concrete615.com 6-8............................... Bun B 10........................ Kevo Muney 12.................. Chris Martignago 14................. Chon Don Papi 23 18.......... Nashville 10: Aaiyah Rose 20................... K.I.N.G. the MC 22.....................Music Reviews 24............... Jdolla On The Track 28-30........................Bandplay 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
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CONCRETE: When we mention Don’t Be A Menace what comes to mind? Bun B: The Wayan’s brother with the crazy braids. Also the fact that out of all the movie soundtracks we have done, I think that’s the only one where you hear our song in the actual movie. With the movie Menace To Society the pockets remix isn’t in the theater version but it plays on the cable version. During the scene where he is cooking up and you see the water coming out the faucet they replaced it with “Dope Man” for the theater version. CONCRETE: You recently teamed up with super producer Statik Selectah for the TrillStatik project how did that link come about? Bun B: He did a album with Saigon in like twenty-four hours and we had been talking about doing one so I was like yo we should just do one all the way through because I know I can beat that time of twenty-four hours. We mapped out a process as far as bringing in certain people and realized that New York was going to be the easiest place to do it because that’s where a lot of the talent that we wanted to work with was at. We live streamed the process and people got to watch us create it on the spot and we dropped live merch during the process. People could order hats, shirts, and even vinyl. It was available to the people in real time. We both went in and picked people we felt we wanted on the album. It was my idea to call up Method Man and have guys like Graph and Big Krit but it was Statik’s idea to bring in Westside Gunn, who I think is one of the more interesting features on the album. The Griselda Unit is hot right now and we were able to make that connection early in the game. CONCRETE: There is a question that goes down in the barbershops and it’s who has more features Bun B or Lil Wayne? Bun B: I probably have more than Wayne in the since that a lot of the features I did never even came out.
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I’ve done probably over a hundred songs that you never even heard of. A lot with street dudes who unfortunately got locked up or even died but there is probably ten albums of verses that you never heard from Bun B. I did a whole album with N.O. Joe the producer that never came out. I think I got Lil Wayne because a lot of his features are mainstream and I did a lot of mainstream and a lot of underground sh*t. I think I got him beat but I think the person that may have me is Snoop Dogg and Boosie is catching up fast. CONCRETE: You always travel with your wife and include her in your day to day grind. What would you say is the key to a happy marriage in the music industry? Bun B: Communication and transparency. You have to talk to your wife about what this world is and what she should expect from it. You have to be honest with your woman. Women can handle a lot more than men think they can handle. Give her the benefit of the doubt. Especially when it comes to money, don’t lie to your woman about money. If you trust your woman to be around your money then let her know what the money is. Like I said women can handle a lot more than men give them credit for. They can handle a lot more than we can, they can handle our truth and sometimes we can’t handle their truth.
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CONCRETE Chronicles: Do you remember your first time smoking weed? Bun B: Yes, it was at a domino game at my brothers apartment. This was probably in 1989 and my brother was playing dominos with some dudes and this tall dude that use to be around him rolled up a blunt and they asked if I wanted to hit the weed. I looked at my brother and he looked at me like that’s on you. I hit it real deep because I didn’t know what I was doing and coughed my ass off. Ever since then I was like yea... man I think I might want to f*ck with this. I smoked for thirty years straight and just quit like four months ago. I quite because I feel there is places and rooms I want to walk in that I wasn’t able to before and I don’t think I need to take weed there. I don’t feel weed is going to work in those rooms.
CONCRETE: What was the concept behind your new project Baby Goat? Kevo: The concept for the mixtape was to really just put some music out because my fans have been waiting for the new Kevo. I’m the same but my music has grown from what it was a year ago. I’ve made changes, I’m more versatile and know exactly how I want my music to sound. I’m more comfortable in the studio and making music versus being shy or being a rookie. CONCRETE: How do you feel about the new young wave of artist coming from Memphis? Kevo: I’m proud. I won’t say I’m proud of the music because I don’t really listen to everybody’s music. I’m proud of the city as a whole. All these young artists really trying to do something with themselves. CONCRETE: Who were some of your musical influences coming up? Kevo: I was listening to the Blues, artist like Johny Taylor, Willie Hutch, Ottis Reading, B.B. King, Marvin Gaye, and Marvin Sease. When I was young my Momma listened to a lot of blues and wasn’t big on us playing rap music in the house. I really didn’t learn about rap music until after I stepped out the house and got with my friends in the neighborhood. CONCRETE: You recently signed a deal with Atlantic records, how did that come about? Kevo: I was just making noise in the city. When you make noise and get your name out there and you got good relationships, that’s the thing that’s gonna get you there. CONCRETE: What’s your favorite song off this project? Kevo: I have two. “Always Talk to God” and “Testimony”. Those two songs I really put my all into and I’m glad to see the aftermath. CONCRETE: Have you got any negative feedback from calling yourself the Baby Goat? Kevo: I knew when I started saying it I was going to get backlash but I always believed in being yourself and if your going to do it then do it, f*ck what the world say. I say I’m the Baby Goat because that’s what I believe.
