Aloe Blacc’s voice fills a void that soul music has desperately searched for since the days of Bill Withers, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke. In 2013, he proved that he was indeed “The Man” when his single “Wake Me Up” featuring Aviici topped the charts in over 103 countries and ultimately became one of the U.K.’s top selling singles of 2013. Blacc’s music ignites the hope of the socially conscious and infuses strong “soul-folk” undertones that invoke strong emotion and awareness.
When he took the stage at the GRAMMY U Amplifier event, it was his fourth performance of the day and the 15th performance during the South by Southwest Music festival. He treated the crowd to a few songs off of his brand new album entitled “Lift Your Spirit” and as he finished an acoustic version of his hit single “The Man” which was featured heavily during Beats Music commercials, ESPN, and on the 2014 Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards, he smiled to the crowd and stated that “It’s such a good feeling to know that I get to wake up in the morning and sing songs for you all.”
The authenticity of his voice and presence captivated the intimate crowd and provided an experience that many will probably never forget.
With GrungeCake being one of the few magazines granted exclusive access to directly interview Aloe Blacc, we were honored and humbled by the opportunity. At the end of his set, he entered the back room and greeted everyone with a smile.
Who inspires you musically?
From a music standpoint, I would have to say Lionel Richie, Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, and DJ Rogers. From a creativity standpoint, it would be Jean McDaniels, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson and The Beatles.
How does it feel to be back at South By Southwest?
The first time I came [in 2006], I was only featured in one or two showcases and this year, I am in 16. It helps because it’s my album release week, but it is definitely a lot.
You’re set to tour with Bruno Mars this summer, what are you most excited about?
I get the chance to share my music to the masses and really get into the new songs. All of the songs are finished in the studio, but they’re never really done until you take it to the stage. I am excited to be here! The goal is definitely the music. I love the process of making music and that’s really where the reward is.
What was the best advice you were ever given as an artist:
Best advice I’ve ever received was from Quincy Jones was to study the ten artists that you really love and study everything that they did and make an album out of it.
A lot of GrungeCake’s readers are aspiring musicians, what advice would you give to them?
Ethereal and distant, but somehow wistfully familiar, MONOGEM is a mystery ready to be revealed. With glittering melodies and bursts of electronica, all blissfully combined with just a potent hint of throwback disco, MONOGEM returns with their new single, “Wait and See”: a psychedelic electro journey, as infectious as it is affectionate.
Fronted by singer-songwriter Jen Hirsh, MONOGEM is a collaboration with producer-songwriter, Scott Smith, and accompanied live with a full band. The group takes us on an intoxicatingly refined journey through delicate vocals, dizzying harmonies and dance ready synths.
MONOGEM’s first single, The Glow, debuted on Paper Magazine, who aptly noted that the project, “makes disco and funk-tinged synth pop that will make you want to groove, gurl.” And rightly so – the video for the track is a perfect montage of 1984 cult movie, Breakin’, an obvious nod to MONOGEM’s vintage roots.
[quote]It’s about letting go and transporting yourself into another realm,” Hirsh muses of the forthcoming release. “Everybody can relate, or at least I hope so, to that feeling you get on the dancefloor.” From the tripped out beats of, Wait And See, to the emphatic and uplifting, All We Have which dropped on Elle.com, MONOGEM arrives with incredible force, from another world where pop music still has sentiment and soul. And just a bit of funk.[/quote]
This season while catching up on the Fall 2014 collections, I found myself inordinately bored with all the neutral colors, luxury tweeds, and wool fabrics of the suited and booted designs alike. Usually, I’m excited to write a synopsis of what’s going on in the fashion world but this season there were some very relevant highs but a vast amount of lows. Keeping in mind, it could be the effects of this over-extended winter season setting a mood, and making the task of looking at more cold weather pieces monotonous at best… Still, I found myself waiting for something to warm me up and jump out at me. Needless to say it did. Steaming hot, and bold, Anthony Vaccarello’s Fall 2014 collection immediately raised the bar and wiped out my dreary winter woes. Vaccarello credits famed American Fashion and Beauty Illustrator Tony Viramontes as his core inspiration. Most popular in Europe and during the 1970’s, Viramontes’ graphic illustrations were renderings of garments artistic expression, which happens to be the ingredient Vaccarello captured with his collection. The ingredient that successfully thawed the frigid emptiness of the season and left a lasting impression.
