March 29, 2024
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Demrick Interview – Stoney Point Tour 2016

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Faygoluvers.net‘s very own Chad T. Carsten chatted with underground pioneer Demrick! Demrick is the protege of B-Real of Cypress Hill. This Battle Axe Warrior is slaying stages across the states with DJ Hoppa right now, while getting higher than Puff the Magic Dragon. Salute to James Wright for setting up this interview with Demrick. And salute to Demrick for being down with Faygoluvers.net! Don’t miss the Stoney Point Tour! Support real Hip-Hop!

Chad Thomas Carsten: First of all, you’ve been killing it lyrically and put on dope live shows! You must be pretty excited about the DJ Hoppa Tour! What cities are you looking forward to the most?

Demrick: Thank you! I appreciate that. I’m just looking forward to the whole tour in general, because It’s my first time ever doing a headline solo tour for an album! DJ Hoppa and I have to carry the weight every night out there. We’re the headliners. I’m excited!

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CTC: It’s dope that you guys came together. Battle Axe Warriors and Funk Volume is a deadly combination. It’s pure Hip-Hop at it’s finest!

Demrick: Of course man! Ya know, I have that connection over there. All those guys are my homies. I have a song with Hopsin on the Serial Killers record. I have a whole project coming with Dizzy Wright. We just got that relationship, it’s good, it’s like making music with your homies.

CTC: How is your journey thus far with Battle Axe Records?

Demrick: It’s aDSC_4755mazing! Madchild really just came to me and helped me get my album out. And really introduced me to the movement. I believe in what in stands for, ya know. It stands for positivity,  people working together, supporting good music and brotherhood and all that positive stuff. All the things that have been part of my life. It’s good to be able to be with a band of people that put all that positive energy out into the world. I’m all about it!

CTC: Salute to that! Let’s dive into your album with producer Cali CleveLosing Focus”! What’s the back story between you and Cali Cleve meeting and working together for the first time? Why the name Losing Focus for the album title?

Demrick: I was just fed up with status quo of the regular shit that was happening within the industry. So I wanted to get with some producers, some of my friends /homies and just make something from the ground up and make a statement with it. That’s how it came together brotha. Natural! The title really meant like not paying attention to what people would say is the the status quo of what music should sound like. It really was about gaining your own individuality by losing focus, by ya know all those things that are in front of you that say you should do it like this or do it like. It’s a play on words, almost.

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CTC: How much has living in California influenced the writing behind the lyrics found within the song “Losing Focus”?

Demrick:*Starts singing the lyrics* Cali is a big part of my life just in general. I call it home! I lived here for awhile. I got the opportunity to tour around the whole world with Xzibit and B-Real of Cypress Hill. I’ve been throwing the W up even with Madchild in Canada, a whole bunch. I’ve thrown the W up, representing the California life style and all the things I’ve seen, since I’ve been out here. I take pride in Cali. It’s a big part of my everyday life. It’s who I am.

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CTC: I’ve been to California twice. Had the chance to visit San Diego, LA And Hollywood. Fun times!

Demrick: Dope!

CTC: Indeed! Did you go towards the album with the intent of switching things up stylistically?

Demrick: Yea we did weird shit, like the losing focus and another song are in three-fours, it’s a different time signature. And we just wanted to do all original stuff that felt different, like you could listen from track one through sixteen and can listen to the whole thing that way all the way through. I know my favorite albums are things that you listen to in your car, sitting in front of your computer or just at the crib doing some shit and you got some music in the background. I’ve always looked at that as I wanted to have a project like that, that felt like it would make me want to do that and know that it would make fans that like my stuff, want to do the exact same thing.

CTC: Pretty fresh! Where was “Losing Focus” primarily recorded at? What places that inspired the recording process?

Demrick: It was all written in Sherman Oaks, California. at Mulberry Studios. It’s owned by Cali Cleve. We did the whole album there. They have everything. A half pipe in the back yard, basket ball hoop and a pool table. It’s like a music frat-house where everyone who hangs out is a musician and record everyday. It’s got a super dope vibe! I live in Cali, I don’t gotta travel far to find inspiration.

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CTC: True. Get to see the palm trees everyday!

