Category: Below The Surface

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Splyt: Rise to the Top

Doing what we do and doing what he does, it was only a matter of time before our paths crossed. Twenty-two year old Chris Vigil a.k.a. Splyt is definitely a Colorado artist to look out for. He’s been opening up for some pretty big names, and after every performance few can deny that he walks away leaving a huge impression on everyone in attendance. Not only is he “doing it”, but he’s “doing it” the way it’s suppose to be done, and I’m sure he’s doing what plenty never imagined he could. His latest project REMADE has already gotten more than 500 downloads, which is a pretty big feat when you consider most artists on the rise will be lucky to hit 200. With that, it’s our privilege to introduce you to an artist with momentum…

How did you come up with your Moniker “Splyt”?

S: [laughs] I have to take you through the process. In high school, I was originally a “singer” (a bad one) and I would write rhymes on the side that a homie of mine would use for his rapped verses. This was before Drake really did his thing so when my first song was recorded I was asked what my name was for the credits.  I thought “singer that writes raps, that’s like a split personality of subject matter” so in the interest of being unique (and young) I decided to put a Y instead of the i, and that stuck. I soon realized I didn’t have the overwhelming talent for singing so I decided to stick with rapping and it’s starting to look like a great idea.

Do you remember what the first rap you ever wrote was about?

S: My first rap, damn this is definitely hard to think back to. I think I was 14 and I found an instrumental of Jadakiss’ ‘Why” track and wrote a remix. The first lines were like “why are some kids born rich/ why can’t my family ever seem to afford shit/”. [laughs] I thought I had it so hard…

Who in the music industry do you think you would vibe with the most, and why?

S: Artist-wise: I’d probably say Wale. His lyrics really resonate with me on a personal level and I feel he’s an artist that really reflects his personality in the music like myself (not to say that I’m on the same level as Wale at all, dude’s a straight-up genius).

Producer-wise: I’d say either Timbaland or Ryan Lewis. I think their wide range of versatility would be awesome for me to kind of run wild with. I don’t just write party bars, I write a lot of R&B tracks and deep shit as well that I’m feeling more and more comfortable with so I’d really like to have somebody that is willing to produce outside the box as well.

What was your first big show?

S: My first big show was opening for Hoodie Allen on his All-American tour-stop at Bluebird Theatre in Denver (May 3, 2012). It was sold out and packed by the time I was supposed to go on and my R&B singer/hype man bailed at the last second.

Backstage about 5 minutes before I was supposed to go on, Dan (this was the first show of mine he had ever booked) and Stryker (this was the first show of mine he had ever been to) both said they would go out there, run music and introduce me to perform. This is the show I refer to in the track “Anything” as us running sound out of an iPhone on airplane mode. I think it was such a bad show for us (by no fault of Dan or Stryker, both not really having anything to do with the show until five minutes prior) but it sparked the partnership we have today and we only continue to get better as we go along.

With skill just being one part of the equation, what else would you say has been a significant contribution to your growth/success?

S: The most significant contribution is by far the team I have with me. My manager Dan Hargrove and graphic designer Stryker have had such a huge impact on my career trajectory that I literally don’t even put anything on my résumé that happened before them cause that was practice.

Although I write and perform all of the music, they are truly a huge asset to the business and creative side of things. I can bounce ideas off of them, and if they don’t like it then I move on or make it better. It’s a bigger help than I can put into words for real.  It’s also a feeling of more confidence to push my own personal limitations that has also contributed heavily. When you’re comfortable with what you do then other will be comfortable receiving it.

On your latest project REMADE you have a song called “Teeter” with a miss Sunday Lane. What was the inspiration behind that song, and how did you initially hook up with Ms. Lane for the collaboration?

S: My inspiration for that track was actually a relationship of a friend’s that was very destructive but neither of them could bring themselves to leave the other. Sometimes there are just people meant to be together, and I think this track really depicts the tougher side of that “fairy tale”.

Dan actually grew up hanging out with Sunday’s sister. So when he jumped on as manager, one of his first suggestions was to get a collaboration with her and that was a golden idea. Sunday’s an insanely talented artist and such a great person.

Speaking of girls, you seem to have a lot of ladies rooting for you. Do you think they’ll have a big part in your success?

S: I think ladies have a huge part in the success of pretty much ALL things out there. I love the ladies of the Squad, they’re by far some of the biggest supporters of what we’re trying to do for Colorado.