Undeniably Hot Hardware
If you’ve been watching the trends you are probably tired of animal print and camoflouge (as I am), but somehow it lives on in many high end and main stream collections. While I’ve been waiting for the animal craze to breathe it’s last breath, Anthony Vaccarello gave it life again – with undeniably, innovative and sculptured metal leopard grommets. He took the soon to be relic trend, recreated it, and brought it to us in a bold new way in the form of applique hardware. Aside from the hardware, Vaccarello’s silhouettes spoke of the retro inspired illustrations of Viramontes’ art without getting predictable. In fact the influences of sculpture and expression melded well with Vaccarello’s unique vision of sexiness.
Balance and Beauty
The collection had an array of silhouettes, ranging from cool pleated looks finished with grand shearling coats, to sexy barely there mini dresses that raised the temperature an octave. While turtleneck dickies warmed the ladies to a T, and finished off all the combinations successfully. Vaccarello’s subtle leopard burnout inserts made us wild (in a good way) and brought a well rounded cohesiveness to the collection. Vaccarello finished his lengthy pieces with signature high slits, this time giving you the option to bare if you dare with off-center button closures leisurely drawing your eyes up the length of the leg to the waistline. You get the idea, subtle and hot, balancing retro androgyny with modernistic beauty and sex appeal.
The Color of Expression
While the colors red and black appears on many runways, it really never gets old. These colors always signify and emanate a bold, daring, passionate and fiery emotion. Always. We expect to see more of it in luxury and mainstream brands. Don’t think so? Try to imagine this collection in any other palette and the impression it leaves would not be as memorable. Surely Vaccarello knew this at the onset, just as we knew his collection was a hit as soon as we laid eyes on it!
Name: Lexx Black Representing: Boston, Massachusetts Genre: R&B / Soul For fans of: Frank Ocean Single from: “dream/ART” Produced by: Brandon* Song of the Day: March 27, 2014 Label(s): Unsigned
“Blue Fragments” cleverly infuses an infectious beat with a soulful hook that has a strong early 2000’s feel. I fell in love with this track from the first I don’t want to be alone, and was immediately intrigued by the raw talent that resided within Lexx Black’s voice. Simplistic yet passionate, the lyrics paint a beautiful picture that reflects raw emotion. We need more music like this!
Name: Lexx Black Representing: Boston, Massachusetts Genre: R&B / Soul For fans of: Frank Ocean Single from: “dream/ART” Produced by: Brandon* Song of the Day: March 27, 2014 Label(s): Unsigned
“Blue Fragments” cleverly infuses an infectious beat with a soulful hook that has a strong early 2000’s feel. I fell in love with this track from the first I don’t want to be alone, and was immediately intrigued by the raw talent that resided within Lexx Black’s voice. Simplistic yet passionate, the lyrics paint a beautiful picture that reflects raw emotion. We need more music like this!
If you’re not careful, you’ll get lost in her mesmerizing eyes and curves
Elayna Lopez, a professional dancer probably best known as Azealia Banks’ dancer who travels with her on tour and performs in her music videos, stuns in a new video produced by Minister Akins. “E$” showcases the illustrative D.C. native’s elegant and delegate rhythmic movements (which switch tempo as the drums enter) to a Disclosure remix of Q-Tip’s “Work It Out”.
Lopez expresses the inspiration behind the video:
It is a slighty more glammed up version of that scene from Flashdance where she’s practicing and working out to “She’s A Maniac” by Michael Sembello in her warehouse, which is also her home. She had a pet pitbull in the movie, but I have a prissy black & white cat in mine, Lopez laughs.
