So let’s get into your newest project “Hell of a Night” what was the inspiration for this project, how long did it take you to put it together, how does this project differ from your previous work?

Man honestly Hell of A Night is about a Hell of a night haha it’s just where you find yourself out late trying to see where the night takes you and you’d be surprised what could happen in one night. It took a week to make because some of the songs had been recorded previously almost 2 years ago.

Bro this project has no misses from front to back which is a hard thing to pull off such a great job! Walk us through the project from beginning to end and tell us about each song, and which one is your favorite?

I made the EP in a sequence of event from going out into the night (Hell Of A Night), getting into it with other guys over a girl you love (Risk It), hitting rock bottom as you find yourself alone after turning your back on your homies over a girl that’s no good for you (Glum), leaving the girl and finding your balance again and gaining that confidence back as your homies pick you back up off your ass despite how you treated them (Lay Up), and finally the outro “endless” Where you find yourself right back after you said you were done because secretly you’ve become a creature of habit resorting back to what you’;re use to, drama.

So you featured two talented artists on the project South African artist Bryan Cheru (one of our favorites), and a newcomer Imjaehall. How did you connect with both and what made you place them as a guest on this project?

Bryan is an artist I’ve known for a minute now. Honestly my favorite artist out of SA, he has a soft, unique tone that just digs into any track and he absolutely takes over a track with such ease as well as our voices complimenting each other. It just made sense.

Imjaehall Is the homie, I’ve always felt we were long overdue to work together. He is a super dope songwriter as well as an artist and before him I had 3 other artists do the verse on “risk it” and they just couldn’t hit the pocket of the beat in the time frame given. Then here comes Jae and he just kills it first try, so that was crazy how that came about.

In addition to working with both artists who did you work with on production for the project and how did you connect with them?

Coldsummer, Paperboyplay, Moflo Music, Zeevince, Buhakpg,and my homie Cryptic the goat and also shout out to my homies Mixed By Edwin and Moflo Music for mixing the project. Pretty much everyone is connected and familiar with each other’s work and it happened to be the right timing for everyone so with that being said we now have Hell Of A Night which is out everywhere on all platforms ya dig. No kizzy haha

So what’s next for you in 2021 where do you want to be by the end of the year, who do you want to work with, and what’s your biggest goal?

Definitely want to be a full time artist and working on a #1 hit especially after my album is complete that I’m so excited for frfr. Some collabs I would like are Eli Sostre, Amir Obe, Frvrfriday, PND, Khalid, Billie, ssgkobe just to name a few. It’s so much to be real. My biggest goal is to make music that changes people’;s lives as well as sell out a show in the biggest venue in My hometown/City Seattle, Take my family to the Grammys and just put my city on the map and that’s what I’;m going to do. You can bet that.

Who should we interview next?

Puku he really up next.

Any last words?

Aye man say man all ima say is stream Hell Of A Night On all platforms lets run this shit up and if you been rockin with me this far thank you I love you, It’s 206 to my city and you know It’s Hillside Till I Die!

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Big shout out to Hidden Hills for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply, be sure to check out his newest album Hell of A Night avalible on all straming platforms, as well as follow him on Twitter and Instagram. if you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our newsletter you can sign up below.

Fidelis

Fidelis thank you for coming on to interview with Nefarious Supply, to get this interview started tell us about yourself, where you're from, and how long you've been a musician? 

Hi, pleasure’s mine. So I’m a singer songwriter, was born in Nigeria but did most of my growing up in London, and music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember but it was only till recently I got comfortable with the idea of sharing my art with anyone that wasn’t my family. 

How has your experience been so far and what are some things you enjoy about being a new artist in the industry? 

Honestly it’s such an interesting space, as an artist I have a lot of discovering and growing to do, so the fun thing about being a new artist for me has really been the adventure I get to go on and all the surprises that come along with it. Everything from coming across new sounds and seeing how imma freak them to 4 am strategy meetings cause of the different time zones. It’s been a loop.


How has your location influenced your sound, and how is this area for underground and emerging artists? 

Well I can say for sure that my sound has definitely grown, might even say matured. I mean just the exposure to other creatives that I’ve worked/working with helped me understand my creative process better. The area is really brimming with potential though, especially for emerging artists, I mean as well as myself there are some crazy artists coming to knock the door down 

In addition to your location, what artists would you say have had the biggest influence on you and your sound,  and which artists and songs do you currently have on rotation? 

I’m influenced by damn near everyone I listen to these days, I hear a song and all I can think about is how I would do my own thing on it, I’m just in such a good place with music. If I had to pick a few artists though, who have had a huge influence on some part of my creative process it’d be h.e.r, Bruno Major, Pink Sweats. My rotation is a mess. It's some Dominic Fike to Malia, Frank Sinatra to Snoh Aalegra and everything in between. I’ve been heavily into Ben Platt’s “Sing to Me Instead” album lately, as well as Giveon, very different I know but crazy melodies!

2020 was a mess and it set a lot of people back but it seems as though you've powered through it, how did you keep yourself focused during the hard time last year, and what are some of your goals for 2021?

I don’t be saying this too loud cause of obvious reasons but 2020 was actually good to me, probably like everyone else it screwed up all the plans I had initially made but that ended up being a good thing, especially for my music, I was travelling between Europe and Nigeria and I ended up getting stuck in Nigeria during the lockdown for like 7 months but luckily I was quarantined with my producer, so we put together a makeshift studio for ourselves and got to work by the time we saw some sunlight, we had recorded something like 27 demos. So despite all the insanity that was going on it was the most focused and productive I had been in a minute so I really can’t complain. For 2021 the goal is just consistency, I plan to release new music more frequently, and just stay working. I can’t say for sure cause the worlds been pretty crazy lately but I’m tryna put out a song a month for the rest of the year. 

You have two songs out right now “Want This” & “Sinner” tell us about both, what inspired them, who helped you put them together including production and mixing, and out of both which one is your favorite? 

“Want This” is my baby being my debut release and all, so it’s always gonna have a special place, but it does also happen to be my favourite of the two. I wrote the first version of it just when covid had started picking up and no one knew how things were gonna turn out. Honestly, it was my way of processing all the emotions I had been going through, a way of voicing all the frustrations I had been feeling and mirroring the feelings of my friends and people who were definitely in similar circumstances. There was lots to write about when you think about how bad things got with covid and the BLM movement so it was a pretty easy one to write. 

”Sinner”, from a music perspective, was much more experimental. It was my producer and I exploring sounds I hadn’t really worked with before and seeing where we ended up, turns out it was magic. The song itself is really about accepting the flaws we have as people, and getting comfortable with them. A big part of the message behind it was that,  it’s okay if you learn what the right things are by doing too many of the wrong ones, shit gets janky so just do what you can and go from there. The production and mixing for both of them was done by my extraordinary producer and all around G @doronclinton and we have some more heat in the pipeline. 

When can we expect a new project from you and what will that sound like? 

It’s gonna sound like the best of me, I feel like I’m growing with every track, so every new track you hear will be an improved version of my last self. In terms of timeline, I’m just gonna say pretty soon but an exact date hasn’t been given to me just yet. 

Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply

You guys should definitely check out trs @trs.mp3. She's a crazy singer and one of those artists who inspires. 

Any last words? 

Wishing love and light to everyone in these strange times, stay safe and take care of yourselves.

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Big shout out to Fidelis for interviewing with Nefarious Supply if you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with him and his music you can follow him on Instagram and check him out on Spotify. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our newsletter you can sign up below.

Jeymon

Jeymon I wanted to thank you for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, to get this interview started tell us about yourself, how you got started as a musician, and how is your experience so far? 

My intro to creating music was in high school so I’ve really been making music for just over three years now. After basketball practice my boy Raf would host these things called Freestyle Fridays. I was a little shy back then, but my boys hyped me up to join in one time, and I never looked back. 

My experience so far has been amazing, and I know it’s just gettin started. I’ve met so many great artists and I always try to learn from them to expand my range -regardless of what genre they’re in. Our brains are very powerful, I know I can learn anything. It’s just about getting those quality reps in, and having that mentality. I go into every challenge like it’s game 7. 

Where are you based out of, how long have you been in this area, how has it influenced you, and what is the underground music scene like there? 

I’m from Coquitlam. It’s a city on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada. I believe we’re all a product of our surroundings. With that being said, the people from this city have shaped me into who I am today. As for the music scene, it’s about to boom! It’s only a matter of time before someone breaks the ice so Vancouver’s talent is unleashed upon the world. 

Which artists do you look to for inspiration and why, and what songs/projects have you had in rotation recently? 

It’s weird. I can’t pinpoint any exact artists that inspire me without leaving any important ones out; there’s way too many to name. I listen to every kind of genre and style, new or old. Anything from AC/DC and Michael Jackson to Chief Keef and Young Thug. I have an influence playlist on Spotify that answers this question a lot better, you can check out all my other influences there. More recently I've been listening to this new Jessie Ware project; also a lot of NBA Youngboy for when I do my field workouts. 

2020 was a crazy time for everyone last year between COVID and locking down. It feels like we lost a year of our lives and it was kinda demoralizing. So what did you do last year to keep your career growth, and what are some of your big goals for 2021? 

I always look at the positive. Sure, COVID was tough for a lot of people but I looked at it as an opportunity to create more. I’ve been writing, recording and just trying to get my ideas out. I actually went through a whole genre change during the pandemic. I had an entire hip-hop project under the name JMON that was ready to go, but I chose to switch my style to something that just felt right to me. My goals in 2021 and beyond are for the whole team to eat, I want us all to succeed and be happy. 

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

So you're currently signed to start-up music label Chaos Club DIgital, how did you meet the label and what made you sign to them and how has your experience with them been so far? 

I’ve actually been here since day one. I was working with Buk, the CEO, and Aidan, my creative & art director, before Chaos Club was established. Every person on the team came together from just knowing each other. That’s the best thing about us, we were all friends before any of this. It makes it so much easier to work together and mold our ideas into fruition. 

You currently have four songs out right now including; Lucidity, Tmw, Hollow, & Tuesdays in July. Walk us through each song and tell us about the inspiration for each song, who you worked with to put them together, and your favorite song out of the four? 

Tuesdays in July was my way of introducing this new sound. Hollow was about how I was feeling in the moment; we all get sad sometimes. TMW was me trying to figure out what was wrong with the situations and relationships around me. Lucidity is me taking a step back and learning from those past experiences. 

I work with a lot of different people. It starts with me searching through my email for beats, generally from friends or producers on IG. Once I have the beat, I will engineer a rough demo version first by myself and then I get my boy AKgoincrazy to do a second run through the track and add some extra production. Lastly the track goes to Max Dishaw for the mix and master. I’m always there throughout this whole process, but it helps having all these talented people to add so much extra flavor to each song and max out its potential.  For my favourite song, I will have to say the next one. It’s always the next one. It’s evolution: as you experience and learn more things, your art will grow. 

So in terms of a full project when can we expect one from you and who are you currently working with to put it together?

It’s crazy because I've had so many tracks I want to put on this project but then I end up making another one that I like even better. It’s a problem but a definitely good problem to have. I’m putting it together with my guys AK, Dino, and Max. You can expect something this year. 

If you had your pick of artists to work with right now who are your top 5? In no particular order: 

• Justin Bieber 

• Childish Gambino 

• Young Thug 

• AC/DC 

• Foster the People 

Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply? 

It would blow my mind if you could get in touch with Taio Cruz! I remember listening to his songs everyday in grade 7 but I haven’t seen or heard anything from this man in almost a decade. If you can’t track him down, one that’d be interesting is Maxz, a 16 year old producer from Vancouver. Just wait until you hear what he’s been cooking up, his work ethic is absolutely crazy, a production legend in the making. 

Any last words? 

Haha out of context it sounds like you about to shoot me. Like in those movies where they’re like “Any last words?” and you say something badass like “Yea, don’t miss!” then The Rock or Vin Diesel comes through and saves the boy. Then I escape and we all get into a shootout but I forget the villain has my girl. So we get to the roof where there’s a helicopter and he has my girl hostage with a gun to her head. My girls like “Ayo, Jeymon save me!” so then I shoot the bad guy in the leg. He drops his gun and my girl escapes to the side. I tried to shoot him again but I ran out of bullets. Me and the bad guy scrap for a bit, it’s a mad even fight. I hit em with that 1, 2 Jake Paul and knocked him down like he was Ben Askren. I think it’s over but he sneakily gets up and escapes on the helicopter. Then out of nowhere my boy The Rock, who was beating all the goons from downstairs, pulls up with the rocket launcher. He says something super fire and then shoots it at the helicopter. 

