I-20 Doesn't Want His Voice To Be What Defines Him
Published: Thursday - September 2, 2004
Words by Jay Casteel w/ reporting by Matt Barone
I-20 (Photo: Capitol)
I-20, who is known for being the deep voice of Distrubing The Peace (DTP), is preparing the release of his debut solo album, titled Self Explanatory, this September. Even though he is currently in heavy rotation via Houston's "I Like That (Remix)," I-20 believes that his voice helps people indentify him.
With a distinctly deep voice, I-20 can be easily recoginized on any track. And he agrees that it is a positive thing.
"I think when there is anything that is distinct about you, it's a good way to get your name known and for people to recognize you." I-20 told BallerStatus.com. "People know that it's you when they hear it, and they get excited when you are on a record. It can be a trademark thing."
Although his trademark flow and delivery is how people can usually tell it's him, the rapper doesn't want his voice to be what defines him in hip-hop.
"I'm glad people recognize [my voice], but I don't want that to be what defines me," explained the rapper. "My hard work, my work ethic, my lyrics, my passion, a number of things [is what defines me]. I just feel that everything that I feel about my music is able to come across in the music. I want people to feel that."
Unlike most new artists in the genre, I-20 didn't get a long list of top producers to handle his beats, instead he worked with people that wanted to work with him.
"I wanted to work with producers and people that wanted to work with me," said I-20. "Not A-list producers who would give me a track and not even know who I was. I wanted to work with producers who had interest in working with me."
Some of the producers he chose include Salaam Remi, the Heatmakerz, Hotrunner and Lil' Jon. Guest appearances will include Devin The Dude, Bone Crusher, Styles P, Sheek Louch and members of the DTP crew.
Self Explanatory is slated to hit store shelves on September 24th.
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