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CONCRETE: How did you get your position with Atlantic records? Chris M: I was going to Full Sail and there were random events where you normally do gen ed courses and then the more music business focused classes at the end of school. There was an A&R from Atlantic who wanted to meet some students that were about to graduate. I ended up in a classroom full of people that were about to graduate. The teacher picked people out the class, she didn’t consider that I had been in school for only two months. I was put in this opportunity and me and Steve the A&R hit it off. I feel like most people feel an A&R is some magical wizard that let’s you up on success mountain. To me it was just so interesting that you could be so close to the music without actually touching it. CONCRETE: Your title is director of A&R and research, what does your day to day consist of? Chris M: As A&R I have a roster of artist spanning all sorts of genres and all sorts of needs. Some artist I’ll help facilitate studio time, some artist are great at writing melodies and have great concepts but need lyricists so I’ll help them with that. I help them grow as an artist and their repertoire. As far as research I’m using data to identify new artist for the label. That’s using anything you can quantify like sales, streams, shazzams, ticket sales and social media interaction anything that you can put a number to. CONCRETE: Memphis has had tremendous success in the urban genre. What do you feel is keeping Nashville from national recognition? Chris M: I think what Atlanta and Memphis do really well is they embrace their culture. I think Nashville has a history of segregation and honestly if you look at any of the companies here it’s not a very diverse place from the business standpoint. I think companies need to do a better job of hiring people that are not only invested in the culture here but have a real understanding of it and aren’t just trying to replicate something else. I feel like that is kind of the problem Nashville has. CONCRETE: Is Atlantic actively seeking Urban talent in Nashville? Chris M: Yes,100% not just artist but executives and stuff like that. There are producers, writers and artist that we meet with on a regular basis to try and see if there is going to be that perfect fit for what we do here.
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CONCRETE: How would you describe your sound to someone who never heard your music? Chandon Papi: My style is a mix of a lot of things but I would label it intelligent street music, that’s what I represent. I survived the streets and I am a college graduate. I’m not just street and I’m not just intelligent, I’m both. CONCRETE: Was your style inspired by coming up in Louisville KY? Chandon Papi:: Most definitely, I’m from the west end of Louisville, Kentucky and you will see it all there. What makes Louisville like that is the lack of jobs and people had to adapt to their environment. That’s why I donate to these shelters because I was homeless before. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about the concept behind “Tattoos and War Wounds”? Chandon Papi: “Tattoo’s & War Wounds” is about overcoming adversity. I’ve been shot, locked up, to war overseas, and survived the streets. I have a well rounded picture of what life really is. So this record is a cumulation of all those emotions, ups and downs and overcoming adversity. CONCRETE: How did you link up with DJ VIP for the Tattoos & War wounds project and what can we expect from this project? Chandon Papi: I was just blessed to be able to link with VIP he is a great dude, doing great things and stands for something bigger than himself. I felt teaming up with him was perfect for this project it’s full of intelligent street music. CONCRETE: What would you say your top three songs are off the Tattoo & War Wounds project? Chandon Papi: First would be “Tattoo’s & War Wounds” because it’s a very personal record. I always told my father I would never quit making music because he would always tell me, “Don’t Stop!” Next song would be “Kobe and Lebron” because I love them both. Lebron is my favorite player of all time because he donates to kids for college tuition, gives back to his community, and takes care of his kids. My third song would be “Never” because I’m talking about our healthcare. For example, healthcare in Canada is free but in the U.S it’s very expensive so you tell me are we really FREE?!
