The First Lady of YNVS… Ms. Brooke Lynne graces the Hey Indo Show…
This week Hey Indo! sat down with YNVS very own Brooke Lynne. If you don’t know who she is let me break it down for you. Brooke Lynne, a published author got her start in Jazz, Classical Musical, Opera, Acting, Modeling and the list goes on. She pretty much has a wide background, but that’s not all she has dibbled and dabbled in. She eventually found her interest in music and that instantly became a passion of hers. She found that whatever it was that she did on the side, whether it be writing for people, or making reference vocals Lynne knew music was one thing she set out to do, and wanted to stick with. She recently dropped her LP ‘Saucy Back’ back in January and also worked on a record called ‘Fresh’ produce by Cover which received great feedback. She is currently working on another record called ‘Somebody Wavy’ a “reggae type of pop record” as she describes it. In this episode check out what she thinks about the music industry and what other plans she has for the future ONLY on Sloppy Vinyl!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2xiED8fC14
Check out Brooke Lynne’s new single “Somebody Wavy” here: https://song.link/i/1328036967
Follow Brooke Lynne on Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/missbrooke2u/ Tweets by MissBrooke2U
Best of Essex IX winner Samir chops it up Samad Savage at the Meat Locker…
Every month Samad Savage has gathered only the Best to be a part of his platform. Samad has been using the Best of Essex to promote local artist in his area. The show allows local artist, to show the crowd what they’ve been working on. Each artist has the stage for 5 minutes, and at the end the crowd chooses the winner. This time around the winner was Best of Essex rookie Samir. Samir is a upcoming artist from Orange, who killed the stage. From the outside looking in you would not think that this performance was Samir’s first… but it was and he killed it! Check out this one on one conversation with Samad & Samir, brought to you by Sloppy Vinyl!
Be sure to catch Samad Savage in action with the Best of Essex X this Wednesday 10/24/18 at the MeatLocker in Montclair doors open at 8pm!
With the Best of Essex 10 on the way, we had to chop it up with finalist from last event Baby Phace…
Baby Phace was definitely an act to remember he lit the stage up with his energy which was out of this world. Being a 22 year old artist from West Orange, NJ, Baby Phace struggles with life and himself and is trying to share his truths and messages through his music. We had the chance to ask Baby Phace some questions based on his career and Best of Essex experience.
Where did you first hear of Best Of Essex?
A: On Instagram
Where are you from?
A: West Orange
What or who inspired you to first rap?
A: I would say poetry inspired me to rap. Rap is just more enjoyable poetry, not to say poetry is not fun. Also Drake & J. Cole were some of my favorite artist around the time I started rapping so they were huge inspiration for me with the pen.
When do you know that this is your calling?
A: I didn’t really know for a while. I’ve been rapping on and off for a LONG time. I just got back into it a year ago and I had the means to actually do this. But it wasn’t till October, when I made Run (one of my earlier songs) I was bumping it by myself & something just clicked & I knew this is what I’m made for.
Do you have a plan B? If yes, tell us what and why, If no, tell us why.
A: I don’t have one. I spent my whole life struggling to figure out what I wanted to do. Why I wanted to do it, who I wanted to do it for. Until I found rap and it was the first time I did something for myself. It’s such a beautiful feeling knowing what I want & not having single bit of doubt. I don’t see myself doing so I don’t have a plan b although it would be smart and logical.
How did you prepare for the performance if any at all?
A: I usually just lock in. Listen to the songs I’m performing on repeat. And just get into my zone. Once I’m in that zone performing is easy.
What have you done so far in your career that you are most proud of?
A: A lot of things have been coming & I see more coming in my future. It’s been a long and eventful year of doing music. But honestly I’m just proud of the fact that I have a career. I’m proud of my growth in all aspects. If you listen to music I make now and music I make then. There’s a huge difference. If you look at my followers way more than before. If you look at my image I’ve created a solid one for myself. It’s super gratifying and I want things to just continue in that direction and also accelerate.
How many times have you been to Best Of Essex and What would you say the Vibe is like?
A: Best of Essex has to be my favorite event to go to. Only time I’ve missed is if I had a performance of my own I had to do. Or the earlier ones I didn’t know about. It’s something that definitely had a huge effect on my career. The community you feel in that event is unmatched. It’s something so real and genuine that’s difficult to find. So I really love it. Samad has done the Jersey rap community a huge favor by providing a lot of artists with a platform to network, grow, work on performing, and just have a good time.
Who would you say is the Top 5 in your genre and reasons why?