BOOM! 

(“Touch the Sky” by Kanye West starts playing) 

End credits

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Big shout out to Jeymon and Chaos Club for interviewing with Nefarious Supply if you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with him you can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and Soundcloud. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our newsletter you can sign up below.

Kadiri

Kadiri thank you for interviewing with us, to get this interview started tell us about yourself. Who is Kadiri, what made you want to become a musician, and how has your experience been so far?

I’m a Toronto native, singer songwriter who loves to open up about his experiences with love, lust, heartbreak, and the pursuit of peace and balance. I’ve always been passionate about music. The first moment of realization that I wanted to become a musician was when my grade 6 music teacher pulled me aside after class and said I have a naturally beautiful sounding voice. At the time I didn’t really make much of it, but as I grew older music became a big part of my life and I looked up to artists like The Weeknd, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, and so many others. It’s been quite an amazing journey so far, with lots of stories to tell. For me it’s about the journey, not the destination. So I’m soaking in everything as much as I can, and excited for the long road ahead.

So you’re born in Kosovo but are based out of Toronto, Canada which is pretty cool. So at what age did you move to Toronto, and what country would say influenced you and your music the most?

I was actually born in Toronto, Canada. My parents are originally from Kosovo. I’m a proud Albanian. My musical taste has definitely been influenced by the culture surrounding Canada, more specifically Toronto. There’s so much talent coming out of this city, that it’s hard not to admire and be inspired by such acts.

In addition to the country that influenced you, what artists have influenced you, who’s your go to artist, and what’s in your current rotation right now?

Some artists that have influenced me are Michael Jackson, Usher, Miguel, Frank Ocean, and Khalid, so many. These days, I’ve been listening to a lot of Brent Faiyaz, Silk Sonic, Giveon, SZA. Too much fire out there right now.

So during your time as an artist what are some things that you’ve learned about yourself, the industry, and your creative process. And how do you keep yourself motivated?

I’ve learned that anxiety and depression are a real thing lol. But that led me to understanding myself better and maturing as an individual and diving into spirituality. After doing lots of travelling to LA, New York, and Europe, I’ve seen myself become a lot less naive and more aware of my surroundings. One big thing I learned about this music industry is that it’s a really small world.. so be careful with what you say and how you present yourself. Be nice to everyone. I’ve learned a few tips and tricks on how to write music more efficiently, and tap into that space where a lot of my creativity lingers. I’ve realized I love to collaborate with other producers and songwriters. I keep myself motivated by reminding myself that this life is too short to do anything else other than what I’m passionate about.

What’s your favorite thing about an artist and what is your least favorite thing?

My favorite thing about an artist is their authenticity and their ability to write music that comes straight from the heart. My least favorite thing about an artist is when they show arrogance or cockiness. Sometimes fame gets into peoples head, but it’s so important to remain grounded and humble.

You have two singles out right now; Introductions, and Take It From Me. Tell us about each including what inspired them, who helped you with the production, and what’s your favorite from the both of them.

I just released my third single as well, it’s called “Like It Or U Don’t”. Take It From Me and Introductions were both written and produced in North Hollywood, LA at a small studio built inside of a garage. Take It From Me was inspired from a relationship I once had that had a pretty dark ending. That resulted in the moodiness of the record which Cat Lewis and Alex Ernewein (produced for Daniel Caesar) helped produce. Introductions was influenced by my tendencies to fall for someone based on their taste in music. That’s one of my biggest turn on’s. My new record “Like It Or U Don’t” is based on this point in my life where I feel like I no longer have to prove myself to anybody. In the context of this song, I’m conflicted with realization of self worth, but also a yearning to rekindle lost love.

So what’s next for you in 2021 where do you want to be by the end of the year and where would you like to be career wise in 5 years?

I have so much music ready to go. Although Covid has been a bummer in so many ways, it’s given me the time to really prepare myself and focus writing a ton of music. So expect to hear a lot of music from me throughout 2021. In 5 years, I hope to be on a world tour, with at least 3 albums out, getting a #1 on Billboard, collaborating with some of my favourite artists, but most importantly being a positive role model to all the younger artists out there who have big dreams.

Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply?

There’s so many dope artists out there, but I’d say definitely check out my home girl Ameerah or this new artist I found named Kofi. Both these artists are on the come up and they’ve got dope music.

Any last words?.

Thank you Nefarious Supply for having me and allowing me to share a bit of my life and my stories. Thank you to everyone who’s reading this, following my journey, showing me love and support. I appreciate every single one of y’all. You’ll hear more from me, I promise. Remember to stream my new single “Like It Or U Don’t” available on all streaming platforms.

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Big shout out to Kadiri for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, if you enjoyed this interview be sure to follow him on SoundCloud, and Instagram. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our news letter you can sign up below.

Vern

Verndolla thank you for interviewing with us, to get this interview started tell us about yourself. Who is Verndolla, how long have you been making music, and what’s your favorite thing about being an artist so far?

Verndolla$ is a rapper, songwriter and, fashion designer. I’ve been making music seriously since 2018, writing since 2016 & making songs up in my head since a kid. My favorite thing about being an artist is when people tell me how my music makes them feel when they listen to it.

Where are you based out of, how has this area influenced you, and how's the music scene out there?

I’m based out of Queens, NY. I feel like Queens has influenced me a lot, and i’ll always love my borough. The music scene in Queens has so much potential and will flourish when/if we all work together but it might take some time because we’re all going up in different ways and some are farther than others, but If we share knowledge or connections with each other you know extend a helping hand from time to time and support each other we could all prevail.

What artists are your go to for inspiration, and which top 5 projects do you currently have in your rotation?

For inspiration my go to artists are any that are independent really. I like to know that you worked hard to get here & this is all you. Some Artists I listen to for inspirations are Kenny Mason, IDK, the whole A$AP MOB in general, Isaiah Rashad, Kota The Friend & various other artists too many to name.

Top 5 projects currently in my rotation right now are:

1. Angelic Hoodrat by Kenny Mason

2.Watch My Back by Lucki,

3.LONG.LIVE.A$AP BY A$AP Rocky,

4. Nirvana by Bktherula

5. SlimeBall by Young Nudy

So during your time as an artist what are some things that you’ve learned about yourself, your creative process, and the career choice of being a musician.

I’ve learned that you really have to believe in yourself before everyone else does because that’s what’s most important. My creative process changes constantly and can be so random at times from with my friends in a session to by myself at home or in someone’s random studio session, like I can create anywhere and anytime but I will say that if something going on with my it will effect my creative process a lot. In terms of career choices I’m independent so of-course it’s really tight to maintain and some days I feel discouraged but I feel like this rap sh*t picked me

How do you keep yourself motivated, during hard times and for new artists struggling with motivation what’s some advice you would give them?

Lately it’s been really hard to find motivation, but i’ve been trying to keep my mind on the positive with affirmations, journaling, and, just remembering why I started, listening to my catalog to hear the growth or just cooking up more whether it be music or making clothes.

What’s your favorite thing about an artist and what is your least favorite thing?

My favorite thing about being an artist is when people feel what I’m saying and really connect with my messages my least favorite things are the expectations, The secrecy and withholding of things an artist would need to get further from other artists.

You have two projects out right now your debut “August…” and your newest “$hit 4 u 2 smoke to”. Tell us about both?

August was from a depressing time in my life where I had just started making music and I need a way to vent about what was going on with me which in reality is how I plan on handling most of my music. I was in my feelings, got cheated on & need to talk about it, but I’m way past this project now I feel because I was so young & so naive. $hit 4 U 2 Smoke to is kind of self explanatory, It was in the midst of Covid-19 & I had been making more druggy sounding psychedelic & video game inspired music. Coincidently I had been smoking a lot of weed & experimenting acid & shrooms for the first time. I infused sounds from the original X-Box game system to give it that green lobby vibe I loved so much as a kid. Every song definitely has a meaning but as a whole project you’re supposed to roll up some good weed & smoke while you listen to it.

In addition to music you also have a clothing line called Pearl Boyz tell us about it, what inspired the name, how long you’ve been working on it, and what’s your goal with it?

PearlBoysz is way more than a brand it’s a lifestyle. The name was inspired by a scene from AWGE DVD vol. 2 where A$AP Rocky is on a toilet ironically talking his sh*t, while taking a sh*t he says “Pearls are for boys” one day me & my bro PurP looked at each other and agreed completely adopting pearls as a staple in our day to day lifestyle. PearlBoysz was established in 2019 and but we’ve been working on clothes for most of our lives just never this serious more like a hobby before. Our goal is to become a respective street wear brand the pushes the limits of fashion wear & also pushes the PearlBoysz narrative, “it’s okay to be different, think differently”.

What’s next for you in 2020? 

Next up for me in 2021 is our next line of skate themed clothing dropping from PearlBoysz called “Surroundings” along with a short Ep by me titled “$urrounding$” releasing with the clothes. I’ve been working on another project titled “Green Psycho” that has a bunch great songs and is probably my most expressive music to date, It’s about 85 percent done and soon will be finished. I’ve got visuals coming as well for both of these project so I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me at the moment. I’ve got a lot of healing, learning and growing to do so bare with me while I create.

Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply?

Next I think you guys should interview @27Delly from harlem,nyc. He’s another artist close to my age who motivates

Any last words?

stay positive, remember that you are not your thoughts & don’t be scared to try new things.

VernDolla@outlook.com New Single "$urrounding" OUT NOW

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Big shout out to Vern for interviewing with Nefarious Supply if you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with him and his music you can follow him on Instagram. If you want to stay up to date with him and his music you can follow him SoundCloud, and follow him on Instagram. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our news letter you can sign up below.

Visual 9

Visual 9 thank you for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply, to get this interview started give us  brief background on yourself. Who is Visual 9, what got you into making music, and describe your experience as a rising artist?

Very thankful to finally be able to speak with you man. Nefarious Supply has been showing major love and that’s always appreciated this way fam so thank you. My name is Visual 9 and I am an upcoming artist based out of Tree city also known as Kent, Ohio. I’ve been writing and pursuing my music career for about 7 years now starting at the age of 16. Before I decided to start taking my career seriously I’d drop videos of me rapping on youtube but it wasn’t really something I took seriously haha. This Is gonna be a long story so I’ll try to make it short but being around talented people that also were into music kinda inspired me to wanna take shit seriously. Everyday after school me and my homies would go to the studio, write music, smoke, record, and do it all over again so after doing that a few times I fell in love with it and since then this journey has been filled with nothing but love and blessings. 

I peeped from your instagram profile you’re based out of Kent, Ohio give us a rundown on how this area has played a major influence on your sound, and how is the scene for underground artists?

Yes I am based out of Tree City also known as “Kent Ohio”. Kent Ohio is definitely a place I am proud to tell people I am from. Kent Ohio is where my music career started and I can't thank that city enough for supporting me and allowing me to realize my true purpose. Kent gave me my first show ever and it was sold out as well so I'll never forget that. This place has played a major influence on who I am as an artist. Before I started making music Kent was really about sports and sports only. The local music scene wasn’t really talked about so once I started making music my goal was to bring that light for local artists like myself and others. The underground scene is cool but as of right now only artists popping out of Kent, Ohio are me and Chanelle Kazadi.  

Who or what has had the biggest influence on you, your sound, and your overall aesthetic?

Becoming an artist i’d definitely say Joey Badass, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick has a big influence on my sound. In highschool that’s all I was bumping and also my stepfather. My dad raised me around good music so hearing shit like Wu Tang, Tribe Called Quest, Mary J Blige, and Jay-Z definitely helped me figure out what lane I wanted to take as an artist etc. 

With this new year , what are your favorite projects, and what five artists do you currently have in your rotation?

Definitely Pray for Paris, It Is What It Is, Feet of Clay (Deluxe), The Versace Tape, and Alfredo. I’ve also been bumping a lot of Navy Blue, Chuk Strangers, Freddie Gibbs, Maxo, and Pink Siifu. Top 5 at least 

Follow up to our last question with the year coming to an end: what are some things you have accomplished, and going into 2021 what are some goals you have?

My biggest accomplishment is surviving this covid situation and mentally keeping myself together. Shit was very difficult for me in the beginning which I'm sure it was for everyone but  yeah I was able to continue to focus and grind throughout the year on this upcoming album and just make sure I stay relevant in the scene. I feel like most artists lost motivation once covid started taking control and I always told myself to remain solid and focused so I'm very proud of myself for that. My goal for 2021 is releasing this album and building a solid fanbase with people who truly appreciate my music and me as a person. 

So since your start as a musician what are some things you have learned about the career path, the industry, and most importantly yourself?

I’ve learned to always have confidence in myself regardless of the people who don’t believe and also I’ve learned that money is very temporary but business is not. Always make sure to present yourself in the right manner because bad business can ruin good opportunities regardless of how much bread you have or talent to offer. Being a musician is deeper than writing or playing an instrument. Being A musician gives you an opportunity to explain your story and express the depths of your spirit and soul. It teaches you valuable life lessons and so much more.

If you could go back in time from your start what is some advice you would give yourself, and for an artist getting a fresh start what is some advice you would give them?

\Just be patient and understand that shit doesn’t happen overnight. It takes hard work and true dedication to be successful in the music industry. Shit not sweet at all lol

So getting into your music describes your creative process from start to finish, and how do you know when you have a song you are ready to share with your fans?

Honestly I'll smoke a blunt, start playing beats until I come across something I feel like writing on. Once I find the beat then I’ll figure out a topic or think about what happen during the week that I can write about then once I like what’s written on the pad then I’ll take it to the studio, run it with the engineer, then once it’s done i’ll listen and just know if it’s the track to drop or not. 

So your discography  is pretty solid with three projects including: The Element, Sunday Morning EP, and Remedy EP. Tell us about each of those projects, what influenced the sound of each, who helped you with production, and out of the three which one is your favorite?

The Element was my first album ever and honestly I’m hella proud of every single song on that jawn. I started writing that project during my first year of college and staying at my grandparents house. That album was made to give my fans a view of what’s going on in my life at the time. Sunday Morning was made after I dropped out of school for a bit. I needed a break from everything to fully focus on my craft and everything around me. That project was basically made to show my fans that anything is possible and to always keep going no matter what obstacles are in front of you and same with remedy. That project was made during the summer time with an old homie of mine from the city. We decided to link up, come up with a solid idea for the project then we locked in and got it done in maybe 3-5 months. Shit crazy.

This year as well you’ve been going crazy with the singles including:64 In LA, Indeed, Praise, Denim, and Blue Skies. Tell us about each of these songs?

Well starting with “64 in LA” I wrote this song before my first time going to LA. my father used to have a 64 impala and i drove in it maybe twice haha after that I fell in love with em and always saw myself buying one as well. That song was written as if I had one already and was speaking shit into existence. Indeed was basically a small introduction to a different sound and I also wanted to let people know that I can produce my own tracks as well. Denim was made with the homie Dawg9000, as soon as he played the beat I started writing and days later I recorded the song. That song was made to express everything that was going on during covid, First person view type shit. Blue skies and Praise was written on the same day and recorded days later with my brother Jake Smio “one of the dopest producers from Ohio”. Crazy because it was the first time we linked up as well when those songs were made. Love that dude 4L

Who should we interview next on Nefarious Supply, and why?

My homie Static Res. I’ve seen bro develop into an amazing artist and soon the world will see that as well. 

Any last words?

Thank you to everyone that has been supporting me since day 1. It really means a lot they are taking the time to support and listen to my music everyday. One love

Unsigned Artist Booking & Features - Visual9mgmt@gmail.com HARMONIZE LABELⒸ

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Big shout out to Visual 9 for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, be sure to check out On Bro which is out now. If you want to stay up to date with him and his music you can follow him SoundCloud, and follow him on Instagram. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below.

Downsilence - Networking Producer

Downsilence thank you for coming on Nefarious Supply! To get this interview started tell us about yourself, what made you want to become a producer, and how has your experience been so far?

To start off, my name is Dre, I go by Downsilence as everyone knows, & what made me want to become a producer is that I come from musical filled family, from my siblings, to parents, grandparents & ancestors down the line, we were all into music some way, shape or form so it’s a generational thing that i’ll eventually pass on to my kids one day. The experience has been amazing, i’ve met many people, built myself a handpicked team of like minded, young and independent visionaries & this is really just the start of my journey, the start of who Downsilence is now, and eventually who Downsilence will eventually be recognized as in the coming future.

Where are you based out of, how has this area influenced you and your music, and what’s this area like for underground and emerging artists?

I’m based out of a small neighborhood in East Houston & nobody here really makes music, I’m the only one in this area that’s really pushing the boundaries set in place & hopefully, that’ll inspire others to do the same exact thing, just in their own individual ways

How long have you been a producer, what are some of your favorite aspects of this career, and who or what has had a heavy influence on you and your production style?

I’ve been produced since early-mid 2017, my favorite aspect is the music creation process & the outcome of that process, being able to create sounds from scratch, have an artist sing over it, share it on streaming platforms and have 50 countries listen to your music even though you made it in a bedroom is such a beautiful feeling. And I would say Partynextdoor, Kali Uchis, and SZA because of their unique individuality in music, there’s nothing like seeing them perform their music because it’s so great & it can’t be replicated.

Tell us about your creative process from beginning to end, how you know when you have a beat you want to share with a specific artist, and what’s your go to DAW?

Well, each artist I work with has their own type of vibe to them, so depending on which artist I work with in a particular session, I create the entire song around what fits them the most. Like for instance, me & Omari made Nasty & at first it was just a concept beat. I wasn’t even thinking about sending it out, I was making it to see how far i’ve progressed with music production, it just so happened that he was looking for beats at that specific time so whenever I sent a pack to him, nasty was the first one he chose, and everything is history. My go to DAW is FL Studio 20, the DAW is so easy to use & it makes my production process so easy for me to create whatever type of sounds I want to make.

As a producer pursuing a career in music the industry as well as the career path is extremely uncertain so how do you keep yourself motivated during low times, what are some of your long term goals, and for new producers looking to start what is some advice you would give?

My biggest motivation is my girlfriend/future wife & kids & also knowing that my purpose, journey, and destiny are so bigger than me. Also the universe put me here as a spirit guide, conduit and guardian angel to help others out with their lives. I always believed that if I can be of service to others and help make the world a better place. I would feel great about what i’m doing you know, everything I do is from a pure soul and heart and I don’t do things for recognition, nor do I expect anything in return or do I need a pat on the back. I’m doing it because this is who I am and being a helpful person was just a trait that I was born with so I just made sure I follow those morals and principles throughout my entire life and the universe has responded in so many beautiful ways to my great deeds for humanity, so i’ll always & forever be this way just because this is how I was created.

In addition to new producers what is some advice you would give your younger self about choosing this career path?

To just stay focused, don’t give up on yourself during hard times, find a team and surround yourself with positive, goal oriented people, and always keep god, the universe or whatever high power you believe in first because they know your destiny & they’re here to help you & guide you on it.

Dude so you have worked with Artie J, Roseryhills, Kai Baez, Love September, Cameron Rose, Omari Night, Juice the Riddler, & Joey North. What’s your secret to networking and how did you end up pairing your production with these artists?

I really don’t have any secrets but in 2016, I was working at a cooking event as a chef & the event held over 15,000-20,000 people, most were successful millionaires, billionaires, executives, ceo’s investors etc. They gave me some tips and pointers on being able to network and connect. It’s all about knowing who you want to connect with, what the purpose of you networking with them, representing yourself as a business/brand, and just knowing how to communicate with others. I’ve used all of that knowledge and passed it on into music and just knowing who I wanted to reach out to, what was I going to say to them and then the outcome of me reaching out to them. You have to be respectful and polite first before any business is conducted or else people won’t take you serious and they’ll think you’re just using them as a stepping stone or opportunity you know.

Who is your favirote artist that you have worked with so far, and what artist is your dream collaboration?

To be honest, every single artist i’ve worked with so far has their own uniqueness and individual process to them so I can’t choose between none of them. I have respect & love for each and every one of them &and they’ve all provided me with different individual but awesome experiences. My dream collab would be to sit in the studio with Kali Uchis, Partynextdoor, SZA, Jhenè Aiko, Kehlani, Ty Dolla $ign, Blxst and some other incredible RnB artistsa and just make music but other than the music, I would just love to create a friendship with them & build on that.

In terms of next step what are some things you are trying to accomplish by the end of 2020?

As far as my next steps in music, not only do I want to grow and expand myself but I want to expand my horizons and build a collective of young, independent, hardworking and talented creatives all over the world regardless of race, sexual preference, or religion. I want to eliminate those boundaries set on young individuals such as myself to achieve a goal bigger than myself and the nationwide collective of my team, and also teach and become a public speaker/spiritual advisor such as Jay Shetty, Sadghuru, Deepak Chopra by using my platform to the best of my abilities & help guide others who are in need of that.

Who should we interview next on Nefarious Supply?

I think you should interview a newer artist i’ve been working with, his name is Elijah Thrill. He’s a very talented artist/producer/singer/songwriter from New Zealand & we’re currently working on some music together that we both would love to share to the world.

Any last words?

To anyone out there who wants to do more and be more, just do it, don’t think, don’t wait, don’t procrastinate, just put one foot forward and keep going. Also understand that your purpose will always be bigger than you, your journey will always be bigger than you and your purpose will always be bigger than you because what you all do in this generation. The future and newer generations will do just as you did in their ways, as I’ve said before, the most beautiful & magical act in the world is to inspire and motivate others, to be of service to others, to help and guide people, teach them the things in their time and lives when it comes time for us to pass on our legacies, life is just a long, beautiful, and blessing of a journey so make every day count. Putt a smile on the faces of others and be a beacon of light to others because we’re all just trying to do the best and make it in life the best way we can until those days coming. Thanks to Nefarious Supply for letting me be apart of this amazing experience & I can’t wait to show the world what’s next.

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Big shout out to Downsilence for interviewing with Nefarious Supply. If you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with him be sure to follow him on Instagram as well as Twitter and check out his SoundCloud. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below.

Eric Ryan

Eric Ryan thank you for interviewing with Nefarious Supply! To get this interview started, introduce yourself, who is Eric Ryan, what got you into making music, and what has been your experience so far? 

Thank you for having me, it’s a pleasure. My name is Eric (Ryan is my middle name) and I’m an Alternative R&B/Soul artist from Toronto. I started playing guitar/singing around when I was 12; started to experiment with songwriting in 2018 after seeing one of my friends perform at a bar downtown and seeing how much fun they had. It was on and off for about a year until I reconnected with my homie Bryan; which ended up pushing me to release my first songs Interlude & Summer Autumn in August 2019, and it’s been a crazy ride since then. 

What are some of your favorite aspects about being a musician, and what are some things that you don’t like so much? 

Aside from being paid to do something I love (singing/making music), to me it’s super fulfilling to hear how my music touches other peoples lives... like it blows my mind how there are people on the other side of the world bumping my tracks right now on the regs.

Something I don’t like so much would be the self doubt/insecurities/attachment to the art I create which I’ve come across learning about myself. That being said, I’m actively working on it and getting better; I’d say if anything, becoming a musician/following this path has made me more self aware which is a good thing. 

Who are some of your favorite artists right now, why, and what albums have you been listening to pretty heavy? 

Boyz 2 Men, Bee Gees, Frank Ocean, Daniel Caesar, Rex Orange County, Dijon, UMI, Omar Apollo, Steve Lacy & Raveena to name a few; I’ve been really into Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side Of The Moon” album lately… but some staples would be Channel Orange & Freudian (greatest albums of all time)

In addition to your favorite artists as of right now, what artists would you say have had the biggest influence on you and your sound, and how have they done so?

I love the way Frank Ocean, Daniel Caesar & Rex Orange County’s music is very raw/emotion invoking. The way that they just let their stories come to life with natural vocals & harmonies makes everything hit so much harder; which I try to implement in my own way. 

As an artist building a career how do you keep yourself from burning out and losing motivation. And for artists that are going through a rough patch what is some advice you would give them? 

Nobody is perfect, I’m still a work in progress to be quite frank with you. However, what I’ve found to be working more for me is setting a schedule and working on my daily habits/routines. I’d also say to stop looking ahead to where you “could be” and focus on the present and make music for the reason you even started which is that you love making music.

Eric Ryan ☀️ · Dream State EP

This past February you released your debut project DreamState - EP, tell us about this project including the meaning behind the title, what inspired it, and what was your favorite part about putting it together. 

This project is a story of the cycle of love & heartbreak (& finding new love), weaving in and out of dream-like memories/experiences throughout the EP. I really loved the idea of making a project that could be connected all the way through/be one big masterpiece rather than just a collection of songs… so coordinating it all and finding the story to piece things together was super dope to me.

Walk us through each song? 

I envisioned Stuck as the beginning of the story; where this person wakes up (from a dream) & just sings about the feeling of being “stuck” on a past relationship with someone who they thought was the one. 

8PM (Cuffing Szn) was basically a nostalgia themed flashback/dream of when they first met/the feelings they experienced in falling in love for the first time.