When girls claim Squad then guys may just follow to stay with the same interests as them, you know? Every fan is important to me so I never value somebody over another.

But, being that I started really dedicating my life and drive to music after a failed relationship, it’s dope to have as strong of support as we have from the ladies. Kind of a “told you so” moment to my ex haha.

You’re opening up for Macklemore on April 20, how the hell does that feel?!

S: In one word: surreal!

When me and my team first linked up, I thought it would take 3-4 years to do a show with a major artist, let alone the biggest artist of right now. We got the news on Chrismas (before Home Stretch or Remade) so it only took us 7 months…truly amazed but not surprised considering the amount of work we all put in.

What is your goal with this whole music thing?

S: My goal is to keep getting better, make the best music I possibly can, give my team and family a comfortable life, make my home state proud and be respected for what I do.

I know not every single person will like what I make or do for a living, but as long as they respect me as a person the same way I respect others, that’s all I can ask for.

A selfish goal of mine, real quick, is to prove all those people that laughed at me when I first started, wrong. Nothing drives me more than that hate.

What do you think needs to happen next to get you to the next level?

S: I think I need to put out quality music videos. Which is something that we’re invested in at the moment. Our philosophy is to never do something until it’s gonna be done at 100%. We can shoot a video tonight but if it isn’t up to a standard that we laid out for our fans, then it’s nowhere near being worth it. Consistent improvement is our aim.

Are there any other Colorado rappers you listen to?

S: I listen to pretty much every Colorado rapper I can, like Lebron watches other NBA games, to keep track of the competition. I’m super competitive, I want to be the biggest artist in the world but to get there I have to hold down the state that I’m from and rep harder than anything else.

The artists I listen to regularly though are my homies D-Stylz and Pizzie, they keep me on my toes for sure. Shows with all three of us are going to absolutely crack in the future, can’t wait for that! Coming up though, my favorite Colorado rapper though is C-Notesche (who’s actually Stylz’ labelmate now). I still bump his tracks all the time shout out to C.

What’s your favorite song to perform and why?

S: I have to pick two, Settle Down and Youth.

Being that settle down has some fun back and forth with me and Stryker and it’s usually on the front end of the show, I don’t think a lot of people expect for it to be so fun.

Youth is always close to the end and seeing how many hands go up when we ask for the “ones up” kind of proves to me “yes, we came in as an opener and now this crowd is partying with us”. There’s no better feeling than to have nobody know who the hell you are 30 minutes ago, then be a huge fan now. It’s awesome.

When can we look forward to your next project?

S: End of 2013, I already have the name for it and the concepts, way more social issues to accompany the party tracks I love to do. The Home Stretch 2 will come out before the actual project so people will begin to expect the trend I hope. I started writing actually the night Remade came out so I’m ready to get back at it, after these shows of course.

Anything you want people reading this to know?

S: First and foremost a sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support of the work that I put in. It never feels like work cause I truly do love it but to see that what I love brings others so much joy and helps them get through something in their life, it’s such an awesome feeling.

My music is me, it’s what I think, it’s who I am, it’s who I’m trying to grow and become. The people that connect with that are people that connect with me, think some of the same things I do, and go through the same things I do. I’m just honored to be the voice y’all listen to and ride with.

This is why I try every way I can to connect with the fans, yeah I’m busy now but I’m never too busy to respond to anything I can.

– Chris Vigil aka Splyt

 

You can stay connected to Splyt by liking his Facebook page HERE, and by following him on Twitter HERE.

Keep your eye on this guy and just… WATCH

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Align With The Nation: Delasean Interview

The time is ripe for Delasean to strike, and the young rapper is definitely taking advantage of his current momentum. An ample supply of enthusiasm and motivation grew a teenager’s casual pastime into the very tangible possibility of a lucrative career. At 19 he’s already dropped four mix tapes and his fifth, “OverTimeGrind” is set to release on his favorite holiday-4/20. Delasean is making power moves; securing shows with established names like Method Man and Red Man (4/18 at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins). In light of his mounting popularity; Delasean maintains a level headed humility laced with the necessary confidence to secure his place in the rap game. And as Delasean lays out plans of evolution and expansion for himself and his crew Shock Nation; it’s clear he doesn’t plan on vacating his spot anytime soon. Follow him on Twitter @IAmDelasean to stay updated with his moves.

You frequently mention your affiliation to Shock Nation; explain for us exactly what Shock Nation is. 

