L3GACI can proudly present our interview with Sincere Vega. We can only begin to skim the surface on Vega with this in depth artist interview. Hailing from Orlando Florida, he is well on his was to finding his path in the music industry and society. Having life expereinces from the streets of Orlando to Iraq he barely has time to sleep, catching some shut eye napping under the mic. First a producer, then emcee, not to mention student studying Electrical Engineering and International Engineering, he plans on using his work to voice his destiny as well as the others less fortunate.With his upcoming album SinAmaxx, working along side Maxx Julian and featuring Caminelitta on a few tracks, take time to dive deeper into this character. Sharing thoughts on his inspirations, learning how to love, and staying on top of the game, he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. With every detail thought out, containing raw talent and soul in every beat, be sure to stay tuned for this release. Until then take the time to peep his music now and discover his L3GACI through his own words.
I initially intended to make a political statement with this song. Around the time that I began to really invest in the instrumental, the riots in London had just begun to dominate my twitter timeline. This song began as a political statement to counter the expressed views that the riots were initiated and perpetuated by the portion of the population that was of African descent. Right around this time as well, Carminelitta (currently living in London) and I began to develop an interesting intellectual relationship. I decided that attacking a few ignorant statements might alienate others that probably did not share the same views, especially those that were on ground at the time of the chaos. After the initial portion of the first verse, I decided that this instrumental from Maxx was too powerful to limit to one foreign event. This deserved a larger application. I could comment on local and foreign affairs, my view of our local Hip Hop scene, and campaign for support from the blog community. The beat is a slow and patient beast that required maximum swag to ride properly. I believe that coolness has been lost on this emerging generation of underground artists. I wanted to counter that. The current “underground Hip Hp” universe seems to be, in my opinion, overly inundated with artists that feel the need to show supreme skills and complexity. I don’t enjoy that at all. In my point of view, what’s the point of having a car that can go super fast, but it’s uglier than Seth Brundle (The Fly, 1986) with Mac Lip Glass on. (chuckle) I am controversial, conversational and cool.
A track that flows seamlessly from topic to topic, a talent that can be hard to master, however the words jump of the track, what helped you culture this lyrical writing skill that so many wish to have?
An emcee has a power in conversation that most of us do not have. An emcee has the ability to convey his/her ideas completely without interjection or instantaneous argument. The emcee however, still enjoys instant gratification by simply knowing that the song was heard. The emcee, usually, doesn’t care whether the individual listener agrees or not. The individual listened. The idea was planted. At a little over four minutes, I had enough time to communicate as much of myself as possible. I had to make an impression on the listener, good or bad. I want the listener to walk away feeling as if they absorbed a piece of me. I have had that effect in the past, people come up to me and feel as if they already know me. They do, and I’m the coolest kid in the room.
Meeting Maxx Julian from The World Is Bond through the VS series, how has this experience been creating an album without actually being able to meet each other?
Maxx truly improved me as an emcee and made me a better musician as a whole. One thing that your readers and my listeners probably don’t know is that I’m a producer, not an emcee. I released an album over the summer, The Bubble, on Bandcamp.com that I totally wrote, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered. I am of “beat-snob” essence. Diggler, from The Word Is Bond, contacted me earlier this summer while I was promoting the upcoming release of The Bubble saying that he wanted to pair me up with a producer for the VS series. Being completely new to blog culture, at first I was apprehensive. I usually don’t like the instrumentals that others present to me, not that my instrumentals are better, per se, but I half expected a clone of a Dj Khalid track. (chuckle) But to counter that apprehension, I happened to be a little drunk so I said, “Oh-Lay-Do-It!” Diggler sent me the instrumental track of what became “Blisters” and I lost my mind. The production seemed simple, yet surgically accurate. This kid Maxx was a genius. I sent the complete song back to Diggler the next afternoon, only because I drove all over the city playing it as loud as possible on repeat. That song led to a twitter conversation with Maxx where we decided to go ahead and do an album. A major influence for my decision was the album art that Maxx had already prepared. I don’t know anything about this dude except that he makes beats, lives in Detroit, and is obviously one of the coolest kids in the room. The experience of finally having a chance to be an artist instead of wearing all of the hats has given me a chance to lyrically improve. I’ve always embraced the fundamental aspects of lyricism like rhyme pattern, content, maintaining the initial theme and clarity, even in freestyles, but working with Maxx is allowing me to embrace the integral
Carminelitta. Carminelitta provides an interesting spin on what I anticipate the reception of our music will be. At first, after hearing her voice in her video blogs and other recordings for The Wonderful World of Carminelitta, I realized that her presence, strategically applied in small doses, intellectualizes the content. She is an instrument, as we all are, sprinkled carefully throughout the journey of the album, sinAmaxx. She will serve as a guide through our twisted universe much like the female voice from ATCQ’s Midnight Marauders, or Juno Eclipse from The Force Unleashed video game. The album is an adventure through space, consciousness, emotion and culture. There will be guest appearances, but those will remain secret for now. (chuckle) The only spoiler that I will allow you is that to remember that I am a producer first, emcee second. Every level of the spectrum will be in place from raw lyrics, intellectual and spiritual conflict and love to soulful crooning of sensual sexuality.
