Published: Monday - March 31, 2008
Words by Anne van de Sande
Add-2 (Photo: via MySpace)
Not only does Add-2 look like Lupe Fiasco, but they also have the same objectives in hip-hop and both hail from Chicago. Growing up in a neighborhood where drug dealing and gang violence fell into a habit, Add-2 vowed not to travel that route. After witnessing his neighbor getting shot and experiencing the aftermath of drug addict family members, the entire situation struck a nerve in him. "I've seen how much it hurt us, so how can I put someone else's family through that," he asks. "So in my mind, I said I have to be smarter and figure out a way to get out of this without ending up where everybody else is."
When he first started rapping in high school, he would be freestyling in the lunchroom where everyone would always compliment the Chicago native. Then, it slowly started becoming a consensus that he actually had talent in rapping. Hip-hop was the proper way out.
The title of Add-2's new mixtape, Tale Of Two Cities, Vol. 2, comes from the book Tale Of Two Cities. "It's about two guys who look the same, but were different," he says. "I just want to show the many different sides of me, from the story telling aspect to the personal side to the lyrical side and do it in a way where it looks the same. But when you dissect it, there's a lot more there."
Add-2 is all about variety and creativity, as he describes his style: "It's different, but it's grounded in the roots of 94-96 hip-hop. It's lyricism, storytelling, punchlines and flow all mixed in. I like variety, so I try to be as creative as possible. I like to talk about anything under the sun, so one day it can be about having fun, partying, old days and feel good stuff, and next could be darker things like spousal or substance abuse, abortion and falling out with people. It helps keeps fans on their toes. I just want to bring that creativity back because it's lacking."
The lead single is "Let It Bang," a song with sharp delivery and heavy bass, produced by Jonathan P. Don't be ashamed if the name doesn't ring a bell because the tape does not contain star productions or any real guest appearances. It's going to be a full CD with songs from producers who don't get their just due. Add-2 hopes that the songs on the tape will be good enough that people won't notice. A risky decision, but then again, a perfect opportunity to show the masses what he's really made of. "I think that mixtape rappers fall into that formula of a mixtape rapper. Hard raps and gangsta talk, but they don't see how the fans get used to hearing that version of them," he says. "So when they drop an album and the punchlines aren't as hot or even the songs, then they forget about you. I want to come out the gate doing me, so I won't switch what people are recognizing me for."
Add-2's most noticeable song from his catalog -- and his personal favorite -- is "How Can I", about him growing up in Chi-Town from good times to bad times, and what helps sculpt a young child's mind; dealing with outside influences and wanting to be accepted to embracing your differences. "One college student seen me perform it, and said he felt like that song summed up his life and made him want to change how he was living at the time," Add-2 recalls. "Just to hear about how the songs impact people makes me proud to know that I'm doing the right thing."
Chicago's presence in the game has never been as strong as New York, Atlanta or Cali, but it's approaching that time. The city has grown so much musically and lyrically, that they have the best in the game representing them -- Common, Kanye, Lupe and Twista. "Living in Chicago and trying to come up in the music business is harder because we're just now making it possible for an artist to do that," Add-2 explains. "The first few rappers from Chicago, who blew up, had to leave Chicago to do it. Now I think the market is changing and we're slowly shedding our image of 'Haterville' and the 'Crab in the Bucket' city."
Although Add-2 has a lot of knowledge about the genre and its history, the soon to be graduate with a bachelors in television/radio is a rookie in the game and has a whole career ahead of him. He feels there's no age limit for a rapper and looks up to the ones who could have retired, but chose to combine a rap career with more mature business ventures, like Jay-Z. "It used to be a four year run and that's all you got, but now we see it's possible for us to make a career out of this. People always compare rap to the NBA, but I would rather us to compare it to other music genres," he says. "Does anyone ask the Rolling Stones to retire? Even though their old enough to retire, no one does. They're still touring. A lot of rock acts still get the appreciation they deserve, and I think we should allow them to make records and perform as long as they want to. Personally, I don't want them to pass the torch to the rappers out now because no one's giving me the feeling that I don't need to hear Jay or Nas anymore."
With a new mixtape, features and an independent album tentatively titled The Rise & Fall in the works, Add-2 has plenty of material to amuse the masses and A&Rs, who he hopes will take notice of his new video blog on HipHopDX.com, called The Random Adventures Of Add-2. The rapper is all about more new music, more shows and using what God gave him to give back to someone else.
Scouting Report
Never judge a book by a cover, but in this case, it is safe to say that Add-2 is what he looks like: an intelligent rapper that does not go with gaudy jewelry or an appalling gangster image. This earns respect, because he's going against the grain and won't sell his soul in order to sell his records. It is a business in which he chooses to stay himself and create his own lane.
Add-2 presents smart, thought-provoking lyrics with smooth singing and memorable beats. His music is heavily influenced by mid-90s hip-hop and that typical Chicago sound, which features soul and jazz samples, and live instrumentation.
Sales and promotion might be big obstacles for an upcoming rapper. But with new material in the works, a radio show and video blog on a major hip-hop site, Add-2 is heavily promoting his way into the limelight.
Features Tweet: It's Me Again... After a few failed attempts as a member of an all-girl group, Tweet received a life-altering phone call, from Missy ... full story
Editorials & Columns Hustle Harder: Have Fun This past weekend I attended the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival and I really had a good time. From bouncing around the stage ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
