A Rapper in New York

 

 

 

For the Oral History of NYC-based on musician, I interviewed Bradley Alex Stewart, an up and coming Rapper from Briarwood, New York. This is the transcription.

Notation: AA= Ahmed Ashraf (Me); AS: Bradley Alex Stewart (AS)

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AA: Tell me a bit about yourself, in general.

AS: Well, I am a 17 year old artist. I wouldn’t say I am glued to any genre but instead I combine influences to create my sound. I play guitar, I rap of course and I make my own beats.

AA: Very interesting! Were you born in New York or did you migrate to NY?

AS: I was born in New York.

AA: How long have you lived in NY?

AS: Ever since I was born, 17 years.

AA: Did you live in different parts or boroughs of NY?

AS: Well, from when I was born to when I was 5 I lived in Jackson Heights. Then I moved to Jamaica and have been living there ever since.

AA: Did you notice any specialty in these different places?

AS: There was more of a community in Jackson Heights whereas Jamaica, the people are more independent.

AA: Which one of them do you prefer?

AS: Jamaica. I would not have met the people I have if it was not for living in Jamaica.

AA: Now, let’s talk a little bit about your musical background. Is your family musical?

AS: No not really, my dad would play jazz around the house, but that is about it.

AA: But they do support your musical interests, right?

AS: Yes, they do, unless it interferes significantly with my education

AA: So, you are not thinking about pursuing music as a career. Your interest is rather recreational.

AS: No. I am definitely pursuing music as a career.

AA: Fascinating! Then I am guessing you are studying something related to music. Am I right?

AS: I had been taking guitar lessons for a few years but stopped last year. Usually I do my study at home. For the most part I learned guitar by myself

AA: You mentioned that you are a rapper. So, I’m guessing, you are somewhat active in the Hip-Hop scene of New York.

AS: Yeah. I would say somewhat. The scene is mostly on the internet

AA: OK. Who or what inspired you to be a rapper?

AS: What inspired me is the power held within the voice of a rapper. As a rapper, the youth is your audience and the words chosen can be utilized to either educate or show my perspective. The main reason for my involvement in music is to get my messages across. I feel that through music, my messages can be consistently revisited by the youth and understood.

AA: What are the main subjects of your songs? What are the messages you want to deliver to the people?

AS: My messages are: 1. to display the power within an individual, without the need of outside help, 2. the negatives within the government and the control of people, 3. open mindedness, and 4. the power the youth has to make positive change in our society.

AA: You mentioned that you make your own sound and beat. How does that help in delivering your messages? What kind of sounds resonate the most with your audience?

AS: Well, I consider my sound to be both spacious and spontaneous. I use a lot of reverb in my music due to the fact that the songs I make sound like it is echoing through a room. This provides a sound that to me attacks all surroundings. The spontaneous characters of my songs help to show the unpredictability of the reality we live in. When I compose an instrumental I make the sound illustrate an emotion and use the words to provide the overall character to the song.

AA: OK. From my understanding, each rapper has a unique style of writing lyrics and delivering them to their audience. How would you define your lyrical and delivery style?

AS: Within my lyrics, I have developed a style where each word can generate a different interpretation based on the word you connect it too. So within an entire verse I talk about various topics and each word can connect with another in an authentic way. This generates a different vibe and understanding at almost every listen

AA: Can you give me an example?

AS: Sure.

“Signal weakened preaching pistol eating for subjective reasons, objective second to second to gather seconds given the lenience. Lineage, hung up for artificial obedience”

So, within that excerpt, I am discussing how internally our connection with the world has weakened due to the fact that others are defining what we need to know and how we learn it

AA: Very intriguing indeed. Who are your favorite rappers or musicians from any other genre? Did these artists influence you when pursuing Hip-Hop? Have any of them influenced your writing style?

AS: My favorite rappers have to be Nas, MF DOOM and Kanye West but within other genres Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Funkadelic, Wes Montgomery, and a bunch of other Jazz artists. MF DOOM has significantly influenced my writing style due to his word play and just raw mentality

AA: When was the first time you played in front of an audience? How was that experience?

AS: The first time I played in front of an audience was at my school for a show in which a bunch of bands and artists got to perform. The experience was amazing, it felt empowering to be able to control the crowd and share my messages with them all

AA: Do you play music within New York? How regularly?

AS: Well in regards to performing at venues, I have performed at a couple. Other than that, I am more concentrated on rising through the internet.

AA: Tell me about one or two of the performance in the venues in New York.

AS: Well, one in particular. I do not remember the place exactly, but the show was called Goodbye Blue Monday in which a bunch of bands and artists came and performed. I performed with a band whose name is Erraticus. It was a small venue and we did around 3 original songs together. I was rapping in this performance.

AA: Did you perform anywhere outside of New York?

AS: No, I have not, unfortunately.

AA: Outside of NY, where would you like to perform?

AS: No place in particular, but LA or Chicago if I had the opportunity.

AA: Any particular reason for LA or Chicago?

AS: They both have great music scenes and I would love to be a part of them.

AA: How do you think your experience as a musician would differ in LA or Chicago than NY?

AS: Not much at all actually. Both places have a heavy music scene similar to New York in a sense that there is a bunch of talent. I would be given more opportunity to connect with other artists.

AA: Trailing on that, what do you think of the music scenes of NY?

AS: I think it is great for artists who are looking to gain popularity. But for hip hop artists, it is more difficult since a person standing and rapping is not as entertaining as a band playing.

AA: Do you think that it is easier for musicians to make themselves known in NY?

AS: I believe so, because there are so many opportunities in NY. You just have to look for them.

AA: OK. How has NY, as a city, and the people of NY influenced your music?

AS: There is so much going on in NYC, so much to see, so much to do, which reflect my music in which there is always so much going on and so many different aspects of it.

AA: So, you also try to show NY in your songs?

AS: I do not try. It just happens. My music is influenced by my surroundings and the city is what I am surrounded by.

AA: How has NY influenced you as a person?

AS: It has made me very open minded, determined and street smart.

AA: What do you mean by “street smart”?

AS: Like, how to get around the city safely, what to do and what not to do and how to engage with different people etc.

AA: What is something you cherish about NY? If you could change one thing about NY, what would it be?

AS: I cherish the authenticity of its people and how we are all connected through this magnificent city. I cannot think of anything I would want to change about NYC.

AA: How has music influenced you as a person?

AS: It has made me more open to other cultures since each culture has their own different music.

AA: Which music from other cultures do you like?

AS: Latin music in particular.

AA: Now, how do you think music affected NY?

AS: I think it is the opposite. NY affected music. Since there are so many cultures, different genres are clashing and artists are gathering different influences.

AA: But, wouldn’t you say the different music from these cultures had impact on the people of NY as well as the city.

AS: When you think about it that way, yes.

AA: Would you like to make any general comment about NY’s music culture?

AS: NY’s music culture is on the rise once again. Within the first decade of the 2000s it had died, but now I feel it is rediscovering itself

AA: What do you think are the key characteristics of this rediscovery?

AS: New sound and an energized youth following the movement.

AA: Okay, then. Thank you for your time, Bradley. I appreciate it. I wish you well on your journey towards musical fame and serenity.

AS: You are welcome and thank you for your wish.