Shine (one of my favourite/meaningful songs I’ve written) is a flashback to reality of being lost/alone/depressed; and realizing the only way to get out of this feeling was to find your inner energy & “shine bright”. To love yourself & to remember that things will get better with time.

Dream State was another “Dream” similar to Stuck by the means of reminiscing on past memories with this special someone. However, here, there’s a shift where it becomes okay/understanding that things end & people move on… that it’s important to just be thankful for the time you spent together.

Soleil can be interpreted in different ways metaphorically; whether it’s coming back to reality and finding a new love; or finding new love within yourself (“shine bright”) or seeing things in a new light.

On your project you featured with Julles, and Shqdel how did you pair up with them, and what was it like working with them in the studio? 

I connected with them both through Instagram a while ago hahaha! They’re both such talented artists and even greater people! In the studio & even just chilling, they’re just super dope people to be around you know? Just good vibes all around

In addition to the features did you have any other help on the project?

Shoutout to my homies: Bryan McNamara, Daniel Badilla, Mark Bancud, Ryan Michaels, Troy Fonte, Mike Ruggiero, Frank Lin, Trent Baugus, Elijah Cruz, Tyler Nam, Evann Lacour, Jesse Epp, Cindy Rodriguez & Roman Erafficci! I think that’s everyone… but yeah without these people this project wouldn’t have happened so shoutout to the homies!!!

So what’s next for you in 2021, what are some goals you want to accomplish by the end of the year?

For 2021, I just want to create as much music & art as I can… and Honestly this sounds super hippy but I really just want to be more present this year & enjoy this ride we call life I guess hahaha

Who should we interview next on Nefarious Supply?

You should interview Shanuka, Shqdel, & Julles; they’re all up next for sure.

Any last words? 

Just want to say thank you so much to the ones who’ve been listening/messin with me since day 1. It means the world that they would take the time to listen & I can’t thank them enough for the space they’ve given me to create art and share with. Lots of music coming soon, this is just the beginning. Peace & Love <3

Dream State EP out now on all streaming Platforms!!! inquiries: mgmt@ericryanofficial.com

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Big shout out to Eric Ryan for interviewing with Nefarious Supply if you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with him and his music you can find him on SoundCloud, Instagram, and Twitter. Be sure to stream his new project Dream State - EP available on all streaming platforms right now. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below.

ImYoung - Forever Young

ImYOUNG what’s up bro, welcome to Nefarious Supply. To get the interview started telling us about yourself who is ImYOUNG, what made you choose the career path of music?

I’ve always been a big fan of music, but my main inspiration must be my grandfather which is a self-taught musician, who has always inspired me to follow my craft.

Being based out of Bergen, Norway, how would you say this area has influenced you and your sound, and how is the area for underground and emerging musicians?

Bergen is the place I grew up and it will always be home, but my main influence is taken out of England and the states, I’ve always been intrigued by new sounds and new ways of interpreting music.

In addition to being from Norway you also took some time to travel to London to continue to build your career in music. What made you want to make this move, how was your experience living in London, and what are some things you learned during your time there?

Right now I’m based in London to work on different projects which will be announced some time after “Forever Young” releases. London is a place of so many different cultures and influences, which helps me open my creative mind definitly a building block in the creative process.

Based on past interactions I know you have a lot of love for US-based artist Toosii, but in addition to him what other artists would you say have influenced you, your creative process, and your music?

Heavily inspiried by Toosi, but also from early music like Otis Redding. My main inspiration often comes from music that carries emotion, and makes you feel a type of way.

Despite the pandemic of 2020, you were able to continue to work and build on your career which is an amazing feat. How did you stay motivated during such an unmotivating time and for artists that are thinking about giving up what is some advice you would give?

I always believed in hard work, staying loyal to your craft, and keeping focused. Believe me I have my hard moments, battling demons, but everything is up to you. ONLY YOU can decide what goes on in your head, and I definitely learned to prioritize my own time the right way.

During 2020 you released 6 singles including; ESL, Lost In Outerspace, No Love with LBS Kee’vin, On My Side, Remedy with YPC Nige, and Tryna Figure Out. Tell us about each of these songs, how you paired up with the artists you featured, and out of the songs which ones are your favorites?

I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of talented artists, but recently I got the chance to work with 2KBABY, and I have to honestly say it is along time since I’ve been this gassed for a release.

You also dropped an EP titled Andromeda tell us about this project what inspired it, and how did you pair up with ALI3NHEAD for the song “Already”?

This was my first project, which I worked on for time. ALI3NHEAD is a good friend of mine. We locked in the studio for 5 days straight, so we have a couple of songs in the bank. I share his work mentality so that’s probably why get along the way we do.

The production of your songs is amazing! What producers have you been working with to get your music together and how is your creative process working with them?

Ive had the chance to work with a lot talented producers from all around the world, but mainly my homeboys from Norway under the name Spaceplug, and also the mix and master goat TomTom which mixes my tracks together with me.

In addition to your music being high quality, you also have high-quality photos, and video pieces to accompany who do you work with for both?

In my team I also have a very talented photographer by the name Jack Nilsen, who always doubles up my expectations for the next video we do. Also a big shoutout to Nisju Film which makes my music videos and share the same creative mindset as me.

So 2021 is here and you have an album dropping your project next week. Before the drop what can you tell us about the project?

This is a project which has been worked on for time and follows my journey through past experiences that I’ve had with toxic people, either if it is relationships or friendships. My main goal with this album is motivating the youth to follow their dreams, and never give up on what you believe in.

Outside of dropping your album what are some things you want to accomplish in 2021?

I’m happy with what 2021 has delved so far, but I know my goal of getting my first plaque in 2021 is still in reach, and it’s what I’m aiming for in 2021.

Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply?

Im always trying to put on my people, so you should interview the producer Gari Beats, one of my hardest working friends, who has a bright future ahead of him.

Any last word

I would like to end this interview by saying, only you can stop your dream, no one.

One day we will be .

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Big shout out to ImYoung for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply, if you want to stay up to date with him and his music you can find his SoundCloud above and follow him on Instagram. Be sure to also check out his new album “Forever Young” which comes out next Friday, March 19, 2020. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below.

Savvy - Boys Wear Pearls

Savvy what’s up bro we’re beyond excited to have you back on the platform last time we featured you had just dropped your single Bag/Purse so what have you been up to since then? 

Honestly everything has been directed towards the album for like the past 6 months or so. I kinda broke everything into 3 phases and just went from there all the way up until now.

How was the rest of your 2020? Did you do anything exciting for Christmas and New Year and what are some of the goals you are hoping to accomplish for 2021?

Man Christmas was great , got to spend it with my brothers and family friends. As well as my new years eve. 2020 was a crazy year but i cant say that it was a bad one , i learned a lot and had some of my biggest successes in 2020. My biggest goal for this year was centered around the longevity of the album and its run. I want to tap in to the audience more than anything and hold the attention of my fans and supporters as long as i can with this album.

In terms of new music what songs have you been bumping daily, and what is your current favorite album right now? 

Close to You - Frank Ocean , Get Her Back - Robin Thicke , Free Will - Mike Floss Alot of Take 6 , gospel music has started to come back into the rotation alot. Album wise ive definietly been bumping Mike Floss latest Ep. Nashdrill is a thing and hes killing it right now. Gods Leather if you havent heard it yet.

So you just put out your newest project Boys Wear Pearls tell us about this new project including what inspired the project, what is the meaning behind the name, and how long have you been working to put it together? 

The whole idea behind the album is literally to come of as seriously not serious. For it to be organic. The title boys wear pearls comes from my love of accesories and jewelry. Alot of times when you see pearls they are owned by those of the higher class and mostly white women so to see a young black man wearing pearls in this society is almost like a contradiction within itself. The name of the album also alludes to the idea that at this point adolescence and luxury are meeting. With boys wearing pearls it is displaying that nice things arent excluded to those of a certain age but that anyone can experience luxury within thier own life.

So walk us through each of the songs on this project, what they mean to you, and what is your favorite song on BWP? 

I wanted every song to be as if it is from a different boys perspective. So all in all the album is about perspective. I think my favorite song would have to be Zack and Cody. It feels the most natural and honestly was set in place before it even was written. Just from using that solange sample to kinda be the mantra of everything bwp , finally sampliling it was the finishing touch to the album.

So you carry the project by yourself for most of the song but you tap in three talented artists including Chuck Indigo, A.G. Sully, and Brian Brown. What made you tap them in on the project and describe your experience working with them on each of these songs? 

All three of them are artist who have made some of my favorite songs and are like my favorite artist from the city. They all bring a different emotion to the album as well and i wanted to make sure that if anyone listened to the album they were getting a well rounded taste of the sound from Nashville. Also i have been big fans of them since ive moved to nashville.

In addition to the artists, what producers did you work on the project?

Its fun that all the producers on the album are close friends, alot of artist can say that and im proud that i can. But heres all the producers that had hands on the album;

Enxgma - down to earth , zack & cody 

Dmndstr - cannot do , shameless , zack & cody 

Cam.flp- spain, fallout boy, take our time, 

Lloyd Flannel - spain 

Myself - From Me

So in terms of visuals do you plan on releasing anything to accompany this project and if so what songs? 

Only thing i have to say to that is , shoutout Josh Nachoz

So what’s next for you in 2021 what are some goals you hope to accomplish before the year is out? 

Wanna work on a book and launch my clothing brand Poor Clothing. Travel to new york, gain inspiration. Time will tell.

Who should we feature next on Nefarious Supply? 

Wait for @hipsterscantswim to drop his album then interview him. Hidden gem.

Any last words? 

Boys Wear Pearls , the love for this album has been insane. Thank you guys and thanks to everyone who has been apart of this moment. Cant make more memories.

$avvy · Boys Wear Pearls

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Big shout out to Savvy for coming on to Nefarious Supply to talk about his new album Boys Wear Pearls. Be sure to show him some love and check out Boys Wear Pearls on SoundCloud, as well as follow him on Instagram and Twitter. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below.

[Artist Radar] - Alycia Bella

As time progresses and artists start to find their creative sweet spot, we see more and more up-and-coming newbies take off into space with gorgeous production, spectacular features and – while it might not be a brand new and original sound- another fantastic addition to a household sound many feel some type of way towards. In this addition of Artist Radar, we’re gonna take a look at that new addition; the softgirl/softboy bedroom pop sound you play at the comedown of a party (socially distanced, of course!); Alycia Bella.

Bella’s discography is quite short; only boasting a handful of singles and her debut album; you read that right! That one girl talking at the tail end of Frank Ocean’s debut album: channel Orange “End” interlude (didn’t see that one coming, did you?) released a totally underrated and criminally underappreciated debut album: “MUSE” back at the start of January after releasing single after single with the odd Westside Boogie feature on “Cue The Sun” back in 2020; but that’s not to say she’s a “new” artist in the slightest as she recounts working with the likes of Justin Timberlake, NE-YO, Ty Dolla $ign and the infamous will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas.

Bella’s dreamlike, cloudy delivery on her album will make you dream of the simplicity of summertime, the feeling of a cold breeze brushing your cheek as you swig a pina colada on the beach volleyball sand. In reality; her whole vibe oozes self-confidence and an appreciation for reflection and self-discovery. In addition to the Westside Boogie feature, “Healing Interlude” has Vince Staples (the dude that made “Norf Norf”) criticise the lack of respect society throws at black women for merely existing, pushing the “protect black women” narrative further and spelling it out in black and white (no pun intended).

I promise you; you won’t regret checking out her album and her singles while also keeping a close eye on any new projects or one-offs she drops in the near future. I might not know too much about R&B and soul, but I know what good music is and this album is a stellar collection of romance, hardship and social awareness….AND VIBES. This artists’ got creativity out the wazoo and has been rewarded the Nefarious Supply seal of approval (not like she needed it to begin with).

Maxx Owa - Crescendo

Maxx Owa! What’s up? Welcome to Nefarious Supply. To get this interview started, introduce yourself to the audience, who is Maxx Owa, what got you to start making music, and what’s your favorite aspect about being an artist? 

First off I wanna say thank you to Nefarious Supply for allowing me to be interviewed it’s super appreciated. My name is Maxx Owa I’m from the IE short for Inland Empire, and what first started me in music was a clique I made up with friends in high school called the “Popular Misfits” that grew to be known throughout our City (Rialto). A few of my buddies at the time used to rap so we decided to make an anthem that we could play when we threw parties to get our crew buzzing even more. Now that I’m older and have grown more as an artist I fully understand and have more of an appreciation to the music and being an artist. My favorite aspect of being an artist is ultimately being free. And that’s with everything, free to the journey of being nothing to something. Free to create whatever music speaks to you and putting it out with no expectations. Being free to whatever comes and whatever doesn’t come but fully embracing all the beauty in that when it comes to being an artist and creating music.

