FYI, is a rapper that has an authentic and casual flow to his presence. Hard-hitting lyrics, and showing real hip-hop and rap has returned and it's just one of the many elements FYI has to his artistry. He released his single “Boom” produced by iLLMind, a Grammy nominated producer who has produced for other bar-centric emcees. It immediately begins with his exclusive raw flow similar to the likes of artists like J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar, who speaks about real things going on and captures your attention by the uncut lyrics without any fabrication of transparency in their artistry. Rather direct or indirect, FYI is showing us the true definition of a emcee. Someone who lyrically spits the truth in a bold approach without holding back or fear of judgement. For that matter, I respect FYI a lot as an artist and rapper and his single “Boom” was able to hit harder for me. FYI has the unique urban, underground, upcoming rapper energy to him. The determination, drive and hunger to become the next big hit maker without losing their personal authenticity is the most riveting trait about him.
Listen to FYI's new song "Boom". Get to know more about FYI and his music with our exclusive BuzzMusic interview.
Mind telling our readers a little bit about your upbringing and how you got into music?
My parents divorced when I was 4 years old, but my pops was always present in my life. My mother was a single mother until I was 9 years old and then I met my eventual step-father. Both my parents were into music and as a kid music was always present in my house. That's black households; they usually have a lot of soul in them and my family structure was not an exception. My mom had old school rappers that she liked to bump, but the person that actually got me into hip-hop was my step-pops. I guess it was because he was 10 years younger than my mom and only 12 years older than me when I met him. So he was kind of like an older brother in a strange way and my moms was the OG version of a cougar back then (laughs). Anyways, my step-pops being from the east coast really put me on game to hip hop in a way that I didn't see coming from California at that time. I was not hip to how deep the culture was but he lead me to get into that late 80s early 90s hip hop. That was my foundation and how I feel in love with music especially hip-hop. I was turned out after that so I used to groove (dance) coming up and started rapping when I was like in 6th grade or so. From that point on, I freestyled at school, battled kids after school, battled kids at school dances or community recreation centers, rapped at house parties, freestyled with the homies, any and everything to be a part of the culture. I was on it early for real. Then it grew into a more professional mind set and me wanting to create song concepts and then make albums.
When you first heard the track with no verses, what was your initial vision for the song?
Be aggressive. I understand more and more when I'm making records that the music dictates the subject matter and the feel. The track for "Boom" is aggressive, it has a f*ck you this is me attitude to it. So the lyrics have to reflect that feel. Once I got the vibe for the track then I knew what direction I wanted to take the song lyrically. I definitely wanted to cater to those that like to listen to high level lyricism and appreciate gritty sounding hip hop. !LLMind produced the track for "Boom" and he's worked with Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Jay-Z so the bar is set high and I wanted to approach the track showcasing that I'm here to go toe-to-toe with the heavyweights and land blows too. I'm coming for the belt.
You have a raw and uncut style of rapping, any influences from back in the day?
My favorite rapper is NaS, but I was also like OutKast (both members), Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, Black Thought of the Roots, Common, stic.man from Dead Prez, Cee-Lo Green (when he was in Goodie Mob), vintage Ice Cube; and the list goes on. I always gravitated towards emcees that had a message in their music and enjoyed the craft of emceeing. I was always drawn to artists that approached the craft outside the box and gained mainstream success on their own terms.
Out of all the songs you’ve written, which would you say has impacted you the most?
That's a good question. I think its too early to tell still. Personally, I have an attachment to all the records I've written for different reasons. Each song is like a time capsule for me; I know exactly what was going on in my life at the time a particular record was made. At this point, every song impacts the growth of my artistry and my goal is to make bigger and bigger moments through the music each time I release new music. So presently, the song that is impacting me the most is Boom and my new album as a whole, Herecember 20NOW.
What’s the major plan for 2019?
Stay active and keep building a larger following. Being consistent is the key. I plan to release a video to my next single, SYS, from my new album, Herecember 20NOW. Also I'd like to tour and would like to release another album in 2019.
Connect with FYI on social media:
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/FYIpsalms
Facebook: FYIpsalms