Brick-Saavy moved to Virginia Beach, VA from New Jersey with his mother when he was 8, and soon picked up on the similar undertones of his original surroundings in his new environment. At the time he was heavily influenced by the style of hardcore east coast Hip Hop and artists like Notorious B.I.G, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, Nas, Wu Tang Clan, CNN, to name a few. At the age of 12, Brick-Saavy started to pen his own rhymes and as he honed his writing skills over some years, his talent became his release. He wrote rhymes about his own tales, his perspective of the world and the way he lived, but he never took it seriously until his son was born. I had the chance to ask Brick-Saavy a few questions about what getting serious means for him, and where he’s taking his music.
Cal: So where do you live?
Brick: I live in the states. Norfolk, Virginia to be exact.
Cal: So is it true what I hear, that there’s really nothing to do in Virginia besides cook?
Brick: Ah ah yea man, alotta chefs running around here. That’s all some cats know. That’s just how it is. But this a hustlers town. You gotta know how to get it other ways too tho. Recognize the skills you learned in the streets and capitalize on those strengths in a more legitimate way. That’s where I’m at atleast…
Cal: So would you say you came up pretty conventionally then? What types of experiences recent, or as a youth, have informed the music you’re making? And are you just a writer/rapper or do you have a hand in your beats as well?
Brick: Yea you could say that. You have to learn the lands around you and move accordingly. That’s something I had to learn early. Something that enables me to be able to be here today taking this interview. That little piece of code right there, can be applied across many formats too. Whether you trying to advance within your job or networking with billionaires.
I’m one of them cats that like to reflect on life a lot. Take the songs like Circles Of Life and Suicidal, Circles of Life came about by me looking back at an earlier time in my life and comparing it to now and seeing how life presents the same scenerios in different forms over and over. Its my cycle or circles of life. That ties in with the joint Suicidal because the idea behind Suicidal is about killing that old perspective you may have had and replacing or upgrading it with the new you. Its all in the hook “Kill ya self in thought then rise from”. This is my music man. I don’t even know if people will like it, I just have to put it out there. I Just take what’s in my heart and put it to a beat. Maybe a few people can feel me ya know?
As far as making my own beats, I’m not formally trained with it but I’m familiar with a keyboard and all that, I know how to get the sounds and patterns out of it. Its like I said before, learn the land and move accordingly. There’s no production from me on the latest project I’m working on now but best believe the project after that is where that will come in. I think the producers on this one did a excellent job of providing the backdrops for me and its great because we all trying to come up.
Cal: Do you think rappers who rap about personal truths and experiences are disadvantaged? I mean don’t you eventually run out of material? And how about creating a character that you use to explore other subjects?
Brick: I don’t think there’s a disadvantage if you’re constantly trying to better yourself or put yourself in a better situation or position. That takes a degree of evolution and it should reflect within the artist’s music. That in turn keeps things fresh while allowing you to go back to that original style or whatever for them diehard fans and gain new fans throughout your growth as an artist. And I do appreciate the creative aspect of creating a character to explore a subject and it can work very well in some cases. A perfect example is the Nas joint “I Gave You Power” when he was a gun and all that, that was a creative masterpiece if you ask me but I think you set yourself up for failure when you create a character that you base your career on and don’t have any link or connection to that character what so ever. HipHop was built off the real. Whether you like to party all the time or you in the streets, whatever, if there’s no feeling tied to that character, the people will feel it and the connection won’t be as strong. You will easily be forgotten.
Cal: So is your latest project more about growth or experience then? Or are those even separate?
Brick: It’s about both really. This project is Called “Rebel Lyfe Me” because it gives you a glimpse into the mind of who I am and what I stand for. I’m a rebel and I’ve been saying “fuck you, you not gone box me in or make me be what you want me to be, I’m going to be what I want to be” for so long its become a lifestyle. Hence “Rebel Lyfe Me”. It’s my testament. From the cradle to the grave with this shit. If you were to listen to the whole project you would know exactly what I’m about and whether or not you fuck with me.
[audio:Brick-Saavy – Circles Of Life (Prod. By The M.I.C).mp3,Brick-Saavy – Suicidal (Prod. By OJ Loopz).mp3]About the Contributor
