concrete615.com 6-10 .................. Isaiah Rashad 12 ........................... L’Orange 14 ................... Music Reviews 18 ........................ Nashville 10 20 ....................... Case Arnold 21 ........................... Tim Gent 24 ...................... 615 Excluive 26 ................................ Wilx Publisher: Capo Ad Executive: Capo Art Director: Rex2-tm Nash 10 Photography: Tavell Brown Editorial Photography: Tavell Brown Ad Photography: Visual Flavor Ad Graphics: C3GRAFX, Kyro Ink Publishing Consultant: Bryan Deese
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CONCRETE: What was it like coming up in Chattanooga? Isaiah Rashad: I worked a lot. I worked at Hardee’s, Direct TV, The Micro Film department where all the court records go and I think that’s it. CONCRETE: On the song “A Lot” off The Sun’s Tirade you say Project Pat was like a father figure and then you mention Skinny Pimp. How has Tennessee influenced your music? Isaiah Rashad: I love Memphis music, Three Six Mafia, 8ball MJG and Project Pat, that was a heavy influence. I was fortunate enough when I was like eleven they were really big. I would say that sh*t and Usher, him being from Chattanooga, it made sh*t seem obtainable. CONCRETE: Have you had the chance to meet any of those influences or thought about doing a song with them? Isaiah Rashad: No, I don’t really think about doing records with my hero’s. Let them be my hero it’s cool I never had them type of aspirations. CONCRETE: What about the people that look up to you wanting to do records with you? Isaiah Rashad: More power to you. When you get to that point, then let’s do it. I’m not opposed to it. CONCRETE: You moved from Chattanooga to Murfreesboro to attend MTSU. What did you major in and what was that experience like for you?
Isaiah Rashad: I initially went there to try the RIM program, the recording program but I didn’t want to have as many labs as it required so I decided to do sociology. I dropped out before I got to the majors. I was a terrible student. I was into photography back then. I ate a lot of soul food at Clear View and recorded. When I dropped out I moved back to Chattanooga and flipped the refund check they gave me then dropped out again cause I didn’t want to go to school. I did it just for the money that time. I moved back to Murfreesboro because I had money to go and record. I was working at Sprint sending my music to A&R’s that I had met through some blogs . My information got passed back and forth and I ended up getting signed. continued on next page
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CONCRETE: You’re nonchalant about getting signed did you know that it was bound to happen? Isaiah Rashad: I guess I’m nonchalant because I was pretty determined. I’m like, ‘everybody’s not that determined?’ It’s either do the other sh*t or do this. CONCRETE: What was it like to tell your mom that you got signed? Isaiah Rashad: She was like, “ahhh you’re going to be a rapper.” It was tight though because she came to all my early shows, even the little ones at 12th & Porter and the talent show at MTSU. The small sh*t was just as important as the big sh*t. I have pretty decent communication with my mom. It was more me and my homies who were like F*CK we proving people wrong left and right this year. I been proving people wrong since I was born. CONCRETE: Was it hard for you to transition from an indie artist to a major label? Isaiah Rashad: TDE is more of a independent label. Now I just make music, ain’t that easier? I’m a part of TDE. I brought all my homies, they are learning from the dudes who were doing it for me when I first started. Now they are letting my homies do it for me. Ain’t that what you want? All I have to do is worry about making music and that none of us is fighting. CONCRETE: You just dropped The Sun’s Tirade what’s the difference between this project and Cilvia? Isaiah Rashad: Cilvia is more of a rap project. The Sun’s Tirade is more of a chill project. The Sun’s Tirade has more sounds than Cilvia does. Neither one of them are more personal it’s just what I was going through or feeling at the time. I’m not detached from myself so everything I do is personal. CONCRETE: What would you say is your favorite song off this project? Isaiah Rashad: It varies, “Rope/Rose Gold” , “Silk Tha Shocker”, I like the slower songs. CONCRETE: You have a huge feature from Kendrick Lamar on this project, what’s your thoughts on that? Isaiah Rashad: I felt that was a highly anticipated feature. I was in New York when I got the verse. I was doing interviews and I think right before I went on Sway in the Morning I got it. I was like, “oh sh*t this is so tight.” I knew he was going to get on that one, that was the plan. continued on next page
