Black Music Month began in 1979
when Kenny Gamble, Ed Wright, and Dyana Williams developed the idea to set
aside a month dedicated to celebrating the impact of black music. Created by
music business insiders, the group successfully lobbied President Jimmy Carter
to host a reception on June 7th, 1979 to formally recognize the cultural and
financial contributions of black music. Since 1979, Black Music Month has grown
from a commemoration to national proportions with extravaganza across the
country.
Hip Hop has continued to be a
subculture of the young people. Since it burst onto the scene in the late 1970s
it has always been the voice of the young people and a conscious generation.
“Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugar Hill Gang is noted as the first hip hop record
to go Mainstream. Over the years we have enjoyed various artist and groups as Grandmaster
Flash and The Furious Five, Fab Five Freddy, Doug E. Fresh, The Fat Boys, Slick
Rick, Run DMC, and the list goes on. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s a
subgenre of hip-hop known as gangsta rap came onto the scene. Unlike the
melodramatic storylines and upbeat tempos of Hip Hop, Gangsta Rap (Rap) came
forth with more raw lyrical content and heavy bass lines for the tracks.
Each year XXL magazine puts out
there “Freshmen Class” list. These young Mc’s are viewed as the “Who’s Who” of
the new school. Over the years it has featured various new comers like J. Cole,
Kendrick Lamar, August Alsina, and Chattanooga’s own Isaiah Rashad.
I am a lover of underground rap and emerging artist. In celebration of not only Black Music Month but celebrating the talent that is right here in Chattanooga I got the chance to sit down with my “Freshman Class” 3 outstanding artist who truly are the NEXT to blow!! They are Prince Charles, JFlo, and Big Mike Mic Whoa!!
Prince Charles
I am a lover of underground rap and emerging artist. In celebration of not only Black Music Month but celebrating the talent that is right here in Chattanooga I got the chance to sit down with my “Freshman Class” 3 outstanding artist who truly are the NEXT to blow!! They are Prince Charles, JFlo, and Big Mike Mic Whoa!!
J Flo
Big Mike Mic WHOA
Check them out in their own words. .
Lorean: Tell me a
little about yourself?
Prince Charles: I’ve always been into certain aspects of the
arts, specifically music. I sang in the church choir but church is where I was
exposed to live instruments. I also used to listen to old school funk with my
dad.
J. Flo: I don’t have that story a typical rapper has. I
don’t have that “I wanted to rap since I was 3”. My parents actually didn’t
condone me trying to do must so I didn’t actually venture into music until I
was in college. When I was 18. I am very a typical from what you see in
mainstream hip-hop artist.
Mike Mic: I was born here in Chattanooga. At the age of 4 I
move to California for about 6 years. My Uncle passed away and my mother felt
it was time for us to come back to Chattanooga. In 3rd grade we had
a project. All I knew was we had a chance to rap. I had never rapped in front
of people before. My teacher called my homeboy Brandon and I to the front to do
our project, we got up there and I started rapping. Everyone in the classroom
started bobbing their heads and cheering. When it came time for my homeboy to
do his part he froze up, so I just then took the lead. I just kept going and
following. I knew then that I was supposed to be doing something like this.
Lorean: What does
music mean to you?
Prince Charles: Music is an expression of life experiences.
A super powerful tool that requires lots of responsibility due to the heavy
influence on the masses.
J Flo: Music is a means of an outlet to me. It’s getting out
an emotional connection you can’t physically say or do. It’s a way to connect
with people that you can’t be face to face with. Music is my true emotions and
my feelings that I may not want to divulge to one person but I can relate it to
something else so the song may not have anything to do with me but the message
will.
Mike Mic: Music means expression. Music means life. It means
no boundaries, an energy that is non-stop. It’s filling.
Lorean: From a
historical standpoint of our people being rooted in spirituals, jazz, spoken
word, the church, and our community what is the Hip Hop generation of now
saying versus the eras of the past?
Prince Charles: I think music is showing us the current
state of our society and like in society, it’s trying to find it’s way back to
the truth.
J Flo: It’s shocking to say the least and I don’t mean that
in a good way. We are being hindered in the messages that we here now apart
from the few jewels that we have in the rough like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
The majority of people are all about outward shine and outward flash. It’s all
about the Turn Up. Social issues don’t matter. Relationships don’t matter.
Mike Mic: I truly didn’t understand what Hip Hop was at
first. When I first started listening to music I was listening to Master P and
Snoop. I was about 5 or 6 and I just knew that was music. When I did mu
research my homeboy Brian Billups explained to me the difference between rap
and hip-hop. I feel like Hip Hop was more about what was going on then like
“Rappers Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang or “Friends” by Whodini. They were
talking about life situations versus now in the music you’re seeing that
hip-hop is dead. I agree with Nas, only because Hip Hop got pimped out. When
you introduce money into the equation things they only want to promote what
sells and that’s money and sex. It’s more of a hustle. It’s not a balance
anymore.
Lorean: What struggles
and challenges have impacted your music?
Prince Charles: One of the challenges I’ve encountered is
making the decision to actually pursue music production as a career choice
after graduating college. That always makes for an interesting conversation,
especially with my parents, lol! Gotta do what you love.
J Flo: The music game is nothing but struggle. The glitz,
the glam, the BET Awards, and the Grammy’s, that is not real life. That is life
for a small circle. The biggest struggle is creative originality. True you can
rap, true you can write, but do you make music and produce a sound that hasn’t
been heard? Can you honestly be yourself to where someone can hear the song and
don’t say “That’s just another so and so”. Nobody wants to sign “so and so”.
Support. You have to have thick skin and a support system because music is one
of the most opinionated forms of artistry ever.
Mike Mic: I would have to say really growing up I moved out
to the Westside and seeing the things that were going on out there people
(including myself) were trapped in a cycle. Some people had generations out
there still living. The same issues continued to plague that part of town
drugs, teen pregnancy, killing, government assistance, etc. it was just a new
generation of people. So when you get up and try to move from that your mindset
has to change if not you will still have that poverty mentality. That very struggle and those feelings
still follow me. Seeing and knowing it first hand allows me to relay a real
life message through my music to my people.
Lorean: What is the
one thing you want your fans to leave with after hearing your music?
Prince Charles: I want my supporters to leave with positive
vibes. I want people to feel good when they listen to my music.
J Flo: People really become a fan after they meet me. There
is a certain level of artistry that people can appreciate and that is what I
want them to hear when the listen to my music.
Mike Mic: Motivation. Encouragement. Find who you are in this journey and
your purpose in this life. That speaks to the core of who I am and what I am
trying to do.
That is only a scratch on the surface to my interview with
these three phenomenal men. I appreciate their time and full honesty.
Stay right here for Part 2 of my exclusive interview!!
Be sure to Follow them on Instagram and Twitter:
@PrinceCharlesMusic
@whoisj_flo
@BigMikeMicWhoa
It's Black Music Month!!
@SophisticateChronicles
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