Q&A With Johnny Smoke

DoomstwinOctober 5, 2020

Hey Johnny Smoke! Please tell us how long have you been making music?

First, thank you for your time. Time is the greatest gift we can give each other, I truly appreciate it.

I started rapping at the age of 10 and recorded my first song at age 11. I think that was 1984.

I went with my pop to pick up my older brother from a teen night at this local club.

Went in to use the bathroom and the DJ heard me rapping. He pulled me up to the DJ booth and handed me the mic.

He booked studio time and I recorded a song that got some local radio play.

When I was 19 I was briefly signed to Quincey Jones’ label Qwest/Warner. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) that project was never released.

Most importantly, how did you come up with your rap name?

The name found me.

I’m an avid cannabis consumer.

When I get stressed my lady always says “Smoke up Johnny” a quote from the movie breakfast club.

So I just decided to own that shit Johnny fuckin’ Smoke!

What separates you from all the other rappers in your city?

I’m probably going to die before a lot of them. Hahaha

I’m 46. I’m battle worn, been through a lot of shit in that time.

I produce, write, perform, and engineer my own records. Mix & Master was done by my brother Platinum Engineer Eric Racy.

I’m also billboard chart topping producer and award winning songwriter.

I’ve worked with Owsla/Atlantic, Universal Pictures, Bravo Network, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network…

In a few words, how would you describe your sound?

Counterculture. Psychedelic Grunge.

How are you coping with this whole Covid 19 situation? Has it delayed any new music production by any chance?

I have social anxiety (among other things) so being in the house a lot is my normal. I mean… I made this project. Sooo I guess it hasn’t delayed much for me. Getting features was difficult. Everyone locked up at home. Lot of artists don’t have a home studio to record themselves.

Please breakdown the creative process of your new self-titled album . And tell us a little about the album cover concept!

I usually have several songs going at once. I rotate between them as I feel myself getting too familiar with any one particular song. Coming at it fresh is really important. That raw energy.

The cover is inspired by the liquid light shows of the 60’s & 70’s. These were/are art performances usually accompanied by music.

Layers of colored mineral oil and alcohol move under the heat of the lamp and produce changing color patterns.

There’s much more to the art than just the digital cover.

I have a limited run vinyl of this project dropping later this year. Definitely worth copping that.

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

I’ve spent the last 7yrs working as a producer in the music industry.

One thing I’ve seen is how the commercial industry (how money is made) is shaping how we consume, relate to music and our expectations.

It’s created a landscape where quantity wins out over quality. Where CEO’s of streaming companies are telling artists to put out music more frequently in order to make a decent amount of money. Artists drop single after single… to keep streaming numbers up. A group like Pink Floyd for example, (a band who themselves say “don’t have singles”) would be hard pressed to break through all that.

The idea of a concept record. Something that you have to listen through all of it in context to experience the full ride. That seems to be getting lost. That’s why my project is only 16min long. It’s a concept album for the short attention span. It’s like an 8 panel painting.

And I’m always being asked which panel I like the best.

I create music to help exorcise my demons. I guess my hope is someone will hear it and know they aren’t alone.

We’re all some kind of fucked up. I just own that shit. Our imperfections make us uniquely beautiful.

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

I’m an active member of the ACLU and the NAACP. 100% of all streaming and vinyl sales from my project are going to support the ACLU.

My parents were activists during the civil rights movement in the 60’s (early 70’s). They moved from NY to South Carolina to be teachers and help during the desegregation of schools. They had a cross burned on the lawn… experienced drive by shootings… pulling kids from a school bus while protestors tried to push it over. Crazy shit.

So when the news hit about George Floyd, I hit the streets. I experienced first hand the willful ignorance and threatening behavior of people opposed to us fighting for justice, equality, and an end to police brutality.