218 (Cornelius Butler & Raz Law) – Q&A Interview
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?
218 is based in Philly but Cornelius is from, and represents hard, Boston, with Raz Law being from the surrounding Philadelphia area. We both have been making music since our early teens but it wasn’t until recently that music became more than a hobby and an art form that we took seriously.
What influences you in making Hip Hop?
Easily the biggest influence in our music would be Kanye and Childish Gambino. Artists like those two have had large influences on our music because of their ability to take risks. Most of our released songs, as well as the songs on the upcoming projects, don’t sound like the typical rap song. We take great enjoyment out of pushing our musical boundaries.
Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?
As mentioned above, the main thing that would separate us from other MCs would be our unique sound. I can guarantee no other artists, hip hop or not sounds like we do right now, and we’re only going to keep growing and keep changing. Besides that we have a code of consistency throughout our work. We don’t like filler songs, filler bars, etc. because you never know what line(s) would make someone a hater and someone a fan.
Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?
As of now there aren’t any major collabs but there will be a lot in the future. We’re always happy to work with other artists if they’re up to par. You never know what other people could bring to the table.
Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?
Underground Hip Hop, in 218’s words, is something that is still raw and untouched from the hands of the industry. It’s a sound that represents the artists at his or her core.
Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production? And who would you like to work with?
Production wise our biggest influences are mostly Kanye and Pharrell. Sounds generic now but in a deeper sense, at the time of their come up, nothing else sounded like what they were making and we have fun while simultaneously sticking out from the crowd.
Any current or future projects you are promoting?
Raz Law has an upcoming EP, his solo debut, titled “Echos” coming May 5th and Cornelius Butler has his debut solo project “Good Spirits” coming this summer.
Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of SHOW TUNES? Also/ tell us a little bit about the concept and idea behind your Album/Mixtape Cover Art.
The project itself was pretty random, we had a selection of songs that we wanted to perform but weren’t released so, a couple cuts later, Showtunes.
Where can we find your music and info?
You can keep up with us and stay updated on our Facebook Page “218 Music” as well as our individual twitter accounts
@CorneliusButluh
@Need4Sheed_
Any shout outs?
Big shoutout to Rotation Records for helping us with the whole recording process as well as a shoutout to 610 Entertainment Group and the whole C.R.E.A.M team group in Boston.
