Interview: hunter rapwell + d.o.f. + dunn deal promotions

Northern California rapper Hunter Rapwell presents the Brian Christ-directed video for “Ain’t We Lucky”, the new Black Bumple Bee-produced single from Proper Grammar Free, Hunter’s upcoming album also featuring Mike Marshall, former singer for Timex Social Club, and the voice behind the chorus for Da Luniz’ “I Got Five On It”. “Ain’t We Lucky” also features Wrekonize and Bernz of ¡Mayday!.  Proper Grammar Free will be Hunter’s solo debut album, which he will be dropping after three albums and eight years as founding member of Bay Area crew Sonicbloom. “When I first heard the beat for this track it really hooked me instantly,” he says. “That vocal sample is so epic and the beat is so dope I knew it had to be nothing less than a classic. This track is an ode to the things in life we all have to feel lucky for.”

What’s a life motto you try to live by?

Quality of life is priceless. I try to remind myself this when I get sucked into the grind and lose sight of what I'm working so hard for in the first place.

Who do you think is the most influential hiphop artists of the last two years and why?

Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore undoubtedly. Good Kid Maad City and The Heist both represent a major turning point for hip hop music in my opinion. What Kendrick has done to the standard of what’s hot in mainstream hip hop is undoubtedly something that will be looked at for generations to come as what I like to think of as a breath of fresh air. The standard has been so lifeless, so repetitive and so wack for more than a decade in my opinion. His innovation and authentic individual style really inspired me and gave me faith that you can still do your own unique thing and make it to the big leagues in this day and age. And as far as Macklemore goes, I think it’s appropriate to say that what he did with his independent hustle not only shattered the record books and left these O.G.s feeling shook and jealous, but I feel like the album he and Ryan Lewis dropped was an epic contribution and one of the dopest projects hip hop has ever seen. These last two years have had me feeling like there is hope for hip hop culture after all, and not only is there hope but the future might actually be looking pretty bright. 

Who do you think are the biggest influences on your style and how?

Outkast has always been that iconic role model group to me. I been bumping their music since the summer that Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik dropped and have studied every song they ever released relentlessly. Their variety of moods, messages, beats and melodies has always inspired me to push the envelope and be as creative as I wanted to be. Look at 3000: that fool is on one, Big Boi too. They can do whatever they want to do and it ends up dope because they make music with their heart and soul. I also have drawn an immense amount of inspiration from Aesop Rock. I am an emcee and will always be an emcee, but before I found rap I was a writer. Aesop Rock is a writer and I have always been awed by what that dude does with this medium. He is undoubtedly one of the illest of all time and for a good period of my career he set the standard for what is dope, what is witty and what is raw.

How did you write and record “Ain’t We Lucky”?

"Ain't We Lucky" was one of those tracks that really was fueled and birthed from this beat that is like no other. When I first acquired the beat from Black Bumple Bee I really had to kind of let it almost cool down before I bumped it - it was that dope to me. I didn't even really want anyone to hear it at first. About the same exact time I got my hands on it was when I first connected with Wrekonize and I knew once I got the confirmation that him and Bernz were down to do the collab that this was the beat. I banged it out at ATB studios in San Francisco with my homie and engineer Rob Wright and shot the track to ¡Mayday! and they wrote to it the next day. Wreck posted a little video clip on his page that day of him practicing his verse and a bunch of his fans were super pumped on it, this is when I knew it was on.

If you could bring back any dead artist who would it be and why?

Jimi Hendrix. He was such a talented musician and songwriter and he died so young. I often wonder what would have come of his career if he had lived a little longer, cut a few more tracks. What he did to rock and roll never has and never will be done again. He single-handedly revolutionized what people think of the guitar and died at the ripe age of 27.