Major congratulations to the visual team. You did a great job! Watch “E$”, the video with her namesake:
Young Singer and songwriter Jessica Domingo just announced the release of her new album entitled Just Vibe and it’s available on iTunes, Amazon, Best Buy and many other retailers. Since it’s March 15 release, it has been promised to hit 2,000 other outlets. The new effort comes at the heels of the emerging pop artist’s widely viewed performances on YouTube – including a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You”, which has garnered more than 2 million views.
Produced by Dylan Fant of Seattle’s One Shot Studio, Just Vibe features all original songs that Jessica wrote – sharing stories of the world from her perspective. Many of the lyrics came from journals she kept growing up over the years. Just Vibe’s 11 tracks have a natural, largely acoustic warmth and intimacy accompanied by Jessica on guitar and ukulele. A follow up to her EP, Take A Chance, the new album showcases her beautiful vocals and maturity as a songwriter.
Her live performances are no different than the vocals that you will hear on her album; She connects with her fans through the emotions felt in her songs and also conveys that same energy on stage. She’s spent the past few years touring up and down the west coast playing a variety of venues and making several television and radio appearances along the way. She’s invited again for the 2nd consecutive year to perform Bite of Seattle, one of the biggest festivals in the area averaging a crowd of 450,000 every year. Jessica’s also performed at many benefits concerts for organizations supporting the Typhoon victims in the Philippines and similar.
[quote]The best thing about making music is creating your own unique take on it. I grew up listening to different kinds of music. From exploring my mom’s old collection of albums, to listening to my dad’s favorite radio stations, to being inspired by a variety of genres, to discovering my own tastes in music. All this has helped me develop as an artist and performer.[/quote]
That commitment, and her prodigious talent, have attracted fans from around the world, yielded two CD releases (2010’s Take A Chance EP and the new full-length, all-original Just Vibe album) and a series of widely seen YouTube performances—including a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You” that has garnered more than 2 million views. All this from a 17-year-old Seattle high-school senior.
“Interview Request: Boyfriend” — reading those words let me know that I have garnered the trust and professional respect from my Editor.
This is my first major assignment for GrungeCake Magazine. Feeling that this will be a defining moment, I immersed myself in all things Boyfriend. I let that Soundcloud rock ’til that shit proverbially popped by being interrupted by a phone call or six. There is nothing worse than reading a generic interview.
An hour before, I’m notified that it’s a “go” and that I will receive a call from her at 9PM, I knew my questions ranged from super personal to fake-political so I wanted to make her as comfortable as possible. With the looming threat of a potential equipment fail, it was Boyfriend that quelled my spirits with understanding. As the questions delved into her personal life, she crafted very thoughtful responses. She took time to process the question and actually ponder before answering. Our conversation on polyamory, open relationships, DTF could have gone on for hours. We were like new cosmic friends trading insights. Unfortunately, our interview had to come to an end but I look forward to experiencing her artistry grow and evolve. Shout out to Boyfriend for busting my cherry wide open. Now read our intimate interview below:
I want to talk about narrative, in interviews you speak of Boyfriend as an act, more commentary than anything else, I would think people would resonate w you more if they knew that this was coming from you personally or do you have a fear of being judged given the content?
The main factor is most of the raps out there right now that I listen to are people really speaking from a 100% transparency whereas I’m rapping about freaky period blood, having sex with old grandmas so it’s necessary to take a step back when talking about it so that I’m not a parody, because that’s not what’s going on. If someone is talking to me as an artist who is creating these songs, I feel like they can walk away with something more valuable than thinking of Boyfriend, simply as a punch line.
Your breath control is crazy, what artists did you model your flow off of? What exercises did you use to get there?
I have a strong history in show choir before Glee was a show, I was off winning championships with my high school choir in Nashville, so we had to sing and dance our asses off. I learned breath control through choir. As far as modelling my flow, I don’t think I’ve done that yet. There have been a couple songs where I say I’m going to try and take a more Azealia Banks approach on this one. She rhymes super staccato. One syllable words packed into one phrase, so I would do it almost as an exercise but my overall song that I write, I’m not consciously modelling it after someone else.
https://youtu.be/sVsA0zRYaVg
How have you been positioning yourself? As a sex-positive person, what crowd do you drift to? What about medium? Who’s audience would you love to tap into?
