Renz Young • "The Light"
It's not everyday we feature music from those outside of Chicago, but our friends in Milwaukee have been so busy lately, it's hard to ignore all the great music they've been putting out. Among that group is Renz Young, a rapper/producer that has been gearing up to release a new mixtape this year. In previous weeks Renz has dropped "Congratulations: Tres", "Pastures" and "Seen it Coming". All self-produced, and seemingly connected in one way or another, but Renz tells us his follow up to last year's 2975 is still early in its development.
Whether this new record is just around the corner or still months away, its evident Renz is hungry to prove his worth and that insatiable hunger continues today with the release of "The Light". His third release in as many months, "The Light" is the product of the support he's received from loved ones to pursue his passion for music.
Along with the release of this new single, we had a chance to talk with Renz Young about being a midwest artist, Milwaukee influences, producing his own records and more. Check the Q&A below.
You're another new name out of Milwaukee that we're paying attention to. There's clearly been a lot of development there in the past year. What has your experience with the Milwaukee music scene been like?
It's been great as of late. The unity between the artists is what the city has been missing over the years. It seems now there's a common consensus among us all that we need to make this happen. We all know the door is going to open soon, so everyone is trying to be ready when it happens.
Any benefits or restrictions you've experienced pursuing music in a market that isn't exactly known for hip hop or the music business in general?
It's really two things tied into it with Milwaukee. One, there hasn't been anybody to purely make it to that high level from the city. So nobody, until recently, was checking for new music out of Milwaukee. Second, the economy here is so dismal. It’s really a ruff city so we dont even get a lot of major artists even coming here to perform as much. I guess the only benefit is that you get this melting pot of styles and influences in our music. There's no one sound that defines us. Every ten blocks I guarantee there’s going to be a different type of artist with a different style.
On this new record "The Light", you sample Milwaukee native Baby Drew, a rapper who enjoyed regional success alongside Coo Coo Cal in the late 2000's. How has that wave influenced this younger generation?
It hasn't to the extent that I thought it would be, that's why I insisted on making an effort to include him on a track. Coo Coo had more commercial success so he was always looked at as more of the face of the city, but Baby Drew was the first artist to have the whole city behind him.
You've released a few tracks this singles this year. Can we expect a project anytime soon? Can you tell us about the direction you're going with this project? Are you approaching it differently than you did with the 2975 EP?
2975 was made with this one concept of having every type of record for a first time listener. I wanted to touch every base so any listener can find a track they like and ride that out. This new project is going to be more songs and a lot more cohesive. It's still early so I don’t want to give away the concept or title but a lot of effort is going into it.
I see that you've handled the production side of things too for your last few releases. Have you always rapped and produced? Can we expect more of that on the new project?
.
Definitely not. I just picked up producing within the last year and a half. It’s still new to me. Rapping was something that came naturally to me but producing didn’t. It takes a lot of work, attention to detail, and the ability to have a short memory when it comes to your crappy beats. When you first start, you make a lot of terrible beats but you have to be able to keep pushing. I also don’t sell beats. I only make beats for myself. So that allows me time to work on beats for a while longer.
If you had to pick one thing, what one thing should our readers know when listening to your music?
That there’s going to be something for you. Whether it’s something I say, or a vibe that a song has, it’s going to be something you can relate to, take with you, and apply to your situation.
