Interview: They Call Me Sauce Talks About His New Single "Expensive Dessert"
/
“...The energy and connecting with people. Seeing people dance, or wow at my lyrics, etc., bring me much joy as an artist. Also travelling and seeing cities/things I wish I did when I was a kid”
Congratulations on the release of your new single "Expensive Dessert"; tell us about your creative process for its development and how you connected with the producer Vikaden.
Thanks, I appreciate that! I made “Expensive Dessert” a few years ago for a project surrounding Valentine's day. I only released it through my Bandcamp, for fans signed up through there as well as a brief release on Soundcloud, where I connected with Vikaden. Since then I had taken the song down and only used it for lived performances. I have done this song live in over 30 cities on tour and for festivals and since I’m not on the road right now, I figured I drop it on all retailers and a follow-up to my March release "Make You Sing."
What are your thoughts about the hip-hop scene in Kansas City overall in 2020? Are locals generally supportive of homegrown talent and are there a lot of venues to perform at?
The local scene has grown tremendously on the underground circuit and in the industry. We have Grammy nominated/winning producers and well-decorated musicians who still work within the local scene via productions, recording and more.
I think now more than ever, the up and coming artists, even those younger than myself, have a greater chance and making big strides in the industry. Names like Kye Colors, A. Sean, Love, Mae C., etc.
The scene has it's issues like any other but with OG's like Tech N9Ne, Rich The Factor, and The Popper, we have been making lots of progress. There are becoming more and more venues that let Hip-Hop in. Kansas City is known worldwide as a Jazz city but the Jazz scene here is still small compared to the rock band, acoustic and country style of music. Our entertainment scenes have been more friendly to Hip-Hop as we have grown our followings and our stage performance.
Tell us about the We Are R.A.P. Hip-Hop Education Program and how it originated.
We Are R.A.P. was created by me and my friend/band member Kartez Marcel in 2017. It's essentially a Hip-Hop education program that uses creative writing, entrepreneurship and technology to give middle and high school aged a platform to speak about their issues, a safe space for creating with an art form they are familiar with, and a way to learn about careers in the music industry on and off the stage.
To be short, we both were doing similar programs and joined pieces of ours together for a bigger impact. Now we have created multiple songs and music videos with our students as well as partnerships with local school districts, libraries and organizations.
With "Expensive Dessert" now released, what are some of your goals musically for the remainder or 2020?
Well I had 20+ paid gigs and a 10-city tour that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis so I'm hoping to get back on the road. These last two singles were to help keep myself relevant while not on stage as well as producing new music for my supporters.
I am working on a collab album and an EP to round the year off. Outside of that I have been learning the Facebook ad world, playlist submissions, and more online music stuff while building my home studio.
What do you enjoy most about performing your music live and do you have a favorite song in your catalog to perform for an audience?
The energy and connecting with people. Seeing people dance, or wow at my lyrics, etc., bring me much joy as an artist. Also travelling and seeing cities/things I wish I did when I was a kid.
Favorite songs to perform are of course "Expensive Dessert," "Black Men Set the Mood," "Blow Up," and "Alive" which is performed with my other band mates of NuBlvckCity.
Connect with They Call Me Sauce: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram