Q & A with TRAPHOUSE JODECI a.k.a Ye Ali

April 28, 2016 by Seidi Hakkanen

It's been a while since I've done a music post, and it seems appropriate to do one on the night Drake drops his new album. But this isn't about Views, this is about something that you're gonna be happy you knew about first. If you remember a few months ago I did an interview with Wes Period, and now I have another amazing LA based artist who's name you should keep in your brain and playlists.

Below is the transcript of some questions I asked Ye, and with his collab EP with Tommy Genesis and Wes coming out soon (titled none other than baby.daddi) there's no better time to start adding to your listening repertoire. After all if you don't like r&b bangers who even are you?

To those who may not know, in your own words who are you?

Ye Ali, songwriter, artist, producer

Nowadays with hip hop and rap being so diverse sonically do you feel like you fit into a specific sound or is it more you just creating whatever you feel like at the moment?

I just create what moves me. Pop, r & b, country, trap. If I can make it sound good…I will do it.

I’ve also seen you’ve been working with Tommy Genesis on her upcoming project, what’s the process of working with such a strong female creative like?

It's awesome, she takes the lead in sessions sometimes and it's refreshing because I always lead when I'm in the studio. She's really smart about harmonies and cadences so she really made me happy to be a part of the project. We did a 4 track EP called Baby.daddi.

Since we can’t exclude Tweets in 2016, you recently Tweeted Prince lyrics as your favorite lyrics ever, as Prince was obviously a master of sorts of the slow songs, in your opinion are love songs dead or just waiting to make a comeback?

No, love songs aren't dead because love and music are still alive. I hear love songs all the time, and love is interpretive. It's been back in my opinion.

Sort of along the same lines, do you think mainstream hip hop is ever going to shift towards a less misogynistic tone and more of a honest one that isn’t afraid of male hip hop artists showing emotions?

I think as artists, we are entitled to talk how we please and create freely. Life is about sex, love, money, happiness, sadness, pain, anguish, anxiety, hatred….these are all components of life. Songs don't have to reflect ALL of these. Art imitates life...so “misogynistic” lyrics have ruled since I heard Randy Travis sing about cheating on his wife with a stripper at some bar...I heard this in a country song when I was 9 years old. I can't say if thats wrong or right because its his opinion.

In addition to the music, visuals are also really relevant especially in this age of short attention spans, are you working on any new music videos?

Working on several videos for the summer

Finally, if there’s one thing you want people to get from your music what is it?

Enjoy yourself..thats it.

Follow Ye on social media to keep up to date:

Caught in the Trap: Hip-Hop in 2015

December 25, 2015 by Seidi

I have a love/hate relationship with album reviews. On one hand I enjoy reading them and consider it a much better waste of time than mindlessly scrolling though my Instagram feed, on the other hand I think album reviews are too opinionated to be held as valid forms of measurement for an albums quality. Because of this I don't think I'm going to necessarily make this a post about who I thought had the best albums of the year, or who totally flunked, however, I'm going to give my very biased opinion on what I believe the state of hip hop to be in 2015.

Even as the trap gods rose out of Atlanta with their fare ranging from Taylor Swift friendly, to hidden cries of help (Future anyone?), this wasn't what I held to be the most interesting sounds of the year. To be honest I find this style of music to be somewhat boring now. As much as I enjoy Thugger at high volume, the repetitiveness leaves me wanting more. Yes, the music itself sounds great to my ears, but I can't enjoy it as much as possible because it provides little in the content category. I 100% understand that many of the artists rapping about living the trap lifestyle are merely providing a window into that portion of America and what they know, however, sometimes I wonder if artists use this as a crutch to produce mediocre music that simply sells. Once you have housewives in middle America singing about baking soda you know you've made it.

What struck me as creative this year was those straying from the made up boundaries of hip hop. Artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Goldlink, and Raury, who weren't afraid to incorporate other genres into their music. This was fresh to me, a certain vibe which wasn't afraid to borrow from the past while sounding very new wave. A return to emotion almost. The popularity of a fairly new genre of music with R&B vocals, grimy lyrics, and pounding beats also reached a new level of success this year. From The Weeknd's love ballad to cocaine, to Bryson Tiller's bedroom tracks, this was almost enough to keep me satisfied without a new PARTYNEXTDOOR EP. Come to think of it, I enjoy these artist's work because its somewhat of a happy medium between top 40 pop fare and rap. Dark but seductive.

