After a dazzling run of releases throughout the last few years, US rapper Buu E. Radley is back to his vibrant best once again as he delivers the pulsing new single 'Round We Go'.
Lifted from his newly unveiled LP 'The Mockingbird', which is available to stream now, 'Round We Go' makes for an incredibly smooth and progressive listen. With his warm and inviting flow spread across a dynamic production throughout, he is keeping the vibes high across this bouncing new jam.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The voice. Have you ever been having a great day, then you hear the voice of someone you hate getting closer? It's enough to throw a fit. Hearing your favorite singer or rapper on the other hand can raise one's spirits and evoke excitement. The voice has a very psychological and spiritual element to it, just as much as inanimate instruments one must play.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I loved hip-hop and R&B.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I can't quite recall the first album I owned, but I did have Lil Bow Wow's "Bouce With Me" the single and one of Eminem's early records. I want to say I had the Marshall Mathers LP. My older sister for sure had Nelly "Country Grammar" that I liked to listen to it was mine.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
There are tons of songs I wish I wrote myself. Prince and Stevie Wonder have quite a few I wouldn't mind having penned. To pick just one, I would wish I'd written Bobby Brown "Every Little Step".
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I just listen to the instrumentation and wait for the words to start to come to me. Sometimes the chorus comes to me first and I write the verses to match it, and sometimes I get the flow I'll use and just rap. Once I've got a verse or two, I might figure out a way to tie them together with a catchy hook or chorus.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
The Gap Band is almost always somewhere in the rotation. In fact, my Spotify top 5 artists for 2023 were as follows: Myself Buu E. Radley, Lil B, The Gap Band, Juvenile, and Mac Band.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
There are several artists who come to mind that I would be honored to open for. Building my body of work up to a point where I could open for LL Cool J would be one of the highest honors an aspiring hip-hop artist could achieve aside from headlining themselves. He has 3-4 decades of hits and would be a terror for anyone to face in a Verzuz. I strive to build a legendary catalogue of that caliber.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Expressing myself in a way that doesn't feel as natural without the music. Writing a song to completion. Recording the song and submitting it for distribution. Finally get to hear it on streaming platforms on release day. The whole process from start to finish is very rewarding to me.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The most frustrating part to me is the money side of things. We put so much money into making music in the form of beat acquisition, studio time, distribution costs, and then promotion costs, and the payout is not proportionate to the input. With all the money I've put up, I could have had a down payment on a house in a nice neighborhood by now. I sleep at night knowing that had I lived a life without ever putting my best foot forward in music, it would be a life with regret and many what-ifs.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Keep going, don't give up. One break could be a few short steps away from where they were when contemplating calling it in. Sometimes the algorithm is just running a little late like public transit.
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Buu E. Radley's new single 'Round We Go' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.