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CONCRETE: Whxxxx
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CONCRETE: Where are you originally from? K.I.N.G. The MC: I was born in Phoenix but I couldn’t tell you what it looks like. My Mom moved to Nashville when I was two and I grew up in Nashville all my life. Antioch to be more specific. CONCRETE: How would you describe your sound? K.I.N.G. The MC: I have a poetic storytelling type of vibe. I would say more of a old school hip-hop kind of feel. You can tell by listening to my music who some of my influences are such as Kendrick, Jay-Z, J.Cole and Tobe Nwigwe as of recently. I consider myself a true MC, I like to have a message in every piece that I do. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about your newest release The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. II? K.I.N.G. The MC: On the first project I really nitpicked at the songs I was putting on there. I was hard on myself and didn’t think the world wanted that much music from me, so I gave them nine songs. On the second one I was really going through some hardship and I wanted to put out something to really inspire people, I wanted to give them a whole album. There is a lot of stories that I’ve been holding back. CONCRETE: How did you get your name? K.I.N.G. The MC: I became K.I.N.G. The MC when I was incarcerated at the age of eighteen. I had to do eight in a half months over smoking weed. While I was in there I started getting real spiritual and writing a lot of poetry. An individual that I met in there said to me you’re Knowledge Inspiring New Greatness you’re a K.I.N.G. I’ve been K.I.N.G. The MC ever since. CONCRETE: You had a dope experience with Tobe Nwigwe, can you tell us what happened? K.I.N.G. The MC: I went to his show at Mercy Lounge and stayed for the meet & greet. I told myself I’m going to rap for him. So I wanted to be the last person and l let like three hundred people in front of me. I finally get up to meet him and I was so excited and overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn’t explain to him that I waited that long just to rap for him, half way through the sentence I just start rapping. At the end of it all he embraced me. He said it was fire and not to let up. A few days later he posted the video and captioned it. I had crazy positive feedback and it really turned me up.
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Chuck Indigo - iNDigo Café
This project landed on our radar last year and has remained in rotation since its release. The name Chuck Indigo may not be familiar to you just yet but once you push play on this twelve track record you’re likely to add it to your playlist. The project is full of colorful vibes and extra clean production. Chuck Indigo bounces back and forth from a smooth singing voice to spitting real bars that can hold weight with the best of them. Great concepts, dope production and creative content. We can’t stress enough how dope this project is from start to finish. We hope Chuck keeps doing what he is doing and we won’t be surprised if we see him on national platforms very soon.
Illiminate - If Not Me Then Who
As soon as you push play Illiminate is straight at your neck. The first song sets the mood of the project and makes it clear you’re in for a bumpy ride. Songs like “See Me Fail”, “Why” and “Mindin My Grindin” are boombap hard hitting snare beats full of clever bars and storylines. Illiminate recruits some dope features for a few records from Jelly Roll, KXNG Crooked, Yung Jay and even DJ Orig makes an appearance. Overall a well put together project worth a listen.
A. Johnz - Dreams of Paradise
This is not our usual hip-hop review. Former Titans player A.Johnz tackles the R&B world in his latest project Dreams of Paradise Vol.1. This eleven song project is full of smooth production, catchy melodies and laid back vibes. Of course it wouldn’t be a R&B project without the classic love songs serenading the ladies and A.Johnz does just that on records like “Love Games”, “Walking High with Love” and “Can’t Get Enough of You”. This is more than just a project full of love songs A.Johnz speaks on real life and we can all relate to that. Take a minute to push play and you make the decision.
ConBleez - Years Ahead
This project is a quick four songs that gives the listeners a small glimpse into who Conbleez is as an artist. He takes you on a eleven minute rollercoaster with emotional ups and downs. Conbleez isn’t afraid of spitting bars but he also isn’t afraid of showing his range while singing on songs like ‘Bummer’ and ‘Thought I Would’. Go push play and let us know your thoughts.
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CONCRETE: You dropped the project Sessions 5 recently, what was the impact it made on your listeners? Jdolla: Sessions 5 couldn’t of done better because I got exactly what I wanted out of it which is new listeners and supporters. I came with a little bit of a different approach with this one and the results showed. CONCRETE: How was your approach different this time? Jdolla: My approach was different with the actual push of the project not the creative process. I had to slick get back to some of my older methods and tap into more of a media presence for the push. I seen the difference that it made as far as the response and the engagement, my numbers went up and I see it’s working. CONCRETE: What would you say your favorite song is off of Sessions five and why? Jdolla: As far as the response from the people it would probably be “Hood dreams”. People seem to like that record and it has a good vibe to it. I would probably say mine is “On my way” because it sets the tone, it’s uptempo, it’s straight to the point, the energy is good, and it’s sincere. “On my Way” isn’t derogatory it’s actually a song that can get you motivated to get through your day and that’s really why I like number one. CONCRETE: What can the people that haven’t heard Sessions 5 expect from it? Jdolla: It’s cohesive, but it’s not mundane there is vibes for every situation on there. I always make sure there is something for every temperature and every mood. The project won’t feel complete until I do that. CONCRETE: You recently opened up for two hip hop legends Devin The Dude and Bun B, what was that like for you? Jdolla: Man the show for Bun B on the Trill AF tour was at the crib in MS and the fam showed up and showed out. The support was off the chain and the energy in the building was good. I always love doing shows like that, you get to meet your idols while you’re doing what you love. You can’t beat that! CONCRETE: What’s next for Jdollaondatrack in 2020? Jdolla: The SEA awards! I was nominated twice. One for mixtape of the year for Sessions 5 and for mixtape artist of the year. It’s dope to be recognized win, lose, or draw. I really appreciate it so everyone go vote! I’m also working on my next project which will be my twentysecond project so I can’t drop the ball on this one.
