Young Scolla: The Music, The Message & The Midwest

Intelligent hip-hop is the phrase I would used to describe Young Scolla’s music. His crisp flow, smooth vocals and expansive vocabulary create a unique sound that is probably surpassing your favorite mc’s. Gearing up for his first EP Escaping Reality(drops February 14th), PIDV catches up with Scolla and talks music, the message, and life as one of Detroit’s finest. AIM Interview, take one!

charliepidvky: We reviewed both your mixtapes plus the songs on SMKA’s project and the singing is what stood out the most for us, is that your first love? When did you start singing?

Young Scolla: Thank you and yeah singing came first I actually found out I could sing in kindergarten lol We had a metal tub in the classroom that was filled with pillows, where we could go and sit and read books towards the end of the day. That day I happened to be reading a sing along Lion King book and I sung hakuna matata out loud and my teacher discovered I could sing. She told my mother I should be put in Apollo, lol that never happened though.

charliepidvky: lol wow that’s a great story! so when did you start pursing a career in music?

Young Scolla: Umm, I was always entering myself into talent shows and performances even from that age but I didn’t really think about pursuing music as a career until I got to middle school, which is also when I really got heavy into my poetry and rhyming.

charliepidvky:   MC, poet, singer… what else do you?

Young Scolla: Haha Producing is another big thing but I also dabble in studio engineering, graphic design and the fashion world. We’re putting together a brand called GFS (Get Fresh Society) but I like to make sure I’ve studied my craft before I jump into it.

charliepidvky: Did you produce any of your tracks on Escaping Reality or on any of your mixtape efforts & what r u doing 2 study your craft?

Young Scolla: I actually produced a majority of the records on “Sign Of Greatness” (i.e. All I Need, Dreams To Reality, Walk In My Shoes, Don’t You Know, Let’s Roll) and On “Prelude To Perfection” I co-produced “Can I Live”. On “Escaping Reality” I didn’t do any production. The majority of the joints were done by my guy out of Rhode Island Tecknowledgy.

Young Scolla: As far as studying my craft, creativity (such as drawing and innovative ideas, concepts) & music always came easy for me, so I made sure I took the time to study the business and how you go about doing things the right way. With music it was learning about branding and marketing, publishing, the point system and how artists make their money, etc. With fashion (which I just now getting into) it’s again branding, marketing, styles, cut & sew and things of the nature. One of the most important things you have to do when divulging into a craft is research the pioneers, research the people who did it before you and find out what made them successful. You can never forget about the originals and the classics.

charliepidvky: Yes you’re definitely a Scolla! & from listening to your work it seems like your more on the conscience tip, do you consider yourself a conscious rapper?

Young Scolla: Lol no. Nothing against the title “Conscious Rapper” or anyone who may feel that they personally fall into that category but I feel that I make “Life Music”. Everything that I write about comes directly from my life and my environment. I make do that because I only know how to be myself and I feel that people can Identify with honesty. There are more people in the world who can Identify with the common man and his troubles and successes than a person who is so far gone from their realities. Everyone isn’t a millionaire and everyone isn’t a drug dealer, but I’ve live on both sides of the line (well not as far as a millionaire lol) and I can understand the stories of people from both arenas of life.

charliepidvky: I like that you outta coin the term “life music”! You spoke about how your environment influences your music. How was it growing up in the D and how would you compare your style to the rest of Detroit’s upcoming lyricists?

Young Scolla: I just might do that! I’ve done a lot of moving my whole life (due to my fathers various jobs) but Detroit is forever will be my home and has been that for almost 15 years out of my life and being in that environment you get exposed to a lot. I’ve lived in the city as well as in suburbs around it and you come to learn the struggle is struggle irrelevant of the situation. It also taught me to be a survivor, develop a tough skin and to never see “losing” as an option. Even in recession the people of my city still find ways to make it.

Young Scolla: As far as my style in comparison to the other artist, I think a lot of variables come into play that separate me from them. I fuse my singing along with being a lyricist in a large majority of my music and the content (not to knock any one else) but it’s vast because of the various environments I’ve lived in and the fact that both my parent are Cameroonian. So I was exposed to wide array sounds and visual as well as rules to life and morals.

charliepidvky: So what do you hope people will learn most from your struggle & your music?

