The mission of this series is to give local artists, of any medium, the recognition they deserve. This month, we pushed to get a little more variety in the artists we feature, and Mikey’s vibrant and culturally engaging art is what captured our attention the most. It was a pleasure to sit down and speak with him.
Mikey is a Maryland native artist who grew up in Waldorf. You may have seen some of his artwork spread out across Twitter and Instagram. He blends his passion for painting and his love for the culture and creates unique and flavorful pieces. Mikey first started painting about two years ago, in late November. His first creation was a red spade, from there he simply hasn’t stopped.
He explained to me what art means to him. It lets him express his creativity and deciphers the thoughts and ideas in his head and puts it in a physical form. His motivation to keep creating really increased when he posted his artwork to Twitter. There, Mikey posted several of his completed pieces and the response was unbelievable. He received over five hundred retweets and over twelve hundred likes on one post. The world seemed to like his art as well and he garnered an audience for himself via social media.
The Baltimore born artist has had a tremendous amount of support from the local community since his start. He told me about his art showcases that he regularly puts on at his job, Proud Mary. He sites his mother and cousin as his biggest supporters. Making art your career isn’t always easy for your family to grasp, but Mikey’s family was very supportive of his creative steps. His mother knew from the beginning while his dad was simply happy for him finding his purpose.
We went on to break down his inspirations. Mikey has always been a fan of cartoons such as ‘The Boondocks’ and ‘Hey! Arnold’, however, he’s not much of a fan of the newer cartoons. This is what lead him to recreate his favorite cartoons in his pieces and make them his own.
Vibrant colors in whatever I do, unless it has a meaning.
He uses faceless characters in order to pay homage to the Black Lives Matter movement. He cares deeply about the system and the unlawful murders and convictions of African Americans and he uses his platform to keep that awareness going. I asked him who would be his dream client to complete a painting for would be. His top pick, the late and great Tupac, with J Cole, Lil Yachty and Joey Badass following.
In the future, Mikey would like to be an art teacher. Although he doesn’t agree with the current structure of art classes in public schools, he wants to teach the technique and let students find their niche in the art world. “You have to have the audience to teach”, he explained to me, “I want art to ultimately be a thing to escape to”. He wants the next generation to see his own art and feel that they can do whatever they want, as long as they work hard and do what it takes to make it happen.
Mikey has a lot of big plans for himself and his mission to get art back into the community. He wants to set up a paint session for others in the DMV area and encourage others to express themselves through art. He’s also in the early stages of creating his own clothing line, merging fashion with his artwork.
This is the third installment to our monthly features and the talent is only getting better and better. The DMV is a salad bowl of different cultures and influences and in this month’s article, we put a spotlight on an artist that blends his Gambian roots with the sounds of the city- Fó Bligg.
From the beginning of the phone call, I knew the conversation between Fó Bligg and myself was going to be interesting. His energy was high level mirrored the energy often heard in his music, like Bad Ting. We introduced ourselves and jumped right into to the interview. I wanted to understand who Fó Bligg was as a person before an artist, which is where our conversation started off.
Fó Bligg, aka Foday, was born in Gambia in Western Africa and moved to Silver Spring when he was eight years old. Fó talked about his childhood and what it’s like growing up African in America. A culture switch such as that is huge for anyone, let alone a child. Do to the sudden change and he not knowing english, Fó recounts how quiet he was growing up. There was some bullying throughout the years, but he used his time alone and began making music, beats specifically, a language anyone could understand.
His musical ear started with his family. Fó explained how he’s always had music in his life. He didn’t have cable in his house growing up, therefore each room was filled with music, ranging from Arabic music to dance hall. He gained many of his musical influences from his family and artists like Akon, Usher, Biggie and Sean Paul, to name a few. This musical environment made it almost inevitable for Foday to be an artist. He started off making beats and developed into a producer. He credits his first creation as a track he made on a snow day off from school. As he perfected his craft, Fó set his eyes on getting a rapper on one of his tracks.