Delasean: Shock Nation is ambition, drive, and faith. I don’t know it’s just the group you know. It (Shock Nation) started off sophomore year in high school. I was on the drum line with Russell Grande and I convinced him to go to this summer program with me. He talked about being a rapper all the time; I had never really thought about rapping prior to that and I just thought fuck it let’s do it. I was always interested in music don’t get me wrong I just never thought rapping would be where my talent branched out. So we just started and wanted a name; we were young as hell so my thinking was surface level at the time. We came up with Shock Nation because we were rocking G-shocks all the time; that was pretty much the ideology behind it. Now it’s different it started like that but now it’s serious, this is my life. I laugh when I think how we thought of it but it shows how much I’ve grown since then. What could have been just bullshit has taken me so far just on ambition, drive, and faith. That’s why I say Shock Nation embodies those things

What is your role within Shock Nation?

Delasean: Uhhh I think I’m the Co-Commander in Chief next to my bro Russell Grande. That is Shock Nation, just us two as far as rappers. We get love everywhere though everyone feels nation so it’s like we’re deep but tight at the same time. We both own it I just happened to push alot more projects on my end and Russell he’s more of that slow cook that lets it stew he likes it 100%. He just needs to drop one now; I know he got bars that’s why I always feature him.

You and Russell vibe well with each other, would you ever consider doing an official collaboration…Outkast style?

Delasean: Way ahead of you I’m currently working on my 3rd Solo Tape OTG; which stands for OverTimeGrind. I got a couple of features from Russell Grande on there that’s it though I really wanted it to make a statement on how hard I can go. If you can’t stand on your own feet what are you doing. OTG is dropping 4/20 so look for that on Datpiff and Hotnewhiphop.  Aside from that I’m working on a joint project with Russell Grande and we’re just going in like how we do on that “Clock In”. We’re gonna just eat it; but we’re always trying to be original. If you think you know you’re trippin’ because even I don’t know until it happens.

How have you seen yourself evolve since your first mix tape? What do you want to do to continue to refine your craft?

Delasean: Maaaan when I think of that “Higher Level Thinking” I just listen and laugh my ass off. I got a couple of favorites from there but I don’t feel like that tape represents me well as an artist at all. I’ve grown so much its crazy man and it’s a simple recipe; I just work hard. People should just know if you think I’m going to get worse you are sadly mistaken. This OTG is by far my favorite project I’ve worked on ever. They don’t know they got the game all wrong they talk about passion but they don’t even know what that word means. I stay hungry out here. I’m so hungry that when people see me eating they get hungry you feel me? What I mean by that is I make it look easy and when I do it people get inspired to grind. I’m so young but I got the puzzle in my head solved. You guys will see soon enough I don’t rush. I’m only 19 so I have time and I want to do it my way. I’m just going to make sure I got everything right before I make my moves.

How would you handle a groupie or an obsessed fan? (Think Eminem and Stan)

Delasean: Haha. Depends how obsessed they are. If their just a hardcore fan that been keeping up with us from the beginning then I’ll kick it with them, smoke one or something to show my appreciation. But if their obsessively stalking me I would try to get them out of my life. That’s a hard one hopefully I don’t find out how I handle that in the future.

Do you listen to other genres of music to influence your sound, rock, jazz, blues etc?

That’s something I’ve really been working toward doing because with music there are endless ways to tackle a beat and the rhythmic patterns vary from genre to genre. I plan on producing one day so it definitely wouldn’t hurt. I guess my answer is a little bit but not enough for me to really give credit to another type of music right now.

What artists inspire you?

Delasean: I get inspired by artists in different ways. As far as originality; my favorite artists are School Boy Q, and Ab-Soul. As far as how to do my music business wise; I’m inspired by Funk Volume, Curren$y, Nipsey Hussle. I want to make Nation stand among those names. Beyond that there’s J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and the whole DPG clique. Growing up, the west coast sound was really heavy in my life. People don’t know it but I wasn’t born in Colorado. I’m originally from California but I’ve lived here so long. Colorado doesn’t really get too much love and I love the city I grew up here that’s why I rep CO.

How do you maintain originality? Especially when so many main stream rappers mimic each other?

Delasean: That’s a hard one. I really just try not to sound like anyone. I want to have a Delasean sound you know? That’s why I say I’ve grown so much “Higher Level Thinking” was the start of me creating my own sound. At that time I didn’t really know how, I was still figuring it out. Now I feel like I have a niche; I know what I want to do and how to do it. That’s the beauty of figuring out your sound; you can do it again and again.

