Please introduce yourself real quick…
My name is Kenny Villiami and i am a Hip Hop / Music Artist from Orange County CA. Specifically from Anaheim CA / Santa Ana CA
but i put on for the rest of Juice County as well.
What do you do?
Right now i am currently in the process of working on my next project , i had just dropped my EP " Yung Gifted and Broke " in June 2017. I am in the first stage of creativity and taking my time with it. I am working with my in house producer / brother Alex Nejera also from Anaheim CA. Going to be working with my usual suspects OG ART , TuiDaShark , Siete Brow and Tony Slum. Linking up with new artists like Waldo Rezz and Mikey Mello as well as Yung Proof and Kid-X ( all from Anaheim ) .
I got two videos for my last EP up on my youtube ( Kenny Villiami on youtube ) Boom Baptist and Steezus Christ both produced by Alex Nejera.
Recent years i have opened up for Bone Thugs n Harmony , Dj Quik , Suga Free , Mack 10 & WC , Warren G , Kurupt / Dogg Pound , Snoop Dogg , Freddie Gibbs , Hopsin , Honey Cocaine , Glasses Malone , Psycho Realm and many more.
Most recently was December 22nd 2017 was a show i did with Bone Thugs / Mack 10 and WC
and i will be performing also on January 6th with Warren G and Dj Quik
I have collaborated with Tweed Cadillac of Pent House Players in 2015
Also recently trademarked my own clothing brand " Stay Blessed Music " Currently working with good people to design a new line of merchandise.
I am open to booking and performing anywhere , i recently performed at a community outreach as i was requested by one of the Anaheim City Council men. Working with the same people to set up another event.
What´s new right now?
Officially announcing the title of my next mixtape which will be called " Since Forever " which will feature production by Alex Nejera , JBBX , Canis Major , Smino , MJ Nichohls , P Soul , Wonderlust , Maskerade just to name a few.
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Are you a superfan of anyone? How did you become a superfan? Do you remember how you become a fan and what turned you into super fan? Have you ever thought about why you´re such a fan?
i am a huge fan of 90s boom bap and the G-funk era. Even further then that , oldies and funk , Soul and R&B etc.
Top 5 dead or alive
1. Kenny Villiami
2. Joell Ortiz
3. Big Pun
4. Atmosphere
5. J Cole
I have many more but those come to mind the quickest
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
If you are going into this as friends , never lose sight of the fact you all was homies and family before this music starts popping off. Everybody has a lane and role to play but if playing yours starts to upset another member of your clique then its up to you to be the bigger person and remind them that its loyalty over royalty , respect over a dollar and death before dis honor.
I believe Snoop Dogg said it best in another interview when he said " This is the gap … its going to get bigger and if your growing but your homie is not ? You need to keep going and let them close the gap and catch up to you because if you come back down to get them you lose. If they fall behind you gotta leave them behind not because you do not care but because you need to keep growing. "
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
Talk to your local promoters.
NEVER DO PAY TO PLAY because these dudes charge to pay they rent and car note with YOUR hard earned money
for you to perform on some small run down bar stage where the only audience is the neighborhood alcoholic.
INVEST your money / Sell tickets for big events were you can pocket some cash.
Save that money and throw your own events.
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Do you have good promotion tips for other musicians?
Social media – Be honest about your life and show people you are a human
nobody cares about the materialistic aspect unless its a handout.
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Do you have insights on how to grow your audience on soundcloud that you want to share with our audience?
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
To learn to separate an artist life and a normal life and keep it balanced.
I started this thing out thinking i needed to get signed or pop off big and get money to take care of family and other situations. 5 years into it and now i am thinking instead of being the best emcee i wanna be the best version of me. I worry more about being around my family and not having to sacrifice my relationships with them or friends etc. in order to achieve a certain level of success in this field of work. I had to learn i did not have the typical Hip Hop story and that was okay because it made it that much easier to see that i was already different without even trying. But like i said when you start out you just wanna be the Top Dog and bite every bodies head off.
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How do you personally discover new music?
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Once you discovered new music, do you tell others about the new music/artist you discovered? If yes, how exactly?
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What is your number one tip to improve your music production or songwriting skills?
Study your favorite artists.
Study the Culture and History of Hip Hop
DONT LIMIT YOURSELF to ONE sound
be Versatile and master multiple styles
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What is your best tip for those who struggle with finishing their tracks?
If it takes you more then one session to finish a song
chances are you need to delete it all and start from scratch.
Lyrics are only half the battle.
You have to treat the beat the same way and see if it makes sense musically
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
Go back to school for Musical Engineering , set up my own studio.
Also go back to school for Business and Marketing to provide services for musical artists all over.
Also to eventually turn my clothing brand Stay Blessed Music into a multi million dollar music label.
but right now for this year school will take the driver seat while i will also be releasing small project to maintain an online relevance.
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https://soundcloud.com/kennyvilliami
https://www.facebook.com/kennyvilliamiofficial/
https://twitter.com/RatherUnique92
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBebcAGJ7sRNt7slSBz8XsQ?view_as=subscriber
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Enter your questions to the artist in the facebook comment section below.
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