Honor Flow Productions is a Los Angeles based trio, spitting old-school rap with a timeless message. In 2019 they were embraced by communities around the world. After completing a summer tour in Japan entitled The Nice To 三つ:ミツ Tour and headlining a show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, the band knew that they had to keep the ball rolling into 2020 and released the visuals for their single "It’s All Love".
The video for "It's All Love" features all three members of Honor Flow Productions: DJ Chuck “thE oLd SouL”, ELIMN8 and DJISLORD as they take us on a journey through their city, their past, and introduce us to the people who have impacted them. As the video begins we are shown DJ Chuck as he’s being photographed professionally, this shot is juxtaposed by one of him standing in a schoolyard; presumably, the one where he spent his youth.
The rapper recounts the moments in his childhood, that feel so far away from who and where he is now. ELIMIN8’s lyrics, tell the story of a time when the odds were stacked against him and the only person who believed in him was his mother. Visually, we see that he is now healthy, happy and successful. The message shared in this song is subtle but strong. Through its storytelling and visuals, the spectator is filled with hope that things do get better. Staying true to their west coast heritage, this Cali trio made sure to show love to the city of dreams in their new visuals. Los Angeles streets and skylines blend perfectly with the laid back hip hop beat. It’s plain to see that HFP loves what they do, and I’m sure you will too.
Stream "It's All Love" on Spotify.
Hey Honor Flow Productions, welcome back to Buzz Music and thank you for being here. The new visuals are so chill and we love it. How did you come up with the storyboard for this video? DJ Chuck “thE oLd SouL”: Thank you for having us again! Much appreciated. The music video for “It’s All Love” was a collaboration between the three of us and filmmaker Andrew “GreenGreeem” Choi. This is the second straight music video we have shot with him, with “Elevation” being the first. It was a long time coming given Andrew, ELIMN8, and I attended our first two years of college together and we always wanted to work with each other. The stars just aligned right with these two music videos. Our process with him is very much throwing a list of ideas to the wall, based on the concept, musical sonics, and lyrics theme of the track, and seeing what sticks. With “It’s All Love,” given it’s an ode to our upbringing and the people and places that made us who we are today, combined with the music being very breezy with a West Coast feel, we wanted it to be up close, personal and bright in colors. ELIMN8: I like to think we trusted Andrew’s vision for how the video should look. Of course, we had our creative input listened to, but he was already ahead of the game. He simply had a great vision of how things should look because he enjoyed the song. DJisLORD: We just wanted to represent our city, the City of Los Angeles as an additional character to our music video. L.A. wasn't going to be just in the background and the places we chose to shoot at depicted that to pay homage to Chuck and ELIMN8's childhood and teenage life.
DJ Chuck “thE oLd SouL”: For me, “It’s All Love” is maybe my favorite video we have shot thus far because it’s so personal. Having my moms and little sister in the video, shooting scenes on the basketball court at my junior high, the place where I first started to rap, was a full-circle moment. And that is just two Easter eggs from all 3 of us that we incorporated in the video. We shared so much ourselves on-screen that upon multiple viewings, you’ll learn something new about H.F.P. This song is very honest, with a positive message of hope. What advice would you give a young fan, when it comes to chasing their dreams? ELIMN8: There are so much *Laughs.* I’ll land on telling a fan not to tell everyone their dreams. We live in a world where people play it safe and as a result, won’t put it all on the line to go after what they want. Most people only see that dream from the perspective of playing it safe and try to talk you out of it. Dreams are best seen put into action. Lord: Allow yourself to make mistakes and do not be afraid of failure. Be honest, unapologetic with your dreams, and most importantly be genuine and authentically yourself. Pursue your dreams like the body needs oxygen to breathe. Love what you do and if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. Chuck: The road to chasing your dreams is an extremely long, uphill battle. It is truly the road less traveled. But if you are in it for the right reasons, and absolutely love what you do, everything is worth it. There is nothing more fulfilling to me personally than being a musician. Every bit of it brings me joy. The old saying “it takes 10 years to become an overnight success” rings true to our story and has become a defining characteristic for this band. We have close to a 15-year history and we are JUST now benefiting a little of the fruits of our labor. So for anyone, if you feel in your heart and soul that your dreams are calling you and you can not go a day without thinking about it, you have to take a leap of faith, leave room for the magic and go for it. One of the worst things in life to me is having regrets. To achieve the impossible, your decision making requires you to operate with no regrets. You guys accomplished so much in 2019. What was it like touring in Japan and headlining at The Troubadour? ELIMN8: Japan was for me were things coming full circle. I lived in Ibaraki way back when teaching junior high school English. Before I left, I told myself that the next time I would come back, it would be as an artist, and I did. Coming back for the tour was just right. It was probably the most relaxed I felt in a long time. It was great speaking Japanese and being around the people. I love Japan; it’s my second home. Lord: Japan was amazing; it’s freakin JAPAN! The food, the people, the sites, and the music scene was probably the most authentic experience we have ever been a part of! It was HOT and HUMID. I probably lost 30 lbs out there *laughs.