Interviews – Marcel Friday

Originally posted on Billboard 12/10/2018

Hip-hop may have originated in the Bronx but not even Kool Herc could have imagined the reach and impact that his art-form would soon achieve. Rap officially kicked down the door in 2015 when Spotify reported that hip-hop was the most listened to genre in the world. In 2017, Nielsen’s Music year-end reportshowed that R&B/hip-hop had taken the crown from Rock to be the most purchased music in the United States.

That kind of global reach has empowered new creators from all over the world. For Zimbabwean producer Dakari, hip-hop has provided a way of life for him that he couldn’t have dreamed of. After moving to Dallas, DG would have his coming of age moment in high school that would eventually lead to a world class internship and writing and producing for G-Eazy.

INTERVIEW: Nipsey Hussle Teams Up With Recording Academy For ‘#NoCover’ Documentary

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on Billboard 10/5/2018

It’s been a groundbreaking year for Los Angeles MC Nipsey Hussle. This past February, his major label debut album Victory Lap peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and his acclaimed LP is garnering Grammy buzz. On Thursday (Oct. 4), he teamed up with the Recording Academy for #NOCOVER — a new documentary series that takes a look at what goes into putting together a concert experience. Swanky West Hollywood digs played home to the screening as

Reporters and industry professionals gathered in West Hollywood for an early look along with a chance to speak with Hussle about the process.

INTERVIEW: Warren G on His YouTube Original Documentary ‘G-Funk’ & His Influence on Rap: ‘I’m the G-Funk Era’

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on Billboard 7/31/2018

When you think of the pioneers of West Coast rap, there are a handful of names that come to mind: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, 2Pac, Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too $hort. Arguably the most deserving name, however, is consistently glossed over. Warren G, as both an artist and producer, is one of the most important names to the culture, and you might not even know why.

The pioneer of the G-funk era not only ushered in a new musical subgenre, but was personally responsible for introducing Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Daz Dillinger to Dr. Dre, along with being instrumental in helping to shape the sound of Dre’s first solo album, The Chronic.

Billboard was able to sit down with the Regulator to discuss his YouTube Originals documentary G-Funk and his influence on rap.

INTERVIEW: Producer Jimmy Duval on Creating XXXTentaction’s ‘Look at Me!’ & Expanding Outside of Rap

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on Billboard 7/17/2018

It’s not everyday that you wake up to your song hitting one million streams online and without even realizing it. For Jimmy Duval, that hard-to-believe scenario about producing his first hit almost never happened. “Look at Me!,” the track that took Florida rapper XXXTentacion from SoundCloud to RIAA Certified Platinum was a beat that was never meant to land in XXX’s lap.

If left up to his late collaborator, the success of the record was also never meant for Jimmy to enjoy. Initially released on SoundCloud by Rojas, a former associate of Jimmy’s, the song not only left him off the credits, but he didn’t even know it existed until his manager happened to stumble upon the track.

INTERVIEW: Zaytoven Discusses His Faith, Gucci Mane, “Trap Holizay” LP & Joint Album With Lecrae

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on HipHopDX 4/25/2018

Often considered the architect of the trap music sound, Atlanta producer Zaytoven recently teamed up with Red Bull Music for The Note. The documentary series takes a dive into the life of Zay and explores his relationship with trap music, as well as his devotion to his faith.

HipHopDX was able to catch up with Ziggy before a special screening of his documentary in Los Angeles where we talked about the duality of church and secular music and the tremendous amount of music he has coming out this year.

INTERVIEW: “One Week Notice” Crew Talks Ambitious Collaboration Ahead Of Concert Shutdown

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on HipHopDX 1/11/2018

In today’s microwave society, it’s rare to see artists recording together. Tracks are sent through email and Dropbox as rappers and producers go about their lives from different corners of the globe. So when nine artists got together in Austin, Texas to record an album in a week? DX had to find out more.

