It’s a town that, in his opinion, doesn’t get a lot of love – especially when it comes to the thriving music scene and home-grown talent. With the exception of Chris Rene, Real-I said the world hasn’t heard much about some of the more talented artists from his town. And he’s on a mission to change that and put Santa Cruz on the map.
“Where I’m from, musically we get people to come to the city – like Snoop Dogg, Curren$y, Iamsu!, YG and T.I. – but there’s also so much local talent,” Real-I said. “I have my own company, I make my own beats, I shoot my own videos and I have no middle man and I’m trying to show people that I know what to do in the game and to put a spotlight on my city. I’m not just another statistic.”
It’s that idea, in fact, that Real-I taps into with his new single that he’s appropriately titled “Another Statistic.” It’s a song that explores R&B, Soul, hip-hop and electronic sounds while exploring various aspects of what makes Santa Cruz great. “Another Statistic” was first written in 2015 and was recorded on Feb. 14, 2017. Real-I represents the 90s proudly, with a shout out to Mobb Deep and a perfectly used AOL Mail sample in his verse, which makes it definitely a must-listen.
“Santa Cruz is known for surfing and smoking weed and being relaxed,” Real-I said. “It also has a bad reputation for a lot of crime, but people don’t realize that a lot has changed in our area code. So this single is about summer and the rise of crime and focusing on how music is at play within all of that.”
Real-I first became interested in music while watching his father live a life of a professional Blues artist and Soul singer. His father had the opportunity to open for Con Funk Shun, as well as legendary late 70s R&B and Funk band One Way.
“Growing up and hearing stories of what he’d done, I always was curious about his life,” Real-I said. “In high school I grabbed a lyric sheet from one of his songs for the first time and really thought about what it was he was saying. It was an eye-opening moment for me – realizing that my dad had so much talent. That was so cool to me, and I knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
That was seven years ago, and since that time Real-I has been putting in the hard work to create a successful career for himself. Today, he wants his music to be something that people can relate to and be inspired by to chase their own dreams.
“I think outside the box,” he said. “When people listen to my music, I want them to relate to me and lose themselves in the music. I want them to be free and not have to worry about the stresses of life – just put on the music and know that it’s going to be a good jam with 808s and fast high hats. I’ve studied a lot of music and I can incorporate a lot of sounds and influences, and when I put that all into one what comes out is good ass music.”
To listen to Real-I’s music, or to follow him on social media, please visit the following links:
Twitter : https://twitter.com/realisaiah_bpm
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lilsunburnt/
