Choclate City Interview with Rap Artist Hungry

With an unappeasable appetite for success, the Harlem-bred Lyricist, aptly named Hungry, is setting to take the music industry by storm.  Life has never come easy for the calmly confident, slick-tongued MC, but Hungry has never used it as an excuse not to succeed. Choosing to be the first college graduate in his family, he would complete his bachelor’s degree at Johnson & Wales University and upon graduating decided to pursue his dream with a vengeance. “In a matter of three weeks” Hungry recalls, “I had recorded a 14 track mixtape and had it circulating the streets. I was really starting to create a little buzz for myself.” But tragedy would strike, bringing his dreams of rap stardom to an abrupt halt. “Man I hadn’t been home four months yet” says Hungry, “The timing just couldn’t have been worse.” Hungry had started to experience severe muscle atrophies in shoulders, legs and eventually his whole body that caused him to lose movement in his arms and eventually the ability to walk. He would spend the next 3 years in and out of hospitals receiving treatment and therapy. Strength, Loyalty, Focus would come to mean more than just words inked in Japanese letters on the young MC’s neck. Instead of breaking his spirits, those 3 lost years only fueled his hunger for success.

Hungry released his debut mixtape “No Thanx 2 You” hosted by DJ Suss One in 2011 and within months ithas received over 25k downloads through Datpiff.com alone. The Mixtape also garnered him features on Thisis50.com as well as Rhymes & Dimes and Hip Hop Weekly Magazines. Hungry is currently putting the finishing touches on the second installment to the No Thanx 2 You series, aptly titled “Modesty’s End”. The radio single, “B.B.A. (Baddest B*tch Alert)” features HD effortlessly switching flows over a bass heavy track that is sure to have even the most modest of gentleman’s club patrons turn into big tippers for the night. Hungry is also simultaneously releasing a street single named “Maple Fudge”. This street anthem is creatively crafted, playing just as raw as the name sounds. It pays serious homage to that authentic 90′s NYC hip-hop we all love and miss without being so nostalgic that it sounds outdated. Both are available now in the Music Section of HungryHD.com.


Q. How old were you when you decided that you wanted to be an artist?
A. Not sure exactly but very young. I would have to say 9 years old, maybe 10 the latest.  I was to young to remember a lot of the original stuff when it first came out but thanks to my aunt & cousin I got introduced to Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, NWA, Slick Rick, LL, Run DMC, Sugar Hill, etc   I just remember the first time I heard some of Kane’s older stuff from my aunt playing it at the house parties we would regularly have at the crib and I was completely in awe of what he could do.  I then just had an overwhelming feeling that I wanted to do the same.

Q. What inspires your music?
A. My life including the people in it and what they go through as well.  I think all artists pull from imagination but some definitely more than others to the point where its like their almost living a lie.  They take it from the booth and continue to be that person in interviews and out in public in the name of selling a few records.  I try to pull from real experiences I truly can speak to first hand in hopes that it makes the record more relatable and can truly mean more to some one when they hear it.  I want the music I make to have some real staying power.

Q. Does where you are from influence your music?
A. Yes very much so, more now than ever actually.  The industry has strayed far away from the sound of my city.  We had such a strong hold on the game for so long that I think its cool that other sounds now get their turn.  What I don’t like though is how so many artists from my region feel the need to copy other sounds to try & get on.  We don’t have any type of imprint on the game at all really because dudes are scared to be themselves.  If you knew nothing about Hip Hop culture and just got introduced to the game in the past 5 or so years you would have no clue that it originated in NY or that 80% of the greatest to ever do it are from here.  You would have no clue how heavy the West had it on smash, the influence of NWA, Snoop, Spice 1 etc.  So I definitely feel it necessary to let what influenced me on the come up, shine through in my music.

Q. How has the music business changed your life?
A. It’s a really shady business.  I already trust hardly anyone as it is, so its not much of an adaption for me but I probably trust even less people when it comes to the business of music.  On a positive note though I’ve become more aware of my work and what I put in to it from a content point of view.  The influence of music is so powerful that I really want to make sure most of the time I am making quality decisions when I’m deciding what to deliver on a track.