Where are you based out of? how has this area influenced you and your music, and how is this area for underground/emerging acts is it a hub, or is it still in its early stages? 

Well I’m from the IE which is about 45 mins East from LA. A lot of people would cop out and just say their from LA but you gotta honor where you’re from and I love the IE. Not to mention we got legends from here whom are family to me like Audio Push and Hit-Boy. And if you go look those names up you’ll see what I mean by legends respectfully. The IE doesn’t really necessarily have a certain sound or anything it’s really whatever you make it. The IE is super chill, around 2008 it would be booming for cliques who were making music and had more of a space for opportunity to get something going, but now it’s like make your music and get it cracking and then hey we all love you lol.

What artists have had an impact on you and your sound? And what projects or songs have been in heavy rotation for you recently? 

I grew up skating so I had a lot of friends who would put me on different bands like Bloc Party, Born Ruffians and Phoenix. But I also used to only watch the Disney Channel so then I’d see the Jonas Brothers and vibe with them while also still being from the IE so I’m still listening to my brothers gang rap and hood shit on a day to day to. So the inspiration and impact is all around from many genres. Right now there’s no specific album in rotation I’m literally listening to anything that moves me but some go to’s for me would be Frank Ocean and Stevie Wonder.

In addition to your favorite aspect of being an artist, what would you say is the most challenging thing about being an artist? How do you overcome these challenges, and for new artists who may face some of the same challenges what advice would you give them? 

Personally for me, I’ve learned that whatever problems I was having when it came to the music or just in life had to do with me and the inner work I wasn’t doing within myself. Overthinking and making up problems that didn’t even exist because I was thinking everything had to be a certain way to be accepted. So once I started checking in with myself dealing with the subconscious and growing within. The problems that were outside became non existent. It’s like I’m in a place of being free no pressure and creating working hard with people who care about each other’s dreams and well being. So the process now is all fun and we never stop growing so there’s always something new to learn and obtain. It’s fun.

Maxx Owa _ Remember / Count On Me (Live Session)Maxx recently released a body of work titled XXO giving you a closer look into the artist he is with records ...

So advice I’d give to a new artist or to a regular person on the street who is far from a artist I’d say to make sure to take a beat and check in with yourself do some self healing and growing within. Once you master yourself and understand this realm we are living in and the power you have within yourself you’ll get to a place of balance and the things that bothered you before will be nonexistent to you. You’ll be able to move in a space of truly honoring yourself and whatever it is you wanna do in a high vibration.

Last year was no doubt a crazy time, so how did you keep yourself grounded and what are some things you learned about yourself or even the industry during the year? 

Last year was definitely eye opening to say the least. For me personally I felt it was one of the best years I’ve ever had because of so much I learned within myself and the environment around me. I fully understand that no matter what’s going on around you, you are always in control on how it will effect you. Will this mess up my energy my day my week or for many my year or will this be something I can learn from and use to help take me to another level. I think the music industry will be the music Industry always because of the people who run it, but I also know there are a lot of new people and older people in the game who are gate keepers who are turning tides and making huge opportunities for artist who are known by little. Just off of the strength of their love for music which is really cool, so that’s always dope to see.

So let's talk music. Last year you put out your project ‘Xxo’. Tell us about this project including what inspired it, your creative process to put it together, who helped you with production, and your favorite tracks on it? 

XXO was something I started in 2018 just cutting records still growing finding what I liked, experimenting with different vibes and what spoke to me. Some of the records on there are from 2018 and some are from 2019 and 2020. The main producer on the project is OhGosh Leotus. He’s from the IE also amazing producer along side Haze, Mihji Grey, Dean Vision, A.G, Eli and Wolf to name a few lol. All amazing producers and good people who showed nothing but love and genuine help which was appreciated to say the least. My brother Kami Osha is always with me piecing it all together alongside OhGosh to make sure everything is straight. With mixing from Haze and Marie whom always comes in clutch for me. One of my favorite tracks on XXO has to be ‘Inside’. That record just hits me in the feels from a conversation I was having with my Hunny at the time so it’s a good one for me.

In addition to your latest project ‘Xxo’, you released your newest body of work ‘Crescendo - EP’. Tell us about this new project?

Crescendo was something me Kami and Mihji came up with 4 days before releasing it lol. I have another EP finished 6 songs that I’ve been planning to release and wanted to drop a record for the people before I do. Like something to hold over. And Mihji suggested why not a two piece and it could go perfect with Valentine’s Day and it’s a perfect excuse to release some music that might not had never seen the light of day. So then from two it went to four as I went digging more into the archive and I’m glad I did because more music is always better lol. It goes back to us moving on the “being free” energy and going with the flow doing what you want so that’s how we got Crescendo. Kami came up with the name he’s always thinking of cool things for artist and just being a creative which is one of the many reasons he’s a goat and great person to have on your team.

I gotta be very honest with you man, your music is next level in terms of quality, so just walk us through your creative process from beginning to end! How do you know you have something you wanna share with your audience? 

Thank you I appreciate that! And honestly it starts from some loops or beats from Kami Mihji or OhGosh, I load it up in my home studio and begin to put ideas down. Once I get a good rough skeleton we pull up on OhGosh and start post production and getting everything right. I always let my girlfriend hear the records see what she thinks alongside the team and if it’s flowing making sense and I’m loving it then we put it out. I keep bringing Kami up but he really is the goat because he does all of my artworks so everything is taken care we don’t really have to reach outside of our circle to get the the quality we do because we all care for it at a high amount. Everybody wants the best for each other so that’s what we always try to give.

So it seems like Kami Osha, Scotty Apex, and yourself work together a lot and everything you guys do is top-notch, so how did you guys meet? What's it like working with them, and do you guys have plans on putting out a joint project in the future? 

Kami is the glue to it all he knows everybody and takes pride on linking people together because he knows something beautiful will come from it. Scotty Apex just released a body of work called “Startlight” which is amazing and so cohesive and flows. I’m featured on “All Of It” a super nice vibe I love that record. Working with Scotty is pure and chill he writes music so damn fast and it’s so good idk where he gets it from lol. With me I personally like to take my time and not rush anything but either process is amazing and something good will always come from it.

What’s next in 2021 do you have any plans on releasing any visuals anytime soon? 

2021 I’m gonna be releasing another project and I’m def gonna be releasing more visuals. Gonna keep it going and getting everything to newer levels while enjoying the process

Who should we interview next on Nefarious Supply? Shout them out! 

Chase Aaron, Kent Money, N.No, Price & Oktane from Audio Push but individually because their both doing solo projects right now for the first time ever which is amazing so that would be super cool to see their individual perspectives.

Any last words?

Last words I’d like to thank you guys again for taking the time out to interview me means a lot and keep a eye and ear out for everything Maxx Owa because you won’t be disappointed. Thank you

A simple Hesh Muffin.

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Big shout out to Maxx Owa for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, if you want to stay up to date wit him and his music you can find his Soundcloud above, and follow him on Instagram, as well as Twitter. While you’re showing love be sure to check out his newest project Crescendo available now! If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below.

7Latenights

7Latenights welcome to Nefarious Supply! To get the interview started, tell us about yourself? Who is 7Latenights and what led you down the path of becoming a musician?

7Latenights , is a hustler , out going , and a genuine person. And what led me down the path of making music and taking it seriously was when I didn’t have nothing or nobody to turn to , I’d write. I always knew how to write music , but I always sounded different on the mic. One day my cousin / manager foreign paid for some studio time back when I was 17 , back in 2017 for my birthday and I came out with a song called “Pull Up” and my school went crazy for it. But I was still ripping and running. But a couple situations happened and made a choice to stick with it because I had a story to tell. And I learned the business aspect of it, and dropped top of the year 2020. The rest was history.

Where are you based out of and how has this area influenced you as well as your sound?

I’m based out of Freehold New Jersey , The “Free”. And just growing up in the environment I was in it taught me early what love was, bro code ,how to hustle and get what you want. My family is big , and my father was known. My mom knew everybody on the every corner, everybody on every corner knew me. Just being around all the OG’s, and experiencing life that an average kid wouldn’t experience at that age influenced me to have the hunger and that passion when hop in the booth.

To follow up to the last questions, how is the area for underground creatives? What’s the culture like, the networking, and overall vibe?

We didn’t really have anybody that rapped in our area Until Bust G (R.I.P) came along and created a wave that made everyone want to rap and go to the studio with him. Then a few guys out of the area started coming up the same time I was in the studio. And we created networks outside of our town and shared these important people amongst our circle. Our culture is real, and unique everybody has they own style of doing things. And we all grew up at a popular park around our neighborhood so everybody knew each other. The vibe was cool.

How long you have been making music and what artists would you say have had the biggest impact on you and your music?

I’ve been making music for 2 years seriously. And artist like Chris Brown, Drake, Tory, Future ,Young Thug , Meek Mil, and many more influenced me just listening to them and how they sell the real feeling what your feeling like in whatever mood you’re in and either making you feel better or worst. Gave me the upper hand to really hop on any subject any song and get it done.

Even though 2020 slowed the rest of the world down you stayed focused and dropped 5 singles, 2 EPs and a deluxe project! How did you manage to stay focused during such a crazy time, and for artists who are having a hard time what is some advice you would give them?

What made me stay focused was seeing how my mom and sister was not struggling but a little rough around the edges during quarantine. I was in a this had to get better mood. So I locked in every day and was recording heat. If it wasn’t to my standards the songs got tossed. And for any artist having a hard time whether it is writers block, or you dealing with something at home, or feeling like nothings being done. Relax and write out some goals, or do something that’s going to inspire you to go make the music that you want to create. And you can’t skip days out of the studio or else someone else took your opportunity, someone else made a hit while you decided to miss sessions. You have to be dedicated if you want to be successful.

To get into your music, talk to us about your first EP ‘Do Better’. How did that project come together? Who did you work with and what are some of your favorite tracks on the project?

I was going through a situation with a girl at a time and being introduced to a new girl at the time. And I just started singing at the time. I worked by myself in the studio and I leased beats from producers. My favorite track till this day on there is LUV ME.

Following that EP, tell us about your second EP ‘7Latenights’. How long did it take you to put this one together? Who did you collaborate with for this one?

It was all me on the project. And this project took me a week to create.

After an amazing 2020, what are your next steps for 2021? What are some goals you want to accomplish and where do you want to be by the end of the year?

To keep my foot on the gas, I got more heat on the way. I want to heavy hitter by the end of the year , and I want to be able to give back and be the top dog of my lane.

Shout some friends out! Who should we feature next on Nefarious Supply?

Shakes G , Nate Taylorr, SmithRush , NGC Mekhai....

Any last words?

It’s ya boy 7Latenights and if you haven’t already go get and check out my latest project “7latenights” the deluxe .. stay tuned in we got more on the way

1012 RECORDS

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Big shoutout to 7latenights, be sure to check out his music which can be found on all streaming platforms and if you want to stay up to date with him you can follow him on Instagram. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below, and we also just dropped Nefarious Supply Season 2. Use discount code NEFSUPPLY2 to get free shipping on your first order today

Carlon - Nashville Native

Carlon welcome to Nefarious Supply! To get this interview started, tell us a little bit more about yourself. Who is Carlon? How long have you been making music, and what led you down the path of becoming a musician?

I am a West Nashville native. As a kid I moved at an early age to Smyrna then to Murfreesboro. I’ve honestly been making music seriously for about a year and a half. The reason I started making taking things seriously is because I made a promise to my nephew before his passing when I was 18. I also remember playing him songs I made and he would jump and was super happy and smiling. I thought if I could make him happy with everything he had going on, then I can do that with other people as well.

How long have you been a musician and since you begin what are some things you’ve learned?

I’m still a new musician. I’ve been teaching myself guitar for a little time now but nothing too long yet. It’s only been about four months. I’m trying to crack down and actually focus on learning it for awhile. Since learning guitar I’ve become more patient. Honestly, with being surrounded by musicians you feed off of their love for the music and it becomes that much better. I’ve learned to love and appreciate every musician and the art of music.

Who are some of your favorite artists and how have they influenced you and your music? What are your top 5 albums as of right now?

