Q&A With IC BOI

Hey IC BOI! Please tell us how many years have you guys been making music together?

Together? About a year or two. But I (Alex Wolf III) have been learning stringed instruments man, all types. Cello, bass, guitar, violin. Nissa has been making music for about three years, and for me it was like, definitely around 15 or 16 I got serious about making music and getting studio time. Learning. Noah picked up producing and rapping waaaay faster than me. Hella fast. Like Zoom. Great flow So our whole shit is finding new Dynamics and vibes for songs that click with people in a more honest way.

Who is older out of the two of you?

I’m older (Alex Wolf III) My bro Nissa is 19.

What separates you guys from many other brother duos?

It’s all a balancing act. We both love rap and hip-hop but also other genres so we want to balance each other’s sensibilities, his rap and hip-hop with my. . . (Everything else). Pushing the envelope on that as far as we can while STAYING having the catchy songs that can still get deep.

What separates us is our eclectic kinda influences we gathered and all that, and the directions we can spin off into while carrying over the same people who would be otherwise maybe not branch out into that genre. You feel? I like everything from MF DOOM to Tyler the Creator to The Pixies to Hendrix to BROCKHAMPTON (Fuck me, is that how it’s stylized?)

So we are pulling from all these different areas to mainly release rap, and some pop or indie here and there but mostly Rap, with a pop-like structure pulling from a range of inspirations that otherwise people usually don’t allow to happen. I say fuck all that, make new noise and see what clicks. That’s what it’s all about. Do you.

How are you guys coping with this whole Covid 19 situation?

I’m coping okay, let’s be real. I (1) Don’t have it and (2) I can spend more time at home creating, chilling and trying to grow our music career.

Tell us about your biggest Hip Hop influences?

My biggest influences, are hard to boil down. MF DOOM, BROCKHAMPTON and Tyler, the Creator all kind of are floating around in my head as I lay smoking up and writing lyrics. I remember feeling intense emotions hearing Tribe Called Quest and MF DOOM at a young age and it had a profound effect on me. I want to take people to more honest, personal rap that is me without having to filter it at all. Which works in music and all that, but not so much in life.

Please breakdown the creative process of your guys latest album “Depression & Demons”. And tell us a little about the album cover concept!

The creative process for Depression and Demons varies a lot because it’s a compilation album more mixtape style
But the purpose is to kind of have a compilation of all the different noises we can make which 80% involves hip-hop or rap.

We relax, hang out and get the TONE. Play music that makes you feel like you want people hearing your music to feel like.

Then on the synth or the guitar start a little percussion. Think of the song structure, Melody and raps. Create the structure, with words on paper and pen. Feel the emotions as you write and think of the structure and grab whatever you need from your brain to fill it in musically and lyrically. We love being alone in the booth, especially at professional studios because then after the beat and instruments are set we can just let loose.

But that’s neither here nor there, I recorded three in the CSP Music Group Studio in Atlanta after collaborating with my brother on lyrics and the creative direction. The rest Nissa records with our many (grateful as fuck for em) friends who are in school for producing or have already poured money into equipment so we don’t have to.

I threw on an indie type song that I recorded years ago in a studio as a young one that I think is gold. (Live Heart)

I threw on “Howl” which is recorded by our (amazing) friend Riley E. This dude travels with a studio that in just as capable as some professional studios I’ve been too because he loves producing. So we got to take advantage of that for a lot of these songs. So I think between all the above combined, this album is a combination of all that stuff.

Your honest opinion, out of all the songs on the project, which is the one song you guys feel stands out the most!?

For straight rap, I would say it’s a draw between “Naw FR” and “Howl” I always had an affinity for that one and it’s been received pretty well.

We have to ask, with all this social discourse and revolt, protesting and rioting, exposed police brutality toward blacks and BLM, how do you guys feel about this? We would love your guy’s perspective on the climate we are living in right now?

I feel like it was about damn time people stood up for not letting someone just get shot down or choked out by someone because they have authority and think they can get away with it even if it’s implicitly rascist.

The rioting as opposed to just protesting is bad bad though, let’s be real.

It’s a mix of bad and good that people got fed up.

Part of me wonders what happens if people would’ve done more 60’s style. Less anarchy, more organizing massive protests.

If it came down to 1 ALBUM only, what underground Hip Hop album would you guys consider THE BEST OF ALL TIME!!!???……One 1 album you can choose.

I would have to say Madvillainy by MF DOOM. No contest to me. I think given a chance as we have been more and more lately we can really grow into our own more and seeing what people react to more as our sound evolves.

What is your definition of “underground Hip Hop”.

Hip-Hop or rap that is rising or starting to become known, or has a more cult like following to it’s influences and maybe audiences too. It’s rap that is maybe outside of a style people would typically listen to to me.

Where can people find you on the web? Drop all the vital links.

An article about our first release (the is our second)
https://dopecausewesaid.com/dope-music/ic-boi-release-the-song-howl-off-their-smoke-alarm-ep?format=amp

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/1JWMfXfp5k4PE3oUe4CQ6I?si=9LKuOdjeTCu8RuBkCaN4LA

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/noah-irving-918725380/sets/depression-and-demon-ic-boi

Youtube: