Q&A With Newly Form Hip Hop/Metal Group Alpha Audio
Whats Up Fellas! We really enjoyed your new album “We Live To Tell”, one of our main contributors BOOM even gave it an 7/10!! FIRE!! How long have you guys been making music? What area code(s) do you all rep!? When and where did you guys decide to create a group?
(CrimZn) Yeah, we saw the review and wanna thank you guys and Boom for his insight. It’s much appreciated. We got together just this past December 2017. I (CrimZn) met Nelson (drums) and we clicked automatically and then brought his brother Nate on bass and my homie Steve on guitar and before December was over we had an 8 track EP done. We rep 570 and all of NEPA, even south PA like Allentown and Philly 215 and 610. We rep for Jersey and NYC,and we also rep for Alabama for diff reasons, but we really rep for the entire world, universe, galaxy….But we formed in Scranton, PA The NEPA. 570.
(Nelson-drums) I wanna thank you guys for taking the time to listen to the album and for the review you gave it. This is my first major release so I’m pretty excited to watch this all unfold
What separates your guys from other Hip Hop Bands? Also, your guys sounds is really hard-core! Please tell us the whole concept/idea behind the band and the message you guys push…
(CrimZn) I think we are more of like a rapcore, even rappunkrock with some metal influence, but we just write music together. I came up in the Sea-Seas era hardcore scene and I also listened to Wu-Tang, Nas, Big L, 2pac, Biggie about the same time I was into both music styles. I was always in bands first, but bands had a tendency to break up, for whatever reasons, but I never gave up on the dream. I’ve always had to express myself through writing and making music and I am artistic by nature. Graffiti was my first art love, music was tied. Anyways, I’ve been in mad bands played mad shows from hiphop to hardcore and metalcore, even an earlier rapcore band. Also I joke with our drummer and say he’s like Travis Barker because he has that punk rock vibe. Each member brings a different style to the table to create what we create. We’re not trying to be confined by one genre even though people are going to say rapcore or raprock. It’s all good. We make music we like and think any potential fans will like too. As far as any messages, I mean everybody has their own perception of what songs mean. If people take the time to learn our music, those who know will know, but it’s on a positive vibe tip, even though some may not sound like it. They are…
Lets face it, social media since 2015 has grown tremendously, especially IG!!! Tell us how is your IG grind is looking, and how has the team been able to keep up with the high demand on social media?
(CrimZn) My IG game ight. I mean it isn’t blowin up like crazy, but I’ve been seeing some growth. It is what it is. I just promote shows and network with those who feel like networking. By the way its @Therealcrimzn on IG we will have a straight up Alphaaudio IG soon.
How do you guys go over the production you decide to record over?? We have no idea how band record!! Please tell us a few key differences when it comes to recording Hip Hop and recording bands!…
(CrimZn) Well, we hit the Studio up, we practice our songs after we write them together. We then hit the studio up and record in layers. Just like most bands the drums and bass will record their parts first, guitar lays his riffs down next and I’m spitting the vocals on a scratch track to make sure the flow is on point. After that is done, I spit the real verses and hooks on a real vocal track, sometimes I’ll do adlibs, sometimes I don’t. I usually double the hook to make a greater impact. As far as the hardcore vocals go, I’ve been recording hardcore vocals since i was 15. I’m 36 now lol… We record over our own music. Our heart and soul is poured into our music and I hope that comes across to our fans.
Please breakdown the creative process to your latest album ““We Live To Tell””?
(CrimZn) Well after we met I told my guys how I flat-lined from a car accident and it wasn’t the first time that I faced death. Right after we got together our drummer Nelson flipped his truck, luckily he survived but it just all made sense every member in the band has had at least one life and death experience, so Nelson was like “yo we should call this we live to tell” and everybody was down. For example, the song Katie is about the passing of one of my best friends when I was about 15-16 years old. I was in the accident along with her, but somehow I survived after flat-lining. I will forever dedicate this song to Katie to keep her memory alive through music. I promise this till the day I die. It could have been me. We were both on the same side of the car and both were the only 2 outta 5 people in the car who didn’t get out. I went into a coma for a while and flat-lined and all that, but she never made it back and not a day goes by that I don’t think about her.