Demrick: Mhmm!

CTC: How did you narrow down the songs to just 16? I’m sure you had a lot to draw from!

Demrick: Oh yea! We worked on that album for awhile! We picked our favorites we/ picked what flowed. Sometimes when you write a song and you may have a feeling/vibe you keep coming back too. You realize that you wrote a couple songs that are kinda the same topic. So, you pick what one has the right flow and gets the correct point across. It’s all on vibes. We felt what we felt!

CTC: Oh yea! You didn’t hold back, you spoke from your heart. That’s where I want to get into the track “Make Way”. Inside “Make Way” you mention Rap saving your soul. How exactly has the Hip-Hop genre saved your soul?

Demrick: The exact way that it has helped me in every way possible. It gave me something to live for. Gave me something that I wanted to do. A passion. It started being something I was interested in, then it turned into a hobby, then it turned into my passion, then it turned in my life. It shaped me into what I am today.

CTC: When did you start Rapping?

Demrick: I’ve been rapping for a long time. I started rapping with my homies at age twelve. I was in a group for awhile, went solo and now I’m in Serial Killers with Xzibit and B-Real. I’m just doing my thing. I love it! It’s equivalent to exercising or eating or breathing. Making music and being creative is who I am.

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CTC: Love that answer! Let’s get into “Skycrapers” and what was it like recording with Logic?

Demrick: It was dope working with Logic. He came to the studio. One of the guys Cali Cleve brought on board was Iain Findlay. He engineers and mixes for Kid Cudi. He also tours and does the live sound with Kid Cudi. Logic had went out on tour with Kid Cudi. Iain played him that record and Logic liked it. Logic hit me up and wanted to be part of that record. He came to the studio and I got back with Cali. We just vibed! I listened to some of his first album before he dropped it and we listened to some of my music. Then Logic dropped a verse for me. It was the shit! I look up to Logic. I like what he’s doing with his movement. I think he’s an amazing artist. I’m happy to call him my homie and I’m glad that we make music together!

CTC: It’s great when musicians become close homies. By the way, King Chip did a damn good job on Skyscrapers too! You and King Chip need to more tracks together! How did you two meet?

Demrick: That’s my dog man! I met Chip when I was in Switzerland. We both happened to be out there playing a festival. He was with Kid Cudi, I was with Xzibit. We ended up staying in the same hotel and kicked it. We vibed then. Once we put the connection back together we started working. He lives in the same area. I see him all the time, so in due time.

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CTC: “She Changed” is a Pro-Marijuana anthem. I’m pro-legalizing weed myself. Anything from your own personal life that inspired it’s lyrics and how often do you play in support of Marijuana?

Demrick: Of course! I played in a bunch of High Times Festivals. I just played The Blazers Cup. I’m all about it! I performed at my favorite dispensary in Los Angela’s called Green Wolf.  They sponsored the Stoney Point Tour. I deal with Green Wolf, because I believe in the best. I want the best strains/concentrates. I want the best for everybody who wants to partake. It’s a life changer. It’s a helper. So anything that’s involved with the Cannabis community, I’m all about! The song was inspired by Step Father and Uncle. They be hitting me up because I put a lot of weed stuff on my Instagram and Facebook, it’s part of my life. They’re like, “Boy, whatcha know about weed?” And I’m like,“It’s been a long time, you don’t how good this shit has got” *Laughs* I wrote that song based around that kind of inspiration from my Step Father and Uncle.

CTC: *Laughs* That’s pretty dope! Awesome answer. So, what exactly is “Space Island”?

Demrick: Space Island is where you go when you’re just completely fucking zoned out when your stoned. And your just sitting there on your couch, looking around in your own head. *Laughs*

CTC: *Laughs* “Pass A Blunt” seems to be more on the personal side. Can we get into more detail behind the meaning of the track?

Demrick: It’s about everyone who’s sitting around at a cypher, passing around the blunt, but you never know the exact reason why everybody else is smoking. Some people are getting high to relax and take the edge off or maybe they’re trying it for the first time. It could also be to get away from depression. You never know the reason why a certain individual among you is smoking, you just know everyone wants to smoke.