Fó sent his beats to local artists, trying to get someone to rap on them. After some time of little traction, Fó hopped on his own beats and put them on SoundCloud himself. He fell in love with being able to say whatever and make whatever he wanted. He didn’t take rapping seriously until his friends and family pushed him to reach his full potential. The second part of his name, Bligg, comes from his brotherhood of fellow artists. He shouts out his family, The Bligg, Parliament, Ajhebeh, Mehki Adams, and Daja Page as his support group and the people who push him and love him the most. And he never takes that love for granted. The people who support him mean everything to him.
I asked him about the message he wants to send out to his listeners. Fó explained that he wants to represent Africans among African Americans. He told me more about his middle school days of maneuvering amongst African Americans while learning the culture and the language. He credits this time of his life for making him tough and developing a thick skin.
You don’t have to go with the crowd
He built confidence and inherited his own style in high school. He got into sneakers and thrifting. He raved about thrifting and all of the good pieces you can find and make your own, if you actually look hard enough.
We finished the interview off with talks about the future. His next tape, he said, will be a mix of everything. He doesn’t want to sound like anyone else in the area. His sound is fresh and his musical versatility is unique due to his background. The best advice is to expect the unexpected. In five years, he wants to build a foundation here and have a couple tapes under his belt. His major goal is be to a global artist. He want his music to be known in his home country, Gambia, all over Europe and the rest of the world
As February comes to a close, its time to introduce our artist for this month to the world. This time around, we focused on who our audience thought deserved the spotlight the most and you guys introduced us to him, AlmightyHeezy. And yes, we definitely agree with your choice.
The Experience: Where are you from?
AlmightyHeezy: I’m Nigerian. I was born in DC but I grew up in the Lanham, Bowie area.
TE: When did you first start rapping?
AH: In 5th grade, I and a friend did a remix to “The Motto” for an MSA Pep Rally and while performing he froze and forgot his verse so I had to take the mic and finish it for him. Even before then I would always be writing verses trying to learn how to rap because we used to have rap groups come to church for events and I thought it was dope. I even first started recording with an iPhone earphone and taped a paper over it for a pop filter in my dad’s office.
With this in mind, AlmightyHeezy’s budding career doesn’t come as a surprise. He’s been around music since day one and has held a drive to become a rapper since he was little. He holds a level of confidence in himself and his music that only someone with a well-set plan could muster. His determination and focus are what led him to where he is now, and he’s not far from breaking the glass ceiling.
TE: How did you come up with the stage name “AlmightHeezy”?
AH: Couple years ago everybody had their squad groups and some were named off real artists. For example, there was a squad called “Guwop” based off Gucci, so I and my friends made our group almighty from chief keef, in the chat everybody’s name was Almighty with their nickname at the end. This girl gave me the nickname Heezy when we met each other in a group chat and found out both our names started with H’s so that’s what we called each other and I stuck with it.
TE: Do you feel your family has influenced your taste in music?
AH: Yeah, in a way. My brother is a producer in California he produced the beat for Nike Boots by Wale and has come up and worked with numerous big-name artist over the years and he’s really one of the people I look up to and he motivates me to do what I do and basically coaches me about the music industry so I don’t make the same mistakes he did as a young producer coming up in the game. I wanna be able to relieve my mom of financial stress so I do this for her because she’s been through so much like losing my father to cancer but she stays strong for all of us so it’s only right that she deserves the best. Even losing my father took a big toll on my life because that was the first close death I experienced, so yeah, everything with my family and my life, in general, has made what my music is today.
TE: When did you start taking your music seriously and knew you wanted to make it a career?
AH: I started taking music seriously around freshman year in high school, a lot of people I started making music with from middle school don’t make music now and I just held on to it and kept pushing getting better by the project song after song.
His solid support system from his family surely gives him an advantage that most up-and-coming artists may not receive. But who Heezy is an individual and an artist is completely organic and molded by himself. He takes his work seriously, and his passion for quality and consistency is all found in his songs. None of them are throwaways and some are even produced by him. The advice from brother over the years seems to be paying off. AlmightyHeezy essentially runs a miniature label for himself: he’s his own manager, producer, and publisher, another aspect of the game that many can relate to. Heezy is the boss regarding his career. He pushes his own music and doesn’t wait for anyone to do it for him. His music is available on iTunes, the big step for any independent artists wanting to turn their musical talent into a lifelong career.
TE: How did you find your sound and style? Your flow is distinct and refreshing, what was the process of finding who you are as an artist? AH: It took a long process to get the sound I have today. I used to get critiqued for sounding like my bro “BetSheWillz” for a time period because he was another influence on me when I first started using auto-tune but he would just get on me about it. And it got me to the point where I branched out completely to find my sound and style that people can identify with ease when they hear me on a track. Now that I produce I can literally make the song in my head as I create the beat and it’s easy because I know the sound that I want.
TE: A lot of people say that the DMV has a hard time showing each other love when it comes to the rap game. What’s your experience regarding that statement?
AH: It’s true, even till this day I still find it hard to find support from my own friends, and other artists in the area are too stuck up to work together. I also feel like artists that come up from the DMV aren’t doing enough to put people on in the area. There are people that really got talent and are working hard out here but just don’t get the attention they need because the DMV music scene is a clout thing and a lot of people only flock to what they see everybody else listening to. I’m going to change that when I get up if nobody else wants to. I’ll be more focused on bringing people up then actually putting music out after a while, I already got plans for my brothers I make music with and I plan to bring others along with me.
TE: You’ve produced some of your own released music, how did you start producing?
AH: I picked up producing a couple years ago, but never took it as serious as I do now. I lost a close friend last year, December, and it really motivated me to take it seriously, so I made a beat and did a song with him on the cover. After that, I knew I could do it full fledge. Then, I produced the beat for slime and from there I took off.
AlmightyHeezy is a soon-to-be star in his own right. The potential he sees for our area and its sound is inspiring, to say the least. He’s an artist with integrity and a great head on his shoulders. His humility and promise to help the community, in the long run, are admirable. It’s obvious that he truly cares about the love and support he receives from his music and not simply the fame that comes with it. We’ve seen greedy and egotistical artists before, and we all know how they usually turn out. Thankfully, Heezy doesn’t seem to be that type.
TE: What are your top 3 favorite artists, of any genre?
AH: Lil Uzi Vert is my favorite artist right now. Drake is another one, he’s a legend he knows how to keep his name relevant. Quavo got the smoothest voice and can lay any hook flawlessly and is crazy versatile.
TE: Your song “Too Late” takes a different approach musically from the rest of your Numb EP, as an RnB song. Will we see more of this in the future?
AH: My brother actually produced that one. Summer is coming around so the rap side is going to be coming out of me. Numb was an r&b project more so for the female crowd and I dropped it right before it started getting warm outside so it’ll carry on to the next season plus I made some upbeat songs that could be also translated to summer tracks as well. You’ll definitely hear more of that style down the line. Right now I’m sitting on multiple projects just waiting for the right time to drop them.
TE: Where do you want to be with your career in the next 5 years? AH: In 5 years I want to be established to the point where I can put my friends on and help people who are in the position that I’m in now and give them the platform they need to show people what they really got. I want to be able to buy my mom whatever she wants and let her enjoy the rest of her life, make sure my siblings are good and just take care of all my loved ones.
TE: What message do you want to send out to your listeners?
AH: I got at least 2 projects that I’m dropping before the year ends. Keep believing in me all the way. I got a lot of music on the way, coming sooner than you know so just keep cheering me on and supporting me for better for worse.
We’ll definitely be on the lookout!
The Experience: Any shoutouts or extra comments you’d like me to mention?