I would love to find more people like me, actually. I listen to Mykki Blanco and Le1f basically like the whole genre of theatrical art that’s going on right now. Zebra Katz is another great example. People who make music videos that are works of art. I would love for those people to get turned on to me.
What rappers and producers would like to collaborate with?
That’s really interesting because I feel like the sex-positive platform(s) found me. I put out “Hunch n Munch” which was very super sexual. The people found me and contacted me like Playboy Radio, Museum of Sex, and “Sex with Emily” which was a blog and now, it’s a whole show. I didn’t seek that out. I was just making songs. People were like “Sex-Positive Rapper, Boyfriend”, and I’m like, I guess I am sex-positive. For me, it was just like this is the song I feel like writing. This is what I feel like I have to say then, the audience found me.
How do you keep yourself abreast of what’s going on in the world? What are your top 3 sites that you visit in order to do so?
There are so many. It would be such an honor to work with anybody from Three 6 Mafia. I actually sent a Facebook message to Gangsta Boo, but she never responded. Growing up in Tennessee that would be a huge honor. I also really do think what Mykki Blanco is doing right now is the new “new” and that would be super exciting.
Lurking on the internet. Live for the Funk is one of my favorite blogs. They stay playing those jacuzzi jams with a really nice balance of rap. I also think Dose Rate is super under the radar but they’re like ground floor hip. They have actually found me now. Motherfunker is a really good blog.
There is definitely intentionality behind it. I wanted to write the song “Hunch n Munch” because I wanted to write a brashly sexual song that is on the one hand saying, “Isn’t great that that I get to say these things about sex?” On the other hand, it is saying as a female who is rapping, “I’m rapping about sex because I’m very much aware of how that’s like an artistic prison almost that gets placed on women in any industry, not just rap.” You have to use your sexuality as a thing so it’s both celebration and a comment, so there is definite intentionality. My intentions only go so far to dictate the creative process. I’m not thinking about the audience first.
Dare I say the F word “Feminist” or nah?
Sure, there are connotations of feminism that I have issues with. [It is] one of those words that have just become so watered down and diluted that it just depends on who is standing in front of me at the time. I’ve had arguments with people who call themselves feminists, who find strip clubs to be degrading to women.
Initially, I was asking about more political sites that helps keep you informed?
I, like most hip girls my age, like Jezebel and [I think] The Hairpin is great. I’m like a headline person. Honestly, at the end of the day, I go check out The Onion to feel better about the rest of the world.
What and who are your satirical influences?
Sandra Bernhard, Bette Midler, and Carol Burnette. Women that I really watch and love. I recently got turned on to Tony Clifton. It’s all about placing this showmanship of the golden age of musicals and theatre and placing it into this boner atmosphere. It’s like the Dean Martin Variety Show with a giant, raging boner.
Are you still in an open relationship?
Those are the only relationships I’m interested in. I’m not in a place to be monogamous because I’m not done hanging out and I don’t know if I’ll ever be. For me, it’s like human beings are so fascinating, beautiful and complicated, that there will always be new adventures and discoveries I want to make. I think that some people are able to go on those adventures with other people without undermining or devaluing the other relationships that they have. I try to look at people, all the people in my life, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and I’m not complete with all the little pieces. I think it’s foolish to try and make one person be every single piece because that’s a lot to put on one person. They’re trying to be everything for themselves. You know, they gotta wake up in the morning and they gotta wash their dishes, they gotta pay their taxes… Can I be your everything also? It just seems like a lot to ask.
Are you a relationship anarchist or do you have a main person?
At the moment no, I travel a lot so I can see myself being a fifty-seven-year-old woman with a global access of lovers. It’s not ludicrous. It’s like true deep relationships that last years and years but you might only see that person three times a year. It’s definitely a Bohemian ideal. We’ll see if I can pull it off.
In terms of your open relationship, how honest were you with your partner?
It’s a case by case basis. Relationships, romantic and otherwise, are founded on communication. I think there is a difference between honesty and disclosure for the sake of relieving yourself of guilt. Sometimes, you might be telling something so that you feel better about what you have done. When really, if you did something you shouldn’t have done, maybe it’s your burden to bear and you should carry it. It’s really a case by case basis.