* The reception from the Japanese audience and fans was phenomenal. It's humbling to know despite the language barrier they knew the words to our songs and gleefully sang along. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it every time. Chuck: I stand by what I said previously when we sat down with ya’ll right before we left for Japan, “The Nice to 三つ/ミツ Tour” is one of my proudest moments in the history of Honor Flow Productions. We have always intended for H.F.P. to be worldwide and take our music beyond the sunny shores of Southern California, and our first time accomplishing this was unforgettable. Each night, we were on the bill with some of the best local talents in each respected city; top-notch, masters of their craft, and brought out the very best in us on stage. We made it a point to watch and support each band because as we said on stage every night, we were thankful that they accepted us in their music scene for that night. All of those bands could have easily said “fuck these L.A. guys” and left before our set started *laughs.* But to get respect, you gotta give respect; and there were so much love and respect on and off the stage from everyone we interacted with. That love and respect actually still continues to this day as we have kept in touch with some of the bands we played with and have introduced their music to our peoples here back home and vice versa. It was actually my first time in Japan, while Lord and especially ELIMN8, have already spent time out there before. I was completely wide-eyed with every step I took out there. Every moment I kept thinking “I can’t believe we actually pulled this off and we’re out here on tour!” I think that wide-eyed spirit and energy was perfectly captured in the documentary we released on the tour. We will without question, most definitely be back on tour in Japan in the near future. ELIMN8: The Troubadour was dope in its own way too. It was H.F.P.’s first time headlining there in a while. Lord: The Troubadour was a fantastic show. We were surrounded by amazing artists, family, friends, and fans, It was a great homecoming especially coming back from Japan and performing to the hometown crowd. Chuck: The three of us concluded before we even landed back in Los Angeles, that our next hometown show couldn’t be just anywhere. You don’t go on tour internationally and play your next show back home in a dive bar or in someone’s backyard [laughs]; at least not immediately after. We had to continue to take things up to another level. So for a couple of months, we were in contact with venues and bookers looking for the right show, and the opportunity to return back to the legendary, hardwood floor stage of The Troubadour for the first time in seven years, a headlining show at that, was the right show we were looking for. Just in the short time span for us preparing for the Japan tour, we grew so much as performers and we wanted to give our hometown family, friends, and supporters that same “Big Stages Only” set that we constructed for “The Nice to 三つ/ミツ Tour,” with some additional surprises. One of those surprises being the incredible, powerhouse vocalist, Tricia Isabela joining us on stage. It was such a privilege to play at a historical venue rich with history again; especially at a moment when we are really hitting our strive as a band. 2019 was a breakthrough year for us and ending it at The Troubadour was a powerful statement. In this video, you remember the past so you can appreciate your present. What can we expect from you guys in the future? ELIMN8: As always, the fans can expect an honest glimpse into the world from our perspectives, via dope music and great interviews! Also, nothing short of global domination. We know we’re dope. I think Japan showed us that we can rock in front of anyone, anytime. While I was able to emcee a bit in Japanese, we were still working with a language barrier and had the crowd rocking. I have a feeling Europe will be next! Lord: If the universe aligns and it helps conspire with us, lord willin' another world tour. But stay tuned. Like a good book, a great movie, and one of your favorite shows that will leave you hanging, it’s to TO BE CONTINUED. Chuck: I echo the sentiments of my brothers, along with these possible clues… while we’re not done with presenting The B.L.A.C.K. Odyssey experience to the world just yet, both on stage and visually, we are always, like Rakim once said, “Thinking of a master plan.” We’re always up to something. And I’ll leave it at that. But with that said, we must emphasize how incredibly blessed and forever grateful to everyone that lends their ears to our music and supports Honor Flow Productions. We promise this “odyssey” is just getting started.