Some of my favorite artists in no order are probably: Russ, Phora, HER, Fantasia, Vedo, J. Cole, Chris Brown, Smino, Luther Vandross, Maxwell, Usher, Rick Ross, Michael Jackson, THEY, Drake, Anthony Hamilton, Biggie, and more. Those are who I can say I listen to a lot on Spotify. Growing up listening to these, in addition to other, artists has played a huge part on my sound. Listening to how they twist words in rhymes and seeing how singers harmonize on their choruses and pre choruses. I’m still working on my craft now but hearing their example shows me ways that impact me vastly. And my favorite albums right now are 4 your eyes only by J. Cole, Chasing Summer by SiR, The Amanda Tape by THEY, PTSD by G Herbo, Fuck The World by Brent Faiyaz.

So you're based out of the south specifically Huntsville, Alabama, how has the area influenced you and your sound, and how is this area's underground scene? Is it a hub for creatives?

Yea being based on Huntsville is actually really nice. Being here in the area has influenced me to become more carefree in my music. Meeting other artists out here and seeing their different views points, sounds, hearing their mannerisms etc. You’ll see on my next few tracks for how it’s changed. The underground scene is wild out here. I don’t know too many artists out here but the ones I do know like Nicholas Lamar and Yung Steezee go crazy. The city is growing fast and this will be a fye spot to be at soon. I don’t mean for just music either; I’m talking photography, videography, and painting too. It’s gone be something over here really.

Last year you released numerous songs such as ‘Mind Right’, ‘We’, ‘Silly Me’, and ‘Come Thru’. Tell us about each of these songs and what inspired them?

When I dropped “Mind Right” I was in a totally different head space than I was with “We, Silly Me, and Come Thru”. When I created “Mind Right”, with the help of Coleman, I had been going through a lot financially, mentally, and it was just a horrible time for me. The base of the song is me talking to my youngins out there. “I can feel that temptation, to gone and snatch....” I know how it feels to not know what to do and to be broke. I’m sure a lot of us do. I never had anyone tell me “get your mind right youngin, you can turn nothing to something” and believe in me.

That is what this song is. It’s just me talking to my youngins telling them I understand but you have to be strong and know that your time is coming. The process with “We, Silly Me, and Come Thru”, which is my EP “ROSES”, was completely different. I had just went through a situation and I had to get it out. “We” to me is about how I feel I want love to be. It’s really me asking someone to be mine. “Silly Me” is about a friend and my own situations. saying I thought I had you, silly me. I fell for you and put that effort but that wasn’t enough, simple as that. “Come Thru” is basically the aftermath of “we” to “silly me” then now “come thru”.

You've worked with several artists, two artists including: Jordan Barnett and Antonia Martinez. How did you find them and what made you tap them in as features?

Let me start off by correcting their names. Jordan goes by Jordan RyAnne and Antonia goes by Toni Soprano. I misspelled both of their names because of a misunderstanding on the release and I apologize for that. I met Jordan RyAnne at a group session awhile back in Antioch. She was cold at singing and I liked her delivery and swag. We clicked and was cool from the start. I had actually been trying to do something with her since that day and one day I was in the lab and thought about her. I called and she pulled through. Then “we” came about.

As far as Toni Soprano, we also met in the lab. I was told about her when I showed up to create. I heard her singing a part to a track she was recording and was actually thrown off. I loved her voice and her power behind it. We eventually met formally and kept in contact. We was both in the studio at the same time when my homies Nobody’s Home produced “Come Thru” and I just had to get her on the track.

Have you worked with any other artists? And as your career grows, what artists do you hope to work with within the near future?

I can’t tell you I have worked with a few more but you’ll see when they drop. I can’t spoil it for you. As far as who I wanna work with..... I’d say I wanna work with Brian Brown, 24., Nicholas Lamar, THEY, Smino, Lauren Mcclinton, and Savvy.

So 2020 is finally over. What can you say are some goals you've accomplished last year? And for 2021 what are some goals you hope to get through by the end of the year?

In 2020 I’ve accomplished staying healthy. Being able to create unapologetically. Being myself and not caring who sees. I’ve also established who I am as a man. Although, for 2021 I’m hoping to love again. Loving myself and showing love to my people, the mob, and my fans/supporters.

Shout out some friends who should we feature next on Nefarious Supply?

I wanna shoutout my guy Nicholas Lamar, Yung Steezee, Chazzoben, and Tuk

Any last words?

For my last words I’d like to say drink water and be yourself. Let go of the past and push for tomorrow.

IG: Therealcarlon Twitter: Therealcarlon YouTube: Carlon A.

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Big thank you to Carlon for coming and interviewing with Nefarious Supply. If you want to hear more of his music you can find it on his soundcloud above as well as all streaming services. And to stay up to date with him be sure to follow him on Instagram.

If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below, and we also just dropped Nefarious Supply Season 2. Use discount code NEFSUPPLY2 to get free shipping on your first order today

Scotty Apex - Starlight

Scotty Apex what’s up bro, the last time we had you on Nefarious Supply was in 2019 when you released Lovesick 2 so we’re excited to feature you once again. To get the interview started give us an update on what you’ve been up too, and what’s new with you?

What’s good!! Yeah, it has definitely been a minute since the last album, appreciate you guys reaching out to me and acknowledging this latest release, means a lot. But yeah, there’s a lot of new things in my life since then. It was a pretty crazy year in 2020 for everyone I’m sure, it definitely was for me. In December of 2019, I graduated from college. Then in January, I moved from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. I drove all the way here, and been here in LA since. Living in LA this year has been a journey, from the pandemic, completing the album, meeting new people, it’s been like a movie.

So from the last time, we have talked to now what are some things you’ve learned about yourself, and the industry, and in learning these things have they had an influence on your overall creative process?

I’ve learned a lot these past two years, and been able to make a lot of growth in many aspects of my life. I think what I’ve learned about myself most is the things I need to keep close around me, to be more direct with my words in reflection to the truth of what I’m feeling, and I guess I received a lot of reassurance from the universe that I’m on the right path with the world that I am creating for myself. As far as what I learned about the industry, there’s a lot, both positive and negative.

I think I realized that a lot is not as it seems. I was able to learn about a lot of people that I looked up to in the past, more on a personal level as to who these people really are, and unfortunately a lot of people in the industry that I came across sort ofdisappointed me. They weren’t this genuine person that I had once thought they were, and I can see how there is a lot of negative energy circulating through those circles of people, which made me want to stay far away from things I once would have dreamed of being in the room with. This definitely had an influence on my creative process, I just really want to work with people that genuinely care about me as a human being, people that I have built friendships with and truly have love for, I think the end product has been coming out a lot better that way, and it makes me more passionate about our releases knowing that it is a team of people that I really care forand am genuinely proud of.

2020 was pretty much slowed the world down but it seems like you’e able to stay focused and continue to put in a lot of work into your career. How did you stay focused during this hard time, and for artists that have a hiccup due to the pandemic what is some advice you would give them?

With the pandemic, it sort of forced people into isolation. A lot of people sort of feed off other people’s energies which I definitely understand, so with that vacancy of external validation or exposure, I can see how it is hard for people to stay inspired or focused. For me, isolation is something I have always sort of lived most of my life in, so I guess this pandemic allowed me to even indulge deeper into that way of life. I think I actually thrive in isolation more than any other circumstance. There’s no expectations, there’s no more pressure, it’s just me, my ideas, my computer, and my friends. All of my focus is now shifted on just creating the best music possible to my own ear and ability, and just becoming the best version of myself on a human level that I can. I think what helped is just having my priorities in line. I loved my family harder than I ever have before, I expressed care for my friends more than I ever have before, I just continuously tried putting out positive energy into the universe and letting it circulate back to me in time.

I would suggest to anyone struggling during this weird time of life to just really focus in on loving more, as corny as that might sound, but it’s true. Just love more. Love yourself, love your family, love your friends, love your work, your art; also appreciate more, appreciate movies, appreciate songs, appreciate being able to breathe and exist, all of that appreciation for life will allow you to find the positives in a lot of negative, and when you’re thinking that way, good things come your way in time.

So let’s get into your music. You started 2021 right by releasing your newest project Starlight, and I gotta be honest you’ve raised the bar for yourself, this project is dead ass amazing! So just give us a brief background on it, what inspired it, how long have you been working on it, and what was your experience like putting it together?

Thank you for the compliment on the project, it means more to me than I can express in words. I look at all my albums as a cinematic version of my real life, they always reflect my experiences in that time period, the emotions I am feeling, the struggles, the highlights, all of my albums have that core element of my own reality. I sort of create my music in direct honesty to what I am living through, so my real life is what inspired the overall message and continuation of the story that is within my catalogue.

I started working on it just under two years ago, shortly after putting out LOVESICK 2, so sometime in 2019. It’s been a crazy journey of working on this album, and just life in general. I shed a lot of tears, created a lot of memories, learned a lot about myself and others around me, and was able to come out with the result of STARLIGHT in the end. This is just the next chapter in my catalogue, my real life story, and it reflects where I currently am in real time.

If you don’t mind, walk us through the project and tell us about the meaning of each of the songs, and which ones are your overall favorites?

Scotty Apex · STARLIGHT [Prod. By LowkyGotHeat, VVD]

STARLIGHT, the intro track and title track to the album, is a song that I felt like would be the perfect introduction to the album. I thought it would be a great first impression to the world that STARLIGHT exists in, and I think it worked out to be just that. I made that one shortly after moving to LA, Lowky had sent me it and I had something down within like 20 minutes. Then after we made the track, a couple months later, I showed it to VVD and he added those additional elements that you hear on the production, like the outro. He took it to the next level, and I just knew this was the intro for the album right away. This song for me just means being positioned in this new way of life, new scenery, new feelings, new experiences, etc.

HELPLESS, is a track I wanted to be vulnerable on, but still have enough of a kick on there to keep the listener engaged and full of energy. I wrote it in a moment of emotional vulnerability, I was going through a lot, and just wanted to be brutally honest over the production in hopes someone out there would be able to relate and find comfort in the fact that I may be experiencing something similar to them. I felt helpless, it wasn’t a good feeling, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to escape, but I kept on going like the song will go to say. The meaning of this song is just that, feeling helpless, I hope this can help any listener that needed it.

CAN’T LOSE YOU, is a track that came about on a random day at the house. I came home and Mathaius had been working on a beat, he called me in his room and was like “yo I just made this and can really hear you on it”, he told me some of the melody ideas he had, and I took that, and wrote everything that night. After I finished my vocals, I told him that I needed him on the record as well, and he eventually knocked out his verse. This track is basically about a failing relationship, the feeling of fearing it ending, but recognizing the unhealthy attributes that come with it.

MISMATCH is a track that I just wanted to have fun with, and bring along some friends. I had Ejaaz and Michael Seven on there with me doing their thing, and yeah I just came up with a cool melody, filled the words in, and laid it down. The meaning of this one is just feeling like you can overcome any adversity, and aren’t afraid to showcase that to anyone who doubts you. Basically telling these internal demons that me vs you is a mismatch because I will undoubtedly win.

LOST & LONELY is one of the first tracks I made from the album, almost two years ago. I was sitting in a house in Bloomington, indiana, Lucy sent me the beat through text message and was like I could hear you on this. I wrote that song in 15 minutes and laid it down later that night. At the time, I had only this song and “Smoke Away”, but I knew this was a greeting starting point for the project to really begin, and I stemmed everything else from those two songs.

ALL OF IT is a song that means I am willing to give everything that I can to this specific girl. I’m saying I am willing to let my guard down, and allow her into my space, taking my time and energy, since the first day I finished my part of the song, I left an open verse, undecided as to who would get on the project, but one day I went over to Maxx Owa’s place and thought it made perfect sense to have him on that one, he knocked out the verse in 15 minutes, and boom, a hit was born.

SMOKE AWAY is the first song I worked on from the album, almost two years ago, I went over to Mathaius’s house when we were still living in Indianapolis and made it while I was there.The meaning of this song is basically running from your internal issues, and smoking away the stress. I made this song at a time I was experiencing a lot of stress, from relationship issues, to family, friends, work, life in general, and my vice of smoking is what cured that for me.

MISGUIDED is one of the last songs that I made for this project. The meaning behind this song is basically feeling lost with no sure direction as to where to go, but knowing that certain things bring emotions out of me, could be a person, a situation, etc.

WARRIOR is a track that symbolizes my want to fight through any adversity that comes from relationship issues, my willingness to try to make things work despite the disagreements, the doubts, and sort of give reassurance to a lover.

OVERNIGHT FLIGHT is a track that is me being open about missing someone far away, sort of wishing that I could fly to them overnight and see them as soon as I land.

The overall meaning of STARLIGHT is just existing in this place of uncertainty, unsure as to where I am going, where I am, only knowing where I have been. So its about me living through this grey area, just trying my best, and hoping for a better future. I just want to become all that I can be.

