Volumes: Athens Hip Hop - Vol 1 Issue 11

ATH ENS

HipHop

EVENTS

p. 3

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Minnie Lea p. 4

INDUSTRY PROFILE

LaShaun Love p. 5

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Son Zoo p. 8

ALBUM REVIEW

Pack Attack p. 9

INTERVIEW

Square Up With UPMP p. 10

NETWORKING

p. 11

Vol. 1 Issue 11 • November 2017

Letter from the Editor This eleventh edition of Volumes is based on personality. We have a lot of artist-centric pieces in this month’s issue to help you really get to know the meaning behind the music. It’s easy to see the art as the person, but we can’t forget that what we’re dealing with IS people. If being you is the one unique asset you possess that no one can take away, why aren’t you using it? First and foremost, business is business, but I hope that 2017 has brought a new awareness that we have to care about the people as well.

-Scrap God

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Events December 2017

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the Good, Bad, & Ugly J GoodNews (Trap Soul,Alternative Hip Hop) Spotify and Soundcloud @jgoodnews World Famous Hip-Hop (First Tuesdays) Hosted by Mon2 & Chief Rocka

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Wave Kxng Blanco (Hip Hop) spinrilla.com/kxngblanco

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The BLKLST EP Spires (Experimental Hip Hop) iamspires.bandcamp.com

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Featuring Lingua Franca, Dope Knife, Javae, 1Take, Stella Groove, Donny Knottsville, and Amazing Ming

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A Prevailing Sense of Melody Space Brother (Hip Hop, Electronic) Spacebrother.bandcamp.com Family Tree Nuci’s Space Hosted by Onyx Echelon 85 Enterprises & Volumes Hip Hop Featuring We’re Weird, Kxng Blanco, Stella Groove, Skinny-C, and Jetpack Syndrome

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Dope Soul December Squalle’s Bday Lituation 40 Watt Hosted by Volumes Presents & Black Liaison

ADVERTISE HERE Get your business or project out there!

Take advantage of our affordable ad space in the next issue of Volumes.

Contact volumeszine@gmail.com for rates and ad specs today.

ADVERTISE HERE

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

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Minnie Lea

One beauty about music is its versatility; there’s no limit to sound and style with expression. When I think about these qualities, Minnie Lea is a dominant artist that comes to mind; she’s comforted with her diversity and is very intriguing with her talents. I had a conversation with Minnie answering a few questions.

How long have you been doing music?

I’ve been singing since I could talk, writing music since second grade, and recording professionally for about 5 years now. As a child, I was always singing in functions from my church choir and school events to talent shows. Basically any outlet I could use to expose my talent I would, and I took great advantage.

What inspired you?

God inspired me to create music because it was placed in me. I’ve had a love for music since I could first remember. It’s always been a passion of mine seeing as though I was surrounded by family with a musical background who were all so outgoing and creative. I have grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins who were always in artistic activities (dancing, singing, producing, clothing lines, etc). Everyone is doing something they love, so it was inevitable that I would inherit artistic traits as well.

What’s your biggest accomplishment/ happiest moment in your music career?

My happiest, biggest accomplishment was having the courage to drop my first music video. For me, it was a very challenging stepping stone because as I got older I became a very private person and I loved my space. However,

that’s what kept me in my shell. My problem was that I was afraid of the type of feedback I would get, but something in me awoke and said my time for procrastination was no longer. I had to realize that some people will love me and some people won’t, and that’s all apart of the game. Luckily, I got exceedingly great feedback. It felt almost like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon.

What are three of your long term goals?

Three long term goals of my music career are to one, always compose authentic material and stay true to myself.Two, never let the obstacles of life nor people deter me from my vision.And three, remain focused at all times. It’s so easy to be consumed by distractions and there are always trials that force you to make decisions that could make or break your morals. Staying true to myself is my number one priority.

Who would you like to collaborate with?

