Round Table Conversations: An Interview with… PropaYne

“Round Table Conversations” is the interviewing section of K1ngEljay.com. Basically put, when I interview people, it will be labeled as this. There’s another dimension to this idea, but that will be revealed a little later. I don’t plan on doing this weekly, but as the opportunity arises, I plan to do more and more…

It’s rare when you’re able to talk to a musician and get inside their head to see what they’re thinking, and I had a chance to shoot some questions at PropaYne concerning his last project, “Ode To Ye”, his relationship with a few people instrumental in his musical/personal life, and his reaction to Kanye’s stage crashing of Taylor Swift. I had to ask, lol.

Check out the interview, and follow Pro at Twitter.com/SirPeezy.

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For the people that don’t know, explain your name and the whole Echelon Republic movement.

Well, my name is propaYne. I came up with it when I was around thirteen years old regrettably. Echelon Republic is the group of artists (of any kind) producers, management, etc. I guess you can say it’s a young production team but it’s basically a family trying to make some beautiful music, haha.

How long have you been rapping?

I have been rapping since I was seven years old in the second grade.

What made you decide that rapping was the job you wanted to pursue?

When I met my manager Dino (Rhymestyle) I really decided I didn’t want to do anything else. It all of the sudden seemed possible you know?

How’d you meet Rhymestyle? How important is that relationship to your music?

Back in like February of 2008 I dropped my first ever mixtape, “The Arrival” when I was still in a group with a couple of my best friends and Rhymestyle actually found me. I remember he kept emailing me and IM’ing me about wanting to work with me and manage me but I kept ignoring him for some odd reason that I can’t remember (laughs).

I eventually responded once and we talked for hours and not only did he agree to start managing me, but he actually became one of my best friends and is one of my best friends to this day. I can’t say that I wouldn’t be anything without him, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without him. He’s like my big brother, he doesn’t allow me to screw up and even when I do he still has my back. I send him more music then I send anyone else. He hears everything I make. The worst songs to the best songs. If he ever wanted to embarrass me he could do it pretty easy (laughs).

I’m trying to get him to DJ and produce though! He’d be a beast if that side of him woke up, ha! Thats my brother though.

I’m assuming that Kanye is pretty high up on your list, so why is Kanye one of your favorite rappers?

Ha! I guess I can say my mother forced his music into my life. I used to be the biggest Eminem stan. I knew every lyric, every underground freestyle, I knew any and everything Eminem. She hated that, haha. So around 2004, she started giving me Kanye songs and eventually “College Dropout” [Kanye’s first album] to listen to. I’ve been a Ye fan ever since. I was young like 11, 12, so it feels like I’ve grown up listening to him. I relate to his music so much more than a lot of rappers. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love Lupe and Hov but Kanye says things in his songs that I’ve actually experienced, I can directly relate sometimes.

What’s your favorite lyric from ‘Yeezy?

“Let up the suicide doors, this is my life homie, you decide yours.” [From Kanye's "Can't Tell Me Nothin'"]

That line means a lot to me. When people always try to stop you from doing what you want to do, stop you from taking risks that you need to take in life, etc, thats the perfect response right there.

On to your last project. What was the concept behind the project “Ode to ‘Ye?”

Honestly there was no concept. I came across a great album full of restrung Kanye songs and I listened through all of them and was like “….ok I’m writing to these.” The lyrics never take long for me to come up with because it’s all how I feel, how I think, etc. So it really just happened.

Who was behind the production of “Ode to ‘Ye?”

The production came from an album done by the “Vitamin String Quartet”. There were other songs on the album like “Hey Mama” and “Gold Digger” that I didn’t use though.

What made you decide to use string production on the seven tracks instead of recreating the whole song altogether?

You know, it’s funny you ask that, because I was talking to S-Preme after I finished it and he was saying how he wished there were orchestral drums on it. I was tempted to throw them on there but I figured the “no drum” route would be more unique and different then what everyone else was doing and would expect.

And you were correct, it definitely stands out more because of that. You took more of a narrative tone, more so than I’ve heard from you recently. What made you decide to approach those songs that way?

Well since my last release (besides “Project Sixteen”) I’ve been explaining things in my life differently through my music. I tell things as I see them, more than a bird’s eye view for the listener. It’s more first-person. So, for example, I’ll say things that I actually thought during the situation, including the ignorant or politically incorrect thoughts because it brings out a stronger perspective of what I’m trying to express. So on “Ode To Ye” I kind of wanted to see how people would feel about that before I went in and did it from here on out.

Like in my version “All Falls Down” [“Playa”] I say a line like “to be her man you had to have the body of a god, on some Zeus and sh*t, n***a I weigh like 140 out this b**tch, lower them standards a bit?” It’s…arrogant, but that’s exactly how I felt. Same time, the narrative tone allows me to tell jokes more, ahahaha.

True or false: it took 7 hours to write/make/mix all 7 songs? What was the motivation there?