Dame Ritter of Still Movin’ and Beatstars reached out to nine creators from different walks of life and put them up in a house for one week in December — the outcome was One Week Notice. Dizzy Wright, Audio Push, Emilio Rojas, Jarren Benton, Demrick, Reezy, and producers DJ Hoppa and Kato came together to create a body of work that most collectives would be hard pressed to create in a month. The #DXLive team was able to catch up with most of the crew earlier in January as they prepared for the release and an epic show in Long Beach that fans who went won’t soon forget.

INTERVIEW: Will Smith Says He & DJ Jazzy Jeff Have Been Working For The Past 6 Months

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on HipHopDX 12/17/2017

2017 was another monumental year for Will Smith. Bad Boys 3: Bad Boys For Life and Bad Boys 4 have been announced, he was cast to reprise Robin Williams’ epic role as Genie in the Disney’s upcoming live-action Aladdin reboot, his son Jaden dropped one of the best debut albums that Hip Hop has heard in quite some time with SYRE, and most pressingly, his Netflix exclusive movie Bright is aiming to redefine the way we digest cinema.

HipHopDX was able to catch up with the Fresh Prince at the press conference for his straight-to-Netflix debut to discuss the film, the current political state of our country, his career as a rapper, and his kids.

INTERVIEW: Verse Simmonds Details Songwriting Career, Work With Chris Brown & “Diamonds” EP

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on HipHopDX 11/13/2017

Too often, being a songwriter means one’s own artistry takes a back seat but not in the case of Verse Simmonds. The Puerto Rican wordsmith has penned hits for stars while simultaneously putting out his own music.

Simmonds recently stopped by DXHQ to chat with the #DXLive team about being a songwriter, working with Chris Brown and his recently released project, Diamonds.

INTERVIEW: Bay Area MC Saweetie Talks “Icy Grl” & Social Media Fame

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on HipHopDX 11/13/2017

For as many rappers as the Bay Area has produced, Kamaiyah is one of the few women to break through in the scene’s rich history. Hayward native Saweetie wants to become the next female MC to break the trend and put on for women in NorCal.

“I’m a Bay girl. The Bay raised me,” Saweetie said when asked about her history of living across California. “I love Sacramento too, so I kind of have two hometowns: Hayward and Sacramento. Those two cities shaped me into who I am today. I’m definitely a Cali girl but more like Bay Area.”

INTERVIEW: Lil Flip Talks 5 New Projects & Houston’s Hip Hop Influence

by Marcel

Updated: December 30, 2018

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Originally posted on HipHopDX 10/29/2017

The 2000s saw an explosion in Texas Hip Hop. The influence of the Lone Star State could be heard on every radio and seen on every TV across the country. One of the artists at the forefront of that movement is Houston’s freestyle king, Lil Flip.

With over 23 million records sold, the Cloverland G helped to firmly plant H-Town’s flag in Hip Hop. Lil Flip recently stopped by the DXHQ to chat with the #DXLive team about Houston’s culture being taken, his mentor DJ Screw, how he’s making a difference in his hometown and five new pieces of music he’s releasing over the next five months.

Marcel Friday

Social Media Manager Creative & Social Strategist Journalist

Category: <span>Interviews</span>

INTERVIEW: Producer Dakari on His African Roots & How He Became G-Eazy’s Top Engineer

INTERVIEW: Nipsey Hussle Teams Up With Recording Academy For ‘#NoCover’ Documentary

INTERVIEW: Warren G on His YouTube Original Documentary ‘G-Funk’ & His Influence on Rap: ‘I’m the G-Funk Era’

INTERVIEW: Producer Jimmy Duval on Creating XXXTentaction’s ‘Look at Me!’ & Expanding Outside of Rap

INTERVIEW: Zaytoven Discusses His Faith, Gucci Mane, “Trap Holizay” LP & Joint Album With Lecrae

INTERVIEW: “One Week Notice” Crew Talks Ambitious Collaboration Ahead Of Concert Shutdown

INTERVIEW: Will Smith Says He & DJ Jazzy Jeff Have Been Working For The Past 6 Months

INTERVIEW: Verse Simmonds Details Songwriting Career, Work With Chris Brown & “Diamonds” EP

INTERVIEW: Lil Flip Talks 5 New Projects & Houston’s Hip Hop Influence