Working with names like Maxx Julian, 602Diggler, and Carminelitta to name a few already, how have these artist influenced you and who would you hope to work with in the future?
Hmm. I have recently become a fan of Shade Cobain’s TEARS album that came out a short while ago. I’d like to possibly do a project with him. Portishead’s Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow, in a perfect world would be supreme to work with. Kanye West, of course, is a no-brainer. He might be one of my favorite artists of all time because, as conscious rap goes, no one is more conscious than Kanye. Kanye activated the “intelligent-idiot” side of my character. I know that I should not say certain things, but at the end of the day, we all still laughed and thought it was dope. He, even though he built his legacy on dropping out of college, is an extremely intelligent individual. I believe in recklessness (in the Sincere Vega universe), but I like it to be intellectualized. I still (and this is not going to come out right, but I’m going to go ahead and say it) am a firm believer that Hip Hop killed Sade Adu’s connection to the awesomeness that it once was and that working with me will re-ignite it. Some things are better left alone, and I understand that in this evolving world of ADHD listeners, it is very difficult to remain relevant. We have too much access to too many stimuli at any time of the day. At the center of my soul, I am continuously playing Sade’s album A Love Supreme on repeat, 24/7. To a certain degree, Sincere Vega is the antithesis of my true self because of the obvious conflict and rationalized self destruction translated through the arrogance, recklessness and ultimate disdain for any competing powers that makes up the overall theme of my work. While the storm of Vega rages, my inner form sits in a beach chair in my living room in my boxers listening to Sade. She taught me, at a young age, what love was supposed to be like. I believe that, at the end of the day, we are all either looking for, cultivating or perpetuating love. That was her gift to me, how to love.
Being from the Orlando area, rich in musical talent, how has the south east helped shape your craft and how has the experience been so far on your journey?
My city is a beautiful city. My city is creative, intelligent, diverse and sexy. We have an awesome music scene, from Hip Hop to Electronic. The venues and radio shows are supportive of new and career artists. The residents are receptive to our sounds, and respect the ideal of purchasing our work. Artists from Orlando are blessed in this respect because we have more space and opportunity to develop as individuals, instead of artists from major cities that tend to emulate a common denominator or area “sound”. The down side is that we are forced to step outside the comforts of our “bubble” via touring or internet because Orlando has not established itself as a city that is on the “watch-list” for emerging talent. We are forced to be even more individual and extreme in order to invade other air-spaces to expand our following. I’ve learned to be nice and respectful, but always ready to knock a head off if necessary, lyrically or real-talk. (chuckle)
What steps do you take to set your music apart from other artist out there and keep your buzz going?
