1. “Baby” is reminiscent of the throwback hood love jams like “Where Would I Be Without You” and “21 questions”, was that the inspiration for “Baby”?
You know i never thought of that comparison ha, but now that you mention it i could sort of see it. I guess… no, i actually would say that BABY has a similar inspiration to that of 21 Questions, but i wouldn’t really consider it a hood love song I ain’t no thug like Ja Rule haha. Just an artist that like to tell my story or paint the story of others in a way that reflects relationship mediums that people can relate to.
2. “Baby” is bring back the rapper sing song hook minus the autotune, which reminds you of that gritty love, was your personal relationship the focus of the song or were you just speaking to Mrs. Right in the future?
I like to try to use my natural voice as much as possible i feel as though it connects the listener closer to me because they can really feel the emotion, from the all around vibe of my delivery choice on the record. We tuned the hook for BABY at first but after consulting with a few members of the team and some friends i decided to leave it natural i think we made the right choice because your description of it as “gritty love” is pretty much exactly what i was going for an feeling when the record was made. An yeah BABY is a true story word for word about a past relationship, and a new relationship that were starting and ending at the same time in my life. For me that’s really what sparks my creativity my subject matter majority of the time is 100 percent factual, a part of my life i took and just recreated sonically.
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— yerp (@Shaun_Yerp) January 7, 2018
3. Looking at your YouTube channel, there are quite a few BTS videos leading up the release of the project, you’ve been grinding a long time. What is one thing you want people to know about you and your music?
Yeah the only way to get to were your going is to put a lot of work in so that’s pretty much what i pride myself off of. The majority of the stuff on my Youtube channel is from before I started taking rap serious you know, a bunch of freestyles with the homies and little videos from my college experience just for fun for the hometown to see, im 25 so i grew up on Wiz Khalifa and he has Daytoday’s that go back to day one before he had any hits an those are some of the things i loved to watch the most following his career. So i figured i’d keep them up so my fans can feel apart of the journey because they are the most important part, and made sure when I got my first multi state tour organized for me by the big homie Shawn Jackson and the label that it had to be documented. You know #LUVTAPE is the first project i made with somewhat of a message behind it 2016 was really the year that i decided i was going to give more of myself and actually say something with my music and cultivate the message i have for my audience to make it something meaningful for you to listen to, id really say my rap career with me really being dedicated has only been two years long. That being said the one thing i want people to understand about me is that when it comes to music i’ve always used it as a coping mechanism i take the loses and triumphs from my life and bring the most profound thoughts and lessons ive learned to the listener, i try to put only the lyrics of my higher self into a track. To be honest at this point in my career if i wouldn’t play a song at the pearly gates on judgement day then i wouldn’t play it for you either, at least now a days haha back then i would put out anything but i guess that just your youth you know.
4. Over the years your style musically has evolved drastically, is “Baby” a sign of the direction of your new project?
Ha yeah my voice got deeper the production and mixing got better and now i have realer subject matter to talk about but i always felt like i had a line or two bet my boys in the Free might vouch for that, I see it as natural evolution like when Jermaine went from The Scientist to J. Cole. BABY is just the accumulation of me finally getting the delivery, subject matter, mix and production done the right way with help from my boy Vad Nole. Its nothing like my new music my recorded voice has changed even since then seeing as that song was recorded almost three years ago now, i feel as if the way i choose to deliver lyrics is just different probably because i make the beats and mix entirely on my own now a days. But one thing i can say about BABY that will be similar to my new work is the same truthful content, no fluff all facts word for word, i claimed myself the voice of New Jersey and mid January i plan to express why im bold enough to make this claim.