Q & A w/BLACK ROSE

Q: What kind of musical genre do you see yourself fitting in and why?

A: I love the sounds of hip hop and R&b together but can’t deny as a Latinax I’m not boxing myself into one genre. I love the Caribbean, Afro tech as much as I like some rock and alternative music. I think all those sounds will come forth as I continue this musical journey.

Q: Name 3 music artists alive or dead that you'd want to smoke with?

A: Oh that’s easy .. RIHANNA, SNOOP DOGG, and BOB MARLEY. I would be in pure heaven with all

three of them. And if I was to get a fourth ..SELENA. I don’t know if she smoked but maybe we can bake some special cookies lol.

Q: Tell us a little bit about where you are from?

A: I was born and raised in NYC. Harlem is always home but as a child and young adult, we moved around a bit so I can’t ever forget how the Bronx helped mold me too. I’m a true New Yorker repping, Harlem, El Barrio, Uptown/Washington Heights, and the Boogie Down Bronx!!

Q: When was the first time you got high? How old were you, what type of weed was it, how was that experience, etc?

A: I was just about 16. I was hanging with my friends at 3333 (A building On the BLVD). I remember Lil Kim was playing in the background. I smoked and immediately got the giggles. I’m not going to lie… it was pretty easy getting free bud just waking down the blvd. I would smoke a lot of Haze back in the days. I miss that strain ain’t gonna lie lol. It’s not the same now.

Q: Does cannabis help your creative process?

A: I believe ingesting cannabis helps with so many things in life. It helps my creativity and it is a big part of my daily routine. When I wrote this song “What Chu Sayin’ “ I know I wanted to express that side of me as a weed enthusiast and help bring down the stigmas of this beautiful plant. "Smoke with meeeeee" is one of my

Q: Do you find it difficult to be open about your cannabis use in the music industry?

A: I did before when I was working a 9-5 being a supervisor. As I started to know myself more and learned more and more about how beneficial it is... I became a rebel and openly smoked, did content, and started fighting for the fight to help people get educated on its benefits.

Q: What's your favorite way to consume cannabis?

A: I love flower and smoking it with backwoods. However the more I learn, I know it’s necessary not to just smoke it but ingest it so I’m down for some edibles and infused food.

Q: What's new with Black Rose?

A: I'm still going to continue working on The Stand Up comedy and skits with my skit team “The Have A Gnite Crew”. I also have a great show I’m in called La Factoria where I play Sofia, The Office Bruja. Music will also be a big focus. I started with theater and music. It’s time I let it all out.

Q: Lastly, Any inspiring words for aspiring artists?

A: FUCK THE NOISE AND BE YOU. You will definitely go through many ups and downs but this is all part of the process. Never let these moments dim your light .. BE UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOU AND NEVER WISH ANYONE WRONG. We going to make being GOOD COOL AGAIN. PAGE 39