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| Exclusive Interview: Arsun F!st |
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| Written by Dub MD | |
| Friday, 01 August 2008 | |
 Back with another exclusive interview this time with an artist by the name of Arsun F!st who some of you may know and some of you may not, this interview should be a good introduction. Arsun sits down with Raptalk talk about his current and up coming new projects and which artists and producers he's connecting with, the concept behind his album "Its A Struggle To Get Deep" which is in stores right now and what he's got planned for the future. Make sure you check out his brand new track entitled "Hello, I'm Arsun", at the end of the interview.Dub MD: Arsun F!st, What's good? Arsun F!st: I'm good man, just counting my blessings and trying to stay focused. What's popping with you Dub? Dub MD: For those who don't know, could you just give a short review of what you've experienced in your rap career up until now? Arsun F!st: Of course, after years of putting in work on the local scene I appeared on DJ Green Lantern's Myspace Invasion Mixtape as well as being MP3.com's artist of the month in Feb. '07 which really helped me get a strong buzz going. I actually signed with Domination Recordings a few months after that and started working on the Struggles album. I did manage to close out 2007 with a bang by winning the Up and Coming Artist of the Year award on MP3.com, so I was in a pretty good space heading out into 2008. Dub MD: Coming from Panama City but based in Jacksonville, what do you think of the Florida music scene right now? Arsun F!st: No disrespect to none of these guys, but Florida's music scene is so much deeper than Rick Ross, T-Pain, Plies, and Flo Rida. I believe that their music reflects what attracts most people to Florida in the 1st place: Beautiful women, nice beaches, and a crazy night life. But on the flip side of the coin, you have a bunch of people out here that don't even listen to their music and crave a different sound. The problem arises when artists out here attempt to deliver music that's the opposite of what Florida is known for. That's usually when the hating starts and people that live here begin to accuse us of being on New York's dick and claim that we are not repping the state properly. When you think about it, it's kinda sad actually because all we are trying to do is keep Florida's music from being viewed as one dimensional. Dub MD: What do you think of the commercialization of Hip Hop right now, do you think its showing respect to its pioneers? Arsun F!st: To me the commercialisation of Hip-Hop is both good and bad. It's great to see the culture being embraced globally and the music finally gaining respect as a credible art form, but it's also depressing when people are introduced to Hip-Hop for the 1st time through mainstream media and all they get is a watered down version of the true essence. As for the respect thing, I feel that the pioneers should be happy to see the fruits of their labor flourish but at the same time, they should be upset as well because this current generation of Hip-Hoppers does not do a very good job of celebrating it's elders. This current climate dictates that the music must be young and fresh. But what about the 25 and up crowd who grew up listening to Rakim, KRS-One, EPMD, Big Daddy Kane, Wu-Tang, Redman, Pac, and Bigge? Not to mention that a majority of mainstream artists are well into their late 20's and early 30's themselves. Hip-Hop will always be innovative, but we must not be ashamed to show some maturity and growth as well. Dub MD: Do you have a new album in the works? what's it called? and what can heads out there expect from it? Arsun F!st: I do have a new album that I'm working on called " Social Narcotics" but the overall theme of the project is still being planned out so I' ma keep the concept a secret for now (Laughs). I'm also working on a few side projects that will lead up to the release of "Social Narcotics". Be on the lookout soon for my EP produced by MUDD of the Jazz Addixx as well as a mixtape produced by Phase Logic and hosted by Big La of Flowink.com. I also recorded a song for Deep Rooted producer Mr. Brady's upcoming EP. Dub MD: With this project, what artists & producers are you connecting with this time round? Arsun F!st: I decided to keep the production recipe the same on Social Narcotics while also trying out some new ingredients so people can expect to hear Fatman & Tropical, The Unknown, and Choppy Chope Sounds alongside Phase Logic, Fat Angles and a few other surprise producers. As for artist features, I definitely will have Em-eye-See on there (he's my brother for life and the other half of