Mp3dotcom Goes Live
Photography by Julien Carr
Look alive: Mp3dotcom is delivering a sound you’ve never heard. Years of friendship and collaboration have resulted in the assembly of Chicago-based creatives, including Hunter Borowick, Lateef Bridgewater (Cldwaterr), Aubry Dupiton (WhoIsAubry), Christian Graves (Graves!), Devenere Johnson, Dontay Lockett (Don0rphan), Simon Lundquist, Micah Miller, Armand Rome (Mugen! The Human), Mohit Sengupta, Seye Soyebo, Ally Thomas, and Bennett Watson. An entirely in-house operation, the collective features rappers, vocalists, producers, designers, and more.
Each member joins the group with notable and rising solo careers backing them (you may recognize Dupiton as the other half of rap duo Stranded Civilians), a leg up that allows Mp3dotcom to navigate as an adept joined force. Hosting shows and galleries over the years has inevitably led to them becoming each other's biggest supporters and their latest venture.
The group's first single, “IGotSomeShit,” is a testament to their chemistry; after hearing the featured beat produced by Miller, with support from Sengupta, on what the collective describes as “any other night hanging out” (likely paired with their favorite Nintendo games and conversations that inescapably result in infectious laughter), inspiration struck. The group took to separate corners of their shared space before reconvening less than an hour later with a momentous “Ay; I got some shit!” With not one member sounding the same, the group has struck gold in defining a balance of professional artistry and playful rapport, both qualities reliant on the other to achieve the revitalizing sound that Mp3dotcom has established.
These Days sat down with a few members of the collective to discuss their introductory track, friendship-first mentality, and unofficial food sponsors.
How did Mp3dotcom come together?
Don: We started off as a friend group back in, I want to say 2018, and we [quickly] realized we all make or have something to do with music. We would go to Rockwell, that's where I met Lateef, and we would make music at Mohit’s spot. That's how we started.
How long after your friend group came together did Mp3dotcom follow?
Micah: That was this year.
Lateef: We solidified it maybe like five, six months ago.
Micah: Maybe October?
Mohit: Yeah. October 2021.
And how did you guys come up with the name Mp3dotcom?
Micah: (laughing) We were at Six Flags.
Aubry: It's funny, it was actually on my birthday when they [picked the name], and I didn't even get into Six Flags. They said max capacity, but people were leaving so how does that work? Like, let me in, right?
Micah: We were thinking about [the name] all day. We had it in mind ‘cause we had been trying to figure out the name for a minute. We went through a few different names.
Aubry: Yeah we had a few names.
What were the other options?
Micah: New Meta
Aubry: Peer Pressure!
Christian: Peer Pressure still slaps!
Micah: No it does not. <Laughs>
Aubry: We had Cloud Academy. I was fuckin’ with that one, that was kinda cool.
But you landed on Mp3dotcom at the end of the day.
All: Yeah.
Aubry: Mp3dotcom. Real simple, real smooth.
“All of us in the group have our own skill sets... We really want [Mp3dotcom] to be a good representation of our relationship as friends at the end of the day ‘cause that’s how we started it. We’re just this big accumulation of talent, passion, and energy.”
You mentioned the pre-established friendships that date years back. Can you talk about how your personal dynamic translates into the work?
Christian: It’s all one thing, for real. The work is the personal dynamic, you know what I mean? Coming together and making music, we all just kind of did it on a whim. We all met up at one of Don’s shows, and then at one point everybody was like, oh, we should go to [Mohit’s] spot and that's where literally everybody [came together.] I think I met T [Lateef] the same day, and we recorded our first track together.
Mohit: I think it's interesting because all of us in the group have our own skill sets. We have our own passions, and we're really just these individuals that kind of think alike at the end of the day. The dynamic’s interesting ‘cause with every song it changes ‘cause it's not like all of us are on the same song every time. Sometimes three of us or five of us are making a song together. Maybe two of us are making a song together. We really want [Mp3dotcom] to be a good representation of our relationship as friends at the end of the day ‘cause that's how we started it. We're just this big accumulation of talent, passion, and energy.
Lateef: I think when it comes to the music, although we all have our own different styles within our own solo music, it's like, yo, we come together and we have a way to collectively make something.
Micah: Our collective music sounds different than any of us.
Lateef: [Mp3dotcom] gives us a space to branch out and try new things with our sound.
Aubry: And the most comfortable part is that there's no pressure for any of us to sound like each other.
Micah: A hundred percent.
Lateef: That’s the strength of it.
Aubry: Graves doesn’t have to sound like me. ‘Teef doesn't have to sound like Mo. Don doesn't have to sound like Mugen. There’s no pressure for us to have to be on the same thing, and whatever we find ourselves making is all organic.
That leads me directly to my next question. I had the privilege of hearing your first single, “IGotSomeShit,” prior to its drop, and despite each of you having such distinct sounds individually, you’ve managed to seamlessly combine them all to deliver a cohesive track. How would you describe the sound that’s merged you all together?
Christian: It’s whatever sounds good at the time.
Aubry: Even though it's a rap base, anything.
Mohit: As artists, we've all been so influenced by the hip-hop culture so it becomes a good medium for us to collaborate on. But I wouldn't say we're just hip-hop, we all come with different backgrounds. This is just our first single.
Let’s talk about those different backgrounds. Because you each have established personal projects, has Mp3dotcom affected or influenced your individual solo careers?
Don: Definitely. I took time away from my art, but I needed something else to fulfill that role. Doing this rollout, graphics, and animations has [had a] positive effect ‘cause I'm still doing something for the people I love.