A: So my top 5 is definitely not skill based. I don’t even really look for that in music anymore. It’s just what I enjoy listening too. It’s not even gonna be in order but here goes: Trippie Redd, Isaiah Rashad, Juice Wrld, Frank, & I been bumping a lot of Mac rn of course, R.I.P. but I’m always listening to different music and different artists because I listen for recreation but I also study what they do.
Do you have a job or go to school and how do you balance you’re career and that?
I do have a job @ the mall and I’m looking for another one. & I’m going to go to school part time. I don’t really try to balance tbh. It’s not a good look but that’s how strongly I feel about music. School lately has been a non factor but I’ll always need a job because I’ll always need to
fund my career. It’s just whenever I’m not doing that my mind has an unhealthy fixation on my music.
What projects do you have coming out next?
A: My first official project Places should be releasing in about a month and a half. I’m super excited for that to come out so I can show people what kind of artist I’m becoming.
Make sure you come out this Wednesday night at the Meat Locker in Montclair to catch another epic Best of Essex! Also follow Baby Phace on all platforms @hopoffthiscliff
Extra… Extra.. We sit with Best of Essex finalist ANT KAN$CIOUS
Ant Kan$cious (aka Kan Tha Baptist) is a young MC straight out of Newark, NJ. He is a proud Brick City native as he always represents his background and where he’s from in all his lyrics. “I think it’s important to rep where I’m from so that people can know the type of environment I come from and see what I’m doing to overcome it. So many people where I live end up stuck and trapped in a cycle because of a closed opportunity structure. I want to be able to shed light and encourage the youth and young adults like me to break out of that cycle and overcome all obstacles through my music.” Kan$cious is a college graduate with a BA in Psychology and is currently pursuing an MA in Counseling. “Education has always been my number one priority and that has never changed, music however has always been and always will be my main passion.”
Where did you first hear of Best of Essex?
I first heard of Best of Essex through Chris Patrick and Baby Phace. My brothers and I keep each other updated about our music as well as events through our group chat. It just so happened Chris, The Last Mohican at the time, was telling us that he signed up to perform at Best of Essex 3. This was the first Best of Essex I went to and where I was introduced to so many local artists including the host Samad Savage for the very first time. It was history since then and I’ve been coming back ever since.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Essex County, Newark NJ to be exact. I’m originally from the Westward part of Newark, which is literally smack dab in between all the Orange, East Orange, and Irvington. I now live in the Southward area of Newark.
What or who inspired you to first rap?
I was brought up in the mid-90s at the peak of Hip Hop music and heavily influenced by the culture since I was literally in a crib. I vividly remember as a toddler sitting in the back of my Pop’s whip just bumping whatever he was listening to at the time. We listened to a lot of Biggie, and a lot of Jay- Z, so til this day Hov is still my favorite MC of all time. My Pops also bumped a lot of Wu Tang Clan, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, KRS-One, Ice Cube, and a couple Run DMC joints here and there; but I can’t forget the God MC himself Rakim. These are just a few of my roots. When I got a little older I started gravitating towards other MCs like 2Pac and Nas. When the 2000s came I was bumping rappers from 50 cent and Eminem(although I personally prefer Slim shady) to OutKast, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Once I was well into my adolescent years my favorite artists were Hov, Lil Wayne, Kanye, and 50. I started writing rhymes in like 2006/2007 so I had to be around 11 or 12 at this time. All these artists that I’ve mentioned along with the culture that I grew up watching and admiring from a young age helped spark my inspiration to want to rap. I’ve always had a love for the arts but it was just something about putting words together that intrigued my mind. I would spend hours reading the dictionary just trying to learn new words and figure out different ways to use them while finding words that rhymed with each other. It may sound weird but it was fun for me. I kind of looked at it like building my own puzzle in a sense.
When did you know that this was your calling?
I knew this had to be my calling once writing started becoming naturally easy for me and I was able to flow to damn near any beat. I got a high from staying up late to write verses while rapping them over instrumentals. It was something I knew I was good at. Most of my other friends were good at sports and athletics and getting girls and stuff like that. I was mainly focused on my grades at school and my responsibilities at home, but nothing made me happier or made me feel more accomplished than writing and rapping. I swear there was no high like it.
As I matured and lived life and started writing more about my experiences I became confident that this was my calling because I realized that I have the power to uplift and encourage others through my words. After experiencing many stresses and several episodes of depression throughout the years I came to the conclusion that I could use my stories to reach out to others that may be going through what I’ve experienced. Over time I’ve learned that this is much bigger than writing hot verses and having fun, I mean that’s a part of it but there is also a bigger picture. In fact this is bigger than music. I just want to be able to help other kids and young adults going through life trying to figure it all out like I am. I want to inspire others the way Hip Hop inspired me, while also connecting with them the best way I know how, which is through my art.