DTF… How do you know it should go down? Can you walk us through that moment?
It’s all about the vibes. I try to keep my vibe-meter finely tuned. It’s hard to put the vibes into words. I know personally, if something is too easy, it’s not as fun. I’m all about the slow burn, building the anticipation. It’s an exchange of energy. I know when to play a certain song because the audience is asking for it. They might not have ever heard the song before, but the vibes are like, now is the time for this song. It’s all about perception and doing things people want and being able to give it to them.
How old were you when you had your first orgasm?
Oh girl, I don’t even remember. I was one of those kids who were accidentally getting off in the jacuzzi, not knowing what it was. I think there are a lot of kids that do that. Never linking it to sex.
Sexually, do the ends justify the means? If you don’t have an orgasm will it feel incomplete or are you more interested in the journey or the arrival?
It’s certainly the journey and I keep that in mind in all aspects of my life. I make these YouTube videos because I enjoy making them, not because I want my number to get to a million views. It’s like if you’re in it for that, you’re in it for the wrong reason.
How do you fund your projects?
I work my ass off. I’m a hustler. I have a full time-job, in addition to being Boyfriend. I use that to fund my work. I’m very resourceful.
As a White woman in Hip-Hop, what do you say to those who would label your performance art as privileged escapism?
I try to be very respectful of that. I am in no way as frustrated as being a member of a systematically-oppressed race. I don’t have much room to complain, “Oh it’s so hard being a White rapper” so I am very sensitive to people who have issue with it or have something to say about it. At the same time, I challenge those people to review everything as content, that they’re actually talking about the actual work that someone is putting out instead of the looks of the person that is putting it out.
What was your defining moment that made you realize I can do this professionally?
It was a beautiful moment. I can point to it. A lot of different things in life, you can’t point to that clearly. I took a last minute, crazy romantic let’s-just-get-in-the-car-and-drive road trip to Berkley, California when I was living in L.A. I crashed at a friend’s place and he was kind of playing around and making beats. He ended up making the beat for “Bitches Be Hating” and I kind of freestyled and came up with that flow. It was this beautiful, funny afternoon that the song was created. I just knew [and felt], “Wait, this song is actually pretty good.” I’m not saying that I’m going to change the world, but it’s good enough that I wasn’t embarrassed and that I wouldn’t mind if someone else heard it. That was the start.
If you can go back in time two years ago, what advice would you have given to yourself?
Not to be afraid and advocate for yourself as an artist. I was way too embarrassed to say, “Hey, look at me” for a long time. I think that’s part of why I have been unknown for so long. I was just kind of minding my own business releasing these videos and I finally have a place of confidence where I can say, “Hey, pay attention to me.” It took me a long time to be okay with that. It seems like something selfish. In today’s world, where someone is trying to show me a picture of what they had for lunch, I think it’s fair for me to show them this video I made.
What aspects of femininity have you yet to explore that you would like to make into a song?
There are definite double standards that need to be addressed and I am more than willing to address them, but I want to make sure that I am speaking from a place of maturity. I don’t want to venture out until I’m damn sure [about] how I feel. When I wrote Period Rap, I was ready to put that into people’s faces because I was tired of having to sneakingly carry a tampon to the bathroom meanwhile my co-worker is scratching his balls. How is that fair? Again, it goes back to the danger of the F word Feminism because while people might be offended by people opening a door for them, isn’t it also nice that someone wants to open the door for you? Some of that stuff is sticky. I have to stew on it a little longer.
What artists influenced you?
Definitely strong women voices are the main influence. It’s less the sonic quality and more their overall approach to the industry like what Björk did for the music video or how Beyoncé is involved in every aspect of production or how Erykah Badu is just completely unapologetic of who she is. Those are the type of things I try to take inspiration from because sonically I know I don’t sound like any of these people and I wouldn’t try to because they are their own classics. I wouldn’t try to recreate that and hopefully while aligning myself with artistic processes, I can create my own unique product.
