Aramis – Q&A Interview
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?
I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI and I first started rapping and making beats back 98-99 under the name Silhouette. I was terrible back then though haha. I’ve been Aramis since about 2002. I’m also in the hip hop duo Tha Leaderz with Danny Rosea, though we are currently on hiatus as we are both pursuing our solo careers.
What influences you in making Hip Hop?
I just love and have a lot of respect for the art form. The first rapper I really got into was Coolio back when Fantastic Voyage came out. I used to play that song constantly and I still have it all memorized. My number one influence though is the legendary DJ Quik. He’s my favorite artist of all time. That dude can do it all, and has the some of sickest production I’ve ever heard.
Lyrically, my favorite MC’s are Tech N9ne, Tonedeff, Nino Bless, Rakim, Kool G Rap, Redman, Big Daddy Kane, Chino XL, Royce the 5’9 and Eminem, Those dudes can really spit, and I strive to be among their ranks.
Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?
My music can be described as straight up Underground Hip Hop with some Nerdcore and soul mixed in. I’m a big comic book, anime, and video game fan; so i definitely incorporate those elements into my music. I also am a stickler when it comes to creative wordplay and complex flows. I love creating very intricate rhyme schemes, writing tracks on a specific topic, as well as crafting stories people will find interesting.
Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?
Not including my fellow Grand Rapids MC’s, I’ve collaborated with a few notable Nerdcore artists like 1-UP, Alpha Riff, MC Ohm-I and Tekforce. As far as who I want to collab with in the future, that would first and foremost be DJ Quik; as well as Redman, Nino Bless, and Random (AKA Mega Ran).
Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?
My definition of underground hip hop is hip hop that stay’s true to the roots. Weather it be Boom-Bap, G-Funk, New School or whatever, it needs to have substance. It needs to sound authentic and be about more than the typical drugs, money, and women. Those elements can be there, but that cant be whats its all about.
Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production? And who would you like to work with?
My number one influence in production is DJ Quik. Close behind, are Eric Sermon and DJ Premiere. I would love to get the chance to work with any of them For all of my projects thus far, I’ve leaned heavily on instrumentals from producers selling beats online. Sometimes I’ll produce a few myself, but up until now that’s been rare. On my latest project, I produced 3 tracks, as well as enlisted the talents of Grand Rapids native Chip Vicious of Grey Theory. That dude is a monster on the beats. My favorite producer in my city.
Any current or future projects you are promoting?
I’m currently promoting my new album Sleight of Hand that dropped on 1/20/2015. It can be found on iTunes as well as my website.
Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of Sleight Of Hand (Album)? Also/ tell us a little bit about the concept and idea behind your Album Cover Art.
Sleight of Hand was about 7 months in the making. The idea was to go back to what influenced me first about hip hop and make something that incorporated all of my current interests. I wanted to give people a taste of classic underground, while at the same time delivering something new and refreshing. Above all else, I wanted to deliver something that was quality and not washed down for the radio.
I wanted something comic-book related when it came to the artwork, so i enlisted the help of my homeboy George Eberhardt III (AKA Papa Midnight); he’s a beast. In a nutshell, the front artwork represents the relationship between good and evil. Same for the back, but it also as touches on police brutality of minorities.
Where can we find your music and info?
You can find all my music, info, and links to my social media at http://www.aramis616.com.
Any shout outs?
S/O to Jous 82 (of Convotronics), George Eberhardt, Danny Rosea, Suport, Na$-T, 1-UP, Alpha Riff, Tekforce, Zach Guy (of Simien The Whale), Green Mitten, Biff Tannen, Ajax Stacks, Nych G, Nate Paulson, Dean Martian, A.B., Scott Erickson, Kevin Budzynski, Craig Franklin, my girlfriend, and all my friends, and family, and fans that supported me.