Team I.A.M. also featured on the Struggles album) but I'm afraid I will have to keep the other features on the down low for now, I don't want to give away too much this early in the creation process. Dub MD: What's your label situation like just now? Arsun F!st: Things at Domination are going good man, this is my 1st real label situation so I'm still learning the industry ropes and trying to absorb as much business knowledge as possible. Being signed to an indie label has definitely been a blessing because I am able to keep a hands on approach and I don't feel like my voice isn't heard. Dub MD: Your new album "It's A Struggle To Get Deep", Whats the concept behind that album and why should Hip Hop fans got out and cop that? Arsun F!st: Since this was my 1st full lengthend release, I wanted to give people an honest and sincere introduction into my world, musically and socially. The main concept behind the album is humility. I'm not afraid to put my mistakes or my victories on record. The phrase 'It's A Struggle To Get Deep" symbolizes that inner turmoil that a lot of us face on a daily basis. Do you take risks and follow your dreams? Or do you play it safe and do what you gotta do just to get by? It truly is a struggle to get deep and find that inner peace. People should buy my album because it's believable music. I'm not trying to tell you that everyday is a party or brag about how many women I slept with or how many cars and mansions I own. All I can do is give the fans what's in my heart and my experiences on this earth. Lies are spoken everyday for various reasons but if you intend on sharing something from your soul with others then it should be honest, bottom line. Dub MD: Where do you get the inspiration to write the type of material you do? Arsun F!st: Most of my inspiration comes from my failures in life. Nothing gets my pen moving like realizing that my actions could have pushed friends away, broken a heart or made loved ones lose trust in me. Appreciating the people you have in your circle is one of the keys to a happy life and a lesson that I had to learn the hard way, more than once. See music for me is a way to make amends, it won't always fix everything but it gives me an honest reflection of myself and where I went wrong in a given situation. Dub MD: What do you think is your most defining and unique characteristic that sets you apart from every other artist out there? Arsun F!st: I believe my humility sets me apart. You have a lot of talented artists out today who write great music but it lacks sincerity, they are just sticking to a cookie cutter formula. The way I see it, if you expect people to spend their money on your music why not give them something to believe in? If we invested the same amount of time in creating music with substance as we do in inventing new dance steps, the balance in Hip-Hop could actually be restored. Dub MD: If you could describe yourself as a emcee in 4 words, What would they be? Arsun F!st: Ryhmes, Beats, Life and Love! Dub MD: For your fans who haven't seen you perform yet, are you planning on going on tour anytime soon? Arsun F!st: I'm glad you asked that (Laughs) I don't have any shows lined up yet but if there are any tour or show promoters reading this hit me up at:
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. I'm dying to get on the road and rock crowds man. Dub MD: What is on tap for Arsun F!st for the rest of 2008 and beyond? Arsun F!st: Outside of continuing to put out quality music I'm thinking about going to Grad school and pursuing my Masters in Forensic Psychology. Given our current economic climate, Hip-Hop alone is not gonna pay all my bills. Dub MD: Do you have anything to say to the fans? anything you wanna get off your chest? any shout outs? Arsun F!st: To the fans, I just want to say many blessings for all the support and if you haven't copped the album yet...what are you waiting for??? (Laughs) and since you asked Dub, I do have something to get off my chest. Somebody needs to punch Barry Blitt dead in his mouth for drawing that tasteless image of Obama and his wife on the New Yorker magazine cover, straight up, he crossed the line with that one. But on a positive note, I wanna send shout outs to Raptalk for giving me this interview, Domination Recordings, Em-eye-See, Reign, DJ Ragz, Mudd, Unknown, Fatman & Tropical, Haji P, Phase Logic, DJ Risque, Big La at Flowink.com, Preist Da Nomad, AmIam, Nemo, Conshus, Midaz, DJ Ynot, Choppy Chope Sounds, and everybody else who believes in me and music. Peace! Check out this new track called "Hello, I'm Arsun", click the link below to download:
Arsun F!st - Hello, I'm Arsun (Produced By Phase Logic) Comments (0)
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