What do you have planned for the next year musically?

Delasean: Big things. I want to start touring a little. The fan base is starting to get heavy and this OTG is really just going to make people see I’m done playing games. I’m trying to make a better class of music. It’s funny people listen to my last tape and compare their new to my old; and I’m laughing like I left that alone so along ago. But in the next year there will definitely be alot more shows, April 18th we have a show with Red Man and Method Man at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins. That show is going to be live! If you want a taste of some new Delasean definitely go there.

What are your ultimate plans for your music career? What occupies your time besides rapping?

Delasean: I’m just planning to see how far it can take me you know people say it all the time; you only live once but it’s the truth. I want to know I gave my all in what I really loved no matter what the outcome. At least I can say I was happy and did it my way. Other than rapping I just exercise and play basketball. I want to be like the Bob Marley of rap haha. All he did was smoke weed, make music, and play soccer. I just want to smoke weed, make music, and hoop for life; I could live good like that.

Where did the name Delasean come from?

Delasean:  I went to the top of a mountain and a guru deciphered my soul. I’m hella bullshittin’ it’s just my middle name, Ryan Delasean Mullins. I went by Wise One at the beginning because I always wanted to have bars and go hard. I felt if I ascribed myself a deep name it would contribute deep thoughts. In a way I think it worked a bit because I strived to look for more; whatever that meant to me. I went with Delasean because I always wanted something more personal. My mom always called me Delasean so I was just like Delasean it is.

How do you feel about the state of the rap game? How do you want to impact rap music; what do you want your listeners to come away with?

Delasean: I’m excited for rap and what’s coming. I feel like a new breed of hip hop is forming and that’s what I’m looking for; that’s what makes music so tight there are an infinite amount of ways you can take it in just rap alone. So I’m excited because there are alot of people like me who want it their way and that’s going to change the game in a big way. In the music game it’s just about planting your feet, knowing what you want, and not stopping til’ you get it. As far as impact, I want people to feel me. Who knows what my sound will be a couple months from now or a year from now. I never stop developing I’m a knowledge seeker. I want to be better. I want my listeners to be able to feel me. I have music of all sorts and like I said this OTG is going to show them a lot of that new Dela style.

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L Keys Q&A

After releasing “Street Famous” recently I contacted Colorado’s L Keys for an interview. The mixtape earned itself a rating of 4.25/5 in my review and I was intrigued to the man behind the music. He is apart of the hottest music group in Colorado right now and is one of the most versatile artists I have heard flowing fluently between Hip Hop and R&B with conventions of other genres mixed in too. If you haven’t already downloaded “Street Famous” then I strongly advise doing so, for now, here is the interview where you can find out who L Keys dreams of collaborating with, the reasoning for the title of the tape and his response to my criticism of the “Alien” track. 

 

For those reading, who may not have heard of you, give us a brief insight to you and your music…

My name is Lkeys I’m a superstar in the making..[laughs]. Not your average rapper, an entertainer just trying to tell his story through music.

What are your reasons for calling your mix-tape “Street Famous”?

Really, I feel that’s what I am. I’m someone who is street famous making a transition to becoming world famous.

How successful has the mixtape been? or has it been a disappointment?

The project has been successful, It has woke a lot of people up, and that was my goal. Job ain’t done though, I still have to reach more ears.

What is your personal favorite song from the mixtape?

I honestly couldn’t say. I think the one that I felt more passionate about would be “Dreaming”

I criticized the song “Alien” in my review of the tape. Would you like to take this chance to argue against my opinion?

[laughs] No, I wouldn’t argue it. That’s your opinion,  and I respect that. I know some people that would strongly disagree but to each its own you know. My whole aim was to make a project full of songs that I knew everyone would feel. I feel I did that.

The mixtape indicated you have an ability to move from various sub genres of hip hop to even a little R&B. For the next mixtape can we expect a different approach more focused to one style, or a similar variety of styles?

For the next one just expect the unexpected. That what I wanted to show with “Street Famous”; versatility, I wanted people to see it’s no telling what I’m going to do next. But whatever I do, it’s going to be dope!

Do you think the Mood Music cosign for Trev Rich has helped yourself and Squizzy gang as well?

Its helped Trev, and its great to see him involving into what we been known we was from the jump, STARS. We all have our own lanes, and that’s what makes us one of the best! Squizzy…

If you could choose anyone in the world to collaborate with, who would you choose?

Jay Z.

