concrete615.com 6-8............................Translee 10............................. IV Beats 12.................TK of Baron Group 14...................... 615 Exclusive 16-17 .....Bravo- The Shark of Wall Street 18..................Nashville 10: Tiana 20...................................Vac 22....................... Jay Dot Rain 24.....................Music Reviews 28.......................Bhino Badazz 30............................... Poetry Publisher: Capo Ad Executive: Capo Art Director: Rex2-tm Editorial & Nash 10 Photography: Tavell Brown Staff Support: Deandre Haynes, Chris CMR Rhone, Nikila.A Ad Photography: Visual Flavor Ad Graphics: C3GRAFX, Kyro Ink Publishing Consultant: Bryan Deese
CONCRETE Magazine Submit2Concrete@gmail.com 615-200-7736 #ConcreteMagazine © CONCRETE Magazine 2019
CONCRETE: How has Huntsville influenced your sound? TransLee: I feel like Huntsville taught me more about the type of person to be than it taught me about music because I feel people from Huntsville act a certain way and no matter where you are you can tell when someone is from Huntsville. I think the music in me happened when my mama died and I started listening to music that touched my soul. CONCRETE:When did you decide to be an artist full-time? TransLee: Really whenever me and my manager Chris Hunt started putting Digital Native Culture together around 2011. I was working with Colli Park and it really became real to me. CONCRETE: Do you remember your first verse? TransLee: Yeah I do, it’s funny because you get that high off the first time hearing your song. I was just cussing and saying dumb sh*t and I remember hearing my voice on the track and loving it. That was around the same time my mother had passed and it was like a release. Once I figured out that I could put my perspective out there over beats it was over. CONCRETE: Do you feel you had to leave Huntsville to make it? TransLee: I think in this game it’s really about opportunity and being around people in the industry that can quickly get you where you are trying to get. I think that helped me because we came to Atlanta interning for Colli Park Music and he had Ying Yang twins, Soulja Boy and countless hits so we got to come in on the level of somebody who has experience. All the way to now working with T.I.P. We have been blessed. continued on next page
6
8
CONCRETE: Were you knowledgeable on the music business when you left home? TransLee: We were interns passing out the Soulja Boy and VIC CDs. You have to do that to truly understand the grind. I feel like people that move to places like Atlanta instead of people that grew up there almost can move faster because you don’t have any draw backs like politics. CONCRETE: How did you link with T.I. and sign? TransLee: Really it all comes back to opportunity and moving places where the movers and shakers are at to be able to create an opportunity. My manager Chris and TIP had the same barber at the time. We had finished M.A.O.T.P and Chris my manager gave the barber the CD and said next time TIP is here give it to him and he did and it ended up coming together. Stuff like that it’s like God be throwing us life rafts and he believes in us too. CONCRETE: Where did the album title Freedom Summer come from? TransLee: I’m not going to dig to deep but in 1964 in Mississippi there was a lot of bull sh*t going on. Basically black people couldn’t vote so people outside
started sending black and white college kids from all over the country to black communities to teach people how to vote. It was so racist in Mississippi that they were even killing the white kids that were going down there to help. It blew up on the news and it actually helped pave the way for were we are today. They called that the Freedom Summer. They said they would sing to each other on the bus rides down South and that’s how they got through. That resinated with me and I feel we are going through a lot of stuff right now so we released Freedom Summer and it’s just music to help get you through. CONCRETE: In the song “Lost in the Sauce” you mention Yelawolf not having a problem with the rebel flag have you spoke to him about it? TransLee: There is a lot of controversy around the confederate flag and that line came out kind of unapologetic about it all and it was almost like a f*ck y’all this our sh*t. I get that but that’s why I spoke my peace. It’s not like if I see him I’m going to fight him or anything I just did’t f*ck with that and I voiced it in the song.