On Starlights guest features you tapped in an all-star cast including; Mathaius Yung, Ejaaz, Michael Seven, and Maxx Owa. How did you meet each of these artists, what made you tap them in, and what was your experience like working with each of them?

I met Mathaius in Indianapolis in 2015, I saw his name on a blog and found out he lived in the same city, I reached out to him and we’ve been working together ever since, and now currently living together in LA. I wanted to tap in with him on the album because I trust his sound a lot, believe in it, and just knew when our styles meet its always something amazing.

Ejaaz has been the homie for some years, we’re both from the same city and have been linking up for awhile now. I wanted him on the album because I love his sound, appreciate our friendship, and honestly we hadn’t made any new songs in a long time, so I had to get him on MISMATCH, and he snapped.

Michael Seven and I became really cool this year, both of us moving to LA and being around each other as much as we have, our friendship has grown a lot. It’s rare to see his vocals on records right now, and I wanted to collect that rare pokemon, and he snapped as well.

Maxx Owa has been a genuine person to me since we have met, a great friend, and just someone that I look up to on a human level of being a good person. We hadn’t made anything at the time, and I really wanted to make that happen for this. Working with each of them was organic, easy going, and absolutely amazing because they are all so talented at what they do.

You kept that allstar list going on the production end of things and worked with LOWKEYGOTHEAT, VVD, Tyrus, Bergotti, Mathaius once again, Salmon, and Kami Osha. How did you get in contact with each of these producers, what made you want to work with them, and what was your experience with them?

I like working with my friends, and they are all talented as fuck, so it was orgnanic and something I felt blessed with. Lowky and I have been in touch for some years, he is just always consistently sending me fire production, and he always has this vibe that I like to exist in, so it happens naturally with him. VVD is my boy, he snaps and can allow my vision to come to life with his abilities every single time. We just hop on facetime or Discord and he knocks out any idea I have in a single night, he’s just amazingly talented, a close friend to me, and someone I deeply believe in to get the job done every time. Tyrus is the homie as well, we’ve had a friendship for years, I wanted to make sure I had him on this album, and he always these unique bounces that create something that isn’t always made. He a rare one.

The cover art is amazing bro how did that come together, and how did you end up working with Jay to put it together?

I had this initial idea of what I wanted in my head, and got lucky enough to discover Jay Gonzeles on Twitter, who I immediately loved. I hit him in the DM’s telling him my idea, and he snapped so hard on it. It was as easy as that, been in touch since.

So as far as the project do you plan on putting out any visuals to accompany it or are you going to expand it further with a deluxe version?

Yes, sitting on a visual for “HELPLESS” that will be seen very soon. Also, shot visualizers for each song on the project that will be up in some time as well. I do have a plan for a deluxe version of the album with some special attributes, but I guess time will have to reveal that. :)

So what’s next for you in 2021 where do you want to be by the end of the year?

I’m not sure what’s next to be honest, I’m more so living presently as much as I can,which is something I haven’t always done. I want to continue pushing STARLIGHT as much as possible, with high quality additional content, in hopes I can build a bigger audience, maybe open some doors, and yeah just keep going.

Shout some friends out, and let us know who we should feature next on Nefarious Supply?

Shoutout to VVD for always being down to work on this music with me, I would love to see yall interview him. Shout to Adrian Dey for being my best friend for years despite living in a different country haha, Shoutout to Kami Osha!! Ummmmmmmm shoutout Tyrus, shoutout to Tre Capital, shoutout to Lucy Clubhouse, shoutout kenny hoopla, shoutout to my sisters, and yeah I love all my friends fr. Shoutout to everyone else, theres a lot to name haha

Any last words?

Just want to say thank you for even acknowledging my existence and caring about my work, it means everything to me and I am deeply appreciative for the support. If there is any listener of mine that needs to hear this, you have made it through 100% of your worst days so far, just keep going, do NOT lose hope for a better place in your life, give it time, effort, and it will fall into place. Trust yourself, trust the universe, and love more.

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SCOTTY APEX ScottyApexMGMT@gmail.com

Shoutout to Scotty Apex for interviewing with Nefarious Supply this week. If you want to stay up to date with him and his music you can find him on Instagram, and Twitter. While you’re there be sure to stream his new project Starlight, and check out LOVESICK, and LOVESICK2 which are available on all streaming platforms.

If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below, and we also just dropped Nefarious Supply Season 2. Use discount code NEFSUPPLY2 to get free shipping on your first order today

Mathaius Yung - Angel Deep

Mathaius it's been about a year since we last interviewed you and since that time we’ve gone through a pandemic, an election, and plenty of other things that made 2020 an interesting year. So just to get this interview started give us an update, how have you been and what have you been up to since we last caught up?

God is good through all things and I’m still here so I’m grateful despite the tough times. They helped me learn more about myself. Gotta keep going no matter what and make the most out of your situation. I’ve been staying low and just working and putting plays in motion.

What music have you been bumping as of recently and who are the top 5 artists currently in your daily rotation?

As of recently I’ve been stuck on Fuck The World. It’s one of those projects that just fits the times so accurately. Real-time music. Besides that, a lot of feel good music, some Kenny G, some reggae mixed in, some old R&B. I just need music I can be coolin too. I have so much stuff going on my brain hurts sometimes, music really mellows me out. My top 5 recently been Budgie, Che Ecru, Brent Faiyaz, Doe Boy, & Beam.

How have things been in terms of your career and networking, and what are some big goals you accomplished before 2020 ended?

I’m blessed. God just been putting me in a position to win and helping me peep what I don’t need in my life. Been blessed to have been making some dope stuff with people I admire a lot and that’s as much as I can say. Got more work to do.

So in terms of music you’ve been lowkey but busy before 2020 ended you released your new project Angel Deep. Give us a description of the project, the meaning of the title, and who or what inspired you to put it together?

Man Angel Deep is the other side of me that people haven’t got yet and its the side of me that isn’t boastful, it’s so vulnerable. I love it. I feel aligned with my purpose so much that it feels like I have angels around me. I feel like so many things should’ve stopped my journey but I’m still here to make some noise so I’m moving letting the world know where my faith stands. This is what it is.

I gotta stay. I'm amazed how you’re constantly able to deliver amazing music and you continue that trend with this project. Some of my favorite songs on the project are Space Age Shit, Actors, 201 Interlude, Cloud 9, and Invested. Tell us more about each of these songs, and what are some of your favorite songs?

Mathaius Young · Angel Deep

Man I love them songs so much bro. I’m going to let the music speak though. My favorite is Invested. I’ve always wanted to make a song like that. No drums and just a vibe man. S/o summer walker.

Not only are you a talented vocal artist, but you are also a great producer so in terms of your project how much of it did you produce yourself, and did you tap in any other producers to hell you get the project together?

Thank you foreal. I produced about 80%. I feel like my strongest skill is just my ear and knowing when something needs more or less. Everyone involved played a role and never did more than what was needed. These guys are some of the most talented people I know.

In addition to production, you also featured some talented artists including Michael Seven, Tre Capital, & WesWill. What made you want to tap these artists in for your project & more importantly how did you get those amazing background vocals from Wes Will?

Honestly it was just the timing. Me and tre have been friends but he’s never been on any of my solo projects. I tell stories and if you don’t fit into the narrative it’s not personal. That’s a good way to put it. I want all the music to be treated like movies. Same with Michael Seven, but he just knew what to say and it worked. That song was us just chilling at the crib. I wanted something that felt like a spacey strip club anthem. Wes Will just a hidden gem that I hope I helped shine some light on. The world gone know about bro soon. Just watch. Bro is so dope man voice is so soulful and just reminds me of home. We actually knew each other when we were super duper young and I switched schools. Then years later were both doing music and I’m like yo dude wtf. And just remembering each other back in the day and just both understanding what I wanted to do. It worked perfectly. We both like most of the same music.

In addition to your musical career, you also have some other ventures including your record label Angel Deep Records, your clothing line, and your sound kits. Tell us more about each of these and where can the audience go to check them out?

I’m tryna be a business man and CEO on some Jay Z shit. I respect heavy what he’s done and what Drake have done with their branding and team and aesthetic. It took years of maturing to have this vision for a company but it feels right. Right now you guys are getting the start of the music that will be released under Angel Deep, my project was the first release. I love clothes so we’ve released some merch that can be found at ANGELDEEPRECS.COM . Along with the sound kits that I have released can also be found there. I wanna just contribute some swag to the world and add to what our OGs have done before us, and just help keep the world a dope place, despite the crazy stuff that’s been happening. God bless the world man.

In terms of visuals you put out an amazing video for Space Age Shit, do you plan on putting out any more visuals for the project?

Hell yeah. Just be patient!

It’s a brand new year with a brand new fresh start so what do you have planned for 2021 and where do you want to be by the end of the year?

Words are nothing without action. Let’s keep it a surprise.

Any last words?

Stay blessed and keep ya spirits high through the bullshit out here. Fuck the world but love ya people and the ones who deserve it.

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Big shoutout to Mathaius Yung for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply to talk about his new project Angel Deep. If you want to stay up to date with him and his music you can find him on Soundcloud, Instagram, and Twitter.

If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below, and we also just dropped Nefarious Supply Season 2. Use discount code NEFSUPPLY2 to get free shipping on your first order today

Eddy Benz - Sailor Mouth

Closing out the year with our last interview we reached out to Eddy Benz to catch up with him as well as to cover the release of his new project Sailor Mouth which dropped today. Based out of Louisiana Eddy Benz first got on our radar after our introduction to other creatives from the NOLA area including Lango, Jaxon, and Pharez Scott. Starting his career in his High School, Eddy Benz’s biggest influences include Young Thug, David Bowie, Chief Keef, Prince, OJ Da Juiceman and Phil Collins. Having worked with a lot of the artists in his area while building a solo career for him self Benz’s discography includes “Eddy Benz EP”, and his latest project “VOYEUR”. He continues his musical career with his new project Sailor Mouth which drops on the anniversary of VOYEUR. Really happy to close out the year with him here is our interview with NOLA artist Eddy Benz.

Eddy Benz, it's great to catch up with you before 2020 comes to an end, so before we get into the full interview update us on how your 2020 has been, what are some goals you have been able to accomplish, and what are some of your goals going into 2021?

it’s a pleasure to speak with y’all again! My 2020 has been pretty mundane honestly. I got a bachelors degree and I’ve been focusing on music more than ever. I’ve been trying to get in tune with nature and myself as opposed to indulging in more media.

This year has been such a crazy year, with a lot of unexpected events, and a pretty unprecedented time. So with all this in mind, how have you been able to stay motivated with your career, and your music, and what are some things you have learned about yourself? 

This year was completely unexpected, but easily manageable too. From a music perspective, we lost live shows. Other than that the music itself is still relevant. So I’ve been as motivated as ever to deliver new material. I’ve learned that it’s up to me to make changes in my life. Nothing is going to drastically change if I don’t will it into existence.

For artists that haven't had such an easy time this year and who are losing their focus, what is some advice you would give them, and for newer artists looking to take their first steps, what would you tell them as well? 

My advice would be that if any external occurrences are making you lose focus in your art, then you were probably not very focused to begin with. I’ve always used my disadvantages and tribulations to my advantage. For newer artists? I’d say do everything yourself. Because you can...the resources are at your disposal.

How has the underground music/creative scene been for Louisiana this past year, has there been a lot of growth, and what are some exciting things that have come out of your local scene this year?

Dude the Louisiana scene has exploded. I never thought I’d see the day that these artists come together to perform, at a DIY venue at that. It’s been incredible. Some things that I’ve seen out of the local scene is my mutual artists have been signing major label deals. Labels are finally looking at us.

So let’s get into music, what are your top t0 projects of the year, and why and which artists do you currently have in your daily rotation?

To be honest I don’t listen to much music at all. I watch a ton of films though. But as for musicians that are in my rotation? I’d say ecco2k, Rylo Rodriguez, Baby Smoove and some classic Jay-Z and Camron.

So you've been pretty low-key this year but you're ending the year off right on the right note with the release of your newest project “Sailor Mouth”. What inspired this project, what does the title mean and how does it tie into the overall theme of the project, and how long did it take you to get this project together?

So yea I was very quiet for most of the year. But actually I conceived of the album title over a year ago. The term “sailor mouth” really just means someone that curses way too much. I think I curse way too much. I even curse in my songs just to fit the meter or rhyme scheme. So that’s where the title comes from. It probably took me about a year to come up with the concepts but it didn’t take very long to record it because I had all the concepts prepared already.

What was your creative process like putting this project together? Did it change from your usual flow with previous projects, and what was your favorite part of putting this project together? 