Lateef: I would say making music for myself is always fun. You know, I get to have complete control over it. But I feel like when you're working in a group, you have a chance to [collaborate.] It’s like, “Oh, I like what you did here. Yeah. Let me add what I can to it.” I feel like it becomes a competition in the best of ways. I'm only 22 so I'm young in [this] music shit. I've only been doing this for maybe like two, three years now so I feel like, you know, it's just a space to grow with people who are like you.
Aubry: In the competitive aspect, I'm not hopping on a song with any one of them and half-assing anything. I'm gonna come my best. It applies to my own stuff because it makes me want to channel that energy every single time. Right. Like I'm not like I don't care if it's mine or any song with them or even if they ask me, get on something, if I'm tapped to do a verse, I'm coming with it. There's a reason why you were asked to get on this, you know? It makes you feel at home, and I think being in a group with these guys makes me look at the art collaboration differently.
Mohit: From the moment we started as friends, everyone's experienced a lot of like growth within their arts. I definitely have gotten so much better at what I do because of the people I'm surrounded with. It taught me that your environment influences you a lot, so it's important that you keep the right people around you because it defines you as a person. It helps you grow as a person. Two, three years ago, I was nowhere as good as where I feel I am now and that's only because I saw the people around me and I was like, “damn, I need to get better ‘cause I need to match this energy.” We just keep getting better and better and better.
What’s next for the group?
Lateef: We're talking about a show.
Micah: Hopefully a release show and a video for the single.
I heard there was some stuff in the vault?
Aubry: A whole lot of music. Definitely visuals, definitely performances. Even Mp3dotcom aside, we all work together at the same time so definitely expect music from all of us.
Micah: We don’t know what’s fully coming next, but we’re strapped in for the ride.
Christian: By the time the actual song comes out, we'll be completely different artists by then.
Is there anything you want listeners to know about Mp3dotcom?
Micah: We love Best Sub.
Christian: No, we don't!
Lateef: Best Sub! Ay. Best Sub for the win, man.
Aubry: Nah nah nah nah nah.
Micah: I need to respect everyone. Tasty sub brought us up.
Christian: Shout out Tasty Sub. Actually, never mind. Don’t go to Tasty Sub, it’s my spot.
Lateef: On a serious note, it's a lot of us. It's 13 members, so we're big, you know, we have a lot coming, a lot to offer, and a lot to look out for. Keep open eyes.
Mohit: We don't expect everyone to keep up with everybody but try your best. You may not relate to some of us, but you may relate to others. What's important is that we all came together to build this community within ourselves, and we're trying to build a bigger community, and we’d love to have everybody on board with us.
Micah: It’s real people. We're real ass people.
Aubry: Expect the envelope to be pushed constantly.
Christian: On me.
Don: Yeah.
Alright. We’ve reached the final, and most infamous, question. The people want to know: what is Modelo Spaghetti?
All: <Laughs>
Lateef: Modelo Spaghetti, man!
All: <Laughs>
Lateef to Christian: Ay, speak up man!
Christian: Alright, so look. N*ggas pulling up the tweets? C’mon now.
I did my research! This is what journalists do.
Christian: Alright, so. Hypothetically, you feel me? A while back, you know what I'm sayin’, the homies was [together]. We drink, we make music, whatnot. I f*ck with Modelo, a lot. They got these flavor Johns, you know, the mango one is the best, obviously– mango, [the] best flavor just in general.
Micah: I like the pineapple one.
Christian: Doesn't matter. Irrelevant. Can you make spaghetti out of it? I don't think so. Anyway. Anyway. So there's this one we happen to pick up—
Aubry: Don't “we” that.
All: <Laughs>
Christian: There were two! That's a “we.” Everybody had a sip too, so all of y'all are condemned.
All: <Laughs>
Christian: Anyway, it happened to be a tomato [Modelo]. Tasted like straight Campbell soup spilled some beer in it. But it also sparked an idea, you feel me?
All: <Laughs>
Christian: [Fast forward to] another unrelated drunken night, you feel me? Right. You know, Twitter, I just talk shit. We get faded, we tweet…
Did you just give me my headline?
Mohit: <Laughing> Mp3dotcom Gets Faded and Tweets.
Christian: <Laughing> But I just spark, you know, sudden genius. Right? Hypothetically, it tastes like tomato soup, tomato soup tastes like tomato sauce. It’s all tomatoes, you feel me? It doesn't have to be the base of the whole spaghetti dish, but…
You are not throwing this beer into your spaghetti.
Christian: It’s like cooking wine! It’s the same concept!
Lateef: I judge you, bro. I judge you.
Christian: [People] eat beer battered fish! Think about it, c’mon. Modelo Spaghetti, y'all are lacking. It tastes like tomato sauce! You wouldn't know. I'm just saying, throw some of that tomato Modelo in the spaghetti sauce. You feel me?
Before you drop the next song I’m gonna need you to drop the recipe.
Christian: Actually yeah. F*ck everything else. What's coming next is the Mp3dotcom cooking video. It's the Modelo Spaghetti walkthrough.
Micah: I fully support.
Lateef: Yep.
Christian: We having a banquet, f*ck you mean.
Mohit: We gonna have a song with the ingredients.
Christian: At the release show we're serving Modelo Spaghetti exclusively.
Aubry: Lowkey we'll come up with a dance for it too.
All: <Laughs>
Christian: Everybody hit the Modelo Spaghetti!
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