RH First Look: Donnis
“Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” – Elizabeth Drew
Atlanta born Donnis knows all too well the meaning of travel, and contrary to Elizabeth Drew’s quote, his form of conversation is rhyming on a microphone. From Japan to New York, the young troubadour is far from the “basement recording rookie.” His life experiences have not only helped him personally, but also shaped his music, which became obvious in his recent sit-down with RubyHornet. Donnis spoke on everything from his culture shock in the big apple to his upcoming mixtape with a certain streetwear heavyweight, as well as leaving the dull points at the door. Check it all out as Donnis gets under The First Look microscope.
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RH First Look: ChiBoys Tee's
When the fellas from Pac Division hit came into Chicago last summer, we scooped them from their hotel and gave them a driving tour of the city. One of our first questions was, "what do you think of when you think of Chicago?" Their first response was, "Michael Jordan." Their second response was "Barack Obama." And their third response was "pizza." All are understandable, as DeShawn Murray of ChiBoys Clothing says, "we all know that Jordan is the most influential sports figure of our time, and Obama is unmistakeably the most inspiring man of all time," and well, pizza is a just that good...In addition, much of the clothing celebrating the city, as far as streetwear goes, centers on MJ, or Mr. Obama, leaving a lot of the city untapped in terms of tee-shirts. That exclusion of Chicago's rich history and landmarks is what gave inspiration to Murray to throw his hat into the tee-shirt ring with ChiBoys, a "Chicago themed t-shirt line that tells the story of Chicago's history, culture, hardships, architecture and personality."
The line launched just a few short weeks ago, and we caught up with Murray to talk about the clothes, the brand, and the city in this week's RH First Look. Check it out below.
RH First Look: Bullet
More love over there, than over here is a popular phrase for underground Hip Hop artists. From Wordsworth to Little Brother, Dilated Peoples to Pugs Atomz, many emcees spit bars about feeling neglected in their hometowns, and Chicago grew quite a rep for sending artists elsewhere to achieve some sort of validation before gaining the Windy City's love. It's perplexing and frustrating for some, daunting for others, and disappointing for most. But, not so much Bullet, a Chicago emcee that reps hard...for Jupiter that is. Bullet explains,
"I personally got tired of trying to be a part of something that was so cliquish. I got tired of reaching out to certain people, so I did it on my own and was like, 'you know what? You can have Chicago. My mind is somewhere else.' Hence the reason I rep Jupiter."
But Bullet's not all Rodney Dangerfield. While he battles for more attention in the city, he has built a solid foundation outside city limits and hopes to capitalize on them witha record deal. Bullet talks about his plans, speaks more on Chicago, and breaks down his outerspace ambitions vs. Lil' Wayne's. Check it out below.
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RH First Look: The Kid Daytona
The Kid Daytona can flat our rap. That was one of my first thoughts after hearing the Lanky BX native, who hit the scene with a remake of Tribe Called Quest material handled with care and knowledge as well as guidance from Hot 97's Cipha Sounds. There's something a bit more to The Kid, as witnessed in his second successful "concept" project, The Daytona 500, a seven song EP in which producers from Double O to 6th Sense reinterpret Bob James' "Nautilus". The record gets better, as Daytona adds to the songs by weaving stories about career take-off, as each song contributes to his ultimate flight. We caught up with The Kid to talk about his last EP, as well as the main course, Come Fly With Me, set to drop later this year. Daytona also talks about working with Cipha Sounds, and how the loss of his parents has impacted his music. Check it all out below as The Kid Daytona goes under the RH First Look Microscope.
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RH First Look: Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
Baseball stars such as Carlos Lee, and Jermaine Dye are just two of the 99 that have hit homeruns in their first major league at bats. While they have followed up their debut dingers with many other homerun trots, clutch RBI's, and built solid careers, countless other hitters such as Bill Roman and Andre David hit one out of the park out of the gate, and then dwindled into baseball obscurity. Similarly, the music industry has seen more than its fair share of artists hit it big, then hit the ground. So many, that the phrase "one hit wonder" is regular vernacular, and shoveled upon artists who go from no-name to top of the charts until they can prove otherwise.
Actress/Model Freida Pinto has done the movie equivalent of a first at-bat homerun with her role in "Slumdog Millionaire". After struggling to turn a successful modeling and TV career into big screen appearances, the Mumbai-born Pinto was cast in Danny Boyle's independent Oscar nominated film, "Slumdog Millionaire" as Latika, a scrappy child orphan turned beautiful woman locked into a world of power and violence. Latika is 'the third musketeer' so to speak, and the love interest of the film's protagonist, Jamal, the Slumdog turned Millionaire.
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First Look: Chester French
"The idea here is sort of that the music speaks for itself," says Max, one half of the Star Trak signed Chester French. "We'd sort of prefer people know the music before they know anything about us. That way they can judge it as music, without biases."