How often do you guys perform live?? Any indie DIY tours in the works?
(CrimZn) For the first couple months, we really are getting a lot of exposure and we are grateful for this. Our first show was in Allentown with my Baxwar & baxwarglobal family and our second show was at the Voltage Lounge with Crazytown, another band I love. We all hope sometime soon to tour Europe, Canada a few other places. We pretty much jump on any shows we get whether they are hiphop or hardcore shows, it doesn’t matter… we gonna rock any spot.
How do you guys feel about the whole MUMBLE RAP XAN & LEAN trend these kids nowadays are on!!!..LOL??? Be honest, do you gentleman use some of that stuff??..LOL
(CrimZn) As far as mumblerap. it depends because they start throwing a lot of styles under the mumble rap genre… if its truly somebody mumbling words that don’t make sense and/or just ride one word over the entire beat, well that just ain’t rap at all. At least to me. I’m not haten on them… just stay in the mumble rap lane. I came up to early 90s boombap hiphop where lyrical content meant something, not just in hiphop,but hardcore too. The band’s that I listened to had amazing lyrics. I mean if you took the hardcore singing voice away, they’re kinda dope rap lyrics and there have been some bands that I loved coming up in the 90’s that merged rap into hardcore, most notably for me is E-Town Concrete (jersey city NJ). I had all of their albums. Also, Candiria, Cypher, even myself, I took all my influences and when i was in In The Eyes Of… We did some rap merges and then i was in play 4 keeps we weren’t together long and only recorded a single. This band has been a long time coming. As far as the lean and zan culture I’m the last one to judge or take advice from about that. Kids don’t do drugs. If people hear drug references in my lyrics it doesn’t necessarily mean its about current times, some might, some maybe about years back. Yes I’m a recovering addict #uckthestigma
(Nelson) as far as mumble rap goes I never really got into it but it’s interesting to see that style getting attention
What you guys got cooking next? Any special for the new year 2018!!??
(CrimZn) Yea we just got a new single on a NEPA comp being put together by Keith Perks a dude who goes back in the scene in our area. That’s coming mad soon, we may possibly be recording a live album @ The Fire in Philly May 19th we’ll see. And by mid to late spring early summer we should deff have a full length 14 to 16 maybe more at the pace were going, album out, and more music videos.
Where do see yourselves in 5yrs? (2023)?
(CrimZn) Hopefully alive still, I take things one day at a time if it was a perfect world we’d get a million dollar deal and not have to work regular jobs and all that, but we all know the business ain’t built like that. That’s why were independent right now, I do all the booking, marketing, promo, social media stuff all that, which i don’t mind cause i did go to FullSail university for 3 years for an accelerated bachelors Degree in entertainment Business. So that helps, theirs a lot of snakes in the grass.
(Nelson) In 5 years I’m definitely still gonna be playing the drums I’ll never stop playing… I have a lot of faith in this band so hopefully all goes well
Where can fans find your music? Drop all links!!
Http://www.alphaaudio570.bandcamp.com
https://www.amazon.com/Live-Tell-Explicit-Alpha-Audio/dp/B079J57SZM
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/we-live-to-tell/1343316746
Any shout outs?
(CrimZn) I wanna thank my mom for putting up wit me and all the noise i made as a kid in the basement, my beautiful wifey Talia who supports all my music all the time. Most deff my band mates who have become family to me, my fellow battleaxewarriors, battleaxedimes, eastcoastwarriors, baxwarglobal for always holding me down proper. All my friends and family there is just to many to list they all know who they are, and thank you for doing this interview. Much love to UGHHBLOG always held me down as CrimZn and still now with our band Alpha Audio..