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CONCRETE: Most labels use big features as the lead single, why didn’t you? Isaiah Rashad: That’s corny you either going to listen to it or not. If you go to iTunes it’s still the most popular song on there. If I would of released it first it would of over shadowed what I’m trying to get out. I’m glad we are all like minded over at TDE because I think that’s kind of corny. “What’s Wrong” is one of the last songs I put on the project. That sh*t might not of made the project it may of came out a week later. CONCRETE: Your heading out on the Lil Sunny Tour, what’s some pro’s and con’s of going on tour? Isaiah Rashad: Might get sick, might get pulled over, it’s all pro’s after that. Last tour I was like the little homie and I’m still the little homie, I’m just little homie by hisself. They told me to come up with a name and I’m not creative so I said Lil Sunny Tour. They asked anything else and I said anything else is going to be deep and I’m going to have to explain that sh*t. CONCRETE: We like to ask a question for all of our smokers, do you remember the first time you smoked bud? Isaiah Rashad: I think I ate too much. I used to be a big Krystal’s fan when I was younger. I was in Murfreesboro at MTSU and I was an amateur I didn’t know what getting high felt like. I smoked some mids and it put me down and I just couldn’t get back up. I felt nauseous I think it was the Krystal’s to be honest. I felt like sh*t and said, “man I don’t want to do this anymore”. Then I smoked again later that night and it was cool. It wasn’t the same. I remember staring at myself in the mirror for a long time. CONCRETE: Is there any Nashville or Chattanooga artist that you are rocking with? Isaiah Rashad: Tut Kevin. I’m pretty accessible to the people who do music. Unless you like eighteen, nineteen I’ve probably heard of you. If my friends aren’t talking about you and the ones they are talking about I’ll give them a listen. Usually who ever I like I usually try to meet. That’s the cool thing about rapping I can just meet you. CONCRETE: You said this has been your passion since seven, did you study the culture coming up? Isaiah Rashad: Oh yeah I studied everything like trends, what’s cool, what’s hot, public opinions and the science of rap culture. I was a student of it for sure. CONCRETE: What’s some advice you would give to a kid wanting to get in the position your in now? Isaiah Rashad: Don’t spend all your money on weed, Don’t just drop out of college if your gonna quit do it right. Win humbly, take care of your kids if you got them don’t be a bum ass dad. Find an engineer you can trust, be cool with your friends and don’t go homeless trying to rap.
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CONCRETE: Where are you from originally? L’Orange: I’m from Wilmington North Carolina. CONCRETE: What’s your style of production? L’Orange: If you are stoned, sad, like to wear headphones and walk to work. I’m making music for you. CONCRETE: What brought you to Nashville? L’Orange: I took a job in Nashville working in the music industry for country music. I almost got fired for mentioning that I was a hip-hop producer. They really don’t like that. After two years of working there I was over worked and under paid, and I had just put out my first album called The Mad Rider that had done pretty well, so I decided to leave and try to do music full-time. Shortly after I signed to Mellow Music Group which was the label I wanted to sign to since I was a kid. CONCRETE: How did the deal with Mellow Music Group come about? L’Orange: Shortly after I released the project Old Soul which was a tribute to Billy Holiday. I ended up doing the song “Alone” with Blu which became one of my most popular songs. I pitched it to several labels and ended up signing with Jakarta Records out of Germany. I hit up Mellow Music about it and asked them if they would be interested in signing me. A couple weeks passed and they hit me back saying they had an album they wanted me to do with Stick Figure and so I jumped at that. After it came out and did well they decided to sign me as an artist. CONCRETE: You had the chance to produce a project for Kool Keith how did that come together? L’Orange: Mellow Music Group does this compilation every year and I did two songs on one of them. One song for Gift of Gab from Blackalicious and the other for Kool Keith. Apparently Kool Keith really liked working with me so when it was time to pick out my next album Mellow was like well Kool Keith mentioned doing a project with you. I was like, “oh sh*t let’s do that then.” CONCRETE: You got to work with Adult Swim, tell us about that? L’Orange: They reached out to me a couple years ago just as a producer to work on these little bumps for the show. I ended up selling a couple beats for Adult Swim to use and then they asked me if I would like to do a project with Mr. Lif under Adult Swim. It was super dope. They were hands off and just wanted me and Lif to do the project we wanted to do. It was kind of like a dream come true for me.
