Rap Archives - Page 3 of 14 - Straight Official Magazine

Straight Official Sit Downs: Afro Preachah

on February 7, 2024 Artist Interviews TenthLetterMedia add comment

AFRO PREACHAH stopped by our headquarters for this edition of Straight Official Sit Downs where we spotlight emerging artists. @TenthLetterMedia got the opportunity to chop it up with him this time and the vibe was dope! Check out their one-on-one down below and click here for more Straight Official Sit Downs.

Q&A WITH AFRO PREACHAH

Introduce yourself. Tell us where you are from and what first interested you in the entertainment industry?

They call me Afro Preachah. I was born in Kansas City, KS and grew up in Missouri before moving to Minnesota. The name was given to me by my producer friend Griff. What interested me was watching music videos from Run DMC, Public Enemy, Morris Day, Bootsy Collins.

Who or what inspires you to create?

My first inspiration was my father and grandfather. Both are preachers. Growing up in church. The rhythm of music in general. Music, words and rhythm have been on auto play my whole life.

How would you describe your sound?

I would say it’s a fusion of then and now. Old and new. Hip-Hop, Funk, R&B, Soul and sounds of Gospel. So folks call is “Sexy Chuuch music”. It makes me laugh.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Tell us about your creative process. What are your go-to’s for a session?

I like to just vibe out in my mancave when I get the music from my producers. Play video games, watch anime, smoke one. Surround myself with art. I basically “Nerd Out” (laughs).

What artists would you like to collaborate with?

Artists I’m a fan of.include Morris Day, Tech N9ne, Trinidad James, MC Lyte, Chris Brown, 69 Boys & Bootsy Collins.

The music is for you & them, not me. The real grassroot. I’m just the vessel. I could never say thank you enough. Living my dream to do music for folks that want it is a true blessing. Gratitude.
Afro Preachah’s words to his fans

LET’S SHIFT GEARS

What’s a skill/talent that you possess that no one knows about?

I practice five different forms of Kung-Fu & Martial Arts.

If not for music, where would you be in life right now?

That’s a great question. I’ll have to ask God and get back to you on that one.

If you could change the music industry in any way, what would you change and why?

Well, in a dream I had all labels support all artists from an independent artist aspect. Why that change? Speaking for myself, I’m an LLC. Yes, I’m an artist but business comes first. So, presenting any kind of business that would hurt personally is off the table.

Important things artists should know. How to balance their checkbooks, understanding sync licensing to running your independent artist website. Labels offer real music business education. In these past years in my opinion, we’ve had why to many negative outcomes in our African American entertainment community. Label can make just as much money by educating their artists to own themselves. Then I woke up! (laughs)

WRAPPING IT UP

Do you have a new project out? If so, tell us more about it and where we can hear it.

Yes, actually a couple projects. “Watch Me” produced by @Lstmusic and “Rap Caviar” by @flamesquadDJMC. You can stream, download and watch video on www.afropreachah.com

Give us your final words. Let us know where we can follow on social media.

You can find me @afropreachah YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X. For all the content that doesn’t make it to social media go to www.afropreachah.com and subscribe.

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on January 23, 2024 Artist Interviews add comment

BOZEA is an up and coming Hip-Hop artist that sat down with @djspins this week to talk about his recent moves and new single. Check

C Doll Is Out To Prove She Meant That

on January 4, 2024 Artist Interviews add comment

C DOLL stopped by our headquarters this week to chop it up with @djspins. The vibe was indeed dope! Check out their one-on-one down below

Da Foundation Talk Live, Suffer & Celebrate

on December 23, 2023 Interviews Straight Official Magazine add comment

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Straight Official Sit Downs: Leo W3ST

on October 3, 2023 Artist Interviews add comment

LEO W3ST is the next contestant to take the hot set for another edition of Straight Official Sit Downs. The official one-on-one with The Worldwide

Artists You Should Know | Jet Santiago

on June 24, 2023 Artist Interviews TenthLetterMedia add comment

MEET JET SANTIAGO

JET SANTIAGO is an quickly emerging artist holding down the culture of Hip-Hop from the nineteenth state. His approach is one that is built upon solid production and prominent lyrics. As a cultivator of the movement, Jetty realizes his position and what the genre means to him. “Hip-Hop is expression and perspective. It’s a way to tell stories from your point of view and let people into your view of life.”

There is always a driving force that makes a person commit to being an artist. For Jet, all it took was for him to attend a J. Cole concert in 2014. Speaking on the experience he recalls “It was his Forest Hills Drive Tour and I somehow snuck into the section right in front of the stage. Being able to hear and see one of my favorite artists up close gave me a different level of inspiration.”

Moments like that have inspired him to derive his own lane in his artistry. Jetty’s unique sound and delivery are not necessarily like your “run-of-the-mill” rappers. When asked about it, he replied “I had to develop my own flavor. I love all styles of music but I never compromise my sound to fit in with what’s hot at the moment.”

Music comes in waves. You can’t ride the wave. You have to be the wave.
Jet Santiago

BODY OF WORK

Since 2019 Jet has staked his claim in Hip-Hop. Releasing dope singles like New Age, Mood! and City of Dreams, he prepared us for his EP Le Jour de Anniversair. When asked about his creative process he replied, “I need to be inspired in order to create. I get inspiration from traveling, meeting new people and having new experiences. Once it’s there I lock in and won’t leave the studio until 5am.”

In 2020 Jet released his first album titled “Santiago Summers” to rave reviews. The 12 track project is full of gems but one in particular caught my attention. The track “Andy Bought A Basquiat” was not only #7 (my favorite number) but also my introduction to him as an artist. From the samples to the lyricism, Jetty flew high on this track!

The Hip-Hop scene in Indianapolis is growing. When I asked Jetty how he stands out amongst his peers, his response was brilliant. “I’m authentic, and original. I’m not promoting the destruction of our people, nor am I promoting killing each other in the streets or overly glorifying drugs. I have a message but I’m not preaching to you. With me you get a perfectionist who cares about music and the culture. You can party, laugh, cry, feel motivated and inspired when listening to my music.”

Jet Santiago (Video Cred: DJ Slikk’s Booth Action)

NEW MUSIC FROM JET

Jet’s upcoming release You Could’ve Been Here promises to be another impression of his craft and artistry. “It’s a culmination of my experiences over the previous 3 years since my last solo project. 10 songs with the vibe of the album being mostly upbeat. Not only my best project to date but the best rap album of the year.”

We shifted gears and spoke about the journey to get here. Jet spoke on the peaks and valleys to arrive here. “Being able to monetize what I create is a blessing. People actually invested in your art and waiting for you to drop music is the dopest thing in the world. I’ve gained people but also lost people. Overall it has shaped me and helped me grow as an artist and person. It’s all a part of the journey.”

I asked Jet what he would change about the industry from an artist’s standpoint. He spoke on an overhaul, “I would change the structure of deals. I’d make contracts easier to understand and fair to both sides. The wording in contracts however can trap an artist into more than they originally thought they signed up for.”

EDITOR’S PICK

I was fortunate to meet Jet way back when I was a blogger for this publication. Through another dope individual and friend, I listened to Jet and from jump knew this was something special. He alongside countless others from Indy would dominate my #SaturdaySpotlight & #NewMusicMondays features with great music.

YCBH is set to release on January 11th. I was able to hear a few tracks exclusively. No spoilers obviously, but my pick from what I heard was “Law of Attraction” which you can check out down below!