Q&A With Rochester’s Rising Hip Hop Artist Azariah
Hey Azariah! We appreciate solid underground music, especially from true up and coming Rochester based MC like yourself. Please tell me how long have you been rapping? Where are you from? Do you remember where you were at exactly when you wrote your first track!!??
I’ve been rappin since 2003 that when I recorded my first track in high school. I put my first project together in 2005. The Chronicle a 13 track LP with production from cats around the way. I’m from Rochester New York. I don’t remember exactly where I was at when I wrote my first track it was a while ago probably like back in 1998 1999.
Your style and rhyme scheme is super raw, smooth and really ORIGINAL? How important is it for your to stay ORIGINAL? I’m sure you hate it when fans say you sound like ???…LOL
Good lookin my dude word up!! Yea originality is key to me..its a lot of cats that do whatever is hot at the time and that cool too im not knockin that but at the same time good music is timeless and it’s not about fitting in but being yourself that sets great artist apart. That what I aspire to be. I stick to my same formula cuz that what moves me. I’m not worried about the next hot single or the next hot feature..I’m trying to make quality music that people can relate to. Usually when people compared me to other artists it be a lot of the dudes I grew up listening to so I take that as a complement.
Tell us about your Hip Hop and/or music influences? Any Rochester influences? Was there anyone in your life that motivated your to STEP IT UP when it comes to making dope Hip Hop?
Yea I had a lot of influences grewing up..my pops favorite group back in the day was Public Enemy so I heard a lot of that coming up. Pac was a big influence on me early on too I mean Rakim, Nas, Az, Reakwon, Ghostface Killa the whole Wu was a big inspiration. As far as the Roc go I came up listening to a few heads that was definitely official Hassan Mackey, Lil Eto, Da Cloth, Emilio Rojas, Pounds, the lists goes on it’s a lot cats that get busy from my town word up! As far as people who was in my circle pushing me it was a couple. My man Wilamaze taught me how to count bars back in the day Wil what up!!! That made things make more sense to me. You know understanding cadence, delivery, vocal tone, stage presence all the elements of a true emcee.
Please breakdown the creative process of your album “AH Phase One: Lord Of The Underground” EP . And how did you link up with Laddie?
The process for AH Phase One: Lord of The Underground was real organic. Me and Laddie go back we from the same town in Rochester a suburb right outside the city named Henrietta. Laddie a couple of years younger than me he is around my brother age. Laddie and my brother was real cool in high school So he always knew I rhymed and once he started making beats and perfecting his craft we link. At first we were making a couple songs.Then Laddie had the idea to do a whole project wit me and I was all for it. We actually decided to make AH Phase One a three-part series. Lord of The Underground is the first installment. The entire project has the Lord Of Underground theme from the original group from back in the 90s. My homie Euphony Bars came up with the idea to use their track as a background music to the interludes and voicemails
Rappers nowadays think by throwing up a few videos up on social media and pushing quick projects, they can blow up overnight! Give us your view on how over saturated the market is right now with so many MC’s/Producers but not to many quality music.
Yea you definitely right their real talk. You gotta grind at this music. With technology the way it is right now everything is so much more accessible and cats rap cuz they think it’s the cool thing to do not for the love not cuz they love the culture and you can tell.
Out the box type question, If it came down to 1 ALBUM only, what underground Hip Hop album would you consider THE BEST OF ALL TIME!!!???……One 1 album you can choose.
Its to many to choose I can’t name one.
Here it is! Our most popular question! What is your definition of “underground hip hop”?
Real life music. Independent music. Good music.
Where can people find you on the web? Drop all the vital links.
Yall can find me at https://azariah.bandcamp.com/ http://www.azariahmusic.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/smoothfreshness
https://soundcloud.com/azariahmusic
Lastly, and shout out?
Shout to my girl Brittney
What up Ozell, Euphony Bars, J Hu$$le, Eerie Canal, Gods Illest Joe, Cease, LeuNatic, Kidd Called Quest, Laddie, DJ Ease, Moses Rockwell, SMD, DJ Dynamix, Curt, Volatile, Golden, Rashawn P, King Righteous, Tragic aka Da Young Prophet, AS3, DJ Kabuty, High Deff, M dot Coop, Tim Tones, Mav Montana, Illanoise, Barbaric, Jon Rogers, Tommy Siggz, Puppet, Enox everybody in the 585 holdin it down!!
