SonReal
Photo Credit: Patrick Leung
Since I interviewed SonReal, his career blew up. Our interview wasn’t the cause of this, of course, but we managed to interview a successful artist before their career took off. This interview was conducted in around 2010 and shared here are excerpts from that interview.
Please introduce yourself
I am SonReal, the average guy that has just believed in himself to be where I am at. I represent flaws and just being human and all that kind of stuff. At the same time, I am saying that, you as a human, no matter what faults you got, you can be at the top and be the best. I basically represent believing in myself as an average dude because that's what I was before doing all this hip hop stuff. Things have started to skyrocket a little more since believing in myself but that's basically who I am.
How does SonReal represent yourself so much that you would use it as your stage name?
I ran by another name that I used for the first five years of rapping. I had that name in the back in my head but SonReal isn't anything significant, like, "Oh, I'm the son of realness" or this guy or that guy. The name is more so just a feeling and I feel like I've been son'd by some of the realest guys that have taught me. It doesn't have a meaning - it just sounds good saying it and it has a good catch to it. It just describes me. A lot of people who see me on stage they would say, "Oh, he's 'so unreal'", and as you sound it out, it sounds like SonReal.
Describe your music in one word that is not a genre.
That's a good question. Diverse. You would never hear a song and go, "Oh, that's a SonRealbeat." I like to hop all over the place so I stay versatile and diverse. Two words.
What is your sense of fashion? Is it more skater or is it more rapper?
I used to wear the massive jeans and the big big jerseys because that was what was hot back in the day. Hip hop has gone through some crazy transitions. Now, I wear what's comfortable - I'm sponsored by Matix and DVS Clothing and I like wearing leather jackets and some jeans. Basically, I like wearing stuff that fits and is comfortable. I don't like wearing super bulky shoes anymore, either.
How would you define the average rapper?
I look at a lot of rappers that are great at rapping. I hear dudes are rapping but I find the biggest flaw with rappers now, and why 99.9% of rappers aren't breaking out anymore, is because they aren't marketable. I'll see a rapper in a video and the dude can rap. He's got a good voice and everything but he's just sitting there rapping. You just wonder who is actually going to buy that shit other than a small niche of fans. I really think rappers are lacking marketability more and anyone can be marketable. You just need to find the way that you are marketable. I think hip hop, more than anything, is missing marketability. You look at the people that are getting big and you can study people like Drake and Kid Cudi, those people are marketable as hell. They have something that the world wants.
What were some of your influences as a kid?
Michael Jackson, obviously. I really used to listen to him a lot. The first hip hop album that I bought was "Illmatic" by Nas. After that I was hooked on Nas, then Method Man and just got really fascinated with hip hop at an early age. I'd definitely say Nas was my biggest. I went through a crazy east coast phase for about three years from probably 15 - 18, just listening to Mobb Deep, Nas, and just dudes from the east coast and I tried to emulate their sound.
What is the thing that you really want at the end state of your career in hip hop?
That, there is no telling. I can't tell you where I'm going to be but I know I'm going to be successful in music. I know that I'm going to be touring the world and working with some of my favourite artists and I know that much. But to say that I know that I will be in the limelight and on the stage with Jay and all that, I don't know that. I just know that I am meant to do this and I've never hit a plateau in this. It's just gone up, except for '07, and everyone that knows me says every track is just getting better. I can't tell you where it's going to go but it's going somewhere.