When I look at collaborations I don’t just go solely based off of if the person’s song is popping or not. I also include personality and purpose, and someone I would like to collaborate with is Kali Uchis. Her music pleases my ears, but her voice ignites my soul and is the very reason I would love to work with her. I feel the passion in her music. I see her energy when she performs. I can just tell she has a great spirit.

It was a pleasure vibing with Minnie Lea, follow her on all outlets to stay connected @Minnie Lea - FreeBanHan freebanhanofficial.wordpress.com

LaShaun Love & Black Suburbia Entertainment :INDUSTRY PROFILE Savannah artist LaShaun Love performed in Athens at the Volumes YOD House Party Vol. 2 earlier this Fall, but now we’re checking back in with him to discuss recently released singles and his upcoming project.

Growing up in the small town of Brunswick, GA impacted Love’s music in many ways, but his biggest learning experience has been that music is a medium that can be shaped however the artist wants. The current culture of mainstream hip hop has influenced a lot of people to chase the money over the artistry of the music, but Love believes this is all backwards. There needs to be a lot of grinding and personality to make your craft successful.

“Even though I was born and raised in the deep south I developed a love for hip hop from every region of the country by high school. Coming from Brunswick, it’s always shaped my music to show that I’m the underdog compared to everyone else from the city.

Being the big fish in a small pond also gave me a lot of confidence because I’m really the first hip hop artist out of my town that’s really been consistent over the past few years, a lot of homies back home really look up to me and that keeps me pushing,” said Love.

Love’s newly formed indie label Black Suburbia Entertainment dropped two singles November 10th, the first from himself titled “Dreamcast” and the second from Tripp Maximus titled “222.” Tripp is the first artist that Love brought onto the label, and Love talks highly of how this artist has brought his own style forth and really ran with it. Outside of his own music goals, Love wants to see his brand grow along with the two artists currently on his label this next year. This new year also brings hopes of a first tour for Love’s own music, so there will be a lot expanding to be seen from his movement.

Directly on the horizon is Love’s new project “Melange D’Arte: Tournament Edition” with Southpxw on production releasing in February, a follow up to his last EP “Melange D’Arte” that was put out this past February.

The recently released “Dreamcast” is the first official single. This project is about finishing molding the sound that this collaboration started with the last project and wrapping up their ideas before moving on to the next.

“I’m just trying to be the best version of me and if someone likes it cool and if not that’s cool too because Imma get mine at the end of the day. The biggest thing is just to be yourself and have fun no matter how cliche that sounds.”

Scrap God

IG @scrap_goddd

Check out LaShaun Love on Apple Music, Youtube, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Bandcamp, and Google Play.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

Son Zoo

This year you really separated from War- if I get stuck I pretty much scrap it and chalk ren Peace into Son Zoo, what prompted it up to getting better at the process. With the next project, I plan to have way more tracks the name change? completed so I can pick and choose which Honestly, just searchability. On the local scene ones fit together best. it was a tough transition cause everyone already knew me as Warren Peace. But if you Son Zoo’s writing notebooks are iconic, do searched that online, I’d be on like page 30 of you consciously keep a notebook on you or the results. I had been referencing myself as is it habit now?

Sun Tzu for a while, so I figured that was the right way to go. Either way, whatever I put out I have so many notebooks because I almost always forget to bring one with me when I go is still the “Art of War,” out. So if I decide to write, I go get a new one.

Has your writing and content changed with After a while, I looked around and noticed I had like thirty of them. But it works because I the change of personas? always have a page to fill. The bad part about I would say so, I used to fixate on rhyming ev- it is that there’s absolutely no system, so there ery syllable and not wasting space for clever are lyrics spanning years in each notebook. wordplay. Since then I’ve tried to broaden my If I’m looking for a certain verse I gotta go range, putting a lot more emphasis on flow and through the whole collection. In doing that cadence, while still balancing intricate lyricism. though, sometimes I’ll stumble onto something I don’t even remember writing and continue What was your process when coming up with it. That’s the case for “What If”. The two verses were probably written a year apart. for the concepts on “Visions”?