CONCRETE: Where are you originally from? IV Beats: Nashville,TN out west. I’m in eleventh grade at Nashville Big Picture High School. CONCRETE: How did you get started as a producer? IV Beats: My Pops (Aries Beats N Keys) use to make beats and I would always be around. He taught me a lot like drum patterns, to switch something up every four bars and being versatile. I just really liked sounds, I remember I use to tell him sounds that I thought would sound good if he added it to the beat. I just picked up on it and one day I was at his apartment and I hopped on his computer and ended up liking it. The next Christmas I got FL studio program set up and everything just went from there. CONCRETE: Who are some producers that influenced your sound? IV Beats: Tay Keith and Southside 808 Mafia. CONCRETE: Do you feel Nashville has influenced your sound at all? IV Beats: I would say yes because working with some of the Nashville artist brought me to a different type of genre when making a beat. CONCRETE: How would you describe your sound? IV Beats: A whole bunch of low end 808’s. That’s what most people notice about me is my drums. CONCRETE: You were recently signed to super producer Tay Keith’s production team Drumatized. How did that come about? IV Beats: Well my manager Nick who is like Tay’s buddy was riding in the car with Tay and played him a song I had produced called “Blue Jeans” by CrimePaid PK. Tay was like, “Who made that beat?” Nick told him, “It’s this fifteen year old kid.” Tay was like,”oh yeah I’m going to sign him.” He ended up coming to my school and I signed. CONCRETE: What does it mean to sign a production deal? IV Beats: For me it was a hand out to put me in position. That doesn’t mean I don’t have to work hard. It just means Tay Keith is giving me the opportunity and he wants to see what I am going to do with it.
10
CONCRETE: What part of Nashville are you from? T.K.: I’m from out south. The southside, both parts of the old Southside Houston and Wedgewood, 12 and Halcyon. Best of both worlds. CONCRETE: When did you leave and what took you to LA? T.K.: I left the Ville super young. The first time I left was back in the late 80’s and I headed up North to pursue my hip-hop lifestyle. I would always come back and forth through the 90’s. I stopped coming back and forth in early 2000’s. I moved to the LAnd in 1995 so I been out there half my life now. CONCRETE: How did you get your start in the music business? T.K.: As a fan. My whole crew we were the first teenagers in the Ville in the 80’s rapping, breakdancing and doing graffiti. We fasho were the first people in the town with direct connects to NYC and bringing that authentic hip-hop sh*t here. From there to support that lifestyle I got into the streets and realized that I always wanted to make it in rap. I moved to Atlanta at the beginning of the boom down there and learned the entertainment game. CONCRETE: What is your title and day to day job description? T.K.: I own R Baron Group my creative agency and management company with my business partner Picaso. I also own the new record label The Machine Works and have a partnership with Atlantic Records. My day to day functions are communication with my staff, business partner and artists. I strategize for clients, monetizing and connecting with all my people in the industry on ways to get money for them and myself. CONCRETE: What is it that you look for in an artist before working with them? T.K.: Originality and positive energy. If you are good you can be an asshole. Most people aren’t that good so having a good attitude goes a long way. And also having a great internal team. CONCRETE: Who are some artist that you have worked with and in what capacity? T.K.: I go way back, I have had the opportunity to be around a lot of historical hip-hop moments and artists in so many capacities. I’ll just tap in with the artists that I’ve worked with in the last few years. Maxo Kream is the first artist who allowed me and Picaso to soak up game on the new wave out here. Shoutout Stompdown our Houston mud bruddas Toby Ezra and Maxo. 03 Greedo who we got a deal with the great Todd Moscowitz at Alamo Records. Shoreline Mafia who we got a deal at Atlantic with the amazing Craig Kallman and Julie Greenwald.
12
Drakeo the ruler who we came aboard on with the critical and fan favorite Cold Devil and now we have AZchike and 1takejay on our imprint The Machine Works/ Atlantic. Our greatest thing that holds all this together is our production team which consists of Ron-Ron and the Hit Mob(Ace the face, Low the Great, Joog FTR) and Bruce24k. They are the sound of the LAnd! CONCRETE: How did you link with Shoreline Mafia? T.K.: Shoutout Ron-Ron! Shoreline snatched the Musty beat offline. When I first started dealing with Ron-Ron as his manager he told me about these dudes that had rapped on his beat and killed it. I peeped the video and was like these dudes are it. From there me and OhGeesy connected and then I ganged up with the whole Mafia and the rest is history.
