Interview with Moe Waveyy
@MoeWaveyy Interview (cover image shot by @aSipofEandJay)
Editor’s note : The picture above is the lineup for his performance tomorrow at your local (Orlando, FL) Backbooth
So how long you been rapping for?
I’ve been rapping since I was a kid, I really got serious with it when I turned around 18.
Who’re your rapper inspirations?
When I first started taking it seriously, I started getting really inspired by Wiz Khalifa just through his day to day videos and everything, early on I guess you could say when I was a kid “Lil Bow Wow” cause that’s all I really saw as a kid. But Kanye’s Graduation album really topped everything for me, that’s what got me through freshman year of high school. I remember when I was little, the first song I ever tried to freestyle over is “breathe” by Fabolous. Fucking Nas, I love old school shit. I get inspired by anything that’s just that real shit like Nas, anything from the 80’s, 90’s, 70’s, even 60’s. I love old school music because it has so much substance and it just feels so real, and organic to me. I think its cause I’m an old soul. But you know we all get inspired by different things, I just try not to get influenced by everything. J. Cole bruh, how could I forget. That’s one of my favorite rappers. I remember I met him, 2011 he had performed at UCF and when he finished he went into the crowd and dapped everybody up and went out back, and I think this is right before he dropped his album, he was autographing things and just acting mad humble. I remember he signed my Obey Snapback. I was like “yo man, I rock with your music, you’re doing a good thing for hip hop, thanks for being an inspiration.” He was just like “No problem fam”. Tupac also really inspired me, he’s the GOAT.
Who’re your favorite producers in the game right now?
Aw man, I’ma have to go through my phone for this one. First of all though, shout outs to Metro Boomin. Anything produced by Metro is worth listening to, to me. The man is so young too, only like 22. I really like KeyWane, his production is so good he always uses pianos and I just love beats that you can hear piano in plus I used to play the piano when I was young. Travis Scott, his production is crazy. “London on the track”, he produces for Young Thug. These are just my favorite producers of this year, y’know what I’m saying? I love Kanye’s old school beats, that real soulful type. Can’t forget Big K.R.I.T either he produces most of his own albums. I love the production on The Chronic, Dr D.R.E did his thing on there, and Doggystyle. Whoever the fuck produced on Erykah Badu’s “Mama’s Gun” album and “Baduizm” album. She has this Neo Soul feel and I really love Neo Soul. Shit 40, the nigga that produces for Drake. Cardo & Sledgren also go hard. I guess that’s enough, for right now.
Where do you see yourself going with this in the future?
In the future, I definitely hopefully see myself being a successful artist in the game. Even if I don’t blow up and become mainstream, I hope to have a core fan base underground. I don’t mind being one of those underground artists who go on small tours and put out mixtapes to their fans. I don’t mind that, as long as I’m getting some love & recognition and profit from my art. Like a perfect example is Spitta (Curren$y). Everybody knows Curren$y can spit, he been doing it a long time. Yeah he’s put out albums, and he’s been on some mainstream records. But overall he still maintained that underground essence. And it’s like, he’s not all up in the limelight but he’s still getting money, still making good music and still getting love for what he does. I just want to be successful man, successful and happy and shit you know? I want to be remembered, when it’s all said and done. Hopefully for the better.
How many concerts have you done?
I mean I’ve done a lot of shows. I started doing a lot of shows towards the end of 2014, like a lot of shows. Okay I’ll tell you where I’ve performed since I can’t keep count on everything. I’ve performed 2 concerts with Joey BadA$$ (World Domination Tour). I’ve also performed in Tampa with Joey, Vince Staples was there last year when I did the show as well. This year when it came to Florida it was me, Joey, Denzel Curry, Bishop Nehru. I also did a show with Post Malone. He’s a really nice guy, he’s a good ass performer. He like wraps the cord all around his arm and shit, always smiling. I did a show with Mick Jenkins, that show was ill cause Mick Jenkins had a live band. He has a lot of substance in his music, I fuck with. I did the Rolling Loud festival in Miami, there was a hell of a lot of artists on that. It rained a lot though. I seen A$AP Ferg out there, Travis Scott was out there. Post Malone was out there too, but it was like before people really knew who he was. Juicy J, Schoolboy Q were out there. Denzil Curry was out there too, he killed his set. There was a lot of artists on that bih. Curren$y was out there too, there were a lot of artists on the bill. But uh those were the ones I really remember and enjoy seeing. I’ve performed at the Take Off landing festival in Tampa. I did this one show called OurLandDope too.
Who’ve you done collabs with?
I did a collab with IEknows, I did a collab with Tyla Yaweh (editor’s note : concert with them & Moe 11/28 @ Orlando FL’s Backbooth venue), I’m supposed to be working with Pat Woods (Swamp Posse member) soon. I did a song with Keez, he’s a part of Swamp Posse too. On my first mixtape I did a song with Tony Hood, that was kind of like my mentor. He put me on game to the industry, he used to engineer for me as well. I’m really picky about collabs in general, people hit me up to make a song with them everyday. I’m just one of those artists that when it comes to collabs I’m very picky. I look at it as if I have a beautiful painting on one side of the convas that I work on and I collab with another artists that doesn’t have the same vision as me. I don’t want one side to be like a beautiful painting and the other to be like a stick figure painting. If I do collab, I just want to make sure were on the same page. And I’m working with someone I’m a fan of at least, somebody dope. I’ve turned down people with more followers than me, hell if I was in the booth with Miley Cyrus and we couldn’t come up with a good vision together, I would just trash the idea. [Continues on page 2]
