Q&A With Rising Detroit Emcee Redd

What’s the earliest hip hop memory you can recall?

My dad loved all forms of music & I can remember taking road trips he would make these mixtape CDs. He would fill it with 80’s & 90’s hip hop. So I was exposed to everything from Run-D.M.C., Kool Moe Dee, to N.W.A. He would blast it in the car on the way to our vacations. Those mixtapes really didn’t seem to have a rhyme or reason to them. One minute you would have Snoop Dogg & Dre doing “Gin & Juice” and the next would be a song by Queen. 

Who’re some of your biggest musical inspirations?
Growing up for me I would have to say Eminem for sure. He was just doing stuff no one else was during my young teens. Currently, I get influence all across the spectrum. I’m a huge Jon Bellion fan. Tech N9ne has been a huge inspiration as well, I had a chance to open for him a couple of years back & that was such a great experience after paying to see him perform multiple times. I have studied his live set & tried to incorporate some of his energy into my own set over the years. The guy is just an amazing performer. 

Where did your moniker originate?
When I first started performing I used a different name. I was in a group as a teenager called Suburban Syndicate. The group split around 2012 & I was working with a young producer who called me “Red” based on my hair which was growing out at that time. I knew with the band splitting up and I really wanted a change as I started my solo career but also wanted it to have something with meaning. The name R.E.D.D. was what I came up with which is an acronym for Real. Emotion. Depicted. Directly.

How did you cross paths with Majik Ninja Entertainment?
It’s an interesting story: The roads crossed paths in a couple of ways really. Dave Shank aka DJ Shank (The R.O.C.’s deejay) was working a show I was on locally & caught my set. A few months later he called my manager & asked him to send some music over. The R.O.C gave it a listen & asked me to feature on his album. Long story short, the song “Sleeper Cell” was the outcome of that on his album Digital Voodoo. At almost the same time, my manager started working for MNE doing social media work. So as it turns out, I was on the undercard for one of their shows right when the album hit. I ended up working behind the scenes with quite a few artists on their roster on some projects & being featured on some really cool singles. My last project No Free Tickets was directly supported by MNE & I could not be happier working with the entire team there. 

You recently dropped your debut album Symphony of Sympathy, which I think is your most versatile work yet. What was the inspiration behind that?

A lot of it has to do with the source material. Some of these concepts definitely made me feel vulnerable talking about, so I felt a title that could explain the wild swings of emotions & concepts would be appropriate. Life in general & the series of ups and downs you have as a musician was my biggest influence. Everyone has good & bad days, good & bad weeks. Hell this year good & bad months haha.

How do you think it’s being received?

It’s always hard to gauge, but I think people can see that this project meant something special to me. I want to show that I am inspired in many different ways & I think that comes through in the versatility of the tracks. 

Our most important question: What’s your definition of underground hip hop?

Wow, I think underground hip-hop could be defined as anyone doing anything that is out of norm. Not following a trend & paving your own path to success. I don’t feel that the term “underground” really has a sound, in a way it is almost anti-commercial. But that does not mean it can’t be that either if you get my meaning…I love being considered an underground artist.

How have you been dealing with all the craziness that’s been going on throughout the year?

Writing music! Staying indoors. I miss playing live more than anything in the world. I’m craving doing a set in front of an audience. It has been very hard on me, but I have been channeling that energy towards recording even more material. I wouldn’t doubt that I will have another full project done very soon!

Any plans for 2021?
Yes, I don’t plan on sitting on any of the momentum from this album. I want people to hear my music and get as much out to them as possible. 

Lastly, is there any advice you have for anyone trying to set their foot in as recording artists?

1. Music is personal make it about the “real” you. 

2. Practice, practice, practice. 

3. Set up a home studio or you will end up broke.