Art & Skills

“Henny.201” Interview

6/17/2020

I had the good fortune to sit down with rapper/emcee “Henny.201” who was recently featured on a mixtape hosted by the one & only “Jadakiss” Who Really Got Bars Part 2

This is the interview in it’s entirety.. I’m featuring him this week on “Art & Skillz” for the simple fact to show that hard work, grinding, & perseverance most definitely pays off

“Henny” stays dropping verses daily on Instagram. Lo & behold “Jadakiss” himself came across one of them & gave it his stamp of approval, then a week later @Henny.201 is being featured on a mixtape hosted by The Legend -Jadakiss- himself.

So with no further ado here’s the video of our one on one interview

Here’s the link to “Henny.201’s” track on the
Who Really Got Bars Vol 2 mixtape
Presented By JADA KISS

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Animal Crackas Interview Pt 2

6/10/2020

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The day we conducted this interview the animal crackers were going to do a show at Porta Lounge w/quite an interesting caveat,they would be performing virtually from the roof of this establishment; as The performance itself would be broadcasted live on Facebook.. Actually Sour D. was already there mic checking & getting a lay of the land, when he actually doubled back and met C. Rich & I At the rendezvous spot where we’d be conducting the interview.

I just really wanna thank the guys for taking the time to chop it up w/me on behalf of hip-hop has soul dot com, & though we didn’t heavily touch upon the new album and all of its facets; I know for a fact that creators young & old will benefit from the words that were spoken on that day. True artistry is rarely found that is why you know it when you see it, this is why you feel it when you experience it; & at the end of the day -this is why I took the time to make sure the AnimalCrackas were properly featured in the Art & Skills section of h3soul -Salute to y’all both Kings UN3 fo’ life

Style & Process

How would you describe your style?

C.Rich I call us The YING & The YANG. We have our own styles, but together as the Animal Crackas Sour D.we’re just like dualism in its purest form; interconnected contrary forces that are actually complementary to each other.
(they pretty much both answered)

What’s your process when starting a new piece of work?

Animal Crackas: Our process has pretty much changed throughout the years with many facets of our life being the catalyst to how we create music (this was a very nuanced answer they gave to this question-I recommend you watch the interview.. link below )

Opinions & Advice

Coming up or at least being influenced by the golden era of hip-hop (90’s HipHop)

What’s your take on the rap world today?
are there aspects U like dislike do U hate it all out of the gate?

Sour D. I like it. I listen to a lot of new stuff, & not only because some of it is dope; but because I like to keep a pulse on what’s poppin’
We create music therefore it would benefit us to know what we’re going up against.

C. Rich: I can’t say I listen to any new rap/hip hop music.. Truthfully I’m always thinking about producing beats, so I’ll much rather spend my time putting on some old Jazz & building something NEW from there.

Do u have advice for any entrepreneuring young artists out there?

Sour D. Don’t be negative towards other artists, you gain nothing by shitting on other people especially if the end result is them getting hurt; for simply trying to create something that they thought it was dope.

C. Rich be original stay true to yourself and instead of trying to copy whatever is hot right now dare to be different

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Animal Crackas Interview Pt1

6/4/2020

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The Animal Crackas Interview
for their new album 2020

Background/History

Where did y’all grow up? During what era?

Jersey City , NJ

Where does the name of your group derive from?
Does it signify deeper meaning than the obvious?

Growing up the other peoples vernacular would always be “what’s up my n*gga” to each other & so we flipped on its head when talking to each other being on some “what’s up Cracka” Plus The fact that we are beastly on the microphone (almost Animalistic) the group name pretty much was born out the ether

Influences & Inspiration

Who are your top three influences?

Sour D. “Look at most peoples top five lists and my top three are in there easily.” -as for genres of music I’ve got to say some deep blues puts me in the mood to rock a microphone quick

C. Rich Being the youngest of three brothers & being influenced by my mom & pop, both loving all types of different music I listen to reggae, rock, blues, jazz; it would be hard for me to pinpoint.. you can definitely hear the influence of my favorites in our music.