True! Half of it was the fact that I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face when listening to the stringed versions of the songs ahaha. The other thing was, I had tons to talk about. Its summer time, I just finished my Junior year in High School and I haven’t released a full, respectable project since July 2009 [“The Experience”, pictured left] so there was so much build-up. Also I already had my next mixtape “When In Rome” already recorded and done for the most part, and there was a lot I didn’t get to say.

You mention on one of the songs a story about you hearing Jay-Z for the first time on hot 97. Tell me that story, for those that don’t know it.

Me, my mother, and my sister were driving up to Boston to visit family one summer when I was like eight years old. It was around 10 PM and [Funkmaster] Flex was interviewing Jay. I can’t remember what he was promoting or why he was there but Jay was still in prime mode around that time. So I’ve heard Jay on the radio of course but being that young, I didn’t grow up trying to learn the names of rappers or athletes, I just wanted to play all the time (laughs).

So it was quiet in the car because my mom was listening and that’s when I asked who that was and she told me it was Jay-Z and that he is the greatest. Then I told her I was going to be better than him and that’s actually when she first found out that I rapped.

Your mom was instrumental with your adaptation into hip-hop. What’s the relationship with her now that you’re rapping? And… how does she feel about the profanity? Lol.

My mother loves the fact that I rap. She hates the profanity though. She actually doesn’t listen to my music. I guess it’s like growing up with your little sister and seeing her in school with a boy, like “ehh I don’t even wanna care..” lol.

My father listens to everything I make though. He hates the N word so much, there’s songs that I just can’t show him. He is actually the reason why I stopped making YouTube videos with profanity and cussing on my blog, Twitter, etc. Out of respect for him, I felt like I should act as an ambassador for my parents and present myself in a more respectable manner. My mother is going to be the one I bring around to the documentaries and award shows one day, lol…God willing!

What’s next for you?

Well I plan to drop my next mixtape, “When In Rome” before the summer is out and I’m working on a completely original EP titled EDON that I want to drop on my 18th birthday which will be Feb. 4th. Hopefully these projects I’m working on build a lil’ bit of buzz for me haha. I’m just trying to catch up with all these other artists out here doing their thing and make some really great quality music.

As a bonus, and since we’re on the topic of Kanye, I have to ask what was your reaction to the Taylor Swift incident?

Ha! I was fist pumping and cheering when I saw Ye get on the stage! I mean it was wrong of course, but it definitely was taken out of hand by the media. If Chris Martin [Coldplay’s lead singer] or someone got on stage and did that it would’ve been a completely different turn out. That’s just what I believe. I just feel like all the bad things that have happened in Kanye’s career have only made him that much better as an artist so it’s like promising a good Christmas musically, hahaha.

Kanye’s known for being resilient, so I’m definitely excited too. And since you mentioned him earlier, what’s the relationship with you and S-Preme? I know you’re linked through Dino, but it seems your bond has evolved into something else, so how’s that?

Actually, we’re not linked though Dino. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (lol) the first Amajanese Mixtape came out and Preme did like, what, three tracks for it? It’s funny because my dad heard the tape before I did and I was on it, and I remember him telling me that he liked Preme’s songs on there so I checked it out and I told Sean [LupEND blogsite founder SeanTheRobot] like “Mann I have to do a song with him, you got his contact?” So he eventually hooked it up and I put Dino onto him.

S-Preme and I are very alike and very different at the same time. Dino would always say “YOU GUYS NEED TO HAVE A FRIENDSHIP LIKE WALE AND KID CUDI.” Lol. It’s very hate/love, I won’t lie. There’s tons of personal tension between us just for the mere fact that at one point we barely talked at all while people kept bringing our names up together and trying to attract the same side of the magnet. Thats my homie though. He bullies with good reason ahaha.

You also have to realize that we’re both rappers and let’s not hide behind the fact that rappers are thirsty and selfish. More than anything he inspires me. Come to think of it, this may be a lil’ wrong to say, but, it used to be like whenever he dropped a new song or a new project, it’s like I automatically hate it, just because I know people are going to like it better then they like my stuff (laughs). That’s just me being a competitor though. My mind is always in the race. I guess you can say it’s like a Jay and Ye thing just with a tad bit more hostility, LOL. Whenever I make a move he makes a move that blocks mine out (laughs).

It’s all love though. As artists we have to learn to stick together. Not just me and him, but all young upcoming artists. Crowd screams are more powerful than a single one.

Any last words you want to tell people?

You know what… I rarely get a chance to tell the people what I feel people should know because in music, a lot of it is sh*t-talk and people don’t take it serious anyway. But I just want to say, I love music. I feel like I have the strongest passion for the art of music and growing up trying to get big and famous off rapping you begin to realize that it isn’t the labels you want to make music for. It isn’t radio you try to make music for. You need to make music for the people because in the end, they are the only ones that will care. The people take care of you through thick and thin if you take care of them. So…people…thank you, that’s to people of the past and people of the future.

When In Rome, we don’t do as the Romans, we change the Roman…

(If you missed it, check out the review + download link  for his project, “Ode To Ye” here)