Tony Love (Baltimore, MD) – Q&A Interview
Tell us a little about yourself. Where you are from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?
I’m from a little town in MD just south of Columbia. I’ve been recording music for the last 3 years. This last year I began recording at Mixwell Studios. Tony Love was the first project released from Mixwell Studios.
What influences you in making Hip Hop?
My first major influences were Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, and Kanye West. I was also later influenced by Joywave, Toro y Moi, Panic at The Disco, Blink 182, Kid Cudi, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Jay Z’s flow, and Drake.
Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?
My music is very experimental. I try to do things differently on purpose. What separates me from other MC’s is that I actually don’t care for rap or being “the best” rapper. I believe most MC’s are so concerned with making good “verses” that they can’t make a good song. I’d much rather make a great song/album than make a verse. If I get bodied by a fellow MC, its ok. Because I know at the end of the day my music as a whole is better than their verse. But don’t get me wrong, I’m nice too!
Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?
I’ve had many collaborations in the past. In the last two years I’ve worked with Daniel Knox from “Rescue The Hero”, Kayo from Fallen Kings, and of course Dexter Fizz (my executive producer) and Noraa Ruffin (one of the best new MC’s coming out of the MD area). I also have a few other local rappers and singers in my crew at close reach. There’s no one really I’m dying to collaborate with other than Toro y Moi. I’d love to use some of his productions on future projects.
Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?
My definition of “Underground Hip Hop” is free. Its experimental and un-governed. It is limitless and creative. There should be no set definition because that puts a limit on the artist.
Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production? And who would you like to work with?
I don’t produce personally but when I’m looking for instrumentals, I look for colorful and beautiful sounds. Also, I’m not too picky about what I use either. I appreciate anything that’s different but organized. As long as I can put my voice/ my own twist on it and its pretty unique, I’ll give it a try.
The two producers I most often collaborate with are Dexter Fizz and Mixwell Studios. Dexter Fizz is a close friend of mine and one of the most talented producers I’ve heard in a long time. His style of production really inspires me to write new and unique material;. I’d love to work with a lot more people but to be honest there’s nobody outside of my circle that I’m drying to work with in particular.
Any current or future projects you are promoting?
I am currently wrapping up “Loveless” which is the second project I’ve done with Mixwell Studios. Loveless is a mastery of all the techniques and styles I experimented with in Tony Love. The music is of higher quality and even more beautiful than Tony Love. There are many “Urban Swing” songs on Loveless. “Urban Swing” is a new genre of music I’ve been working on creating. It is well on its way.
Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of TONY LOVE EP? Also/ what was the idea or concept description about your Album Art Cover.
Tony Love was heavily influenced by my college career. The EP tells many stories about how I used to party, past flings with girls, and the Psychology concepts I’ve been studying. Its a very mental album in the fact that it makes you think. “Synesthesia” is perhaps my favorite song and the most powerful concept portrayed on the album. What makes this album and me different is that I did not go into any heavy detail about my own personal life and experiences. Rather, I use emotions and sensational descriptions to tell the stories. I believe this technique makes the music more relatable because it allows for people to add their own though process to the music.
As far as album artwork, I wanted it to be simple and to the point. I want listeners to have room to think for themselves so I didn’t use large flashy images.
Where can we find your music and info?
You can find more Tony Love on soundcloud, youtube ,datpiff, twitter, facebook, and instagram.
Soundcloud link: https://soundcloud.com/tonylovemzk
Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmVFcftNwN4VhUBNxRU0ktQ
Datpiff link: http://www.datpiff.com/Tony-Love-Tony-Love-mixtape.549922.html
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/TonyLoveMzk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonylovemzk
Instagram Link: http://instagram.com/urbanswing
Any shout outs?
I wanna shout out MD period. Especially the suburbs like Howard County. Theres a lot of untapped talent out here that’s in dyer need of exposure. Check us out people!
