INTERVIEW CHARLES BROWN

Hailing from Newark, New Jersey, savage rapper Confucious is comfortable with staying outside of the box. With several albums floating around in the underground scene, this MC approaches the microphone with the intent to be the best that he can be while never conforming for the masses. Stating that Confucious the artist was born later in the 90's (1997 to be exact), the Jersey lyricist fell in love with writing raps and has even accomplished some wins such as Battle of the Beats (hosted by Rha Digga and Dj Spunk for an underground station in NJ) in which one of his songs won for weeks, and a rap battle hosted by Star and Buckwild.

“I'm from the era where you couldn't even touch a microphone if you weren't fresh. When an mc says something witty, with punchlines, I still get excited about that. Especially when what they say has multiple meanings and multiple syllables. It just shows the creativeness within the culture.” - CONFUCIOUS

VALIDATED: You're bar-heavy with the rhymes delivering punchline after punchline. How important is this part of the culture for you?

CONFUCIOUS: That's super important to me. That's what's going to set me apart from the most. I'm from the era where you couldn't even touch a microphone if you weren't fresh. When an mc says something witty, with punchlines, I still get excited about that. Especially when what they say has multiple meanings and multiple syllables. It just shows the creativeness within the culture.

VALIDATED: When was that moment you realized that you had a lane in this rap game?

CONFUCIOUS: That was the moment that I transitioned from strictly a fan of hip hop to actually doing hip hop and I haven't looked back since. I had to believe in myself.

VALIDATED: Do you find yourself trying to outdo the last verse or song that you created?

CONFUCIOUS: That's what I do every time I write a verse or do a song. With that mentality, it allows me to get better and get sharper. I always say if we are not trying to get better, what are we doing it for? MC's that try to outdo their last verse or last song, will stand out and it shows with their work.

VALIDATED: Your latest project, "Analects of Confucious", ties in over-the-head bars and

storytelling. How easy, or difficult, was it for you to craft your EP?

CONFUCIOUS: It was easy for me. I'm constantly thinking of raps and concepts on a daily basis. Sometimes as an artist, you might have some ideas in your head or written down somewhere and you hear that right beat that fits perfectly with what you were thinking. With "Analects", I definitely wanted to show some concepts, some bars, and a story. Plus, them PA Dre beats were talking to me. They were fresh too. Salute to him.

VALIDATED: You seem like the kind of artist that has verses on deck. Is Confucious always ready to "go" at any given time?

CONFUCIOUS: Yeah, I definitely have verses on deck 'cause you never know when your number gets called. Plus I'm used to it because growing up, my homeboys used to always put me in a cypher or a battle. When you're ready, you never have to get ready.

VALIDATED: What would your advice be to someone who's looking to be a lyricist like yourself?

CONFUCIOUS: The advice I can give other MC's and lyricists is find what you're good at and stick to it. If telling stories is your lane, go at it with all you got. If being bar-heavy is your lane, do that to perfection. I know this sounds cliche', but practice does make perfect. The way I'm rapping now, is the same way I always been rapping. Even though the music climate changed, I stood firm on what I do best. Always remember, hip hop was built off of being original and being yourself. Nobody can be you better than you.

You can check out Confucious's latest music video "Martin Scorsese" on Youtube now!

SETTING THE BAR: CONFUCIOUS