And last but not least, when you hear GrungeCake what comes to mind?
I actually think of bite-sized attitude. Like a plate of really hip cupcakes.
“Interview Request: Boyfriend” — reading those words let me know that I have garnered the trust and professional respect from my Editor.
This is my first major assignment for GrungeCake Magazine. Feeling that this will be a defining moment, I immersed myself in all things Boyfriend. I let that Soundcloud rock ’til that shit proverbially popped by being interrupted by a phone call or six. There is nothing worse than reading a generic interview.
An hour before, I’m notified that it’s a “go” and that I will receive a call from her at 9PM, I knew my questions ranged from super personal to fake-political so I wanted to make her as comfortable as possible. With the looming threat of a potential equipment fail, it was Boyfriend that quelled my spirits with understanding. As the questions delved into her personal life, she crafted very thoughtful responses. She took time to process the question and actually ponder before answering. Our conversation on polyamory, open relationships, DTF could have gone on for hours. We were like new cosmic friends trading insights. Unfortunately, our interview had to come to an end but I look forward to experiencing her artistry grow and evolve. Shout out to Boyfriend for busting my cherry wide open. Now read our intimate interview below:
I want to talk about narrative, in interviews you speak of Boyfriend as an act, more commentary than anything else, I would think people would resonate w you more if they knew that this was coming from you personally or do you have a fear of being judged given the content?
The main factor is most of the raps out there right now that I listen to are people really speaking from a 100% transparency whereas I’m rapping about freaky period blood, having sex with old grandmas so it’s necessary to take a step back when talking about it so that I’m not a parody, because that’s not what’s going on. If someone is talking to me as an artist who is creating these songs, I feel like they can walk away with something more valuable than thinking of Boyfriend, simply as a punch line.
Your breath control is crazy, what artists did you model your flow off of? What exercises did you use to get there?
I have a strong history in show choir before Glee was a show, I was off winning championships with my high school choir in Nashville, so we had to sing and dance our asses off. I learned breath control through choir. As far as modelling my flow, I don’t think I’ve done that yet. There have been a couple songs where I say I’m going to try and take a more Azealia Banks approach on this one. She rhymes super staccato. One syllable words packed into one phrase, so I would do it almost as an exercise but my overall song that I write, I’m not consciously modelling it after someone else.
https://youtu.be/sVsA0zRYaVg
How have you been positioning yourself? As a sex-positive person, what crowd do you drift to? What about medium? Who’s audience would you love to tap into?
I would love to find more people like me, actually. I listen to Mykki Blanco and Le1f basically like the whole genre of theatrical art that’s going on right now. Zebra Katz is another great example. People who make music videos that are works of art. I would love for those people to get turned on to me.
What rappers and producers would like to collaborate with?
That’s really interesting because I feel like the sex-positive platform(s) found me. I put out “Hunch n Munch” which was very super sexual. The people found me and contacted me like Playboy Radio, Museum of Sex, and “Sex with Emily” which was a blog and now, it’s a whole show. I didn’t seek that out. I was just making songs. People were like “Sex-Positive Rapper, Boyfriend”, and I’m like, I guess I am sex-positive. For me, it was just like this is the song I feel like writing. This is what I feel like I have to say then, the audience found me.
How do you keep yourself abreast of what’s going on in the world? What are your top 3 sites that you visit in order to do so?
There are so many. It would be such an honor to work with anybody from Three 6 Mafia. I actually sent a Facebook message to Gangsta Boo, but she never responded. Growing up in Tennessee that would be a huge honor. I also really do think what Mykki Blanco is doing right now is the new “new” and that would be super exciting.
Lurking on the internet. Live for the Funk is one of my favorite blogs. They stay playing those jacuzzi jams with a really nice balance of rap. I also think Dose Rate is super under the radar but they’re like ground floor hip. They have actually found me now. Motherfunker is a really good blog.