Well, originally it was supposed to be a full length project about the world ending, but I made a conscious decision somewhere along the line to make it more digestible. In this era, it seems like less people want to sit through 18 tracks, so I broke it into two separate projects.

“Visions” is more like me just pouring out my subconscious, and in a few places it sounds like I’m having premonitions about the end of the world. Whereas the sequel will be more like me narrating as it’s happening.

How has your writing process changed or matured since you released “Visions”?

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With “Visions,” I would sit on tracks for weeks and write pieces at a time as it came to me; the process was overall a lot slower. Now I just write all the time, sometimes switching back and forth between writing multiple songs, and

How is your writing process unique and/or representative of you?

I basically torture myself in the process of writing lyrics. Each bar has to be better than the last, each verse better than the previous one.

So I might make myself write for eight hours at a time just to see what comes out of that process. I’ll make myself sit at a coffee shop, or some place where no one will bother me, and won’t let myself leave until I’ve accomplished whatever goal I’ve set for the day. I think if you aspire to be the best, you almost have to have an unhealthy obsession with progression.

It sounds impressive on the outside, but think about how much time Michael Jordan probably spent practicing the same thing over and over just to get slightly better. That time adds up.

Scrap God IG @scrap_goddd

Alpha Baty’s Pack Attack

Forty-five seconds into Alpha Baty’s “Pack Attack” playlist shows you something that you don’t get much in this modern age of hip hop. Dominated by fast-paced beats, lo-fi mixes, and an arsenal of different flows, both Alpha Baty and Lostradamus (who appears on almost every track) are flourishing on this project. By the time you find your way to “Jafar,” which may very well be my favorite track, you’ve had to come to terms with the idea that this isn’t the melodic driven music of today, it’s more a mixture of classic hip hop with both trap and EDM influences in the production. “Wail On Em” introduces Jufro, the only other artist on the project, and he comes in with an attitude that feels lost in other parts of the album.

He ties it together well in what I would say

: ALBUM REVIEW

could have been the end of the project. With that comes my only gripe for the project.

With the aggressive flows and the erratic style of the beats, it feels a little long winded. There are still a lot of gems in the second half of the playlist that feel a little less refined than some of its earlier counterparts, and I’m not sure if that’s my own bias from being fed smaller EP style projects recently or if my gut is just telling me that this would have been better as two smaller projects.

While listening back to tracks like “Deathrow” and “Thankful,” I find some of the versatility that I was craving 10 tracks ago. All that said, I’ve spent the last couple weeks listening to this project and have found that even though it’s long there are still a lot of great compositions that deserved to be replayed throughout the 20 track project. For that I have to give Alpha Baty and his partTrvy ners a big shout out. @trvy

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

SQUARE UP WITH

UPMP Motorhead Davonta Appleby @motorhead2x FB/ Motor Head IG/motorhead2x soundcloud.com/ motorhead2x

Quezzy Poet Tino Swain @majorpoet FB/ Major Poetz IG/quezzypoet soundcloud.com/ quezzypoet

Where did you grow up and how has that Where did you grow up, and how has that impacted your music? impacted your music?

I grew up in Athens, but I was definitely raised all over Athens. The impact it had on me growing up, it was a different variety of cultures even though in the same city. It’s like west side was like Tupac and them, east side was like Biggie….it was crazy how it used to be back in the day.

Who was the most influential artist for I grew up in Athens. Everything that was going on out there definitely took a toll on me as far as seeing what I needed to do differently. Not in a bad way, everything like that helps you. I was always the different one. you growing up?

My cousin Teeroy3mil been in the rap game a long time, that’s around Athens. I definitely used to look up to him, he used to come to my mom’s house and spit his stuff. I also listen to Jay Z, Kid Cudi, all the old school cats. I’m an old soul.

Who was the most influential artist for you growing up?

Definitely Eminem. I feel like his struggle that he had was the same struggle I had. I feel more in coming with Eminem than I do with anyone else. I grew up from the trailer parks. I feel like we should hear more from him, the whole Trump thing was inspiring for me.

