Q&A with rising Cleveland artist Woulf

With popular tracks like High Horse, and Coupe making an impact in his city, Cleveland native Woulf is looking to kick the door down on the national scene. Doing his diligence to be the face of Hip Hop in the home of legendary Bone Thugs-N-Harmony crew, Woulf has pushing the envelope with great work ethic and the spirit of his brother AyeYoAce. I caught up with Woulf release to talk music and the Land. Check it out below:

Jason Bourne “Champion” was good change of pace in my opinion . I found myself listening to a record that I could ride to on a Friday afternoon getting ready for later on. In terms of song arrangement is there a formula you follow for every project or are you flexible?

Woulf: “Closet like we just jumped out the mall!” Yeah some ride out vibes, get fresh, and hit the strip type vibes fa sho! Glad you like it dawg! I usually hear a beat and work on the melody. Next step is for me to come up with an icy chorus. Since I’m Jamaican, I naturally bring a different cadence to some of my pronunciation of words. After I breakdown the chorus I usually keep the energy level the same for each verse. Maybe not as many vocal effects as I would use on the chorus, but I still bring an element for the verses. I always try to challenge myself for the 2nd verse, so I might do more chops than I would in the first. Gives more energy to the record.

Jason Bourne: The visual for “High Horse” is very clean with dope affects – how involved in your visuals are you in terms of treatment writing?

Woulf: “Put that B*tch up on another High Horse” that was hard ass record man! I like to get hands on with everything I do. I write my songs…might as well go the whole process with it. Me & Monty Willz came up with the idea for the race track vibe and decided to shoot in multiple rooms and even grab a scene from outside of the building. When it comes to treatment for visuals it’s all about the aesthetic of bringing the record to life. I and the videographer will have 2-3 meetings just about the treatment before we even pick a day to start filming. It’s all about the vibe and we can’t half ass the work ya digg? I’ve always had a passion for the post production of visual content. At one point in my life I even wanted to become a photographer. Hand me your phone to take a picture of you and I’m giving you 5 pictures at 5 different angles. So I’m all about angles, lighting, and different color grades. It’s really about the vibes and emotions I want to give all my rebels.

Jason Bourne: On “Coupe” you had a dope bounce going as you created a dope melody and party vibe for the track – walk me through a studio session with you? What’s the process of recording a track like Coupe?

Woulf: Coupe was one of those records I was certain was a dope sound! I wanted to do something different. The song was actually about this weekend me and my brother brought some girls to the crib from college, the one had a boyfriend and was ready to get engaged. Let’s just say they never did go through with that engagement. A session with me is really a vibe, not too many people in the studio though. I don’t mind people coming for a vibe, but certain songs I like to surprise the world with so I like to keep it solo on those. When I recorded Coupe I had multiple sessions just to make sure it was perfect. I’m a perfectionist so I get anal with my art.

Jason Bourne: Wolves Against Men your debut and Dark Side of the Moon your follow up – what do you think has been the most significant part of your evolution between the 2 projects as a man and an Artist:

Woulf: As a man, especially a black man in America, every day is a struggle! I’ve fought many demons on this path. A lot can happen in 2 years. A lot of deaths, a lot of ties cut, a lot of money and time spent, relationships made, and a lot of women… ya digg what I mean lol. The biggest thing I learned was about me and that’s amazing! I feel comfortable with myself and who I am. As an artist I learned my sound and traveled around the country for shows! The goal now is to go to Germany especially Frankfurt. I got a growing fan base out there!

Jason Bourne: It’s been a while since we have gotten something fresh out of Cleveland musically in a lot of cases I feel like Midwest artists get lumped into one big pot instead of there being separate recognition for each city – how do u feel about that?

Woulf: Yes & no! Cleveland has its own sound! We keep things icy! But the Midwest has a universal sound! Just as you can tell a down South artist, you can tell a Midwest artist as well. Of course style and sound are very different. Style is how you bring life to what you do and sound is the production of it all.

Jason Bourne: Is Cleveland overlooked in your mind and how do you plan to change that?

Woulf: I feel like Ohio period is a place that gets… I wouldn’t say overlooked but overstepped, digg what I’m saying? Being overlooked means to not have anyone looking in our direction. Within the past 2-3 years we’ve had some dope artist come out of Ohio and get signed, especially Cleveland! Being overstepped means that not a lot of people make Cleveland apart of their stop whether it be music tours, comedy tours, movie premieres etc. Becoming an attractive city is the key to success. Drake gave Toronto a sound, he gave it a vibe, he made you want to go to Toronto and see if what he’s saying is real. LeBron made you want to come to Cleveland just for a Cavaliers game. The more artist to come out of Cleveland the more we bring awareness to the city.

Jason Bourne: The Lox is one of my favorites how was it opening up for them?

Woulf: Yeah man I was throwed watching these guys, let alone opening up for them. That had been my first time ever performing at the House of Blues. That had been the biggest crowd I’ve ever performed in front of! A 45 minute set…dawg I am not never been on anyone’s stage that long, not for 45 minutes man hell naw lol. I practiced every day on my performance. I stayed in the gym and I conditioned myself when I ran to rap my songs as if I’m performing. God was on my side that time. Whatever I did must have worked because I get asked to come back and do shows all the time now.

Jason Bourne: You have gotten into branding with Hometown Heroes – Vaping is taking over how did that relationship come about?

Woulf: S/O to Hometown Heroes! Those are the homies! I did a show in Akron, Ohio at this really dope smoke shop called “Marley N Me” S/o to “TrapHutt”, I got plugged in by my guys out in Akron, Ohio! I like vaping it’s a great alternative to smoking, less money and there’s no tobacco so its health benefits are great. Whether its tobacco or its herb, it’s a cleaner route that I’m definitely down for promoting to all my smokers out in the world.

Jason Bourne: I wanted to take a moment and have you share with us one of your greatest memories of AyeYoAce as one a brother and two a collaborator in music.

Woulf: Me & Aaron (AyeYoAce) man I don’t even know where to begin. That’s my brother, it’s so deep between us. We would go on “WOULF missions” that would take us from a 5 minute drive to a whole different city doing stuff we ain’t have no business doing, just living life. He was the one of the only people that I really opened up and cried to honestly. Our bond was so tight and it channeled through the music we made. I pushed him to be the best producer out. He pushed me to become greater because he would never tell me something was good he just told me keep going. After he passed I saw videos of him turned on different people’s phone to our songs. I’m like man…he really enjoyed it. He seen the good in people and brought good vibes everywhere. I can honestly say he was the life of the party. I’m really an only child biologically from my parents, but when we met in high school and I met his family I pretty much got adopted lol. I always wanted a brother or sister, so it was like a dream come true. I got his family! I made a promise to him and I got him, and WOULF don’t break promises!