There is definitely intentionality behind it. I wanted to write the song “Hunch n Munch” because I wanted to write a brashly sexual song that is on the one hand saying, “Isn’t great that that I get to say these things about sex?” On the other hand, it is saying as a female who is rapping, “I’m rapping about sex because I’m very much aware of how that’s like an artistic prison almost that gets placed on women in any industry, not just rap.” You have to use your sexuality as a thing so it’s both celebration and a comment, so there is definite intentionality. My intentions only go so far to dictate the creative process. I’m not thinking about the audience first.
Dare I say the F word “Feminist” or nah?
Sure, there are connotations of feminism that I have issues with. [It is] one of those words that have just become so watered down and diluted that it just depends on who is standing in front of me at the time. I’ve had arguments with people who call themselves feminists, who find strip clubs to be degrading to women.
Initially, I was asking about more political sites that helps keep you informed?
I, like most hip girls my age, like Jezebel and [I think] The Hairpin is great. I’m like a headline person. Honestly, at the end of the day, I go check out The Onion to feel better about the rest of the world.
What and who are your satirical influences?
Sandra Bernhard, Bette Midler, and Carol Burnette. Women that I really watch and love. I recently got turned on to Tony Clifton. It’s all about placing this showmanship of the golden age of musicals and theatre and placing it into this boner atmosphere. It’s like the Dean Martin Variety Show with a giant, raging boner.
Are you still in an open relationship?
Those are the only relationships I’m interested in. I’m not in a place to be monogamous because I’m not done hanging out and I don’t know if I’ll ever be. For me, it’s like human beings are so fascinating, beautiful and complicated, that there will always be new adventures and discoveries I want to make. I think that some people are able to go on those adventures with other people without undermining or devaluing the other relationships that they have. I try to look at people, all the people in my life, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and I’m not complete with all the little pieces. I think it’s foolish to try and make one person be every single piece because that’s a lot to put on one person. They’re trying to be everything for themselves. You know, they gotta wake up in the morning and they gotta wash their dishes, they gotta pay their taxes… Can I be your everything also? It just seems like a lot to ask.
Are you a relationship anarchist or do you have a main person?
At the moment no, I travel a lot so I can see myself being a fifty-seven-year-old woman with a global access of lovers. It’s not ludicrous. It’s like true deep relationships that last years and years but you might only see that person three times a year. It’s definitely a Bohemian ideal. We’ll see if I can pull it off.
In terms of your open relationship, how honest were you with your partner?
It’s a case by case basis. Relationships, romantic and otherwise, are founded on communication. I think there is a difference between honesty and disclosure for the sake of relieving yourself of guilt. Sometimes, you might be telling something so that you feel better about what you have done. When really, if you did something you shouldn’t have done, maybe it’s your burden to bear and you should carry it. It’s really a case by case basis.
DTF… How do you know it should go down? Can you walk us through that moment?
It’s all about the vibes. I try to keep my vibe-meter finely tuned. It’s hard to put the vibes into words. I know personally, if something is too easy, it’s not as fun. I’m all about the slow burn, building the anticipation. It’s an exchange of energy. I know when to play a certain song because the audience is asking for it. They might not have ever heard the song before, but the vibes are like, now is the time for this song. It’s all about perception and doing things people want and being able to give it to them.
How old were you when you had your first orgasm?
Oh girl, I don’t even remember. I was one of those kids who were accidentally getting off in the jacuzzi, not knowing what it was. I think there are a lot of kids that do that. Never linking it to sex.
Sexually, do the ends justify the means? If you don’t have an orgasm will it feel incomplete or are you more interested in the journey or the arrival?
It’s certainly the journey and I keep that in mind in all aspects of my life. I make these YouTube videos because I enjoy making them, not because I want my number to get to a million views. It’s like if you’re in it for that, you’re in it for the wrong reason.
How do you fund your projects?
I work my ass off. I’m a hustler. I have a full time-job, in addition to being Boyfriend. I use that to fund my work. I’m very resourceful.
As a White woman in Hip-Hop, what do you say to those who would label your performance art as privileged escapism?
I try to be very respectful of that. I am in no way as frustrated as being a member of a systematically-oppressed race. I don’t have much room to complain, “Oh it’s so hard being a White rapper” so I am very sensitive to people who have issue with it or have something to say about it. At the same time, I challenge those people to review everything as content, that they’re actually talking about the actual work that someone is putting out instead of the looks of the person that is putting it out.