CONCRETE: Where are you from? 615Exclusive: Born and raised here in Nashville. Straight out the East Side. CONCRETE: You have a unique sound, what influenced that? 615Exclusive: Honestly I think it came from listening to all different types of genres. I like all types of music and I think when you put it together you get something different. CONCRETE: Your single “Free Game” has been going crazy tell us about it. 615Exclusive: It’s a feel good song and it’s free knowledge. I got Frankee-Lu on it. We was down in Atlanta at the studio and it was my first time meeting her. I didn’t know she was getting on the song ‘til she got in the booth and did it in one take. Trent Waters produced it and he has two or three songs on my project. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about your project that’s coming? 615Exclusive: It’s going to be my first official project titled Jamarius and we have Empire with us this time. I’m really excited about it. I have been working on it for about two years. I have a lot of big features on there. CONCRETE: Can we speak on some of the features? 615Exclusive: I got Key Glock on a song called “You Should of Stayed Down”. Squat produced the record and he has songs with Trey Songz, Kap G and some others. As far as Key Glock getting on the song that was a play Nima made. Key Glock is also on Empire and had to be f*cking with the song because he doesn’t do features like that. I also have 3Fortiori, Frankee-Lu, Sonna Rele from the UK and that’s about it. CONCRETE: You mentioned Empire and it’s no secret you have some situation with them. What is it exactly and how did that come about? 615Exclusive: Honestly, Musiq Committee already had distribution through Empire but Nima came to Nashville for a show. He seen me perform and he made sure I got his number and then he flew me out to San Francisco like two weeks later. He didn’t even know I was already in his system but that made it even better. Like two months later I officially signed. It’s a good situation because I’m still independent I just have distribution through Empire.
14
CONCRETE: Where are you originally from: Bravo: I’m from Nashville but eight years ago I moved out to Miami,FL and started a new life. CONCRETE: How did you get your start in the music business? Bravo: I started with a local artist from Nashville by the name of C Good. I was behind the scenes with him but wanted to do bigger things. I ended up linking with Ace Hood and went on three world tours with him. I’ve been to over 21 countries. CONCRETE: Are you pushing your own label? Bravo: My label is Wall Street Entertainment and I am Bravo The Shark of Wall Street. My label mates are Real Life Entertainment and we both have a joint partnership and full control over Little Crimson and Lotis Music. I honestly believe they are the next hottest things to blow out of Nashville.
16
CONCRETE: So you’re sitting here with Lacman what’s his part in this label? Lacman: I am Real Life Entertainment. Basically I have a production team and we do artist development. We have engineers, photographers, and videographers so we are handling all the creative side and he comes in on the business side. We have a mean team set up. CONCRETE: What is it about Little Crimson and Lotis Music that made you want to push them? Bravo: I was drawn to Little Crimson because he is a star and I see that potential in him. He records himself, makes his own beats and, writes his own music. Lotis is right behind him and he is developing every day and is next up on the roster. We are dropping a six song EP for Lotis to heat him up. We also have “The Extra Drip” song which DJ Whoo Kidd is stamping. We are already in rotation on XM right now. CONCRETE: Can you tell us the concept behind the Wall Street Underground compilation disc you and DJ Coop just released?
Bravo: We got Wee Baby ft. Ralo on there, We got Deago, Lotis and Crimson, Good Money, Killa Kali, and Cook Up Boss. This sh*t is full of heat. The purpose of the project was for me to bring the streets together. I put every side of town and every different set on this project. This is going to be a on going thing we already have Vol.2 on the way. We’re doing a showcase for this project so the artist can perform and we are going to bring in a headliner with it. I’m putting my personal capitol into this for marketing and promotion just to give back to the streets where I come from. CONCRETE: Living in Miami now how do you feel about the growth of Nashville and what are we needing to breakthrough nationally? Bravo: The city has grown a lot and is still growing but we need another mega star to come take over. Memphis is doing their thing and they have a line up. Nashville we need a real line up. I go around the world and you mention Tennessee and they say are you from Memphis? We need to have someone who can represent for the city and hopefully that is Wall Street Entertainment.
