Features

So what's with the name Fresh Daily?

It means consistently innovative, new and interesting. It's also a nod to some of my fashion sense, although I'm more of a subscriber to style, quality and form than fashion, per se. I think a healthy marriage of the two combined that makes for someone unique.

88-keys has been quoted as saying you have a 'distinct sense of style & charcterisation' where do you think this has come from?

I think it goes back to style and form. I'm not necessarily a punchline rapper, I focus alot on alliteration and wordplay and word association. I'm a fan of inside rhyming pattern and fresh rhyme styling.

Your mixtape Tomorrow Is Today, uses a very consistent 'space inspired' and futuristic sound, where did the concept come from? What was behind the move to not use current 'popular' beats?

I'm a fan of UK dubsteb, low end beats, electronica and just general space-y, synth-y music, especially when its in regards to hip-hop. When J-Dilla didn't use melody samples and he played his beats, they sounded like that. I was aiming for music that had roots in electronica and felt space-y but still maintained a boom-bap aesthetic. Cats like Dj Spinna, Jneiro Janel, J-Dilla, Flying Lotus, Ras G and Wajeed make that kind of music. Although I come from a Brooklyn purist hip-hop background, I feel that sound straddles the line between the electronica I listen to and the dusty analog drum pad sound I grew up on, making a very futuristic sound.

Speaking of the future what invention are you waiting for and why?

I'm honestly waiting for teleportation but no emission cars would be dope. Cars that don't run on combustible engine for power. Clean fuel. Cars that ran on water would be dope as well as a water filtration system for countries in drought. 

How do you approach the mixtape as a creative medium?

I feel as though the mixtape is fast becoming the medium by which an indie artist with no commercial catalogue can reach a curious audience who may not be familiar with his/her music for little to no cost. For an innovative artist this can be an invitation to flex that creative muscle and be as left-of-center with no fiscal loss. The window of opportunity to explore and experiment is open with the advent of the information age.

Your known for being up on your clothing game, what labels are you feeling right now and what do you think the key is to having good personal style?

My roommate has a personal rule I agree with to a degree, he won't buy any clothes whose label has been in existence for less than 20 years. I'm a little more lenient. I usually tend to purchase clothing that has at least a 10-15 year history of consistent quality and overall form/fashion. Albiet, if something dope pops up new that's constructed well or just fits my aesthetic, I'm down to rock it. There are brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Levi's and Nike that I'll forever be a subscriber to, but brands like SUPREME are newer but are a definitive part of my style. I also like daring innovators like 21MC, Leroy Jenkins, Engedi Chang, A.L.I.E.N and Brian Wood, brands that are run by designers who are all young, fly, fashionable people of colour.

Do you think guys are dressing more for other dudes these days than they are for women?

It's turning into a cockfight of sorts, yo. Almost as though status is determined by how much of your (or your parents) paycheck you blow on trends. New brands are appearing every day it seems, catering specifically to blind consumers looking to be different by conforming. Even reputable brands with a history of exclusivity are making unconventional colorways and style more commercially available. Shit's getting extra corny, b. I'm more about staying consistently fly and ahead of the curve.

The album title Fresh Daily is the Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion reads like the title to an epic romantic thriller what was the concept behind the album?

Heh. It started out as a tongue-in-cheek inside joke (with origins in a Clipse verse) between me and a friend in regards to my wardrobe and has since taken on a plethora of meanings. I'd like the listener to feel as though they were in something clandestine and exclusive while understanding my struggle. When you're in a cipher and you drop some dope shit almost always do heads say, "Yo, he KILLED that!" I've consistently KILLED it, beautifully. Also, oftentime, you're made to feel as though your committing a crime for pursuing your artistic passion as opposed to a more conventional profession. 

The list of producers you've worked with on this Gorgeous Killer are really diverse, 88-Keys, Illmind, Ski Beatz, Exile and Dj Spinna to name a few, what was the process?

I'm just blessed to be poor kid from Ft. Greene projects who's been fortunate to have some of the elite hip-hop producers provide the sonic backdrop for my emotions set to rhythm. Really I'd like to thank 2 Hungry Bros and Donnan Linkz, cuz they were my first real producers. Then !llmind stepped to bat. The rest are all producers, I've met through my label, shows or the internet. 

So your background also includes graphic design and some painting where do these fit into your career plan now?

Mainly in layout and and t-shirt designs. But I've been doing some canvases and pieces on the side for myself. I intend on showing them sometime next year. Occasionally I'll sneak a preview via my blog.

You make a point throughout your new album Gorgeous Killer of saying that your storytelling comes down to expressing the truths of your life. Why do you think other rappers spit made up rhymes?

Perhaps out of a sense of obligation to be popular, to be ON. There's a strong sense of rivalry in hip-hop. I try to not really be down with all that shit. It's something for people who have something to prove. I make music for my self primarily then hope the rest of y'all dig it. My first album was called Life Music because I wanted to make it a point to say only things I've actually lived.

How will you define success as your career develops?

I define success by a large amount of people being able to feel something in my music and then in turn supporting it.

I suppose the defining factor which would make me a success by popular consensus, would be that people supporting my music would, in fact, make my music take a turn supporting me. Ideally I'd like my craft to keep me financially independent. 

Anyone you'd like to thank? Any final words for the people out there?

I'd like to thank HighWater Music, A. Wonderland, The whole AOK Collective, ACCLAIM Magazine and the borough of Kings, Brooklyn.

Fresh Daily is the Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion is out now via High Water Music. For more on Fresh Daily check his blog on the regular. You can also follow him on Twitter.