What was your defining moment that made you realize I can do this professionally?
It was a beautiful moment. I can point to it. A lot of different things in life, you can’t point to that clearly. I took a last minute, crazy romantic let’s-just-get-in-the-car-and-drive road trip to Berkley, California when I was living in L.A. I crashed at a friend’s place and he was kind of playing around and making beats. He ended up making the beat for “Bitches Be Hating” and I kind of freestyled and came up with that flow. It was this beautiful, funny afternoon that the song was created. I just knew [and felt], “Wait, this song is actually pretty good.” I’m not saying that I’m going to change the world, but it’s good enough that I wasn’t embarrassed and that I wouldn’t mind if someone else heard it. That was the start.
If you can go back in time two years ago, what advice would you have given to yourself?
Not to be afraid and advocate for yourself as an artist. I was way too embarrassed to say, “Hey, look at me” for a long time. I think that’s part of why I have been unknown for so long. I was just kind of minding my own business releasing these videos and I finally have a place of confidence where I can say, “Hey, pay attention to me.” It took me a long time to be okay with that. It seems like something selfish. In today’s world, where someone is trying to show me a picture of what they had for lunch, I think it’s fair for me to show them this video I made.
What aspects of femininity have you yet to explore that you would like to make into a song?
There are definite double standards that need to be addressed and I am more than willing to address them, but I want to make sure that I am speaking from a place of maturity. I don’t want to venture out until I’m damn sure [about] how I feel. When I wrote Period Rap, I was ready to put that into people’s faces because I was tired of having to sneakingly carry a tampon to the bathroom meanwhile my co-worker is scratching his balls. How is that fair? Again, it goes back to the danger of the F word Feminism because while people might be offended by people opening a door for them, isn’t it also nice that someone wants to open the door for you? Some of that stuff is sticky. I have to stew on it a little longer.
What artists influenced you?
Definitely strong women voices are the main influence. It’s less the sonic quality and more their overall approach to the industry like what Björk did for the music video or how Beyoncé is involved in every aspect of production or how Erykah Badu is just completely unapologetic of who she is. Those are the type of things I try to take inspiration from because sonically I know I don’t sound like any of these people and I wouldn’t try to because they are their own classics. I wouldn’t try to recreate that and hopefully while aligning myself with artistic processes, I can create my own unique product.
And last but not least, when you hear GrungeCake what comes to mind?
I actually think of bite-sized attitude. Like a plate of really hip cupcakes.
After recently sharing Harry Fraud’s take on their breakout track “Tongues” as well as new EP track “In Clover,” Joywave are back today to stream their new EP in its entirety, following its release yesterday via the band’s own Cultco Music and Hollywood Records. Rather than sharing a simple stream, the band is sourcing from Tumblr to create a unique, interactive streaming experience that draws from listener engagement. For the stream, the band has picked a thematic visual tied to each song on the EP that you can watch while that song plays. Listeners can become part of the experience by tagging GIFs they feel correspond to songs from the EP. Check out the How Do You Feel? EP in its entirety now, along with more details outlining how to get involved in the experience and all of the band’s upcoming SXSW shows.
Tour Dates
3/12 Austin, TX – The Brew Exchange (The Green Room) – 4PM
3/14 Austin, TX – Palm Door On Sixth (Universal Music) – 12:45PM
3/14 Austin, TX – The Fader Fort – 4:30PM
3/14 Austin, TX – Maggie Mae’s Roof (All Things Go/Indie Shuffle) – 1AM
4/04 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s Ω
4/05 Vancouver, BC – Celebrities Ω
4/06 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore Ω
4/08 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom Ω
4/09 Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory Ω
4/15 Los Angeles, CA – The El Rey Ω
Ω = w/ RAC
Joywave How Do You Feel? EP
(Cultco Music/Hollywood Records)
3/11/14
1. Tongues feat. KOPPS
2. In Clover
3. Somebody New
4. Now