17
Photography by: Tavell Brown- Brown Photography
Hometown: Jackson, TN Biggest Turn On: A humble spirit Biggest Turn Off: A materialistic person Favorite designer: Michael Kors Three Artist: Drake, Future and City Girls
18
19
20
CONCRETE: Everyone knows you from being in the group Bezzeled Gang so we have to ask why the solo project? Vac: Around 2015 everybody agreed to give the fans solo projects. It has always been a group effort so around the time I dropped the first Tiara Fly everyone else in the group was like well let’s try it out. Over sixteen years we proved that we can rap together but let’s give them the solo project and give them something new. This is more personal for me because it is exactly what I wanted to do. CONCRETE: You just released the second installment to your Tiara Fly project, what’s the concept behind the title? Vac: That’s my girl who passed away. She passed in 2014 and that’s a girl that I had been with since a child. We started dating when I was fifteen and she passed when I was twenty eight. So I dedicated my solo project to her and called it Tiara Fly. Shout out to the west side. City and them they had Don Fly for the homie that passed out there. I took that and put my spin on it and dedicated it to her memory.
CONCRETE: What’s your favorite song off this project? Vac: My favorite would have to be “Moment of Truth” because I really went to a place that I normally don’t go to on a track. I was so open and vulnerable and the reaction off that record shows me people really feel that heart felt sh*t. CONCRETE: You have a few concept records on this project, do you feel that is important now a days? Vac: I feel it’s a lost art but you have to stay true to self. I can’t do that just because that’s what others are doing. I feel you have to have those records speaking on different subjects because it touches people in different ways. CONCRETE: For the people who haven’t heard this project what are they going to take away from it? Vac: That boy is a monster. This is real music and the lyrics are there. This is a complete body of work and nothing was rushed. You’re going to listen to it and you’re going to want to listen to it again and again because there is different concept songs for everything you might be going through.
CONCRETE: Welcome back to Nashville! Jay Dot Rain: Man I love Nashville it’s like a second home. I went to school at Alabama A&M and I was in Nashville a lot. CONCRETE: You mentioned Alabama A&M can you talk about your HBCU experience? Jay Dot Rain: I started school in 2008 and graduated in 2013. I got a degree in mass communication with a minor in psychology. I pledged Kapa Alpha Psi incorporated and was very active on campus. It was fun and I made a lot of life long relationships. CONCRETE: We actually got to play a part in your first tour that stopped here in Nashville, tell us about that. Jay Dot Rain: Yeah, it was the Scattered Showers Tour and I was on there with Deante Hitchcock, Kissie Lee, Fooly, Lil Nardy, and Kris J. It was a great experience to get on the road and link with people that have the same dream as you. CONCRETE: You just dropped a dope project titled Before The Storm talk to us about the concept behind this project. Jay Dot Rain: It’s actually a continuation of a earlier EP I dropped called The Calm. I am really about sticking to this brand recognition thing with my name being Jay Dot Rain. So Before The Storm is actually a more polished project leading up to my album titled Sunshine. I feel everybody goes through hard times or hardships and has things that may stop them from getting where they want to get but for me I embrace the rain. I feel you’re always going to go through things but you have to keep pushing. That’s why I titled my earlier project Thank God For The Rain because you have to be thankful for the things you go through. That is what leads you to where you want to go. CONCRETE: What’s your favorite song off the project? Jay Dot Rain: SH*T!! I would say “Big Bank” with D.Horton and ScottyATL. It’s a fun record and I like the sample. I’m talking that sh*t , D.Horton was talking good and Scotty got a dope piece on their for the bridge and it’s just a dope record.
22
Wall Street ENT - Wall Street Underground
Bravo the Shark of Wall Street teamed up with DJ Coop to give the city a Nashville banger. This compilation project features artist from all sides of the city, every hood and set. You may be familiar with some of the artists featured on this project and others it may be your first time hearing them. Either way you are about to gain a new appreciation for Nashville talent. Start to finish this project rides, but some of our go to songs are “Finer Things”, “Extra Drip”, “In My Bag”, “My Round and “Goin’ Str8 In”. Add this to your rotation and see what the other side of Nashville is talking about.
VAC - Tiara Fly 2
You may know Vac from his lengthy body of work with one of Nashville’s favorite rap groups the legendary Bezzeled Gang. This go around Vac is on a solo mission to give us an inside look at his deepest thoughts. The project starts with the song “Moment of Truth” were it’s obvious Vac has a lot built up and just needed a beat or eighteen of them to explode on. The production selection is on point and Vac delivers on all songs both lyrically and with creative concepts. He invites a bunch of his closest rap friends to lend their voices and it just so happens that they are some of the dopest artist out the city. This project is fire all the way through, go get it!