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Isaiah Rashad - The Sun’s Tirade
Isaiah drops us off his second full length project since joining the TDE roster. The Sun’s Tirade is full of mellow, almost jazz like beats, but Isaiah attacks every song with his some-what aggressive and out-of-breath delivery. The project is a perfect blend of all coasts. The smooth laid back vibe from the West, the boom bap feel of the East and that Southern flavor to add the final touches to the gumbo. Isaiah said his two favorite songs are “Rope/Rose Gold” which is a record where he flexes his singing ability and “Silk da Shocka.” We agree but also love “Bday”, “What’s Wrong” featuring Kendrick Lamar and “Dressed Like Rappers.” Hands down one of the best put together projects of 2016.
Wilx - Trap Nasty
Wilx gave us the exclusive for his new project Trap Nasty due for release late February. This project starts off with Wilx speaking on how lonely the road to success can be he says, “his friends ain’t friends no more and his homies ain’t his homies.” The next song, the title track “Trap Nasty” sets the tone for the rest of the project and gets you in a hustle hard mindset. This is a ten song project filled with heavy bass lines and Wilx’s raspy voice delivering raw stories and dope word play over some extremely fresh production. Wilx recruited Scrill on the song “Dolla” and AlocoDaMan on the song “Early” which is one of our go to records. He ends this project with “Nunnadat” a slow sample-based song reflecting on where he has come from and the struggle he has gone through to get where he is going. The project is short but sweet leaving you wanting more and wondering what’s next for Wilx.
Case Arnold - Soul Theory
Soul Theory is fifteen songs of Case pouring his heart out over soulful production. Case doesn’t shy away from sharing the struggles of his everyday life with his listeners. Lines like, “gas tank on ‘e’ and I have to be to work in eight minutes” makes this project seem a little more relatable to the average Joe. Case Arnold can spit, and he shows it on every song especially “Psychonaut” where he tells old rappers to make way for the new wave. Songs like “Think You Know”, “Love Found”, “Strange Places”, and “Came Down” shows you the range of Case Arnold’s creative thinking. Case covers all bases on Soul Theory and makes sure to keep your attention.
Yung Coop - Lie 4 Wut?
Yung Coop also known as C4 gives you some of that raw uncut street music on this twelve song mixtape. No haters, snitches or fake rappers are safe. C4 came out the gate spitting fire and delivering crazy punchlines over hard hitting dark street records. Coop says on “Choppers Chop”, “If you scared join a church, go and get your toes done you should buy a purse.” From song one to twelve it is filled with clever word play and that real street sh*t. Our go to songs are “Quit Flodgin”, “Choppers Chop”, “Ain’t No Way” and “Immigrant”. If you haven’t already gotten Lie 4 Wut then go DL your copy today and add it to the collection.
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HomeTown: Memphis, TN CONCRETE: Three artist we would ďŹ nd in your playlist? Keate Burks: Drake. Trey Songz. Chris Brown.
