We recently attended a Boiler room in Los Angeles, the world’s leading underground music show. The show hops from location to location, maintaining a level of secrecy with undisclosed details. It makes for exclusive shows featuring the most in-demand underground artists, with performances so intimate you’d think you were chillin’ in their dressing rooms.
Superego’s very own, Tommie Lark was in the mix and sat down with recording artist A-live of Green Street hailing out of the home of many rap legacies: BROOKLYN. They kicked it to talk about Green Street’s new project “The Will to Win”, and what the industry means to them.
Tommie: What really pushes you to that limit where you decide stay up all night to push your craft forward?
A-live: Creating something that’ll be here after you’re gone. Creating a legacy for others.
Tommie: And at the heart of this legacy, what inspires it?
A-live: A lot of the day-to-day things we do to survive. Lighthearted stuff too. Love, Art…
Tommie: What about Green Street? What is it about the group that fans come out for?
A-live: Green Street is comprised of 3 members. Soup is another MC. Ren is our producer. As far as hip-hop groups go in the industry there isn’t a lot. There’s cliques or movements, essentially individual artists in a collective. But to be in a group, it takes a lot of patience and understanding to create honest music. A lot of people don’t understand the personal sacrifice it takes to create together. We’re not a prepackaged boy-band; our music goes through a very different process but is authentic and gives us a global perspective. No one in the industry has really translated pure rapping to a global audience yet.
Tommie: What is new about this upcoming project?
A-live: “The Will to Win” comes from a dark place. At the time two out of the three members were dealing with life threatening physical illnesses. A year ago I was in a wheelchair in the hospital.
Tommie: What does it really mean to win?
A-live: Winning is whatever it means to your individual person. To me, winning means making good art & inspiring people. The album symbolizes what it takes to put all your physical & personal limitations aside to pursue it.
Watch the video for "Comeback Kids"
Check out “The Will To Win” on thewilltowin.net available today!
Written by: Tommie Lark
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