Front Seaterz - Free Parking
$ayyid the Dream and Scrap connect to deliver us this thirteen song project full of bangers. The duo play tag team over dope beats taking turns annihilating the track. They bounce back and forth off each other feeding the listeners with stories of the east side and the struggle coming up trying to get it. The feeling of this project is real wavy, smooth vibes and over all a great listen. Some of our favs were “Free Parking”, “Out East”, “Tread Right” and “So Godly”. Go click play you won’t be disappointed.
Young Guala - 3 Hunnid
Guala may not be a familiar name to you just yet but soon he will be. Young Guala came correct on this project full of that trap talk. Lines like,’your little boo thang gives me head like she got two brains’, adds a clever twist to his songs which helps keep your attention and waiting for what he is going to say next. Songs like “Two”, “Funny”, “Outta My Mind” and “Losing Control” were the records that stuck out to us the most. Go get familiar with Young Guala and make sure you add this project to your playlist.
24
CONCRETE: Where are you from? Bhino: Born and raised in Antioch. My parents came from Laos during the Vietnam war. They escaped from a refugee camp. I’m first generation Laotian American. CONCRETE: How did you get your start as an artist? Bhino: I really picked up hip-hop at an early age because my cousins would always listen to 2Pac. Growing up we never really had much so the stuff I was hearing in the rap music was relatable to me. My parents were always at work and I really didn’t have anyone to tell me what to do and what not to do. I would look to music for answers. Hip-hop really taught me a lot. I’m talking the real rap not this bull sh*t you be hearing now-adays. Really that’s why I started doing music because I want to be a part of bringing back that real music with a message. CONCRETE: How would you describe your sound to those who haven’t heard you?
28
Bhino: I’m coming with a lyrical flow, spitting hard but coming with that real sh*t and to shine a light on our community. CONCRETE: Your artwork for the “Ghetto Boy” single represents hard for Antioch, what was the idea behind that? Bhino: All my life I grew up in Antioch and we have been underrated and nobody was even really talking about Antioch when I was coming up. They use to call Antioch jerked out and now Antioch is the real hood. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about your single “Ghetto Boy” featuring Snap Dog? Bhino: Well Snap Dog came to town and I was really just trying to learn the game. I f*ck with him as an artist so I reached out for a feature. It was actually for an artist I was working with but he didn’t want the feature so I went ahead and grabbed it and was like f*ck it, I’m going to do a song with Snap Dog.
30
CONCRETE: How did you get your start in music? Poetry: Back in my neighborhood I had a DJ named Big RO. He use to make mixtapes and throw block parties. At that time he was making music for one of my cousins named Reese the Playa. He told me one day that if I was serious I needed to step it up. I started recording and that is when I made my first demo called Regulation of a Rhyme. I have been rapping ever since. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about your recent project In God I Trust? Poetry: Well it’s eight tracks that are available on all streaming platforms. It’s full of substance in all eight songs. I guarantee you from track one the intro down to track eight you will enjoy it. There is so much going on nowadays it’s very political and I’m addressing it all in this project. Please go check it out. CONCRETE: What is this single you are pushing that was picked up by XM? Poetry: My single that was picked up by XM radio is called “Get Right” produced by In House Productions it has been put in rotation on the Lord Sear Show on SHADE45. CONCRETE: How do you feel the rap game has changed since when you started pushing compared to now? Poetry: It was easier for an indie artist to go get a thousand dollars worth of CDs and sell them. I have seen mediocre artist sell a thousand to ten thousand copies in Nashville alone. Back then Nashville showed indie artist love. Now in today’s climate you have to get fifteen hundred streams in order to include it as a sell. You use to be able to sell one CD that you printed up for five dollars or ten dollars and you’re making a profit. Radio use to have a segment called “Make It or Break It” and if people liked it they would play your song for a full month. Now-a-days people go viral for trolling or clout chasing that takes away from the real artist that don’t do that. CONCRETE: Any last words before we wrap up the interview? Poetry: Yes, I heard Drake say in a song that he was playing his music for his girl in the car and she said it sounds OK but I want to hear Ludacris and that kind of hurt him. That’s motivation because he knew one day if he kept up his hustle that he would make it. So now I’m riding in the car and some girl is telling me she wants to hear Drake and not my music!