Originality is THE QUALITY we seek before creating an Artist Snapshot on our blog. We work to find artists with unique capabilities, style, and sound; We respect the hustle and people with " RareFlavr "
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Pop-culture typically has a common theme with music and what makes a "hit".
Our goal is to find artists who sound nothing like what's trending and are in it to make dope music without copying style.
Artists who create content for what they think is cool rather than what's "trending" is what it's all about
The great thing about social media is that we are able to network with creatives all over the world. We value rare artists who create their own path and work hard to enhance their skills.
Recently, we had the opportunity to interview an intelligent Artist @MyNxggaE and asked him to share some knowledge, music, and gain some perspective on the industry and social awareness #share #rareflavr
IMAGE PROPERTY OF @MYNXGGAE
IT ALL STARTS WITH INFLUENCE
"yea I've always had an interest in art and the overall creative process. As a kid I did oil painting, wrote short stories, played a few instruments (drums, cornet, sax). As I got older I got really into graphic design, photography. The biggest influence on me artistically is probably a combination of Langston Hughes and John Coltrane. Jazz was awe inspiring to me as a kid; the complexity, the unpredictability, it was truly soulful music. Thats what got me into playing sax. I got a big ass book of Langston Hughes poetry when I was in high school that man was truly a prolific writer defining social awareness. In a more modern sense Kanye has been HUGE for me. His work with the MPC is forever an inspiration to my production and arrangement. "
GEOGRAPHY
" No actually I was not born and raised in St. Louis. Both my parents are Jamaican. I was actually born in Milwaukee and grew up all over the country (WI, OH, MD, CA) to name a few; I actually went to 3 different high schools in 4 years. But I've been in STL for about 10 years now and it's played a very instrumental role in my social awareness. St. Louis has such a rich and storied black history from the ville and kinloch, historically strong black communities that survived segregation era to the harsh realities of East St. Louis, and the racial injustices plaguing the north city as well as St. Louis County in areas like Ferguson. And this is a history that is not singular to St. Louis but rather something I saw in Baltimore, Chicago, DC, NYC, etc. all across the country as I grew up; Black communities struggling to survive while in search of the American dream. "
MENTORS, INSPIRATION, INTERESTS, AND INSTRUMENTS
"My musical influences are always changing depending on what music I'm currently fixating on, I think it's my ADD at work. Right now I'm on a synths kick so Devonte Hynes, Majid Jordan, Ryan Hemsworth; but overall Future, Pharrell, Drake, George Clinton, Linkin Park, J-Dilla, and Erykah Badu. The artist that speaks to me the most in music is by far Kanye West; watching him journey from college burnout backpack rapper to media mogul and all the bumps is between is inspiring; his producer/rapper/brand model changed not only the music industry but the fashion industry as well. Musically I feel like Kanye always exemplified what first peaked my interest in hip-hop, the complexity in the musical arrangements to the level of full classical compositions. Lyrically Kanye has always been both deeply personal and yet socially and culturally aware which is a difficult balance in the climate of the early 2000s.
PRODUCTION/EQUIPMENT/INFLUENCE
"Yea I started producing because I kinda have an obession with "cloud rap" like an other world production sound; I absolutely love my Akai MPC Studio best piece of equipment in my studio (even though I do have an MPC Live still working out the kinks the learning curve is crazy). I use my numark mixtrack controller for some chops. I usually do my own masters so i got my jbl monitors, steinberg audio interface, rode nt1 cuz rode mics are amazing for low resonating vocals, my bass guitar, and a fender amp for extra bass. As a Virgo I always favor the here and now over the past, I draw a lot of inspiration from 70s funk, 80s synths, 90s boom bap, but the music that speaks to me the most is the music I'm listening to now. Princess Nokia, Northeast Party House, The Neighborhood, NxWorries, Kaytranada, Steve Lacy, Smino, SZA, and Ravyn Lenae "
LIVE SHOWS, ENTERTAINMENT, STAGE PRESENCE, STUDIO SESSIONS