What is your opinion on the current state of Hip Hop in Colorado? Do you feel you might have to move to a state with a more prominent Hip Hop scene in order to elevate further?

To be honest, I’m very impressed to see how far the state of Colorado Hip Hop has came. It’s a lot of dope artist in Colorado that the world is sleeping on. I do feel our market isn’t a easy market to break out  but can be done. Regardless of where you’re at you’re going to  have to leave where you are at to build your fan base.

Any last words to share with the world? Promotions…Jokes…Social Networking details? 

Yeah, If u haven’t heard ‘STREET FAMOUS” please go listen http://t.co/Fx5Ba3igpM Follow me on twitter @Lkeys303, IG: Lkeys303, Facebook/Lkeys303, For bookings contact Lkeys303@gmail.com! SQUIZZY

 

If you haven’t already, download Street Famous(click here) and follow L Keys on Twitter(click here). Let me know what you think of this post via twitter(click here) ending your posts with #StreetFamous. Read my review of Street Famous(click here) or my personal blog for reviews of music outside of Colorado(click here).

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Trev Rich Interview

Following a co-sign with Joe Budden and being featured on the “A Loose Quarter” mixtape, Trev Rich blew up. Then he dropped his own mixtape and “Heights” cemented his place in the music industry as “one to watch”. This week Trev released “Word” and has been mentioning a remix of Eminem’s “Seduction” and “Heights 2” on Twitter. So I thought I’d grab the Denver, Colorado rapper for an interview for Colorado’s best music website, www.milehimusic.com, and gain some insight on his upcoming projects, his dream collaboration and who he thinks is the hottest emcee in the game right now. 

 

For those reading, who may not know about you and your music, would you like to give us a brief overview?

My real name is my rap name. I’m from Denver,Co and Ill let my music speak for itself. Check it out if you haven’t.

You dropped Heights around new year, in hindsight how do you feel about the mixtape now? Do you regret anything or are you overwhelmed with how much positive reception you got?

Very proud of Heights. It set a personal bar that I’m gonna take even higher with Heights 2. Very overwhelmed with the perception I love the love, and the hate too.

I don’t think it is unfair to say that a lot of your fans, including myself, became so due to the Joe Budden co-sign, how did that come about? 

Twitter. Simply Twitter. I explain the full story on Heights 2. I don’t wanna spoil it right now.

Do you feel any remorse at the fact it took a feature on someone else’s mixtape for you to blow up or are you just happy it actually happened?

Not at all. I don’t care how it happens as long as it does. Joe helped the politics away in my favor. You can tell my the support of blogs after dreams was released. I’m forever thankful.

 

I have a lot of respect for the Squizzy Gang you’re apart of, and trying to listen to as much music from the camp as I can..But I’m confused as to what Squizzy Gang actually is? A label? A music group? or just a group of friends? Care to clarify?

A Group of musicians. A lot of teams call themselves labels not knowing what the hell a label actually does. We won’t make that mistake. A group of dope artists.

L Keys is the next Squizzy Gang member to drop a mixtape with “Street Famous”. Presuming you’ve listened to the tape. What can we expect from it and what is your favourite track?

I’ve only heard on track and that’s the one I’m on. Keys has been real secretive about this project. I wanna hear it just like everyone else. I know it’s gonna be dope though.

 

You’ve been dropping a couple songs recently, and tweeted regarding a Heights 2. When can we expect that to drop?

May 28th.

You have also been mentioning “Seduction”, a remix of the Eminem track off of Recovery. It is very dangerous to be remixing arguably the most popular rappers songs, what made you do so?

I’m a firm believer in stirring the pot. I don’t give a shit who gets mad someone will appreciate it. This is what hip-hop is about. Fuck politics fuck rules fuck feelings. Just. Make. Good. Music. Timeless music.

 

If you could get a collaboration with any artist in the world right now, who would it be?

H.O.V.. No doubt. I hadn’t been much of a Jay fan coming up because my intellect wasn’t polished enough. Now I see clearly. (Laughs) Honestly not even a feature, I just wanna pick his brain. NH

MTV are currently naming their top 10 for hottest emcees in the game, who do you think is number 1?

I don’t know I could careless though to be honest. Ill care when I’m up there.

 

As a last word, is there anything in particular you want to say to the world? 

Heights 2. Coming Soon. MME/ Squizzy shit.

If you haven’t already, download Heights (click here) and follow Trev Rich on Twitter(click here). Let me know what you think of this post via twitter(click here) ending your posts with #TrevInterview.