The creative process for this album was a bit different. I free associated on this album. Which essentially means i free-styled on it lol. But it was a bit more premeditated than that. My favorite part of the album was having a hand in the mixing process. The mix of a song can give it an entirely new dimension.

So tell us about the features on this project. What made you tap them in for this project, what was the creative process like with each of them? 

To be honest, I have one feature on the project. I had a lot more in mind but narrowed it down to one. It’s not very surprising but it’s my guy Lango. He’s been on my tapes three years in a row now and his progression has been insane.

On the production end of things, what was that like, what producers did you tap in for this project, and what was the creative process like with them? 

I love my producers. And a new development on this project is that I know every single producer. It’s been incredible to work with my friends on this project. Shout out to them all. Many of them were on my original EP a few years ago too.

So with this release of this new project what next for you, do you plan on releasing any visuals to coincide with it?

Tons of visuals. Tons of content. Full length movie soon?

Who should we feature next on Nefarious Supply?

ya gotta feature my videographer, Matt (shotbymattx) and my right hand man and twin brother, Connor (@Connorlauman)

Any last words

LOVE YOURSELF

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Big congratulations to Eddy Benz for the release of his new project Sailor Mouth. His new project is on SoundCloud now so show him some love and listen to it and while you’re there be sure to follow him on Instagram as well as Twitter!

.If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below, and we also just dropped Nefarious Supply Season 2. Use discount code NEFSUPPLY2 to get free shipping on your first order today

Meech - Barriers to Knowing

Meech, a heavy-hitting lyricist of Van Buren Records, has come back and blessed VB fans with a brand new EP. Barriers to Knowing rides the high of Meech’s lyrical strengths, such as his grounded storytelling and political advocacy. With key features, weaving their own versions of the concept of the EP. From praying fervently to carrying a piece on you at all times, Meech makes his words bounce on this six-track EP, and draws you deeper into the mind of the Brockton rapper.

Meech what’s up bro last we had you on was February so this is pretty cool to come full circle back to you at the very end of 2020. Give us an update on how your 2020 has been coming so far, what have you been able to accomplish?

2020 has been a challenging year, filled with blessings. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out everything that's going on and feel this all out. Day by Day

What are some of your favorite projects this year, and what artists have been in heavy rotation?

I keep all Van Buren projects in rotation, outside of that I bump everything.
Freddie Gibbs did a lot of damage for me this year with Alfredo.

Even though 2020 has been crazy how have you been able to stay focused, and for artists that are rethinking their career path cause of this year what is some advice you would give?

Find your why & mission statement with making music, study the game tirelessly and ask for help from people who inspired you to make music in the 1st place.

So let’s talk about your new project “Barriers to Knowing”, what inspired it and how does the title tie into the overall message of the project?

To keep it simple, the project sums up the distractions that have stopped me from understanding and knowing myself. Spiritually, Mentally, Physically & Musically. Just wanted to yell at all the demons & barriers that keep steering me & my belief in knowing that I'm capable of so much more than what "they" say I'm worth.

How long were you working to put this project together and did you creative process change when putting this together or was it about the same?

Process definitely changed, this has been a year in the making. I had Breaking Point done in November 2019, but something was telling me to sit on it and build around this emotion.

So the whole project is solid but my favorite songs on there are Expensive Taste, Breaking Point, and Numb. Tell us more about each of these songs, and what are some of your favorite tracks on the project?

I love them all, my favorite song always changes. At the moment Dey Controlling Da Hype is the one for me cuz it applies to our everyday lies, legit can't escape that concept and it's message cuz we're living in that shit 24/7. And the project's on rap genius, description of each track on there.

Getting into features you featured four artists Andrew Regis, Vasant, and fellow label mates Lord Felix, and Saint Lyor. What made you want to tap them in for this project? 

Andrew a swiss army knife, he's elite at everything. Vasant went crazy on the sax, no more to explain on that. And Felix & Lyor my brothers, always going to find a way to get a VB feature on all of my projects.

In addition to guest features the production is also top tier which producers did you work with for this project, and who mixed/mastered the final project?

S/O Mico Juno, AeBeats, Versus, Ricky / Tee-Watt & Andrew Regis. It would be its own article if I went into detail on the production process. My brother & VB member Rlouie mix/mastered the whole thing, we really went back and forth on ideas, did some different things with my vocals and got closer to crafting my ideal sound. Next project is where we'll keep pushing the boundaries, and figure more shit out that we haven't used yet. Can't wait.

So with the end of 2020 what are some of the goals you want to accomplish in 2021? 

Keep growing my following, connect more with the people who listen to me & create a project that's better than this. Hopefully I can finally get an LP off and stop doing the EP's.

Any last words?

VB WorldWide, we violating all 2021 too. Peace & Love

To know means to be silent, utterly silent So you can hear the still, small voice within. To know means to drop the mind. When you are absolutely STILL, unmoving, nothing waivers in you, The doors open . You are part of this mysterious existence. You know it by becoming part of it, Press Play & Become part of my silence -

Dey Controlling Da Hype

The first song on the extended play, Meech comes in with an almost Playboi Carti x Pierre Bourne vibe. The Brockton artist comes in hot, spitting verses on his lack of need for advice, vibing with his brothers, and ignoring what Twitter tells him is goals in life. Meech’s main message on this track is to somehow open the listeners around them to the select few who control the wave and direct the hype. Throughout the song, Meech is warning his fans to be vigilant of the people who say they’re in your corner and end up not having your best interests at heart.

To know means to be silent, utterly silent So you can hear the still, small voice within. To know means to drop the mind. When you are absolutely STILL, unmoving, nothing waivers in you, The doors open . You are part of this mysterious existence. You know it by becoming part of it, Press Play & Become part of my silence -

Expensive Taste

With a beautiful note progression in the back, reminiscent of the high-keys on a piano, AeBeats production on Expensive Taste makes the track 50% of what it needs to be. Meech adds the other 50% with his very introspective and personal verses on the song. Expensive Taste showcases Meech’s ability to reach into himself, confront the realities of his life romantically, essentially asking the person in question if she will stay with him, even if he can’t quell her expensive tastes.

To know means to be silent, utterly silent So you can hear the still, small voice within. To know means to drop the mind. When you are absolutely STILL, unmoving, nothing waivers in you, The doors open . You are part of this mysterious existence. You know it by becoming part of it, Press Play & Become part of my silence -

Breaking Point

AeBeats shines once again, using a piano sample that sounds somewhat reminiscent of a Six beat on one of Logic’s projects. Meech slides on this beat, either way, showing expert lyricism and flow of the boom-bap type production. He speaks on reaching the end of his rope, mentally and emotionally with a woman, accusing her of only wanting attention from the wrong people, never learning from her mistakes, gossiping to her friends who don’t have her best interest at heart.

Breaking Point is about him arguing back and forth with his woman about how her actions are affecting him and this relationship.

To know means to be silent, utterly silent So you can hear the still, small voice within. To know means to drop the mind. When you are absolutely STILL, unmoving, nothing waivers in you, The doors open . You are part of this mysterious existence. You know it by becoming part of it, Press Play & Become part of my silence -

Heaven’s Gates (ft. Andrew Regis & Vasant)

Heaven’s Gates is probably our favorite track out of the list. Produced by Versus, the eerie, cinematic start of the track, plus an unknown sample that replays until Meech’s verse starts, sets the stage for the rest of the track. The production also sounds melancholy in a way, sad that it was conceptualized, yet doing a beautiful job nonetheless.

Meech thrives on this track as he deals with the issues surrounding his journey to becoming a mainstream artist, and Regis comes in with a hard-hitting, head-nodding verse about the struggles of growing up in a system made to hinder your progress. Vasant’s final vocal run wraps a neat little bow and the beautiful track and adds to its overall importance.

To know means to be silent, utterly silent So you can hear the still, small voice within. To know means to drop the mind. When you are absolutely STILL, unmoving, nothing waivers in you, The doors open . You are part of this mysterious existence. You know it by becoming part of it, Press Play & Become part of my silence -

Sprained Wrist (ft. Lord Felix & SAINT LYOR)

A Van Buren Boys are back on Sprained Wrist! Featuring fellow label artists, Ricky Felix, Lord Felix, and SAINT LYOR, Meech seems as if he’s in the comfort of his own home in this vibe-filled track. Showcasing Meech’s versatility, he speaks about fighting through the pain, working till he’s numb, and even being down when he’s up. Regardless he’s going to make big bank, cop a whip, with a big frame.

Lord Felix drops a future-focused verse about blocking out his haters, and calling out the fake friends who pretend to be in his corner, as well as thriving to be the best in the game. Lord Felix’s contemporary finishes with a heartbroken bridge that ties the track together nicely. Yet another great set of features.

To know means to be silent, utterly silent So you can hear the still, small voice within. To know means to drop the mind. When you are absolutely STILL, unmoving, nothing waivers in you, The doors open . You are part of this mysterious existence. You know it by becoming part of it, Press Play & Become part of my silence -

Numb

Numb is the longest song on the album, standing at around 4 minutes. Meech starts by diving headfirst into his verse, spitting on various topics that have plagued him throughout the length of this project, reminiscing and looking towards the future, while being cautious of both, Meech reels in the message of this EP, which we think is simply another collection of thought processes and experiences the Brockton artist decided to expand on, and tell from his point of view, with the help of a few good friends.

From the middle to the end of the track a beautiful lead out, consisting of Meech’s R&B-esque croons, and a gorgeous guitar play session towards the end, and the lovely painting is finished, the end to Barriers to Knowing.

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Big shout out to Meech for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply. If you want to stay up to date with him and music you can follow him on Instagram and check out his newest projects Barriers of Knowing available on all streaming platforms.

If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below, and we also just dropped Nefarious Supply Season 2. Use discount code NEFSUPPLY2 to get free shipping on your first order today!

Monroe Jxrdan - Ultra444

Where or what are you representing with your music? What concepts and themes drive the foundational aspects of the creation of your sound? Why are these concepts and themes, if any, so important to you?

Wow so for me I’m trying to represent Colors if that makes sense, see colors are like feelings or emotions one day you feel blue the next day you feel orange but that’s the main thing i wanna represent with my music, The everyday struggles with dealing with emotions and colors. Expressing yourself is so important to me like finding a music.

What keeps your current audience listening and why should people start listening if they haven’t already? What parts of you as an artist do you feel are most attractive to your audience? Is it your lyrical ability? Flow? Your style? Or maybe a conglomerate of those things?

I think it’s a mix of everything people just love my style of music I’m very laid-back and chill and the way i go about things musically and outside of music people naturally gravitate towards me because I’m relatable you look at my Instagram feed it’s just me living life riding my bike around the city or eating different food’s, I don’t talk about crazy flex’s or f**king supermodels I’m just a normal guy who plays video games and that speaks about being in or out of love I think most people can find comfort in that like “wow this guy isn’t trying to do too much or be something he’s not”

How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before, without using words that have to do with music?

I’d say it’s chill, melancholic and ambient like I’m saying some sad stuff but in a very chill way....with my sounds i feel like you can relax and just vibe out to it zone out for an hour and come back  

Who inspires you for your sound? Who were the main influences in your life that helped you along the way or maybe even said something in a book or tv show one time that inspired you?

It’s definitely a few I’d like to say sound wise but Frank Ocean and The Weeknd, Both of those guys really got me into music like just the way they interact with sounds is just amazing and the lyricism from both of those guys especially Frank he just puts you in a whole different world but other than that I’d say Donald Glover inspires me lifestyle wise I’m really into Film and cinematography so one day I’d like to disappear from music and just make movies and TV shows for a while

Who do you listen to on a regular basis? Who are the go-to artists that really strike your creative nerve, or are simply your favorite artists to sit back and vibe too?

I listen to everything I don’t have a favorite genre I think music is becoming genre-less anyway but I love 80’s pop music especially the stuff they were making in Japan in really good stuff but right now I’m really into electrical sounds and things like that so right now so I’ve been bumping Vegyn, Duval Timothy and other instrumental artist

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?

For me I have to go through something or hear something really dope to even get inspired but when I am inspired the process can be quick or long depending on if I’m producing the track myself or not and I don’t write I usually let words come to me while I’m on the mic so if I’m really feeling it the words and flow come right away but if I’m not feeling it I’ll just sit for a while and think until i get tired and start over the next day

MONROE | 444 | Z E N out now on all platforms

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Big shout out to Monroe Jordan for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, if you enjoyed the interview and want to stay up to date with him you can follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud, and if you want to learn more about him check out his personal site Ultraviolet444. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our weekly news letter you can sign up below, and we also just dropped Nefarious Supply Season 2. Use discount code NEFSUPPLY2 to get free shipping on your first order today!