Did u have a mentor?

Both Sour D & C Rich

Not in the traditional sense, but a lot of the emcees we’ve met along our career, especially those we’ve befriended, we’ve looked too for strength support and inspiration

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animal Crackas interview intro

5/26/2020

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What’s really good h3soul readers? Hope all is grand where you stand. I’m lining up a double dose of art & skills in the coming weeks I’ll be Interviewing the Animal Crackas. The duo just dropped their new album “2020”a few weeks ago so you already know gotta strike while the irons hot.. Needless to say to say they’ve been busy as of late would be an understatement. Regardless of the weird times we find ourselves in, they’re out there promoting the fact that their albums on all streaming platforms; most recently their album 2020 being reviewed on Break A Leg Ent. Constructive Criticism Podcast.

As y’all well know I’m a huge proponent of research and knowledge so as not to be blindsided. In this instance I’m gonna stack up a few of my personal favorites, that way you’ll familiarize yourself with the facets of Art & Skills on display when you step into the world of the Animal Crackas. As stated in the beginning these men not only make music, but they’re artistic prowess with a can of spray paint cannot be understated; actually to pigeonholed their art to just graffiti would be wrong in my part..well you know what I’ll let them tell it when I speak to them next week. For now enjoy some of these tasty morsels I’ve enjoyed throughout their career.

Plus the last link below is actually the playlist to the new album 2020, you’re definitely gonna want to give it a listen or even better head on over to your favorite streaming service and buy the album. It’s well worth it as you will hear, flexing a sound that’s all their own; & in this day and age of copy cats & clones it’s refreshing to hear Dope music that isn’t a replica of anyone else.

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"SERRINGE" Interview + Piece

5/19/2020

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I had the good fortune to spend a couple of days with the artist ”SERRINGE”. A renowned graffiti artist, rapper/emcee, photographer videographer renaissance man & entrepreneur; being the founder & CEO of Element Tree. More than just a website its truly a movement all its own.
As always I have a condensed written version of this interview, but I implore you to click the link below & hear the man for yourself; plus see a piece birthed right before your eyes as well

Background / History

Where did you grow up?

S: Jersey City

Influences & Inspiration

Who were ur Top 3 influences?

S: Edgar Allen Poe, T Dee , Run DMC

Did you have a mentor?

S: Not really but I’d say my older brother & all my friends growing up had a large effect on me.

What’s the meaning behind Element Tree?

S: Two words spawned from one ideal “Elementary” (eh le mehn trē) Element Tree
Planting a seed whose roots would be the strong foundation for the stalks, to not only provide a canopy for us artists to brave any weather; but to also one day provide fruit that my regiment & I can eat off of.

Style & Process

How would you describe your style of piecing?

S: Emotions, vibes, basically how I feel.. as an artist with me I can never focus on just one thing, because I wake up feeling different every day.

What’s your process when starting a new piece of work?

S: With photography it’s how I wake up feeling, with art something needs to come out & I never know what it is -I just start doing it
with video it’s more of “How do I tell this story”

Opinions & Advice

Do u have advice for any entrepreneurial young artists out there?

S: There’s a beginning middle and end to everything in order to get from point a to point Z. Lock down all the steps that it’s gonna take to get there.
Write things down. Writing things down is the most powerful thing you can do in your life.
The goal you want to attain has steps, that when completed will bring your dream to fruition; so write down all the steps -you’ll be way better off in the long run.

theelementtree.com

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Serringe

5/12/2020

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Good day, afternoon, or night all you H3Soul dot com perusers; I sincerely hope the week has been kind to you and I’ve got some great news for y’all. The feedback and response to The SNOW Interview has gone better than I could have ever imagined, and we here at Hip Hop Has Soul believe in striking when the iron’s hot; therefore I’m proud to say we’ll be following that one up strong.

Next Weeks article will be featuring the one and only “SERRINGE”. An artist proficient in graffiti, photography, videography, amongst also being an entrepreneur. It’s gonna be grand, so as always I wanna prep your collective pallets properly; by showing you but a taste of what this man has to offer.

