Add - 2 Interview

ADD- 2

Add-2 is an aspiring artist fresh from Chicago’s Southside, although still new to the game he has his mind focussed on the bigger picture and what he wants to achieve as an artist.
Not one to be boxed into a corner or labelled as an artist within a certain genre the MC keeps everything he does fresh new and individual to deliver quality music for the masses.

Add-2 really is an artist above them all and with individuality others can only dream of, not only being a rapper is what has shaped him into who he is today but also the fact that Add-2 is a playwright and one time motivational speaker. With that said it makes you want to go and hear his music and see what all the commotion is about surrounding this artist, I can tell you now you will not be disappointed.

There are many rappers out there that claim to be unique with their style and flow and a lot who demand the attention for this yet Add-2 takes it all in his stride, he knows how to be seen and heard and that is through sheer hard work and determination not claiming to be someone you are not.

We recently caught up with the Chicago native to find out more about the life of Add-2 and what we can expect from him over the months of 2008.

Tell our readers a bit about yourself?

What up, I’m Add-2 from the Southside of Chicago. I’m still kind of new on the scene but I been making a lot of moves with more stuff on the way as well.

Your musical style is very much your own, how would you best describe it?

My style is a blend of a lot of things. I try not to stay boxed in a particular style but I can definitely say its hip hop mixed with some elements of jazz. My flow is kind of hard to describe because it changes with the beat, it can be very rapid at times, but usually it’s lyrical.

You are also a motivational speaker right?

Not as much as I use to be. I’ve really slowed down since I started focusing more on rap because it was getting hard multi-tasking all these different hobbies of mine. I still enjoy public speaking I feel it gives people a chance to inspire others in a more direct way as opposed to putting a message in song, which they may or may not grasp. I would think about how Malcolm X, Huey Newton and Dr. King inspired people to strive for better not only in their own personal lives but also in their communities. I wanted to do the same cause it felt like I was watching my generation become lost within itself and I was seeing the same thing over and over. Senseless violence, drug dependence, teen pregnancy and the revolving door that we call jail. Our generation doesn’t have anyone to guide them or at least help motivate them to better themselves which is really important especially in the times we are living in now.

You had a serious accident as a child. Do you think experiences like that mould you into a stronger more focussed person?

Yea it makes you more appreciative towards life. As far as we know, you only live once so you have to live it to the fullest and not waste it. The surgery left a decent size scar on the left side of my head and when I was younger it made me self-conscious. So whenever I would go out with my friends or my parents I would get stared at and people of all ages would ask me ‘what’s wrong with your head?’ or ‘damn shorty, the barber really messed you up’ so it made me tougher cause when you’re young it hurts to be different and you just want acceptance but at the same time through that same pain with time comes strength and growth.

Did you always have a passion for music?

I have always loved music; everything I did was to music in some form or another. I listened to a little bit of everything from hip hop to old school, video game music to movie scores. To be honest though, I didn’t want to pursue music at all it never crossed my mind until I was in junior high and my best friend Jeremy would tell me to rap and I started getting real good at it then I started writing everyday which I kept up since my freshmen year in high school.

You take a lot of influence from the likes of Nas and Jay-Z but your music is so your own there must be influential artists out there in other music genres that you take note from?

Yea I’m inspired a lot by Stevie Wonder, I always wanted to be the hip hop version of him. His song writing ability has always amazed me and the simple fact that he can paint vivid pictures as well as create feelings and emotions in song was something I wanted to create with my music. I also like Terence Blanchard who uses to do a lot of the scores in Spike Lee movies. A lot of my songs have horns and elements of Jazz and God willing in the future I plan on adding more elements to my sound to create something real unique.

Tell us about being a playwright?

It’s a side hobby of mine that I’ve always kind of kept to myself. Not a lot of my fans know I write plays, short stories, scripts and storylines for sitcoms and things of that nature. I’ve been offered to put one on but as it was coming together it ran into some issues so it never came to be as we wanted it. I just always loved to write no matter what it was. Even though people have a tendency to look over theatre it’s still alive and is amazing to see.

Do you think there is a lot of diversity with regards to people’s style in Hip Hop today?

Naw not at all, to be real everybody sound like Wayne and a couple years ago everybody sounded like Jay. Now it’s like the subject matter and flow is so predictable. Maybe because I was coming up during the 94-2000 era of hip hop and I seen so many different styles at one time like Pharcyde, Biggie, Pac, Bone Thugs, Big Pun, Big L, Nas and De La Soul and Mos Def is maybe why I feel the way I feel. But back then the worst thing you could do is bite someone style now everyone does it and everyone’s cool with it, but that shit still wack to me.

What are your views on the Hip Hop world in general?

It’s grown for the good and for the bad cause in the process of growing we’ve lost some of the values we used to celebrate. Like we just said about diversity in style. It’s become more focused on money as opposed to making good music. It is beautiful that we are finally in a position where we can sell millions of records and receive the proper promotion but I would really like to see hip hop get that essence back that it had.

What projects are you currently working on?

Right now I’m in the process of finishing up the new mixtape ‘Tale Of Two’s City Vol. 2’ which is more less an album because it has only 3 industry instrumentals on it and everything else is original. We are definitely putting a lot of work into it and hopefully it gets a good response. I like to take my time with anything I do and make sure its done right. After that I may finish up the independent album "The Rise & Fall" and just continue to work on any other project that comes my way.

You have named your music, music for "everyday people." What do you mean by this?

Not everybody is pushing ki’s or got a lot of money. I choose to write about stuff I feel is more relatable by everybody as well as touch on certain things other people maybe overlooking. So I may rap about issues of a teen pregnancy then I may talk about partying or feelings of depression or acceptance because I want to make songs for every emotion and thought that mostly everybody has. I come from a place in Chicago where I felt like I seen the bad and I seen the good so it gives me a wide range to talk about.

You are also a poet right? Tell us about that venture?

Yea I started out doing poetry because I didn’t have any outlets for rap in high school. Every hip hop open mic was 21 and older so I would go to the open mic poetry spots and would try to adjust my raps to sound like poems. Some of them didn’t sound too good so I started writing poems specifically made for these open mics and it also helped me with my lyrics because at open mics the crowd is genuinely listening to what you are saying and not just the beat. I started getting better and better and that’s what actually led me to getting into public speaking. I was invited to do poetry at a lot of different spots in Chicago and I met a lot Def Poets. Chicago has a really really dope poetry scene.

What advice would you offer to someone out there trying to follow in the footsteps of someone like yourself?

Do what makes you happy, take what makes you unique and highlight it. Don’t follow the next man cause when what he’s doing aint cool no more you gotta find someone else to imitate and then when you want to be yourself it may be too late. Carve your own place. Make the music you want and let the money and shine come when God says its time, don’t force it. Don’t get caught up in what the industry wants or thinks because the real will respect you. Those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.

Let the people know where they can find you online?

Always hit me up at www.myspace.com/add2. The new website is on its way soon. I’m pretty good at getting the emails/messages back.

Any final comments?

Check out the new blogs I’ll have with Yo! Raps. Shouts out to my crew the Rascals, Slot-A, Bullet, Vanysh, Jermel, Lottery, Gerald Walker, my homie Reg, Chuck, Pj, my brothers, Dan Solomito, DJ INC, Precise Minds, Kyle and Kris and everybody who keep telling me to keep pushing and of course any other emcee in Chi-City.

INTERVIEW ORIGINALLY SHOWN AT:

http://www.yoraps.com/