Yo’ peeps….. YMZ episodes kicked it with North God and king of Opulence, Mr. 2Fresh2Def, popularly known as Da L.E.S
We caught with the north god to chat his new music , with a surprise album coming in weeks time, new collaborations and new clothing line ‘North 94’. Here is what the popular rapper shared with us:
From Jozi days up until now, how have you managed to stay relevant and consistent for so many years?
“I think the consistency just kind of relies on being true to myself and I think that if I wasn’t true or passionate about my craft or my artistry, I don’t think I’d still be here today. And then just keeping fresh, like-minded, young people around me. I like to stick around and be with some of the young guys, especially producers because they’re not scared of pushing boundaries; of pushing the envelope a little bit so I like that energy.”
How do you think the culture has evolved, in hip hop and fashion and all round?
Hip hop artists are being taken seriously from a brand perspective. There are so many opportunities that have been created because of hip hop and through hip hop. Even Yo Mzansi the blog has been created off of the back end of the forces of hip hop. Music videos have changed – music video directors are becoming more innovative and breaking boundaries, there’s just so much that is happening for hip hop right now that is evolving each and every single second.
Looking at hip hop as a genre, locally, it wasn’t really taken seriously until about 3 years ago – it’s huge now, even from corporates and business. How do you think you’ve played a role in that?
I think that the role that I played is by taking everything that I do very seriously. With my involvement in certain brands and taking those brands to certain levels has cemented my stamp in the South African Hip Hop Industry. I’ve also created really good music through collaborating with really good musicians and artists and that’s also been to cement my position within the entertainment space. Also, what more I have to offer and what more I’ve got lined up for the future.
There’s a lot that has been done in the hip hop culture in South Africa, do you think that there is still more that needs to be done?
There’s definitely a lot more that needs to be done from my end and what I wanna do for myself and wanna do for my legacy. I think right now, anything is possible at the moment. Cassper, right now, is about #FillUpOrlando stadium and that’s monumental. AKA just signed a new, crazy deal and there’s just so much and everybody’s playing their part to the best that they possibly can. I definitely think that we are looking at something magical. We are part of something that is evolving and growing.
Music wise, there’s a lot of new cats. What names can you mention that you’re really loving?
I’m really loving Gemini Major, I’m loving what they’re doing. I’m really liking what’s coming out of family tree – I’m really loving the music and the energy and the movement. There’s still a lot of guys that people don’t know, I’m really enjoying Emblazon, there’s also a kid names KM who’s coming out, I’m really loving what Shane Eagle is putting out and of course Nasty C and the whole Mabala Noise Movement, Ambitiouz movement. I specifically enjoy the ambitious movement because they really develop talent and artists all the time and I like that. I’m also loving the art direction that people are taking; the photographers and what you guys are doing too.
How important is branding yourself as an artist?
Your brand is what you are. So, you need to stay true to yourself and what you enjoy doing. Stay true to the artistry aspect of it. Within building your brand, you need to know yourself the most.
What role has social media played in your career – it wasn’t that big before but now we have all these different platforms…?
I think social media is a great platform to exchange information and to deliver a message to the people that follow you and love you and gives you an opportunity to engage in quick conversation with them. For me, I’m not that outspoken on social media, I just want to share my information, share where I’m going and share what I’m doing with my fans. I don’t really like to share my opinion on certain things. I like to keep those kind of things to myself. I like snapchat because it shows what’s happening around you at the moment – it’s nice, sweet and short.
You’ve got two singles now, Lifestyle and Up to Something. Does that mean Da L.E.S is up to something; an EP or an album?
Yeah an album, with a surprise date, but we’re looking at dropping it this year. Once that’s done, you’ll understand where I’m at in my life and how I feel. It’s my 4th album, it’s called Diamond in Africa. I think that people are really going to enjoy this album. The sound is different, my approach to some songs is different but it’s very dope and it’s a lot of fun – high energy. And you can tell that it was made in a really dope environment. The sound is really different, the guys pushed the bar in terms of the sound and I really love it. It was initially supposed to be a North God deluxe edition but it ended up being a whole album so I’m really excited about this album. It’s a new side to me and shows my versatility as an artist and it’s a wonderful platform for me to try new things and push the envelope. I’m working with C4 Pedro right now and it’s got a Brazilian, samba sound. You need to test yourself and have fun.
What made you hook up with Gemini on Lifestyle?
Gemini is a close friend of mine and he and I have such great energy together, in and out of the studio. That’s little bro bro, so, he’s been to my studio so many times and played so many beats but that day he played something I really liked. We both jumped on and the energy in the studio was crazy. He actually features on two songs on my album. The music is so dope and working with Gemini is so dope because he’s not afraid to push boundaries, he’s so talented he’s like a rock star.
Can you drop some of the names of people you worked with on the album?
I got Nadia Nakai, AKA, Maggz, Shane Eagle, L-tido and Gemini Major.
There’s a lot of collaborations happening with African artists. How important do you feel these kinds of collaborations are?
Collaborations are very important. Everybody has to be able to share music and share ideas on doing what they do. Music is a universal language, we all speak music and it’s kind of nice to hear how some people speak their music and that’s why collaborations are important and I love it.
Which artists would you like to work with?
Definitely WizKid, Burna Boy is my brother so definitely him, Travis Scott, Migos, P-Diddy and the family.
Share a bit about your clothing label?
It’s called North 94, I just think 94 is such a relevant year to the country and it’s also the year where I moved to the North and it just sounds good. A lot of successful black entrepreneurs moved to the North at that time and I just think it was a successful year. We’re launching it in a couple of months. We’ll have a summer collection just in time for summer 2017.
How important is it for artists to have their own clothing lines and merchandise – we see how artists such as Kanye West and even Justin Bieber make crazy money through that avenue…?
The merchandise will definitely help with the North God concert that we’re having next year and I think merchandise is also dope to have, especially for the show that you are going to. It’s stuff that has been happening for a while now. When you go to your favourite artist’s show, you usually want to leave with something memorable and it’s a part of the whole experience.
North God concert – how far do you want to take it?
We’re going to take it to new heights next year, a very big concert somewhere in the North. It’s just another dope platform to showcase, which I love. It’s a wonderful platform to get on stage and make you guys understand the music that I’m doing and perform to you guys so you can feel it a lot more.
Well we wanna hear from you feel free to drop your comments…Here is the full interview to listen on our Soundcloud:
