What inspired your newest release, and is there a message that goes along with it? Not many artists can say that they have recorded four full-length albums, so I am really proud of this new album “Swaggerific.” People always think I’m nuts because of the titles I come up with for my albums (e.g., “Bandoozle,” “Ban2oozle”), but the truth is, these are words I use in my everyday life! Like, one of the songs on the album is called “Team Too Much.” That is literally something I say ALL.THE.TIME. It basically refers to someone who is being too over the top/dramatic and always trying to be the center of attention. I honestly feel like it should be a hashtag: #TeamTooMuch. Can we start that? Anyway, this album is hands-down the most fun album I’ve ever recorded. I went into the recording process intending to make a very nostalgic, old school/golden age hip-hop, “party rap” album. But the really exciting news is that fans of my “Nasty Boy” persona will be extremely pleased with the lead single “Berenjena” (the Spanish word for eggplant) and “(Hit It) From the Back,” where I let my sexy, man-crazed alter-ego out of the cage I’ve kept him in for a minute. If you could make me ask you any question on the planet, what would you want me to ask you? If you find out that there is a “Life TiVo/DVR” that you can watch when you die, what scenes/moments of your life would you have a season pass for? What challenges did you have to overcome to get to where you are in the music industry? You would never know this by the number of realitybased competition shows there are on television, but the music industry is NOT for everyone. Sadly, it is isn’t only about how talented you are, how much you love music or even how you look; a lot of it is timing, an audience’s taste in music, the people you align yourself with and your ability to hear “no” and keep going even when everyone asks you, “How much longer are you gonna try to make this music thing happen?” I actually talk about this a lot on the songs “Industry” and “No Talent Rappers” on “Swaggerific.” I guess the biggest challenge/ disappoint I personally faced was that I was signed to a development deal with a major label right out of high school as the “next hot white rapper.” As I was recording an album, the label expressed concern that an openly gay artist may not be received well (it was the early ’90s). I ended up losing the deal and feeling frustrated. Another challenge I still face is that it is hard to get “noticed” when you are emphasizing how lyrical you are as an artist when we live in a very visual world. A lot of people have told me, “You know, you could probably get a million views on one of your videos if you just take your shirt off or hire hot, half-naked guys to dance in it.” To be more true to myself, I am really proud of how I expressed myself visually in my two latest videos (directed by Spencer Slishman), “All Systems Go” and “Hotel Motel.” What would have to happen for you to have your ultimate stage fantasy? I’ve always had this vision of being part of a “gay rapper super group,” almost like the Wu-Tang Clan. I would love to be on tour with the best of the best in the LGBT hip-hop community like Cazwell, Lady Sovereign, Young M.A., Lady Leshurr, Le1f, Big Dipper, Big Freedia, where we all perform individually and then all come together at the end to perform this monster record that we’re all featured on. I honestly think this could be a possibility and could become something that people looked forward to during Pride season or even on New Year’s Eve! Just putting it out there in the universe!
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