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CONCRETE: Where are you from? Case Arnold: Born and raised in Clarksville TN. CONCRETE: How did Clarksville influence your music? Case Arnold: I would say on some product of environment stuff. Writing songs about what you see in everyday life. CONCRETE: You have a real musical sound, do you play any instruments? Case Arnold: I play piano, guitar and I produced some of the tracks on Soul Theory Theory. I grew up playing drums in church and then picked up the other instruments. CONCRETE: Are you producing for other artist besides your self? Case Arnold: I’m working with Tim Gent and a couple of other people but not yet really. I just really let it out that I produce when I released Soul Theory Theory. At the moment it’s in house I haven’t started sending any beats out or anything like that. CONCRETE: Speaking of Soul Theory, it’s a dope project. How long did you work on it before the release? Case Arnold: It’s a concept that I had for a long time, but I dropped my last project four years ago, and I’ve been working making music since then. We finished the project ten months before it dropped. We were just waiting for certain things to line up before the release. I made a whole project but was like, ‘no that’s not all the way it, let’s keep going.’ CONCRETE: What’s your favorite song on Soul Theory Theory? Case Arnold: There is like three that are my favorite just depends on the mood. I would say “Love Found”, “Psychonaut” and “Came Down”. I produced “Love Found” and “Psychonaut.” CONCRETE: Speaking of “Psychonaut” there is a line that says, “Old rappers retire next generation putting out the fire.” What’s the meaning behind that? Case Arnold: You know old generation, new generation. It’s like let the new cats in. It’s cool you guys are here to, I rock with a lot of you but there is a lot of new talent coming out. You hear about people coming up in the game and their writing for somebody for three or four years before they even get to drop an album and it’s like f*ck. CONCRETE: For those people who haven’t heard Soul Theory what can they expect from this project? Case Arnold: It’s relatable, stuff that we all face, the highs and lows. There is something for everybody on it from the guitar/bass stuff to jazz to hard hitting stuff. It’s a great dynamic of music for fifteen songs.
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CONCRETE: Where are you from? Tim Gent: Clarksville, Tennessee but born at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. CONCRETE: Where do you get your influence from? Tim Gent: I really grab my influence from church because I grew up in church. I liked Kanye West, Musiq Soul Child as a kid but really, the church put me in position. I played the drums since I was thirteen and singing in church that is when I found out I loved music. CONCRETE: What’s the meaning behind the project Clarksville Nights. Tim Gent: When I started that project, a lot of the kids I grew up with that were turning into adults were dying. My city isn’t a big city, but we still deal with stuff like that. You couldn’t even go out and party no more because you thought you were going to get shot that night. That really was what sparked it for me. It was the maturation of my thought process is what Clarksville Nights is. I was seeing all these people in my city with all this potential and them not using it. CONCRETE: Do you feel being a father changed your approach to writing music? Tim Gent: Not necessarily more thoughtful, but I experienced a lot more since I’ve had a son. I take those experiences and I have new thoughts, new ways to express what I feel. It’s hard for me to write a song without mentioning him. It has definitely had a huge impact on my music, my grind, and my whole life. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about your song “Lady America”? Tim Gent: I wrote “Lady America” about a year and a half before we even dropped it. I just basically took what I was seeing and the things I was dealing with and put it into a song. In the verses I was talking about what someone would think or the negative things going on in life, the things that would plague us or hold us back. It was like even though we are going through what we are going through at the end of the day, I’m religious so I feel like God got me and that’s really the basis of “Lady America”. The song was number one on Spotify viral. I was surprised and very thankful for that. CONCRETE: What can we expect from you in 2017? Tim Gent: Some good quality content. I have been writing like crazy. In Clarksville Nights I have a song called “Anti-dope” because I didn’t smoke the whole time I worked on that project and just cut the weed out my day and I’m back at that now. It’s given me more energy and writing is so easy for me right now. It’s going to be a good year. I want everyone to know Catch Height In Every Fall that’s C.H.I.E.F. That’s what we are and that’s what we represent.