Do you have a plan B? If yes, tell us what and why, If no, tell us why.
I learned that having a Plan B can be counterintuitive to your dreams and goals. If you have a Plan B then that means you doubt that your Plan A will work. I don’t have enough time in this life to focus on doubts so I always say my Plan A and my Plan B are one in the same. I wish to complete my education and get my MA in Counseling so that I could have the option to follow that route not as a backup plan but as another way to secure the bag while still pursuing a music career. In my eyes I don’t see why I can’t do both, it will be a lot of hard work yes but I’m hungry and determined to succeed by any means. Regardless, I want to make other people’s lives better and help them get through their days with less baggage. My goal is to let people know they aren’t alone and that someone out there cares about what they’re thinking and feeling. Simply put I just want to show all my people that I can empathize and sympathize with their pains and joys because I too have been in the same shoes.
How did you prepare for the performance if any at all?
I honestly kept playing the track over and over in the whip and recited the lyrics. Sometimes I’d practice in front of the mirror with my headphones and I’d close my eyes, envisioning the crowd, the stage and the mic in my hand.
What have you done so far in your career that you are most proud of?
I’m just proud that I’m still here. I’m proud that I’m even alive to be doing this at all. So many people give up and quit or worry about not being popular enough or having “clout”. I’m just glad I’m following my dreams but I’m focused on making the right moves and decisions to put me on track in the right direction. I’ve set out goals and plans for myself and I am determined to accomplish them. I started building a team and I’ve acquired a personal manager. Right now I am studying as much about the game as I can, reading, watching documentaries, learning the social media algorithms and patterns, and just going out to events networking and meeting as many people as I can. I’m also taking time to study the craft, different genres and artists and just trying to become a well-rounded artist myself.
How many times have you been to Best of Essex and what would you say the vibe is like?
I’ve been to Best of Essex a total of 6 times and performed 4 times. It’s always a great vibe. All the artists show love and support and it’s just great energy coming from everyone. Best of Essex is just a great environment where local artists can meet up network and showcase their talent. I definitely feel like it’s helped me improve and get use to performing in front of others and it definitely gave me a chance to meet other artists and make great connections.
Who would you say is Top 5 in your genre and what are your reasons why?
My top 5 includes Chris Patrick, Baby Phace, Myself and Samir, that 5th spot is up for grabs. I say this because I really believe and have faith in the talent of my brothers including myself. Our development has has been beyond promising and we’re only getting better. There’s no telling what the future holds but we’re out here to achieve nothing less than greatness. But you don’t have to believe me now, after all we are “Just Your Average Black Kids”.
Do you have a job or go to school and how do you balance you’re career with that?
I’ve recently graduated from Bloomfield College and I plan on going to Graduate school in the spring of 2019 to pursuit my Masters. Right now I currently work at a day care center as an aftercare teacher and I love what I do. Working at the school is my day job, at night my focus goes back to the music. I listen to music as soon as I wake up, while I’m traveling, and I read throughout the day. I also write as much as I can. Studio time is usually always a night session during the week or on the weekends, but most of my work gets done at night.
What projects do you have coming out next?
I’ve really been working hard on this project “Key2 the Soulman’s Heart” which is my tape that I anticipate on dropping in November and I’ve also been planning to release my first EP in the beginning of next year so stay tuned for that.
Be sure to follow Ant Kan$cious on all platforms @soulbruvah and check out his music on his soundcloud! soundcloud.com/kanthabaptist
The machine behind all of Def Jam’s hottest artist & hits… Check out what OG we sat with this week…
The Golden Boy is joined by Def Jam royalty, Shampoo – the master of street team promotion. His legacy spans over 20+ years as he’s worked with legends like N.O.R.E, Redman, Method Man, Rihanna, Young Jeezy, Jay Z and the list goes on. Hey Indo! pulled up on Shampoo at Jimmy’s in NYC to discuss his story, the importance of gorilla marketing and how he branched out to start his own YNVS label. Shampoo and his team have played an incredibly vital role in the hip hop scene over the last two decades, proving that he’s a force to be reckoned with. Shampoo’s name will always live within in the streets & with the DJS, his hard work has made him a vital player when breaking records. If your artist then this episode is definitely something you need to check out, Shampoo goes in depth on how to break records, and how word of mouth will always be the best way to market yourself.
Follow Shampoo on Social Media
https://www.instagram.com/therealshampoo_ynvs/ Tweets by shampoo_ynvs
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