AlmightyHeezy: Shoutout to Shifiano, BetSheWillz, Skinny, Lord Mikey, RapKenji, Lean, & Rapsvmm it’s a lot more but this is my music family and we’re gonna make a lot of noise this year so watch out for us!
Coming into 2018, we at The Experience wanted to highlight artists and creatives across D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Each month we plan on showcasing local artists with a variety of talents. From music, to clothing, design, sports, entrepreneurship- anything that displays the creative future of the DMV. Searching for the first artist of the year was difficult. After calling out to the community, getting a variety of responses, and several days of looking through portfolios and profiles, we thought of no one better to be our January feature than YVE$AIN’TLAURENT.
A couple weeks ago I got to talk with YVE$, a young, talented artist from Silver Spring, Maryland, over the phone. I got to ask him all of the questions I had after going through his musical arhive. His lyrics are the first thing that stood out to me. YVE$AIN’TLAURENT’s lyricism is definitely above par. His vocabulary is broad and he uses it to his advantage. His capability of switching tempos and evolving his flow along with the fact that he doesn’t use the popular triplet rhythm that’s making its way through today’s rap music. He’s creating his own wave. All of this puts him in the top ranks of up-and-coming artist, without even mentioning the fact that he’s only seventeen. YVE$ shouts out the DMV in his music and collaborates frequently with his equally talented and unique friends. I also noticed his style and the 80’s, 90’s hip hop influences within his production. With all this in mind, I knew our conversation was going to be interesting, to say the least.
YVE$AIN’TLAURENT and I introduced ourselves and we dove into the interview. First, I wanted to know the origin of the artist. YVE$ described where he was from and gave me insight into his background. He’s a mix of West and Central African. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and moved to Burtonsville when he was in elementary school. While in Silver Spring, he grew up in 16th Street Summit Hills Apartments with his parents and older brothers. This is where his early musical influences were developed. He notes his brothers listening to Go Go and Rock in his early life, before he really got into hip hop. It wouldn’t be until a few years later, in 2007, that he would start listening to rappers like Lil Wayne and Nas.
From there, YVE$AIN’TLAURENT says his taste for music evolved. In his early high school years he mostly listened to New York and southern hip hop artists. He frequently listened to artists like the Underachievers, Joey Bada$$ as well as DMV artists Fat Trel, Oochie and Young Gleesh. Now, he listen to his favorite Go Go bands, hip hop legends such as Pac and Nas, and a number of DMV artists. His ear for older rap resonates in his music. His freestyle, One Time 4 Ya Mind, and song, Don’t Sleep, display this the best. The flow is cocky but smooth, similar to most 90’s rap music. His delivery is phenomenal and way above his age bracket. YVE$ likes to incorporate sounds from the music he personally likes. He told me, he tends to merge the sound behind the culture, from places such as Houston and Louissiana, into his music. In the outro of his collaborative project with his friends, Yams World 2, that southern vibe is present and makes it an instant hit.
YVE$AIN’TLAURENT went on to tell me about the beginning of his features with his friends. He teamed up with his friends in early 2015 to establish their rap brotherhood called Yams. They are a collective of versatile, driven young artists with a passion for hip hop, and each has their own solo rap career. YVE$ broke down the members of the group to me: CMack, Dazz , Hughe$, Lil Kenny and his brother 1Z Ka$hh. They have one mixtape named after their brotherhood, Yams World 2, out now. Their friends created No Limit, which the group wears and represents heavily. Brothers Bobby, Isaiah and Jafari, from NoLimit (a crew heavily associated with Yams), are the masterminds behind the brand NoLimit247 Clothing. Each artist has their own style and brings something refreshing to the table and they all benefit from each collaboration the do. The mixtapes are filled with underground hits and the variety of sounds it utilizes are bound to resonate with a listener on at least one track.
To finish the over-the-phone interview, I asked YVE$ about the message he wants to send out via his music. With lyricism as promising as his, he’s capable of packing a message into two and a half minutes of an entertaining and socially conscious song. He says he does keep it in mind. He’s aware of the “mumble rap” title that has been going around over the last couple of years. YVE$ told me that he plans to slip in commentary and knowledge while putting his lifestyle into his music, the good and the bad. He invites his listeners to experience life and grow with him.