" Showcase Tour hit me up, I think they found my info on reverbnation. It was an amazing opportunity for an artists showcase, a nation-wide tour, but each stop being filled with 10+ Local Artists. The show was amazing first time I've performed since I had my first child so I was a bit nervous, but once I got on stage it was all muscle memory lol. I do everything I can to bring my audience into those late night studio sessions with me, so I chose tracks that I think translate well atmospherically. I am always impressed by the energy of live rock shows so I do all my vocals live no backing track, give the crowd something that sticks with them, memorialize the moment. Low-Key I'm cooking up on adding live elements to the song arrangement too (reference that MPC Live I mentioned earlier) and I've been working with a jazz fusion band of late so new things are coming soon. My favorite track to perform is probably That's My Nxgga Prod by @vaughnvibes. The beat has that classic boom bap/J-Dilla feel so it seems perfect to recreate the energy of The Get Down that I was obsessing over at the time I first heard the beat. It has some good call and response portions to get the crowd involved and then showcases my lyrical ability and range well. Yea I'm glad you caught the easter egg of The Store Run; it was a track I made inspired by the nostalgia of me and my less reputable cousins stepping out during thanksgiving to hit the "store run" and come back eyes redder than the devil is and ready to eat lmao. So it was just something creative to commemorate the season; I like making tracks that are real conceptual sometimes. I produced the beat and then just freestyled in rounds like how you take turns spitting over the radio in the car during the hotbox. "
PERSONAL BRANDS/ UPCOMING PROJECTS
"Negus is my own creation a combination of lifestyle brand and multimedia company. It represents my internal struggle for identity as a black man in America. Negus is the amharic word for king a or a god a title given to rules of Ethiopia the only African country to not be colonized; however it also phonetically is pronounced much like niggas the racial epithet meant to strip black people of the value in our ancestral heritage. Negus is actually the name of my next project, a self produced EP slated to drop this summer. I've been working on this project for 2-3 years now so I've been teasing about it in visuals and making merch to self-fund production costs. The Champion collaboration I did with Negus for the Store Run/Thank You hoodies was just extra sauce cause the track felt like it fit the season so well I needed something to physically commemorate the experience. "
ADVICE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS, STAGE PRESENCE
" Honestly repetition is the father of all learning. I think practicing your material constantly allowing your music to become just muscle memory is key. I treat the lyrics almost like a mantra, reminding myself of the feeling and emotions that I poured into the music so that i can best portray them in my delivery. I'd also say that working the stage is key; having an understanding of how to have good stage presence can go a long way. Negus was made for live shows so while I do have video treatments formulating for a few of the songs, my first step is to bring the material to a live audience likely through a listening session our live showcase this summer in conjunction with the projects release. "
mynxggae.com
FUTURE OF MUSIC
"The future of music looks bright I see the elements of hip-hop being rearranged not only by the popularity of EDM but also due to the rise of urban contemporary music. I think groups like NxWorries give rebirth to atmospheric hip hop, the latest class of MPC producers (Kaytranada, Sango, Knxwledge) are proof that the legacy of JDilla lives and breathes in a newer generation. The future of the music industry however is on an interesting path. For better or worse the culture IS changing. The release of music has been drastically effected by the success of streaming platforms. Despite the best attempts at combating the diminishing market such as Beyonce Lemonade album releasing with no marketing seemed to only slowed the inevitable; and thus new platforms, and business models must be built. Fashion has always been an important outlet for musicians to display their creativity but the collaboration strategy has given what was mostly a marketing strategy real teeth allowing for strong gains for brands like adidas, supreme and puma putting their product in front of larger audiences and giving them access to a greater range of materials to create from. "
IMAGE PROPERTY OF @MYNXGGAE http://mynxggae.tumblr.com/
photo property of @mynxggae recreated by @rareflavr
Make sure have a listen to some of his tracks on Soundcloud above or here: My NXGGAE Soundcloud. Our favorite Track is the Store Run Freestyle- think the beat has the hip hop feel and the flow is original. Also, the Leave Y'all Track feat the instrumental of Future's "Percocets and Strippers"
Make sure you check out 3AM in the CHI the sample is fantastic "houston atlanta vegas" sample is on point
We are grateful had the opportunity to create this artist snapshot and learn more about the influence of @mynxggae. If you Have a listen to some of the projects he has released on soundcloud feel free to like and share the music. Thankfully we are able to learn more each day about artists, the creative process and enjoying the talent and creative influence. Feel free to share this post and check out the instagram links below. -RAREFLAVR
PHOTO PROPERTY OF @MYNXGGE ON INSTAGRAM.COM
image property of @mynxggae on Twitter
RAREFLAVR
"DETACH FROM THE MASSES"
photo property of @mynxggae recreated by @rareflavr
If you stumble upon a great artist or unique artist with creative abilities do not hesistate to direct them to our website and submit here or tag @rareflavr on social media.