CTC: “We Still Here” with Dizzy Wright, who are you writing the song to?

Demrick: Now, I feel like that’s the most personal track on “Losing Focus”. It’s about the fact that if you’re going through a loss or something fucked up in your life or whatever trials and tribulations it may be, that you can at least be happy that you are alive. At the end of the day you have your health and can move around. You never know what the future holds. It’s celebrating that you’re alive everyday!

CTC: Epic response! And another thing that’s epic is your group Serial Killers with B-Real and Xzibt. That must be a dream come true to be able to work with legends and be in the same group as them! “Darkness Falls” is the perfect album closer.

Demrick: I’ve done so much music with X and B-Real! Those are my mentors. Those are the guys that will go down in the history books. Those are the people who taught me the most. They’ve given me so many opportunities and experiences in my life! They’re like bigger brothers to me. Working with them is always a great fun challenge, because you want to impress each other. Obviously, since I got the opportunity to work with established Hip-Hop Veterans/ legends in their own right, I need to be bringing my A-game every time, so I take every track I do with them serious, not saying I don’t take all my other stuff serious, ya know, I take all my stuff serious.  I just got to hold myself to a certain standard when working on Serial Killers. I want to impress them every time!

CTC: I feel you bro. Those guys have over 25 years of Hip-Hop experience and as stated that track is the perfect album closer!

Demrick: Thank you!

CTC: It’s the truth!  So why was “All The Way” (with Madchild) selected as a bonus song for “Losing Focus” and not used for another future dope project?

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Demrick: Because we made it after the album was done and I thought it was a great message, I really liked it. I wanted fans to hear him on a song that’s on the level of my life. I love it!

CTC: Well every song you and Madchild put out together is dope! I’m glad you two keep connecting so well.

Demrick: We have a bunch more music on the way. Me and Madchild we’re building. He already has an amazing legacy and he’s an amazing artist and a legend in his own right. I feel like me and him are building something together. Later on in life, I’ll look at him like the way I look at Xzibit and B-Real. Madchild has already made a big impact in my life and gave me a platform to get my music out there and help get me all the way on the radar, so we’re doing interviews like this. I’m forever grateful to Madchild for that!

CTC: Salute to Madchild and the entire Baxwar family! How did you and DJ Hoppa become acquainted with each-other? Was it because you two shared the same love for Marijuana and that kush love is the main reason why the album “Stoney Point” was created?

Demrick: I saw him DJ’ing at this little club type thing in the valley. I was kicking it with my homies, I remember it was “Oh Hopper DJ’s at this spot!” and then it slowly turned into Hoppa being cool, then it turned into Hoppa saying “Why don’t you come and lay a verse down on my Hoppa and Friends project?!” Then I went to the studio and turned out he didn’t live that far from me. We were supposed to make one record and we ended up making three records. And that turned into making videos, to making the Stoney Point album and that turned into a whole tour. We got the vibe and we love to smoke. Our relationship has just been organically building the whole time and I feel that the fans love the music that we’re making together. It’s getting better and better! I’m happy to be able to go out and tour with Hoppa.

CTC: That’s dope! What’s your own definition of Stoney Point?

Demrick: It’s a play on words. It’s a double meaning. There’s actually a Stoney Point near Mulberry studio. It’s where Hoppa grew up. Then there is the meaning of we’re always high making the music and staying on top. We in the sky baby! *Laughs*

CTC: What did you and Hoppa set out to accomplish when making Stoney Point?cover5

Demrick: The thing is that we set out to make a really strong Hip-Hop album that we can perform and that we could both stand behind. I was telling stories of about my life and mixing it i in with different stoner stuff. One moment a verse will reference the weed,*Drops verses from Red Eye*  “You ain’t smoking flavors/ Don’t do me no favors/ We high like elevators/ while I’m highly imitated from the track that’s integrated/ I’m with my Cali Native,Hoppa roll it proper non stop, forever faded/

Then it will turn into my real life…

“My real father in prison, step pops on parole/Momma always gone , sloppy joes up on the stove/Homies on the phone saying lets get at these hoes/So much time up in these streets im running down my soles”

So you see It’s an actual play on my actual life and a play on the weed that makes you listen to the whole record. That’s what it is.