So now with no further ado, I’ve selected a small smorgasbord of videos displaying “SERRINGEs’” talents; both in front and behind the camera. That way you can fully appreciate the caliber of artist the Art & Skills section of H3Soul will be featuring next week.

Element Tree / Art Primo present Yardwork S:4

Element Tree/Art Primo Presents “SER”

Element Tree & Art Primo Presents
SER x VERS 718

Under Pressure 2016

& these are two personal favorites:
Element Tree / Art Primo present ACROE LIVES

ArtPrimo.com / Element Tree presents:
ACROE Solid Marker Demo

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SNOW - Piece/Interview

5/7/2020

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Hip Hop Has Soul is a new and fledgling enterprise, therefore we don’t have a lot of fancy departments that proofread and edit things as we pass them up along the chain of command.
Turns out I learned a lot more than I bargained for after interviewing the inimitable SNOW. not only did I get a first class look at the art and culture of graffiti, but I got a hard lesson in journalism as well.
Sometimes the authors writing these articles get it wrong, and it’s only right that we go back in and correct our foibles.

Corrections
Question #2 [Background] Snow got serious w/graffiti in 1982 (NOT ‘72)
Question #3 [Influences] Jerry Gant who wrote “2 NASTY” “Jerry Jinx” & “Jerry Rules”
Question #4 [Mentors] When I went to work for Todd McFarlane Toys The president of the company Anthony Billotto and I became really good friends and he became kind of like a mentor to me. He & his cousin Ken ‘Zen” Rip had over 60 years of experience collectively

This weeks article is one that I’ve been looking forward to publish ever since the inception of it entered my mind. I got to chop it up with a living legend, one of the quintessential architects of graffiti (in my eyes) & I want to make sure this reaches as many people as humanly possible.
That being said the link down below is roughly 48 minutes long & I know in this day & age of instant gratification a lot of people wouldn’t last 4 minutes most people would scoff at 8 minutes -so needless to say the full run time might be an impossibility to some. Fear Not I have taken this into account & honed the entirety of this interview it’s small palatable bites.. basically I put all my questions & his answers in writing, & though I’ve condensed it you’ll basically get the gist; & who knows you might even be intrigued to give the interview a listen; knowing that he has elaborated a lot more in the audio/visual version of the interview.

So with no further ado,
Hip Hop Has Soul presents...

THE “SNOW” INTERVIEW

Background / History

Where did you grow up?

S: Patterson, New Jersey but I also had family in The Bronx, NYC where I would spend my summers growing up.

What was the graffiti scene like at that time?

S: Well having started tagging in 1978 & not getting serious until 1972 (as serios as u can be at 12yrs old) at a time obviously before internet I got to see & was exposed to so many facets of the culture most importantly getting to see styles blossoming & developing right before my eyes. Truly a time like no other.

Influences & Inspiration

Who were ur Top 3 influences?
(you can interpret it how you want, it doesn’t necessarily have to be writers -ambiguous ?)

S: ROM from Patterson, my unofficial mentor “KULL” from Patterson, & “DUE” was another unsung style master from Patterson who I would say influenced me..
..but then there was the Newark collective like
“PRINCE” NRG, Jerry Yams who use to write “2 NASTY” “Jerry Jinx” + “Jerry Rules” & “TAME” of the legendary ARTIFACTS Crew; so many great & stylistic influences that I’m hard pressed to pick only three.

Did you have a mentor?
someone who guided u in the early days...

S: Like I mentioned before “KULL” was an early mentor to me (whether or not he is aware) but also when I went to work for “SPAWN” Todd McFarlane toys The president of the company, Ken Xena, & I became really good friends & he became kind of a mentor to me. I worked w/them for about 7 to 8 years, wearing many hats I inevitably learned a lot. Ken (Who has since passed away) & his cousin Tony Velado had over 60 years of experience collectively & I used my privileged position to soak up all the information & experience I could from them both.