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CONCRETE: Where are you originally from? 615 Exclusive: Nashville born and raised. CONCRETE: How long have you been pushing as an artist? 615 Exclusive: I got serious January 2014, so it’s been like three years. CONCRETE: You have a single out now that caught fire called “Missing Me”. Can you tell us a about that? 615 Exclusive: I recorded in January and I really didn’t like how it came out. I felt I had to re-record it but after taking time and listening to it, I was posting snippets on my snap chat and everybody was like when are you releasing that and asking what song is that. My Mom always told me that song is special so I went ahead and released it in June. It’s my biggest song yet, we just hit a million plays on SoundCloud and a million views on YouTube. CONCRETE: You do a lot of pop-up shows, birthday parties and private events, how did you get that popping? 615 Exclusive: Well before HAM came to me I was doing everything by myself. I was doing whatever I could do to get out here. My fanbase is from ten to twenty-five and they stay booking me for their birthday parties. CONCRETE: You mentioned HAM and having a team now, tell us about the deal you signed. 615 Exclusive: Me and HAM have always been cool. I guess he seen the movement and one day just called me up and said, “I got a situation for you.” He hooked me up with Moe from the Musiq Committee and the next day they brought me to Atlanta. I signed a record deal / management deal with them and they are starting to show me all they can do for me. We recently had a listening session in Atlanta with a bunch of industry people and they said I was next. It’s a great feeling. CONCRETE: You mention your mom a lot, how much of a role has she played in your success? 615 Exclusive: That’s my world. She is going to be good when I make it that’s why I do this. She is super supportive and when I first signed she told them to treat me like I’m their son. CONCRETE: What can we expect from you in 2017? 615 Exclusive: We are working on the EP, working on a tour and a radio tour. We have Bands On Me coming out but the EP coming real soon.
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CONCRETE: Where are you from? Wilx: I’m from Nashville, Southside, Wedgewood. Then I moved to Antioch. CONCRETE: How long have you been pushing as an artist? Wilx: Since summertime 2014 about 2 1/2 years. I didn’t start recording until about 2-3 years out of high school. It was always just fun for me. That’s when I dropped Cool Out I’ve been pushing since then. CONCRETE: What made you want to be an artist? Wilx: Nashville influenced my lifestyle. Not all my decisions were the right ones. I had got into some trouble and got caught up with the system and had to do 6 months. The whole time I’m just like the best way around the system is out of it. I got refocused, I know a lot of people may say jail was the best thing that happened to them. I don’t want to say it’s the best, but it’s very vital to where I am right now. CONCRETE: Cool Out was the project that got everyone’s attention, what is that project to you? Wilx: I didn’t have any expectations with that one, it was just my first effort. It was better than nothing. The thought process was to kick back and talk about what’s going. Cool out, roll up and smoke to it, that’s what I was doing. I was like I want people to be doing the same thing I was doing and just catch that vibe. CONCRETE: How would you describe your sound to the people who aren’t familiar with you? Wilx: I can’t put a label on it because I reach different places. Call it country rap tunes, it’s really story telling and word play. That’s what I pride myself on is the word play and being able to catch the vibe that the beat gives you. I’m trying to capture that moment and that feeling. CONCRETE: What can the Wilx fans be expecting from the new project Trap Nasty Nasty? Wilx: It’s a 10 piece project and they can expect that bounce that wave and some word play from me. Outside production not the same sounds you’ve been hearing me on. That’s something I’ve taken pride in with this project the production is crazy. CONCRETE: How do you feel about the Nashville hip-hop scene? Wilx: It’s a lot coming from every angle, it’s diverse, it isn’t tapped into yet. There’s some real trailblazers like new generation trailblazers. Mike Floss, Alocodaman is putting on heavy and Petty. We got some new leaders in the new wave knocking at that door waiting to kick the hinges off. I believe it’s on it’s way.