CTC: That’s cool you brought your own personal life to the table. How did the recording process behind Stoney Point differ from past releases?

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Demrick: I think that Hoppa knew what he wanted to get out of me as an artist. He knew what he liked. And I knew what I wanted too. Once we started making a couple records and finally when we heard one song, which actually was the song “Find A Way”, that’s really what birthed the sound of the project. Once we homed in on that, that was it. We knew exactly what we wanted. We were pushing each-other to achieving that mark every time.

*B-Real of Cypress Hill calls Demrick. interview is paused for a few minutes”

Demrick: Sorry about that.

CTC: It’s all good man! It’s B-Real of Cypress Hill! I’m honored to have an interview I’m doing be interrupted by B-Real of all people. *Laughs* Back on track, The song “Nobody’s Safe” is the main banger for Stoney Point.  You, Jarren Benton, SwizZz and Madchild all killed it lyrically! I bet people get hyped up for that live!

Demrick: Oh yea they get hyped up.  Jarren Benton killed it! Swizzz didn’t appear in the video because of scheduling. But that what’s makes the song even doper on the album! No one expects Swizzz’s verse on it.  His verse sneaks up on the listener after they’re done watching the video first. It’s BaxWar and Funk Volume creating a unity, that’s what Nobody’s Safe is about.

CTC: What was it like working with Chris Webby? Will there be more songs beyond “Keep One Rolling”?

Demrick: Chris Webby is my homie. He’s a cool dude and I like his movement. He hit me up to play at a South by Southwest showcase and it just built from there. We did a Stoner Jam with me, him and B-Real. It’s a dope one. But I’m always working on all kinds of  dope music.

CTC: A lot of the songs on Stoney Point are Weed Anthems. But what is your favorite Weed Song from the album?

Demrick:Eyes Red” is my favorite on the album, but my favorite Stoner Jam for it, is Stoner Nation. Eyes Red is more about my personal life and Stoner Nation is needing to re-up!

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CTC: Speaking of weed songs, you and Dizzy Wright have worked with each-other plenty of times, but how did you guys connect differently on “Clouds Above Us”?

Demrick: I heard his verse and I got inspired by it. And we created a different beat and created the song around his verse. That song’s inspiration came from Dizzy and I just expanded on it.

CTC: Bad ass answer!  Props to Dizzy! When can fans expect a new video from Stoney Point?

Demrick: We’re doing a video for “Eyes Red”. Me and Dizzy Wright are shooting a video for our project right now. And I’m shooting a video with B-Real for our song “Kush Conversation”. It’s coming!

CTC: Any advice to young artists just starting out?

Demrick: Stay focused and do it, because you love it. Share it with as many people as you possibly can. And just watch it grow one fan at a time!

Please support Demrick and don’t miss him on tour with DJ Hoppa all month of January! Bax War!

Remaining Tour Dates for the Stoney Point Tour

Tickets: BrokenComplex.com/StoneyPointTour

1/19 Tucson, AZ. | The Rock
1/20 El Paso, TX. | Mesa Music Hall
1/21 Albuquerque, NM. | The Co-Op
1/22 Colorado Springs, CO. | Black Sheep
1/23 Denver, CO. | The Roxy
1/24 Fort Collins, CO. | Hodi’s Half Note
1/26 Upland, CA. | Grizzly Den
1/27 Reno, NV. | PB&J’s
1/28 San Jose, CA. | Back Bar SoFA
1/29 Las Vegas, NV. | LVCS
1/30 Los Angeles, CA. | The Airliner
1/31 Lancaster, CA. | Lancaster Moose Lounge

Purchase Losing Focus here: http://www.shopbenchmark.com/battleaxe/catalog/product/view/id/22837/s/demrick-losing-focus-cd-preorder-ships-2-20-15/category/1171/

Purchase Stoney Point here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stoney-point/id997435325

Download: Serial Killers The Murder Show Mixtape for free here: http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/36110/xzibit-b-real-demrick–the-murder-show.html

Photos of Demrick live Credit: Rory Birkett  via Faygoluvers.net

Interviewer: Chad Thomas Carsten

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