So far, we know this much of Max and D.A. of Chester French. They are named after a famous sculpture, met at Harvard, got the attention of Pharrell Williams and signed to Star Trak/Interscope. Their first single, "She Loves Everybody", tells the story of a girl who gets around the scene, and its packaging implies just how D.A. and Max interact with her. Chester French are currently readying their debut LP, and just finished a tour with Common and N*E*R*D. We caught up with the duo to find out more. Check out this first look as Chester French talk Ivy League musicians, pop music, and leaving Los Angeles.
RubyHornet: So, how many interviews start off with a question about going to Harvard (not including this one)? Does that ever get annoying?
D.A: Most of them start by asking how we got started, which inevitably includes some mentions of Harvard. That doesn't get annoying because it always affords us the opportunity to insinuate that we're geniuses.
RubyHornet: Do Ivy League groups stick together? You ever talk to Naledge and Double-O of Kidz In The Hall? Related question, anyone confuse either of you for Asher Roth?
D.A.: We met the Kidz in The Hall in Texas last year. They were nice guys. We don't get confused for Asher, unfortunately. We'd probably get some of his residual girls if they did....
RubyHornet: Your first single was packaged like a condom. In terms of presentation of your material, has that always been a thought of yours along with the music, or has that come since joining Interscope and making music on a higher visibility level?
D.A.: We've always tried to entertain our supporters and uninitiated listeners as much as possible. If we can have fun with our packaging, style, etc, we try to!
RubyHornet: You are signed to Star Trak, which may first make people think of you guys as a Hip Hop duo. How would you describe the music that you make? Does Hip Hop fit in anywhere into the equation?
D.A.: Hip Hop has been a major influence on us as musicians and playazzzz4lyfe. We describe our music as Pop because we try to make songs that anyone can appreciate and enjoy.
RubyHornet: "She Loves Everybody" is the big single that has introduced the music world to Chester French. What was the deciding factor to go with that song?
D.A.: People really seemed to instantly "get" it. And DJ's can bump it for rumps to hump in da clubz.
Max: It was the first song on our Myspace page. It chose itself by virtue of that placement.
RubyHornet: The song appears to be about a girl that gets around the scene. The dude knows she gets around, but still can't shake her. That's definitely
something a lot of guys can relate to. Did that come from personal experience? Any tips for our male readers when dealing with a girl that "Loves Everybody"?
D.A.: It came from personal experience. The only tip I can offer is the obvious one.
RubyHornet: You recently went on tour with Common and N*E*R*D. Did watching the crowd react to Common or N*E*R*D leave any lasting impressions on you guys that you can apply to your growth and stage show?
D.A.: Absolutely. Pharrell and Common are both amazingly energetic and engaging front men. They both had great bands. Both elements were inspiring.
Max: People went to those shows to have fun and show love for the performers. It was a great environment to be working on our show in.
RubyHornet: You were living in LA, then moved out. What was the deciding factor in leaving Los Angeles? How did living there affect your view of the music industry? Did you see any affects (good or bad) on your music or creative process?
D.A.: We just got tired of L.A. and of paying rent when we were on tour a lot of the time. We got to see the music industry from the inside there a bit, and the only conclusion I left with was that it's easier and more fun to create outside of that world.
RubyHornet: Would you describe your relationship as Stockton/Malone, or more Shaq/Kobe, or insert your own famous duo here.
D.A.: Rodman - Louganis.
Max: Agreed.
RubyHornet: What's up next for Chester French as '08 goes into '09? Tell our readers a little bit about the LP.
D.A.: We're getting really excited about putting it out and finally letting people hear what we do. We'll be touring a lot after that, I imagine.
Max: Our LP has thirteen songs on it, and only 8 of them suck. It's amazing.
RubyHornet: Lastly, for some of our readers, this will serve as an introduction. What are three things you want listeners to know about Chester French before going to check out more of your music?
Max: The idea here is sort of that the music speaks for itself. We'd sort of prefer people know the music before they know anything about
us. That way they can judge it as music, without biases. That said, it'd be cool if people knew we wrote, produced, and engineered pretty
much the whole thing ourselves. Yep. Yar. WHOA! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First Look: XV
Kansas born XV is currently eclipsed in a Hip Hop version of the great flood. Sending cyberspace a wash in new material, XV has undertaken a 40 Days/40 Nights project in which he drops a new song every AM and every PM. Each day XV gives the world new tracks about his love for video games, girls, comics, and how he left earth for the distant Planet Squaria before settling in the Coolniverse. What?!?! If that last part threw you for a bit of a loop, XV's not surprised in the slightest.
"Esoteric should be my genre of music, because I don't expect everybody to get it," he told RubyHornet about his highly conceptual music, which tells the story of a young man finding himself through creative expression. "I still don't feel like I fit in," he continues, "because I'm socially outcasted by many of my peers, but I've found clarity in who I am." That clarity is on display and currently getting thumbs up from artists, writers, and fans alike. So much so that XV is plotting a nationwide tour, and currently working on the release of a proper LP, The Kid With The Green Backpack.
In this edition of RH First Look, we turn the microscope on XV. Here the emcee introduces himself, talks about his crazy journey through outerspace, clears up rumors about dissing Charles Hamilton, and talks Lupe Fiasco comparisions. Check it out.
RubyHornet: I know that XV stands for the age at which you started rhyming. What was happening in your life and music-wise that pushed you to start creating songs?
XV: ALOT! See, the main reason behind my super-simple name, "XV", is that I just turned 15 when I decided to get SERIOUS with pursuing a career in music. But, the inspiration behind that change was that I just lost a close friend of mine to suicide right before I entered high school. It changed me completely as a person, and I was kind of lost in who I was. One part of me was this kid that collects Jakks toy wrestlers, loves Batman The Animated Series, and video games. The other side was this kid that found himself trying to fit in with the older kids from the neighborhood, getting into fights and hanging out on the streets, sometimes not even coming home. Then, I finally just decided that I did't want to turn into "THAT" person, so I started getting really serious with music. I Saved up enough money to buy my own computer, and the whole summer that I turned 15 I taught myself how to produce, record, and release my own music. I dropped my first album independently a year later. It sucked though, so I ask nicely that nobody tries to dig that album up. Thank you. Hahaha!
RubyHornet: You're from Kansas. Really, Kansas? What's the climate like in your neck of the woods a month out from the election?
XV: Hahaha, yes...I am from Smallville, Kansas. I just landed here though, don't you DARE blame me! Haha. But even though I live in the biggest city in Kansas, it still has a very "small-town" feel to it. You know, sports are a very big thing here, which is one reasons why I was widely ignored by the general public. And not NFL, NBA, NCAA kind of sports, high school sports! Like Varsity Blues or something. It's not very "country" out here, but nonetheless, we're still a RED state. We still have our DIE-HARD Fox News republicans. For instance, I just flew to New York City last week, and one of my fellow Kansans on the plane told me and my producer, Seven, to stop cursing. And the last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene on a flight to New York City. So, I just opened my laptop and watched some Richard Pryor stand-up. Without headphones on. Haha!
RubyHornet: You are currently in the midst of 40 Days/40 Nights. For our readers that don't know, break down the rules real quick. What was your inspiration for this venture, is it a really big nod to Noah? What's been the hardest part in keeping up?
XV: Well, the REGULAR idea was to drop a new song every day for 40 days, 40 nights. THEN, I thought...wait...wait...what if I dropped a new song EVERY MORNING and EVERY NIGHT for 40 days, playing on the words, "40 DAYS and 40 NIGHTS". The inspiration behind it was that I just beat "Gears of War" on INSANE mode, Rockband 2 didn't come out for another month, and I had 2 months before I started recording my album. So, I didn't have anything better to do. Plus, my horoscope said I was going to embark on a "spiritual concept" that day. Everything just fell into place. And I had a lot of artists that I've wanted to work with, but I didn't want to make another mixtape following, The Square In The Circle, so I figured I would just start recording! The hardest part in keeping up is that I don't like the concept of sleep, but my body conforms to it. So, I'll stay up working in the studio until 4 or 5 in the morning, and I'll sleep until noon, and miss the morning drop. Me and Seven do everything ourselves, so traveling, working, doing interviews and blogging on TheCoolniverse.com (shameless plug) can sometimes run into posting a new track. But, all the music is already done.
RubyHornet: So, as I understand it, you left Earth for Planet Squaria before coming back and heading for the Coolniverse. What was it that made you take off from Earth, and why come back now?
XV: I took off from Earth because I just felt I didn't belong here. When I say, "I don't fit in", I don't say that rebelliously or trying to be different, or whatever. I really DO NOT fit in. Not only in the music industry, but anywhere. I go to clubs, and people are like, "what is that 12 year old kid doing in here?" because I look mad young! I go to see my old friends from my hood and everybody's smokin' and talking about "the spot" last night, and I'm like..."Did anybody catch that Heroes episode?" And Hip-Hop was just getting ridiculous. I needed a break from it all, so I left and headed for Planet Squaria, my home away from home that is actually in my home. I returned because the trip helped me find myself, and my vision, and what I want to bring back musically. I still don't feel like I fit in, because I'm socially outcasted by many of my peers, but I've found clarity in who I am.
RubyHornet: In terms of Planet Squaria, the Coolniverse etc...all of that is very conceptual and so is your music. Do you feel that by having so many concepts that you are painting yourself as esoteric in a way, and some people just won't give your music a chance based on all the other stuff?
