CreNativ. presents Boyfriend // Volume 1

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Almost three years into crowd-revving performances, lyrics that don’t beat

around the bush, and a new EP just around the corner, rap artist Boyfriend is on the up and up. And the conversation she’s having with the music world is going to break through the glass ceiling. In the middle of her West Coast grind, Boyfriend presses pause to chat with Nativ.Label about getting the audience on her side, her favorite snack, and how she puts everybody in the same room.

Nativ.Label: So everyone has a “big thing” they’re trying to accomplish and we hit these checkpoints in those journeys. Where are you right now in yours?

Boyfriend: I’m at an interesting time right now. And I’ve not discussed this in an interview yet but I just left my teaching job. Over the past two years I’ve been teacher by day and rapper by night. It’s a little scary because the income is more flighty when you’re an artist. But it’s really exciting because it means I can pour all the energy into the Boyfriend hustle right now. I’m just really diversifying the life I’ve given to the stuff I’ve created so far.

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NL: Quitting the day job is the leap that just about every artist longs to make. It’s a big transition, though.

What are some of the hoops you had to jump through to get to the point where you could walk away from the day job?

BF: It really was a series of mental and emotional hoops. Not logistical or financial. If I was listening to logistics or finances, I would still be employed.

It’s hard to make a living as an artist.

It’s one of the hardest ways, I think.

And now, there are fewer ways that people are willing to pay for what I’m doing. It was more of a mental and emotional decision: a now or never type situation. There are always kids that need to be taught, I will not

always be able to be a rapper. But it’s amazing what happens when you put all your energy into something. If I’m ever at a point where I can put food in my mouth and travel to play shows and shoot videos, I’m good to go. If that means selling stuff on Craigslist every now and then or getting a babysitting jobs here and there, fine.

NL: You’d be the world’s most legit babysitter!

BF: Yes! Ha, my resume is on Boyfriend69.com and it lists all of my qualifications.

“ain’t no white bitch, i’m cherokee.

Ain’t full blood but grandmama be. ain’t no trick, i’m from tennessee, ain’t no white bitch i’m cherokee.”

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NL: Most of the time, artists have an idea of what they’re audience looks like. The people they’re trying to reach.

Tell us about yours.

NL: How long have you been at it?

BF: It’s been two and a half, almost three years. I released my first video “Hunch and Munch” in February 2012.

That’s when it really came to life.

Music videos for me were my medium of choice for a long time. Now I’m moving more into treating the music as music and trying to make songs that are songs in their own right without the visual accompaniment.

“It’s less about what type of music you listen to, and more about what type of reaction the music evokes.”

BF: That’s honestly what I’m trying to find! It’s why I’m trying to reach into new arenas. Right now I’m trying to reach out to the art scene and art kids.

But also the sex-positive community.

For me, it’s a journey to find who my audience is and I have a feeling that it’s going to be a really diverse, funky group of people. A lot of the stuff can be hard for people to swallow. One thing I’ve had a lot of people say to me—which is a huge compliment—is that Boyfriend shows are a really diverse crowd. It’s less about what type of music you listen to, and more about what type of reaction the music evokes.

Like “Woah, did she really just say that? How does that make me feel?

What is she trying to say in conversation with other music in the world?” I hope that when you’re listening, you’re scratching your head while you’re nodding it!

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NL: Other publicity you’ve received talks a lot about the pure shock-factor of your lyrics and performances. What is something that would still surprise people about you?

BF: I think the new album itself is going to be a surprise for a lot of people. It doesn’t have the shock factor that my earlier stuff did. I’m really making more music with the new album. Yes, there’s still some raunchy moments, some commentary, but not as in your face as the other stuff was.

I’ve grown as an artist. I can practice restraint and subtlety a little more, which just comes with maturing. And the other stuff was like, “I’m trying to get your attention.” That chapter is coming to a close, and people who are already listening or who have been listening this whole time will notice a change.

NL: We have to ask; Why Boyfriend?

BF: I thought that it was a word that everyone would react to. I wanted to have a word that everyone had a sense of ownership over and then take ownership of it myself. It’s a word that has such a firm place in day to day conversation. People love their boyfriend, or they’re mad at their boyfriend, or they hate their ex-boyfriend. The word is always being used. I like this idea that people all around the world are talking about me and they don’t even know it yet.

NL: Has it always been music, or did it just hit you one day that you had to do this?

BF: No! I would freestyle on occasion.

It just came naturally and was really fun. It was solely out of fun. I think that’s why people reacted to it because I had a job and it was something I just did to be creative. It really started in an honest, creative place and the fact that people have responded to it is awesome!

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NL: You rocked a photo shoot wearing Nativ.Label, so of course we want to know why you wear Nativ. Any favorite designs?

BF: I’m the most excited about the newest ones! The solid black tee that has the tiny “NY” logos all over it. You know Alex was telling me how he has to cut each of those labels out and apply them to the shirt individually. I love how much thought is put into the garment. There’s more of the comprehensive aesthetic and the passion for it.

Any old Joe down the street can learn how to screen print, but not anyone can design this kind of stuff. It isn’t about trying to be hip and cool. It’s a living.

It’s a lifestyle.

NL: What’s the best show you’ve ever done?

BF: Every time I walk off the stage, I want to be better than when I walked on it. When I opened for some other groups on Halloween in New Orleans, it was packed. And they were there to see these big names.

They didn’t really know me and by the end, I had them chanting “Boyfriend69.com”. I really learned what it was like to interact with the audience and get them on your side. .

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Favorite snack: Pussy Biggest Inspiration: Pussy Your Ideal Lifestyle: Getting to eat as much pussy as you want You find out the zombie apocalypse is happening tomorrow. What’s your first reaction?

Eat as much pussy as I want.

News from the home front? Boyfriend’s newest EP, Love Your Boyfriend is set to come out in September.

Stay updated at boyfriend69.com for details about the release.

Photography // Daniel Cavanaugh dwcavanaugh@gmail.com

Article // Olivia Collins Olivia007@gmail.com

Design // Alex Nash www.alex-nash.com

Have someone we should feature?

Contact us at alexnash@nativlabel.com

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