GET FAMILIAR: Fresh
Photo courtesy of Brett North Photography
For the first GET FAMILIAR of the Fall Season, it’s time to spotlight Fresh, a rapper who’s been turning heads with solid sixteens for a minute now. But it was his recent single with Philly underground legend Reef The Lost Cauze that cemented it: an interview was long overdue. As expected, this cat is gracious with his time, and he’s walked a long, interesting path to get here.
VTHH: Do you remember your personal introduction to hip hop? Did it grab you immediately or did becoming a rapper take time?
Fresh: My father introduced me to hip hop as a kid, I can still remember him rocking out to Rakim and Run DMC. Not only did I become a shell toe fan, but also a hip hop fan until the death. Growing up in Brooklyn music was all around. The 90's is when Biggie and Jay-Z made me want to pick up the pen and pad.
VTHH: After you started writing your own raps, what convinced you could pursue that as a career?
Fresh: I been writing since I was little, but it wasn’t until 2010 after I got injured playing pro basketball overseas, that I decided to get serious about music. I never intended on it being a career, it was just a hobby that I was very passionate about. It's still crazy to me knowing this is actually my job now .
VTHH: Looking back, what helped you find your own lane and understand what set you apart from other artists?
Fresh: I found my lane honestly just by living an eventful life. Being raised in Brooklyn I saw and learned a lot from the streets, so I try to use that in my music without glorifying all the bad. I use music as a way to tell my life story, which was filled with a lot of wild moments. Where most artist boast about fictional things in their music, I legit talk things I have seen or done. That's a hard thing to do and I feel that's where I stand out from a lot of artist.
VTHH: What was your process like creating GrindWork 4?
Fresh: Grindwork 4 was by far my toughest project to create, it took a little over a year because I dealt with the loss of my grandmother. Once I got in my groove again, I knew the vibe I wanted and switched up my flow and approach. I picked a bunch of VT artists to do features with, and all of the guys slayed, making this project feel more like an album . This mixtape is highly saturated with features because I've also been working on my "Dougie" album dropping sometime 2020. Over the years Grindwork has become more of a lifestyle than a slogan. Everytime I hear someone yell it at a show its makes all the time and money invested so worth it.
VTHH: What was your introduction to the Vermont hip hop scene?
Fresh: I originally got introduced to the VT hip hop scene way back, I believe, in 2012 when I first met Yung Breeze, Sirchobangz and Flex45 at my homeboy Kamikaze’s house in Bennington. We began making music and have been connected since. I moved away back home to Brooklyn, where I started the Grindwork movement. I came back on the scene about 3 years ago to Street Religion and things instantly began moving up from there, it's been a wild non stop journey but I have met a lot of VT’s finest along the way. I'm from Brooklyn but I owe most of my music success to Vermont.
VTHH: What can people expect from the Four Horsemen supergroup? Tours, mixtapes, energy drink sponsorships?
Fresh: The Four Horsemen has a lot in store. We came together as 4 unique solo artists who were always rocking shows alone, but we combined one day and realized we had something special that the games been missing. The group members are Sirchobangz, Flex45 and Just Cauz, we are currently working on a project that will be released on all digital platforms about 6 songs in and even got a feature with Causin Effect. We’re about 6 months in as a group and have been non-stop, between shows and working on tons of individual as well as group music.
We are trying to figure out time around our work schedules so we can do a short tour, but that doesn't stop us from rocking a stage somewhere in New England weekly. As of right now there haven’t been any sponsorship offers but we are working so hard who knows what the future has in store for the Horsemen, honestly I'm excited myself to see.
VTHH: Do you feel like there's a clear roadmap for independent rappers to make moves and level up, or are you mostly learning face-first?
Fresh: I feel like independent artists have all the tools to be successful, it's just realizing you have to invest in yourself and be dedicated to your craft and your brand. I'm an 80s baby, I have seen so many independent artist and labels thrive its like they laid the roadmap, the hard thing is finding your lane and capitalizing.
I didn’t know anything about the game when I first started but I was fortunate to have people in my circle who did and along the way I learned a little bit from alot of people. It's not an easy game to get into and if you’re looking to get rich overnight you’re mistaken, you got to do it for the love of the music the rest will fall in place
VTHH: Props on the single with Reef The Lost Cauze. Who would you like to collaborate with in 2020?
Fresh: Who would I like to feature with is tough. Of course, all members of the Horsemen. Jibba and I been talking for a while so that's coming . Would love to collab with SkySplitter on a beat featuring Mr.Burns . D.FRENCH and Kasidon. I also have a few people I have already collabed with before but hope to collab with again, like Yung Breeze and Raw Deff aka Cognac Cousins, or Jun Fargo. Also working on my 2nd Industry feature but I cant speak on it until its final ... I want to work with a lot more people that I haven’t from the area, I'm open to making something dope for anybody interested.