Before signing off, YVE$AIN’TLAURENT gave us the exclusive on what he and his group have coming up in the next couple of months. He revealed that he has his own tape Mr Indecisive rolling out, along with visuals and the second installment to the Yams World mixtapes with his brotherhood. At seventeen, and college in the near future, YVE$ is putting everything he has into his music. His versatility and awareness of the game make him a strong competitor for who’s truly up next from the DMV.
QC: In July 2015. I saw another artist doing his thing on Twitter and he inspired me to try, then I fell in love with it.
This is the beginning of QuezCustomz. You’ve probably seen his work on twitter. His pinned tweet, posted in mid July of this year, features several of his custom shoe designs. It currently has over twenty thousand retweets. At this point, his talent and popularity is undeniable. I was able to talk to him about his work, where his ideas stem from and what he has planned for his future in fashion and customization.
TE: Who are your fashion inspirations?
QC: I don’t really have any tbh. I go by what I think goes.
His shoes are definitely unique. He starts off with a fresh pair of shoes, whether they are Nike, Adidas, New Balance etc. Then, he adds his own touch to it. Quez creates his own color ways and designs. A few of his shoes even feature floral embroidery and his own unique take on what a high street wear brands collaboration should look like. One of his most popular custom shoes are Yeezy Boost 350s with a Louis Vuitton x Supreme design.
TE: Favorite shoe brand and why?
QC: I never really thought about it before, but if I had to choose, I’d say Nike because they have the best selection in my opinion.
TE: What would you like to see change in the shoe industry?
QC: I would like to be the one to start the change I want to see in the industry. People should be able to have their sneakers look unique and be unique just like them. That’s what I want to create, freedom of expression in sneaker fashion and fashion in general.
Quez puts his money where his mouth is. Scrolling through his social media, one can find a variety of custom made shoes. Each color way and design is unique and different from the next. The shoes he uses fit different styles and needs. Whether one is a shoe head or not, he or she will be able to find a shoe perfect for that specific fashion sense. His passion doesn’t stop there. Quez is on a mission to change the fashion industry through his passion for quality and distinct style.
TE: Tips for anyone who wants to start customizing their own shoes?
QC: Do research. Educate yourself as much as possible. Consistency is key. Try and try and try over and over again. Never give up and remember to be original. You can admire someone’s work but never copy it.
His confidence in his work and future is remarkable for any eighteen year old. While his shoes speaks for himself, his grind behind the scenes is nothing to overlook. He creates each shoe design himself and completes personal orders for anyone who’s looking for a shoe that will fit their personality. Living in the DMV, the variety of styles is endless.
TE: Favorite shoe you’ve customized so far and why?
QC: I don’t have a favorite custom I’ve done so far. I fall in love with every new shoe I do because I see myself getting better and better.
Quez is passionate about each project that he starts. Each pair is hand painted. He doesn’t send them out without ensuring that everything is perfect and goes beyond his client’s expectations. With two years of experience and nearly twenty thousand people looking forward to his next post on twitter alone, his future in the fashion industry is bright.
TE: Do you plan on turning this into your own legitimate business?
QC: Yes. Let’s just say I’ve got huge plans for this. The sky is the limit.
After speaking with Quez, it’s obvious that he is a mogul in the making. He takes his craft seriously, presenting his artistry and creating his own small business while still in his high school years. His platform only continues to grow with each shoe he drops. Although he’s still young, his following is strong and his instincts for business and marketing will launch his customizations to the next level. With skills so mature and advanced for his age, his response to our final question brought him back down to earth.
TE: What do you do to stop and smell the roses?
QC: Go outside and see the world. I really just like to paint in my free time. Ya know, watch some old school cartoons or some anime, chilling, relaxinnn.