The first step is to be aware of your surroundings. I listen and read everything. I keep one twitter for my Sincere Vega interaction, and another that follows everybody, that way I usually am in the know. The second step is to ensure that the product has an impact. I am controversial, conversational and cool, three qualities that my underground competition has yet to embrace. They are too busy loving Hip Hop, which is respectful, but basic. If you meet me, my stance is Hip Hop, my gestures, clothes, every Pascal of my frame is Hip Hop. That being said, we move on to whatever we came to really get into. Most artists get stuck in the labeling. They fit the definition, so they stop there. I have to go beyond that to ensure that my product has an impact. I use a mixture of racially and sexually charged slurs, balanced with mathematical jargon to ensure that I am reaching listeners on all levels. When you hear a Sincere Vega
verse, you will either love it or hate it, but there will be no in-between. As far as maintaining a buzz, I’m just a nice person. I respect bloggers because they are the vehicle for unheard artists to be heard. The bloggers have to respect the artists because that brand new freshness that guarantees the most important and powerful piece of the blogger universe, exclusivity, comes from the new artists. I represent my blogger friends, because that’s what we become once we do something for each other. I include them in my stories and in my life as if we are the new Golden Army. Listeners who purchased my albums get a personal email from me, thanking them for discovering me and for listening. Little things like saying “thank you” mean a world of difference to anyone who is involved. Artists that I work with or have worked with in the past are constantly promoted, along with my self-promotion. In order to keep my buzz going, I also have to ensure that new music is provided, consistently. Listeners have to be fed or they will unintentionally move on to the next stimulus. We are at an age where the speed of life is the speed of light.
Where do you hope to see yourself and your music going in the future?
Well, I’m taking the time now to carefully carve the Vega constellation out of the night sky. It’s called branding. I’m establishing the Vega sound through my previous work and into this project with Maxx. In the future, I would like to reach a point where I can leave controversy and focus on love and reason in my music. I’d like to use my music to heal the world through benefit shows and international performances for different cultures. I’d like to support our brothers and sisters that are in the armed forces by performing for them and motivating them by reminding them of the world within the borders of the United States. As a war veteran, I’ve had a chance to see what war does to the civilians whose lives are destroyed, and the actual soldiers whose lives are also affected by orders. I am currently an Electrical Engineering Major with an International Engineering Minor at the University of Central Florida with plans on using my training to refit third world countries with greener and more efficient energy generation. It sounds weird but this is where my music topics will end up in the future. I will speak my destiny and others’ positive destinies into existence.
Any shows fans can check out in the future and any plans to go up to NYC area to check out the scene?
There are no shows scheduled since the album isn’t completely finished yet. I’ll make sure I let you know. My live show is pretty sick. NYC is the place to be. I know Manhattan pretty well when I’m absolutely drunk, if that makes sense. NYC can be cruel and unforgiving, especially to an unheard artist, but at the same time, there are more than enough ears to go around. Somebody will be into the sounds.
In addition to creating music, your rap sheet is quite extensive with your life experiences, with your bio stating night life, street life, the studio even the sands of Iraq, how can you do all this and find time to sleep, let alone music.
Honestly, I don’t sleep that much. I’ve had terrible nightmares since 1986 when The Fly starring Jeff Goldblum came out. When I do sleep, I’m usually curled up in a ball on the floor around my microphone stand or under the keyboard. My bed is always made, since I’m hardly ever in it. It’s really awkward when girls come over. They don’t like the microphone stand. The music gives me the freedom to discuss things that would be awkward to bring up sitting around the card table. For example, a song that Maxx and I will be leaking soon called “She Say” is a flow-of-consciousness romp through my fictitious (but based on real life) relationship with a woman who is pressuring me to marry her for all of the wrong reasons. My reaction and point of view is not a popular one, but I guarantee that it is entertaining.
What do you hope your fans can take from your music?
I want them to understand that even though I am an artist playing the role of a character, I am still a real person that honestly cares about trying to make good music. I am not riding trends and this is not shock-rap. My music is simply an ongoing conversation between the listener and the speakers. The message will evolve as my life evolves. My life will evolve with the universe and the listeners. At this stage, I’d like the listeners to listen and try to embrace the character that is being painted by the ideas. I want the listeners to enjoy and anticipate more.
Last what L3GACI do you hope you can being to leave behind?
Once the controversy settles and the conversation winds down, all that will be left is the cool.
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