Overall, 2015 was a weird time for hip hop. With so many projects being produced in a short period of time it was hard to process each and every piece with enough time to truly hear it. But even with all the mediocrity and misses, the amount of talent was enough to call this year a success. 2016 should be interesting.

Favorite Albums of 2015 in no particular order:

To Pimp A Butterfly- Kendrick Lamar

Summertime '06- Vince Staples

All We Need- Raury

Dark Sky Paradise- Big Sean

Waves- Mick Jenkins

Compton- Dr. Dre

And After That, We Didn't Talk- Goldlink

Ones to watch in 2016...
Tory Lanez

Kevin Abstract

And more.

PS. Check out my interviews tab for some super talented new artists to listen to and follow me on Soundcloud to hear what I'm listening to: https://soundcloud.com/sleeplessinsuburbia!

New Wave Antics with Nyles Davis

December 06, 2015 by Seidi

http://luisfromla.tumblr.com

Los Angeles is great in its absurdity, but Seattle’s still where I’m from, and also coincidentally the home of some of my favorite music. A few weekends ago, while back in Washington for Thanksgiving, I saw Nyles Davis open at The Crocodile for Dave B. A great performance and a set list of very playable tracks led me to his Soundcloud profile, which ultimately led me to become a big fan of this town rapper. After releasing a very solid music video to Summer Jam/Real Talk Pt. 3 yesterday, I’m excited to see and hear what else gets developed over the next year. Here’s a little insight:

First off, what inspired the visuals for Summer Jam/Real Talk Pt. 3? And how was working with Lea Godoy and Jon Sal (who are definitely some of my favorite creatives)?

The inspiration for the video really was all spur of the moment and impromptu back and forth brainstorming between Jon, Lea & I. Working with them was most definitely a pleasure. I was nervous because I was worried that we were rushing the product (plus I like to be prepared when working with Lea and it was new to me, working with Jon that is).

Even though I cant exactly describe it, I think there’s a sound that’s unique to the Pacific Northwest and its not like everything else being released right now. So if you had to put it into words, how would you describe your own sound?

My own sound, I would describe it simply as a new wave or else. I say else because if you look it up it means different and in addition, and that's what exactly what I'm going for. I don't want to be different, I just am, in my opinion. I just want to add my perspective in the game and be heard.

Out of all your projects or songs that have been released so far do you have a personal favorite?

My favorite song that I have made to date is "friend or foe", which is on the ep "supply & demand". The way I produced it, the emotion that inspired the song, and how it all came together is what I like about it so much.

Photo by: http://luisfromla.tumblr.com

Does subject matter make or break a song? I don’t know if you heard Goldlink’s last album but something that struck me in it was when he mentioned that hip hop will die if everyone keeps lying in their raps, and what I like about your music is that it does sound truthful and personal, not like a façade.

Subject matter is very important to me. I am not too familiar with his last album but I agree that music has taken a turn for the worse because of things as such. I rap to encourage myself a lot of the times in hopes that someone relates and is inspired as well.

Teams are of course important as well (even for stage accompanying purposes) who are some of your people to work with/turn up with?

My favorite people to work with is my squad, FTB. I believe a lot of intentions aren't genuine but with my day one's I know it's purely based from a good space and positive energy which is a necessity for me. Shout out to my bros Teez, Hayes, Erm, Taxman, and the whole squad. I can't forget about my PG bros either (especially when it comes to turning up hahaha).

Photo by: https://www.instagram.com/reeseisevil/

Since it’s nearing the end of the year, what do you think about the past year in terms of hip-hop and what would you like to see happen in 2016?

I think hip-hop is in a interesting place. Honestly there isn't as many artists as I would like that inspire me currently, but I like being surprised by someones talent that was unexpected. I would like to see just as much fun in music in a different way. To me that means, less turn up music and more memorable music. Not much is classic anymore.

Can we expect a full-length project in 2016?

Yes, I hopefully will have a project ready to go and released by spring of 2016, with fly merchandise as well.

Follow Myles to keep up with the latest:

https://twitter.com/NylesDavis

https://soundcloud.com/nylesdavis94til

https://www.instagram.com/nylesdavis/

#NewNew: The Rap Game & Cuffing Season with Justin Rose

November 23, 2015 by Seidi

You tend to meet quite a few people going out in Los Angeles. However with all the small talk that you're obliged to participate in, you sadly forget most of the individuals you come across. But after running into artist Justin Rose at a 424 Fairfax event earlier this year, I've kept up with his antics and haven't been disappointed. With a killer track named She Movin' released a few months ago, and a song featuring Playboi Carti getting hype on the internet, this is definitely a rapper to keep on your radar.