Style & Process

How would you describe your style of piecing?

S: Arduous! *(check the video @27:00 for the full answer) *Well Worth It*

What’s your process when starting a new piece of work?

S: I take into account the theme which the client themselves might want, composition in which I want to present my work, ideas & inspiration I want to bring to the table (regardless of when they came to me) & this is all before I even commit pencil to paper. I never had anything to prove, now more so than ever, anything I work on has to come from a real place. If I’m not passionate about what I’m creating, then I see no point in bringing it to fruition; not to say my process is always like this because as I’ve taught you adaptation is key -in all aspects of life not just art.

Opinions & Advice

S: I know you to be an extremely opinionated man, especially when you’re passionate about the topic that is being spoken about; so you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to but)

What’s your opinion on the current state of the art form which you have given your life to? -graffiti
[Meaning the blurred line between “urban art” legal walls, murals & all the hoopla surrounding it]

S: I feel, just like in music, there are too many middlemen mucking up the space in which the creators do their thing. *(Watch the interview for a full breakdown & analysis)

Do u have advice for any entrepreneuring young writer/bomber who hopes to one day graduate to piecing at a caliber like yourself...

S: Learn the history of graffiti because you’re not going to be able to take it anywhere if you don’t know where it’s been, & learn the rules so you can inevitably break ‘em. Draw up a blueprint & follow through on your plans, yet at the same time don’t be beholden to that plan  because if I’ve learned anything; life is all about rolling w/the punches.. Regardless of the obstacle in question, reaching the other side as unscathed as possible; while still holding true to some version of your plan.

The takeaway for me it’s clearly evident and If I had to encompass that entire interview into one word it would be;  ADAPTATION

   It’s what I am all about, guess you can call it my LIFE’s GOAL; or at the very least the Standard in which I steadfastly live by.
For if I cannot adapt to the constant & ever changing requirements of the world (that truly are mostly hurdles that can be overcome), then I wouldn’t be much of a trendsetter would I; nor would my talents still be sought after to this day.

   Your response to a problem is what’s most important, because they are inevitably going to arise; as we all know life isn’t always sun beams & rainbows. It’s what we make of a cloudy day that tests one’s resolve. Are you going to bitch & moan because it’s not a perfect day for painting, will you paint anyway regardless of the weather attempting to steer you from your goal; or will you stay home & sketch so that at the opportune time you can produce something even better.

To find yourself a bit overwhelmed at times is understandable, but you gotta MacGyver that shit out; or end up relegated to being just another blip on the screen.

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Make Dollars Outta Doughnuts

4/27/2020

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Good Day, night, or afternoon to all you artists (we’re all artistic @ something -even if it’s just surfing the Internet) perusing h3soul. Due to circumstances beyond my control (namely a 13yr old MacBookPro) I’m truly saddened to say that my exposé / interview w/the inimitable “SNOW” will not be featured today, because if I can’t do it full form then I won’t do it @ all; put your best foot forward and all that jazz. Yet as they have said on Broadway for a century or so “The Show Must Go On” & by hook or crook it Damn sure will, as long as I’m blinking & breathing. So let us make lemonade out of these lemons, continuing the building of this solid art foundation we’ve been constructing for the last couple weeks; by checking out some of the artists from around the world whose artistic prowess I seek out daily -cuz they’re never in short supply of inspiration & rest assured my fellow intrepid artists that’s
-The strongest ingredient in any art gumbo.

"Helio Bray"

"Emede Meos"

“YOUNGBROKESICK” ‘HONEY’

“RASKO”

Graffiti “GHOST” EA Crew

“SMOE NOVA”

Digital “Does”

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Carmelo "Snow" Sigona - ARTMAGGEDON on MTV2's SUCKER FREE Countdown

4/19/2020

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On 9/25/11, FDS's own Carmelo "Snow" Sigona was featured on MTV2's SUCKER FREE Countdown. He is the first graffiti artist to be interviewed and given national recognition on MTV. Check it out!!!

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