Interview: Bridgeport, CT Rapper Lil_E Discusses His New Project "PaperCha$er The Mixtape"
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“I need them to know my message is real. My life is a divine story that the world gotta hear about and where I’m from gave me the heart to take it to the top.”
Who are some of your favorite rap artists that have provided you with inspiration throughout the years?
DAMN idk where to start! Lil Wayne, Lloyd Banks, Fab, Juelz, Jeezy, Jay Z, J. Cole, Meek, Wiz, Mac Miller, A$AP Rocky, and Nipsey HU$$LE!
Congratulations on the completion and release of your new project "PaperCha$er The Mixtape"; describe your creative process for the development of its 13 tracks.
Thanks! That means a lot coming from you guys, and the process was a real journey to be honest.
I've had the idea to release this mixtape since the summer of 2015 when I was 18 I just wasn't rapping too much then. That's because from then until now the creation of this mixtape was a REAL mission I had to work towards which meant constant editing and revising, reconsidering the sound of the tape at least 2 tmes, testing out different covers and even halting the whole process due to financial reasons.
That's why I could truly say during the creation of this mixtape a lot of my time was spent hustling all through the streets of my city and filling out applications to work at just about anywhere because in the back of my head I've always known RAP to be business which is why even back in 2015 until 2018 I've been spending money on recording the mixtape.
By the summer of 2017 it was 65% done because at that point I was locked in and satisfied with what I had so far. I used 2018 to really focus on my money and record a little bit less but write way MORE. By the end of the year the mixtape was done and I was gearing up to push the brand all through 2019. Which is why I dropped a EP in March of that year, spent the summer dropping a lot of bangers on SoundCloud, and talked about the tape all over social media.
Who provided the production on the project, and would you say that it had an overall theme?
I connected with several producers on YouTube and Twitter to put this project together. Plus I definitely did have a theme on this project. I say that because the PaperCHASE is bigger than money for me. It has to do with my lifestyle, vision, brand, and my overall message. That's cause in my eyes life is a book and every day you wake up is another page added to that book, but as an artist I know I'm the master of my reality. My goal is to get the world to see the same.
How would you describe the rap scene in Bridgeport? Are there a lot of venues to perform at and are locals supportive of homegrown talent?
There actually isn't one but we have a great amount of talent in different parts of the city. It’s a few but not all of them do open mics all the time and yeah people out here are definitely picky, but yet very supportive of rappers where I'm from lol!
With the mixtape now released, what's next for you musically? Can we expect any videos from the project?
I'm working on my next mixtape right now; it's halfway done! No date yet but I definitely know what my next release is going to be and yeah out of the 13 tracks on here I'm def doing 'bout 6-7 for the culture!
Through your music, what do you want your listeners to know about you as an artist and where you are from?
I need them to know my message is real. My life is a divine story that the world gotta hear about and where I'm from gave me the heart to take it to the top.
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