Q. Who in the business have you enjoyed working with so far?
A. I honestly enjoy working most with my engineer. Shout out to Blue over at Brown Sugar Studios!  I’ve had the pleasure of linking up with Baby Paul & Rockwilder, among a few others recently and both are really cool dudes but as we just touched on, this is a business.  To a certain extent no matter how “cool” these people are its always going to feel like business until you build some type of real relationship.  One of the worst feelings to have when making art is that its business.  Blue continuously works with some of the biggest names out there but from day one he has treated me equal and there is a genuine level of care when it comes to my work.   He puts forth true effort and input in what I bring to the table and we feed off each other each time out, it never feels like business.

Q. In your opinion, who is the hottest artist out right now that you would like to work with?
A. There are plenty of older names I could go with but I’ll choose some one new….Kendrick Lamar.  He’s a dope artist, versatile and from everything I’ve heard, speaks from a genuine place.  I think we stand for a lot of the same things artistically but noting alike at the same time so that would probably make for a dope collab.

Q  What project are you currently working on?
A. Modesty’s End is the title of the next full length project.  I don’t know if it will be a mixtape or EP but we are going in on it.

Q. What turns you on the most or inspires you when it comes to the women in your life?
A. I like big butts and I can not lie! Lol nah I really do but past physical attributes I don’t know if there is any one thing greater than the other.  I can say though four things that are equally important would be a sense of humor, intelligence, patience and some one who truly understands the place I come from in life but also brings something different to the table.

Q. What has been your craziest groupie moment?
A. This is crazy for a different reason but I recently did a show and there was this older woman right in the front by the stage, cup in hand and she was clearly feeling good already.  She started rubbing on my leg while I’m performing then started pulling at my leg super aggressively to the point I’m about to fall off the damn stage on top of her.  I’m trying to stay in the zone of the song but she was going in! She was standing right next to one of the homies, smiling and saying something to him back and forth, then he’s laughing at how she was buggin out grabbing on me so I thought he knew her.  I finally pulled away and just stayed away from that part of the stage the rest of the show but what made t crazy is come to find out, I’ll say no names but she was one of the other artists on the bill, moms. I’m like damn what if we would of took down homie moms?! Lol
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Q. What is the riskiest thing you have ever done in your career?
A. Every day that I pursue this dream is more riskier than the day before because there are no guarantees but time keeps moving.  I have two college degrees and a wealth of knowledge and experience in other areas that I put aside for the pursuit of a real career in music.  I’ve borrowed & used my own money ,a lot of it, to make things go.  Its all equally risky to me, I am a walking risk lol.  Its all the same at this point so I guess the real risk was making the decision to put all else that would get in the way of what I wanted to do was the greatest risk.  Everything from there is just about staying true to that til I can’t anymore, as long as its my decision and I’m making it on my terms.   The worst thing in the world would be to go so hard and for so long and walk away or give less of your self just because it’s the practical thing to do or because of outside noise.  The whole pursuit of a career in this industry in impractical and illogical in the first place so to give up when you know for a fact that you have so much more to give just isn’t something any one should have to look back on in lfe.

Q. What are your final words for the ladies or industry advice?
A. Final words for the ladies would be visit HungryHD.com, listen to “They Be Knowin” & “B.B.A” then hit me on twitter & let me know what you think or just holla at me in general.  Industry advice would be to start pursuing your career as early as possible and go as hard as you can for as long as you can letting nothing get in the way.  Research, research again, spend your money in the right place with the right people.  Build a fairly strong foundation locally then start branching outside of your market face to face, touch the people.  The internet is cool but people feel a greater connection to someone they have actually met or seen before.

Q. What is one thing you would like to share with your fans that they don’t know about you?
A. The best is yet to come.

Q. What industry outside of music would you like to work in one day?
A. Health & Fitness.  I actually have a business model drawn up for that already but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there!

Q. Where can people go to hear and see more of your work?
A. HungryHD.com & Youtube.com/TrademarkmusicTV

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