Bandplay: During the whole process I didn’t know I was going to have that many songs on the album, we were just making music. We were in LA and we were just creating and one thing led to another. They mentioned Dum and Dummer is going to come out and when it came out I had to count the songs myself and was like damn I really produced twenty songs on this MF. It was surreal like when we went over to Europe and the people knew every song word for word. CONCRETE: What was your favorite song off the project and why? Bandplay: “One hell of a life” because it’s a different type of beat for them. It doesn’t sound like no type of Memphis track. I feel like I took Nashville’s sound and brought it to them. CONCRETE: What was your favorite part of the trip to Europe? Bandplay: Amsterdam. The energy at the show was crazy and the people over there are real cool and I’m sure you will understand why because everybody there is high. It was a crazy experience, we went to like eight countries in two weeks. CONCRETE: You mentioned giving Dolph the Nashville sound, do you feel Nashville has it’s own urban sound and what do you feel the city is lacking or not doing to have the same success as Memphis? Bandplay: Nashville has a sound and when I say we have a sound I’m speaking on myself pretty much. I feel like what I’m doing on the urban scene is something that no one else is doing around here. As far as Nashville yea we have a sound, it’s country music. As far as the urban scene it’s still on the rise we have to really get the culture together here first. CONCRETE: You posted a clip of you playing a beat for Duke Deuce and saying it’s ready, are you starting to drop your own singles now? Bandplay: Me and bro got some hot sh*t in the cut and it’s coming but it’s my song though. I always wanted to do this, I dropped a mixtape a few years back with all the artist I produced for but now I really want to start focusing on pushing my singles and I’m also going to get into DJing as well.
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CONCRETE: What made you want to start creating music and become a producer? Bandplay: My whole family does music from my Mom to my Aunties and Uncle. They sang in an a cappella group in church and traveled around the U.S. My older brother Chris King makes beats, he is the one that got me started. Pretty much my whole life has been around music. CONCRETE: Where did your sound came from as a producer? Bandplay: Just different elements. My style is inspired by HBCU bands and when I first moved to Nashville I went to a TSU game and saw the band perform and it intrigued me. You can feel it rather than hear it and that’s where my sound came from. CONCRETE: You recently signed to Young Dolph’s label PRE, how did that come about? Bandplay: I was working with Key Glock at first and I sent him some beats and stuff and he rapped on like four of them for his album he was dropping. We were working more and more and word came about that Dolph had recorded on one of my beats. I didn’t even know which one it was. Then like three months later he called me out of nowhere and was like I got a banger on one of your beats and I want to sign you. A week later he dropped the song “Major” and it went gold
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exactly a year later. Me signing just made since with us all being from Tennessee. CONCRETE: What does it mean for Bandplay the producer to be signed to PRE? Bandplay: Well how I’m looking at the situation. I feel like they are giving me the opportunity to turn their music up. They put me in that situation naming me as their producer at Paper Route Empire so their giving me the ok to use my sound to turn them up. Their giving me the opportunity to push my sound out to the world. CONCRETE: You had a big 2019. Signing a deal was one accomplishment, what were some other highlights? Bandplay: Definitely. I got my first plaque and that’s a big accomplishment for anyone in the music industry. I produced almost the entire Young Dolph and Key Glock Dum and Dummer album. That was one of my dreams to do on some Mannie Fresh sh*t producing a whole project. Then another accomplishment was I just got back from Europe and I never thought in my life I would of went across that water. It was three big things that I’m really proud of. CONCRETE: What was that feeling like when you found out that twenty out of twenty-two songs off the Dum and Dummer project was produced by you? continued on next page