What do you want your audience to get What do you want your audience to get out of your music? out of your music?

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I want them to get out of it, you can be your own person. You can do whatever you wanna do. It’s your music, it’s your sound. Really I just want people to be a fan of themselves. Don’t let nobody knock you from what you’re doing.

I want them to actually pick up where I leave off. I want them to feel the vibe, whether it’s happy or sad or I’m just spitting truth and want you to understand where I’m coming from. I want you to pick up where I leave off, and I want that song to inspire you or motivate you.

What’s your personal “key” to success?

What’s your personal “key” to success?

Maintain your grind, not letting all the nega- Keep at it, don’t give up. If I get down, I tivity knock you off course. Just stay focused, write. I may have a lot of songs about girls... keep grinding.

What’s next?

I want my first album because I’ve been What’s next? working on music for years. I started off We have shows coming up, and tapes com- making music just so I could hear it. It’s not ing out. My boy Scotty is working on a really all about the money, I just want peotape right now “My Time to Shine.” I have ple to hear me. I was in a place for a long a project coming out in January “Black time where I was bullied in school and no one even cared to listen to me, but now Rockstar,” I’m trying to get a collab with a people are actually listening. I got their atlot of bands around here. tention, now I gotta be good. Shout out to mama Angie.

:THE NETWORK

Producers Dexter Sims dextersims89@gmail.com FB: Dex Does Music IG: theblvkjesus Twitter: @Twinzodadon Snap: cruz_89 Work Money Entertainment, LLC 404-781-5308 workmoneyent@gmail.com FB: Carlos Jones Kaliko Liberty Entertainment - Owner Ear Candy Studios - Owner 706-248-9523 FB,YT, IG, Google+, & Twitter: @itskaliko Kid Foo ofďŹ cialkidfoo@gmail.com FB: Kid Foo IG: kidfoo Twitter: @ItsKidFoo

Engineers Trevor Wiggins 706-499-2293 trvyfeatures@gmail.com Social Media: @trvyf Imorie Curry 706-308-4190 lexcallahan@hotmail.com Social Media: @lexcally

Marketing/Promotions United Group Of Artists 678-740-3884 P.O. Box 49096 Athens, Ga. 30604

Photography KatTookIt Photography Katherine White 706-621-2822 kattookit@gmail.com

Video Production No Silver Spoon Production Jeffery Welborn & Ricky Campbell 706-224-9669 Owen Hunt owenm.hunt@gmail.com Social Media: @bootsygreenwood

Illustrator Danielle Summers danisumm@uga.edu danisumm.com FB: /danisummart IG: danisummart

Photography/Video iGoByGoodie 706-207-1345 igobygoodie@gmail.com Josh Hart Media 678-637-9927

Hip Hop Artists A. Mack Booking: 706-308-5539 amack068@gmail.com FB: Aviyon Mack IG: A.mack706 Snap: A_mizzlee Dictator 706-818-0387 tothapoint@gmail.com DK Cell: 706-248-1835 Alt: 706-340-8071 dk.nowles.nowledge@gmail.com FB: ShmokageDK Twitter: ShmokageDK IG: ShmokageDK Kxng Blanco kiddblanco706@gmail.com Social Media: @KxngBlanco SoundCloud/Spinrilla: Kxng Blanco L.G. (HOTC) hotclg15@gmail.com FB: L.G. or @hotc15 Social Media: HOTC_LG Seline Haze 706-340-8071 iamselinehaze@gmail.com IG: @SelineHaze_ Twitter: @SelineHaze Space Brother spacebrothermusic@gmail.com FB: /spacebrothersoundsystem Soundcloud: /spacebrothersoundsystem spacebrother.bandcamp.com ZiggyRoxxx 706-621-9000 iggylocz@gmail.com IG: ziggyvoodoochild Soundcloud: /ziggyroxxx

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For more information contact Sam Lipkin volumeszine@gmail.com