HHV Exclusive: Sy Ari Da Kid talks “Definition of Definition 2” and collaborations
By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
In Atlanta, there are countless rappers who are coming up and Sy Ari Da Kid is one of the leading emcees. This past week, Sy Ari Da Kid released his latest mixtape, Definition of Definition 2 (Demons & Angels). Mixtape hosting giant, Trap-A-Holics, serves as the host of the project.
Definition of Definition 2 is the latest in a long line of mixtapes from Sy Ari Da Kid and the project is full of bangers. One of the biggest mixtapes released this past week, the guest appearances were kept down to a minimum. Sy Ari Da Kid did feature Verse Simmonds and Que on the mixtape, however.
Sy Ari Da Kid talked to Hip Hop Vibe about the current moves of his career, centering around the Definition of Definition 2 project. Opening up on how the project came together and the collaborations, Sy Ari Da Kid explained why the featured guests were added. He also spoke on the mixtape hosting.
Read the entire interview below:
Your buzz is steadily climbing and you get a lot of Twitter love, are you happy with where you’re at right now, in terms of popularity? Yeah. I’m always happy because everything I am doing is according to plans. The feedback is great because I can see what touches them, relates to them, and what doesn’t. I am glad they like the mixtapes, but I am ready to take it to the next level and move forward.
It has been the mixtape releases that helped your name come up and you obviously came hard with Definition of Definition 2, how do you feel the way this project came out? I am content with it. The project I am working on is the masterpiece. But, I dropped this project as the mixtape before the mixtape. I put it out there for the fans, so they can listen to this while I prepare to release The Ultrasound 2: The Birth. But, this is really more of a “lost tapes”-styled project.
What do you want the fans to get out of Definition of Definition 2? I really just put this tape out there because people requested it and I wanted people to follow the whole story of my life experiences. But, this is the lead up to The Birth and I am trying to help people become better people through my music, so I tell them about my flaws and my triumphs. People need to keep it real about themselves. There are a lot of dope lyricists will tell stories about others, but not about themselves. I am trying to show the people that we as rappers are not perfect, so they can see us behind the scenes.
The subtitle is Angels & Demons, a common phrase people battle with, can you give us your take on the phrase and how it applies to you? For one, I had the original Definition of Definition. The guy who did my mixtape cover, Fresh Immunity, he titled it himself, Angels & Demons. I thought it was relative, because like you said, everyone battles the good and the bad with our flaws and made mistakes. We have people we love and who love us, which is the angels side. But, my take on this is people who have flaws and are trying to be better people. But, Fresh Immunity came up with that whole title.
What process do you go through in deciding who will host your mixtapes and what led you to choose Trap-A-Holics as the host of Definition of Definition 2? Pretty much, what I try to do on the DJ side is the politics and I look for people to help me do what I can’t. But, I worked with Trap-A-Holics through Slim Dunkin, may he rest in peace. DJ-ing now is different from how it was in the days of Eric B. and Rakim. I don’t want DJs to talk over my records and hosting, I just want their name for internet use, so people see us working and they want to get involved, to big both of us. So, when you hear a host on one of my tapes, you may only hear their tag and not their voice.
For the most part, you kept the guest list on the mixtape short, but there are appearances from Verse Simmonds, Que, and Young Sam, can you tell us how those collaborations came together? Verse Simmonds, we were both working at the C-Room, we were both working all day and all night. He is a great artist and writer and I am happy for his buzz because he is a humble dude. But, we talked and made it happen. With Que, I worked with Sonny Digital before he became popular and I saw his work with Que and I like what he is doing, so I reached out to him because he is doing well right now. Young Sam followed me on Twitter one day and I checked out what he had going on, so I followed him back. Artists have to be humble and reach out, but I followed Young Sam back, DM-ed him and then we exchanged emails and we made it happen. We were both humble, so we did the collab.
Do you believe collaborations are important, or are you one of those people who does not force the issue if a collaboration doesn’t fit? It depends. You have to look at it a certain way. Some artists feel themselves so much that they do not reach out. But, music is an art, so everyone has a different form. Every artist has a different cadence and a different style, so this is one of the main reasons I collaborate. We all have different fan bases, so I feel linked up. Somewhat like R. Kelly and Jay-Z’s Best of Both Worlds, where they exchanged fan bases. You never take a loss for collaborating, ever.
What was the overall goal with Definition of Definition 2 and do you feel as if you accomplished it? Like I said before, this is the tape before my main tape. The Ultrasound 2: The Birth, with DJ Scream and DJ Iceberg is my main tape. But, fans were requesting new music so much, I took some songs I did not want to release on The Birth, so I put them on this tape, not as a throwaway, but as songs for a different tape. But, it is on DatPiff, iTunes, and LiveMixtapes. Shout out to all the supporters who also buy music to support the craft, that is important too.
Right now, hip hop has a lot to offer, what is your favorite part of the game? My favorite part of the game is the indie artists who are coming up. We always shout out the veterans, but I am shouting out the indies who are forcing the majors to pay attention to us. The majors no longer have all the control, but they have a lot. But, they pay attention to the guys who are building their fan bases from the ground up, working with the common person. There are a lot of opportunities when you follow your own blueprint and I love that.
Can you give us your social networking info, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Twitter and Instagram @SyAriDaKid and my booking is @WatchWhikey on Twitter. Email is [email protected]. Follow me on Twitter, I always follow back.