Heres a little bit of the New York state of mind.

What burough of New York are you from?

EAST ELMHURST, QUEENS, NY

Are there any non-written rules of the city one has to know?

Cuff someone with central heating by October.

Do you believe where you’re from still influences your musical sound even with the major use of the internet and social media?

(I'm from queens). I've lived in Brooklyn and Queens most my life but this summer I moved to the Bronx. The Bronx in the summer has certain energy about it that I like to make music in, probably the abundance of Spanish women.

In addition to the classics of course, who are some new players killing the NY rap game right now?

Junglepussy's killin it. Amir Obe is wavy. Joey Badass is still moving strong. I'm in it now so its lit.

Justin x Toronto rapper Tory Lanez

.

What spots do you frequent on a regular basis?

The Bodega, Crown Fried Chicken, the 4 train

Finally, the age old question, is the East Coast truly the beast coast?

I mean I've never called it the beast coast before but uh, New York is always lit.

Keep up with the waviness on the web:

https://soundcloud.com

https://www.instagram.com/justinrose.phc/

https://twitter.com/JustinRosePHC

A Little Bit Insane; Meet Your New Favorite Rap Rebel

September 24, 2015 by Seidi

Photo by Joshua Elan

The best artists are a little wild. And when I say Cliftun (real name Clifton Williams III) is a little wild I mean it in the best way possible. In Los Angeles, a city over saturated with self proclaimed "rappers", the scene can get undoubtedly boring. Its often hard to find the true gems in a pile of musical mediocrity and similarity. But Cliftun is a true artist, and possibly an even better performer. Mixing components from the likes of punk rock and trap into cohesive work and visual imaginary, this is one case where I know you'll keep wanting more.

Describe yourself in one Tweet (hash-tags welcome):

Where are you originally from

I'm originally from a small town called New Iberia, Louisiana. There's about 30,000 people there. It's no fun. That's why I'm here in LA.

Photo by http://www.joshuaelan.com

Although you clearly identify as a rap artist/rap slayer how would you more specifically describe the sound of your music?

I'd describe the sound of my music as punk rock trap rap that moves the soul.

https://instagram.com/cliftun/

Seeing as that you have a Basquiat crown tattoo, what artists (past and current) keep you inspired?

Basquiat is my favorite. As well as Van Gogh, Kurt Cobain and Tupac. These are artists that inspire me, ones I can relate to. I also like Edgar Allan Poe. He was a poet but fuck it, he's an artist in my eyes. I love rebels.

Since you have a track featuring Kid Cudi, who is one of our time’s most original & iconic rappers (no small accomplishment), who would be your next dream collaboration?

My next dream collaboration would be with Frank Ocean or Azealia Banks. I have hooks I've written that would sound great with his voice and I think me and Ms. Banks would sound immaculate on a track together rapping back and forth

Photo by Joshua Elan

Is your next full-length project going to be sonically similar to what we’ve heard before or take a new route?

My next project (SOUNDSOFINSANITY) is going in the direction I've always wanted to go, which is mixing elements of punk rock, trap, and filthy dirty nasty down south beats.

Following you on Snapchat and Instagram I can see you constantly working on photo-shoots and videos, how important are music videos and other visuals to musical artists in your opinion?

I believe visuals are super duper important and are my favorite part of the process. I'm a very visual person and I think giving your audience a reference for all the shit your talking about further helps express the art.

You also recently mentioned you’re going to release a project with only remixed Lana del Rey beats. As a fan of both the pop queen herself and hip-hop, exactly how did this Summertime Maddness come about? Perhaps a High By The Beach listening session?

I'm glad we have artists like Lana who are so raw and honest with their music, especially with all the pop bullshit out right now. I fuck with her heavy and can't wait to work with her. I've had the idea to do a remix to the Ryan Hemsworth Summertime Sadness remix since it was released about two or three years ago but I kept procrastinating and missing the whole summer so I kept missing the moment. This time around I was like "fuck it!" and recorded it in July's living room. Me and her also shot a really dope video to it in Malibu on an iPhone. It's lit and looks super professional.

Any last words?

Last words? Slay.

*Follow Cliftun on social media for that #newnew*

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