XV: Definitely! I like the way you used that word. Esoteric should be my genre of music, because I don't expect everybody to get it. I only want to appeal to the people that want to get it, that want to expand their horizons, and travel to other parts of the universe, haha. I don't expect everybody to relate to my love for video games, comic books, toys, and concepts of space, but I appreciate those that appreciate the fact that I'm really being myself! I'll perform, and jump up and down on stage, do jump kicks, and everything and even though the person in the crowd wouldn't dare to act so ridiculous, I appreciate those that appreciate that I am comfortable enough to do that. But, some people just have their own ways of thinking and I can't knock that.
RubyHornet: RubyHornet is located in Chicago, and when I first played some of your tracks for my people out here, a lot of them compared you to Lupe Fiasco. Do you get that a lot, and if so, how is it weighing on you?
XV: I have definitely gotten that a lot. Especially with the hyper and higher toned voice that we both share, I have heard that from a few people. It doesn't bother me as much as it would if somebody said I sound like the next Shawty Lo, Hahaha. But, I'm comfortable enough creatively to know there are similarities and differences between me and Lupe. If you're familiar with the DC Comic universe, I guess I would be more like "Bizarro Lupe", hahaha, just not as clumsy. Haha!
RubyHornet: I've heard rumors that you're working on a mixtape with Charles Hamilton, and I've also heard rumors that you threw a little diss at him. For the record, set the rumors straight on RubyHornet.com.
XV: Both are true and false. I'm working on a mixtape featuring Charles Hamilton but not with Charles Hamilton. It will be like a mix of both of our records back to back, as if we're facing off like Sonic VS. Mario, since he represents Sonic and I'm a Nintendo head. But the whole mixtape and concept was going to be created by me and probably released before his mixtape, Sonic The Hamilton, since he has told me that SONIC WILL WIN. I doubt that. Hahaha. And yeah, I threw a little jab at him on my record, "Control", but it wasn't directed towards Charles Hamilton, the rapper, more like Charles Hamilton, the Sonic. I said, "Ni**az think they sonic, honestly I cannot tails." And, this was just to spark the beginning of Sonic VS. Mario. Even he took it out of context, even though I only talked about video games the entire song. That's that esoteric XV again though, so, can't blame him. It's all love at the end of the day though.
RubyHornet: In your mind, what does it mean to be "square"? On the flipside, what does it mean to be "cool"?
XV: If you were to ask Huey Lewis and The News that...well...you know how that goes. Haha. But a "square" is somebody who doesn't get what is "cool." Not in the form of non-conforming, but really doesn't understand what is cool. A lot of times my little brothers will show me something that people think is dope and I'll be like, "Really!? This is cool!?" And I just don't understand it. So, a square just goes on doing what they think is cool, but ends up being the exact opposite. A square will play Harry Potter on the XBOX the same day that GTA IV comes out. Hahaha. To be "cool" is like being something that everybody agrees is awesome. Like........Lil' Wayne! hahahahaha! That's the best answer for that. Haha.
RubyHornet: You have an interesting title for your next LP, clue our readers into it, what's the story behind that?
XV: The title is, The Kid With The Green Backpack, and it comes from a name that kids called me when I was in middle school. I was in this "smart kid" program in middle school, which was very low in numbers of black kids. I wasn't the coolest of the coolest, so I wore this green backpack, and I guess I walked around always clutching the straps of my backpack tightly. Since the kids that weren't in the program didn't know my name they just called me, The Kid With The Green Backpack. I found this out later in high school when one of those girls that didn't know my name handed me her phone number. Schwing!!!!
So the album is a concept album based around my life as a nobody in school, which actually parallels my life as a nobody in the music industry. And as the album progresses, I go through a bunch of events that change me and help me find myself to become a name in school, and become a face in the music industry. It's like the album John Hughes would make if he became a rapper. LOL.
RubyHornet: For some of our readers, this is their first introduction to you. What are three things that you want people to know about XV when listening to your music?
XV: One, I'm actually not as awesome as I try to make myself out to be. Second, I put my all into my lyrics and concepts, so please don't pass the opportunity to catch something that the average listener wouldn't catch. I always try to put something special in there. And third, my music is real! And I don't mean that in the sense of Plies's definition of "real". I mean, like, I say I love video games, add me on XBOX LIVE (Gamertag:XtotheV) and I'll get online and play. I say I'm an avid comic-reader, hit up my blog and let's talk comics. Everything I talk about is a part of me and my life, it's not a gimmick or a sales pitch. I figure that no matter how unique I try to think I am, there has to be some other squarians out there like me, so I just hope to bring some together. And then we can have a lock-in at the rec center! Cool!
Visit XV at the Coolniverse.