Young Scolla: To have an open mind. I make music in hopes that not only can you enjoy it and escape in it but that it can also be a reflection for you. I want to be able to put my life into those lyrics and bring up certain situations so that when you listen you feel like, “damn, I’ve been through exactly that same thing and if he made it out ok then I have hope. I want people to be able to come to realization when they listen as to why certain things are the way they are or better yet why certain people are the way they are. And at the very least be an inspiration to the next individual who wants to be in my shoes, or better yet has bigger shoes to fill.

charliepidvky: Great answers!  Now lets talk about this Album, Escaping Reality. Whats behind the title?

Young Scolla: “Escaping Reality” is exactly that. The project describes and individual that is in area in his or her life where nothing is going right and they feel like the world is against them, but on another hand they have these lavish dreams of a better life. A life where they can fully live out all that they aspire to be. The first record, “Runaway” (Prod. By Syrenn) sets the initial tone for the project.The character wishes they could escape the reality they’re living in to a world that is exactly like their dreams. It then goes into my single, “Decisions”. On this record it goes deeper in the detail of the characters life as well as two other individuals in totally different circumstances that face similar struggle and it gives you insight as to why they have to make certain “decisions”as the project goes a long the character finally is finally fed up with their situation and decides to do something major about it and as the story progresses it takes you up to where my next project, “Renaissance Dreams” will begin.

charliepidvky: So is this album a collection or work, or does it play out (for lack of a better term) like a book or movie?

Young Scolla: Yeah it’s definitely still a short album (EP) and you get a range of emotions and sounds but it plays like a movie and the visuals are going to be very movie-like.

charliepidvky: i’m excited, sound like a great project! What song on this EP was the most fun to make & what do you do to get in “character” before a studio session?

Young Scolla: LMAO thats a hard one because if anyone really knew the process I had to go through to get this project finalized, they’d realize that it wasn’t fun by the end. All in all though, I loved the creative side of the project and I think “Decisions”, “Runaway” & “The Future” are probably the most replayed right now on my itunes.

Young Scolla: There really isn’t a process before I get into the studio. I always have ideas and melodies floating around my mind so it just a matter of hitting the studio and just vibing to beats and if I’m inspired by the joint, I write. Having food and a few doobies in there with me doesn’t hurt either. lol

charliepidvky: lol

Young Scolla: hahaha

charliepidvky: I also wanted to touch on that SMKA project, that album features some of my favorite artists like Yelawolf, Pill, & Nappy Roots, how did you get involved with that?

Young Scolla: Yeah big shoutouts to SMKA (Mike, 808 Blake, Rob & 7King). Last year they got a hold of my music via my manager Barry (Fab 5 ENT) and they liked it so much they invited me to perform in the A3C Festival they hosted down in Atlanta. It was during that time that I found out about the 808 Experiment series and that they were working on the 2nd volume and were interested in featuring me, so I actually got the chance to get in the lab with 808 Blake & Rob to begin work on my solo record “What It Seems” and by chance opportunity lace the hook for Pill.

charliepidvky: You did your thing on both tracks! Well, Escaping Reality is dropping V-Day, after that we’ll be blessed with Renaissance Dreams what else does Young Scolla have on his plate?

Young Scolla: I have a lot of big surprises for everyone but I’m really focused on the success of both those projects and then I’m gonna get back to work on my album with Tecknowledgy called “Confessions Of The Soulful”. I’m also getting ready for my performance in SXSW (South By SouthWest) this year, so I’m excited about that.

charliepidvky: Your definitely business minded and on the right track. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Young Scolla: Thank you and I hope to see myself fully established and continuing to make what I think is great music and pushing the envelope.

charliepidvky: I think that about wraps it up, thank you for your time & the interview will be up within the next few days.

Young Scolla: Not a problem, thank you for the opportunity.  That was a great interview and dope just keep me posted.

Cop Escaping Reality 02.14.10

Listen to Prelude to Perfection

DOWNLOAD THE 808 EXPERIMENT VOL 2

www.twitter.com/youngscolla

www.scollasworld.com

Young Scolla: The Music, The Message & The Midwest, 10.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings