Celis – Q&A Interview
– Congrats on the new project Celis, let the fans know who you are, where you got your stage name, and where you are from?
I was originally born in Durham, NC AKA Bull City but was raised 30 min north of Durham in a small town called Roxboro. My rap moniker Celis, is actually a nickname given to me by my best friend’s (Brandon) older brother Alvin. He’s been calling me Celis since I was 8 years old and it’s stuck with me ever since.
– How is the scene in your area? Is Hip Hop a thriving market in your part of town? What separates you from other artist on the similar tip as you?
Honestly, hip hop in the Triangle area of NC is not the best. There’s a couple of artist that are bubbling on the underground scene and a couple of battle rappers from the area that have made a name for themselves in the URL Battle League but that’s about it. I think what separates me from other underground artist is my approach to making songs as well as my presentation. In every song I do I attempt to display my lyrical ability but at the same time make something that’s sonic to the ears. I believe everything has to work together to provide a balance. It’s not only about what you say but how you say it as you have to match your flow or cadence to the beat in order to develop a great song.
– Let’s talk about your new EP, “Delayed Gratification“, who contributed to it?
All of the songs on my EP were written by me with the exception of “This Is the Rock” in which my good friend Capital R provides a guest verse. My brother K$ng V$nny, who you can hear on the CD’s intro help me come up with some of the concepts for my songs and also was my biggest critic making sure that my project was up to par before release. Production mainly includes beats from another child hood friend B-Swiss (brother of Capital R) and Kid Azul a producer based out of Greensboro, NC. All songs were recorded, mixed and mastered by Jesse Clark of Evenform Studios in Raleigh, NC
– The remix to the single “Test Me” is a track you can’t ignore off the project. How did the remix come about?
The original Test Me is one of my favorite tracks on the EP. I released the track about 3 to 4 months ago on the internet on various websites and Facebook groups where an up and coming producer based out of the UK, Fremisbeatz heard it. He loved the track so much that he asked if he could get my vocals so he could do a remix to it. I really didn’t know what to expect at first being that I didn’t know this guy other than us communicating back and forth through Facebook but when he returned the finished project I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.
– I’m sure we all remember the days when artwork use to be a main selling point for an album, on top of great music. I really like the EP artwork! Who designed it? Break down the concept of the cover.
Yeah I do, some times it seems like a thing of the past. All of the artwork was designed by me. My EP is entiled Delayed Gratification because it took me so long to make this project. I originally wanted to release it back in 2014 but it just didn’t materialize at the time. I choose Delayed Gratification as a metaphor for the EP meaning that even though it took me a while to create it, when you finally hear it you realize that it was worth the wait. The cover art displays a tiger waiting to prounce on it’s prey. When a tiger hunts, it silently sneaks up on it’s prey waiting patienly for and opportunity to strike at the right moment. I feel that my project is just that.
– If you can describe the project in one word, what would you say?
Celis
– Any PR currently in the work on behalf of the project?
Right now I’m in the beginning stages of really promoting my project. I just recently link up with Indiespeaks.com to have them display my EP on their blog and with the help of you I hope to bring my music to a brand new audience. I’m looking to do some shows in the next couple of weeks as well as creating some visuals for my music.
– Our famous question! What is your definition of underground hip hop? How does it relate to your indie grind?
Underground music to me means music in which the artist has full creative control. Unless you have enough power in the music industry, most mainstream artist do not have the luxury of being able to create whatever they want because of the record labels they’re sign to. I would love the opportunity to have my music heard on a world wide scale but at the same time I still want to have creative control over my projects.
– Let’s drop some links where fans could easily find your music.
You can find the latest updates on me and my music on my official website, www.CelisMusic.com
Other links include:
facebook.com/celismusic
instagram.com/celismusic
twitter.com/celismusic
youtube.com/celismusic
soundcloud.com/celismusicofficial
– Lastly, any shout out you would like to give?
Yeah, I would like to thank everyone that had a hand in creating this project. K$ng V$nny, Capital R, B-Swiss, Kid Azul, Fremisbeatz, Jesse Clark and DemiGod. DemiGod is another local rapper that sometimes provides me with guest verses. Even though he’s not on the EP, he was very helpful with providing ideas and if it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t even be rapping. Lastly, I would like to thank Underground Hip Hop Blog for the opportunity to display my music. Thanks guys I really appreciate it.
