24: Introduce yourself to everyone that doesn’t already know who you are.
Brenton Brown: Brenton Brown is the name, but you can just call me Brenton just so that I don’t get confused with the Gospel singer of the same name, haha. I’m originally from Baldwin, New York, but I’m currently building in Miami, FL. I made my true appearance on the scene with my music video for ‘Peep The Sneaks’ followed by ‘Lemme Know’ featuring GhostWridah; and now that The Brenton Brown Affair is available, you’ll be seeing and hearing much more of/from me.
24: Before we get into your music, can you describe your history about how you got into music and what inspired you?
Brenton Brown: That’s an easy one. I truly got inspired to do music back when my oldest brother introduced me to XXL Magazine after hearing me play Jay-Z’s “Feelin’ It” on the piano by ear at 7 years old. That lead to me joining a faux-hip-hop group around the age of 13 when I was introduced to my dude Paris Diamond who was signed at the time. Truthfully, rapping didn’t come naturally, and everyone clowned on me for my wack ass rhymes, so my inspiration came from the doubt; I had something to prove. In my freshman year of college; however, the deal was sealed when I performed in front of 50,000 people at the University of Florida’s pep rally, Gator Growl. The standing O my group (at the time) and I received was pretty damn inspiring too. Since then, it’s been hard work and a lot of doubt that has been keeping me going.
24: What was the Hip-Hop scene like for you growing up where you’re from?
Brenton Brown: The music scene was a mix-match, especially because I’ve lived a little more than half my life in New York, and the other, in Florida. I learned the concept of lyricism from my New York roots and the technique of a energetic and rhythmic hook from the Southern sect.
24: What makes you Unique as a artist and different from other rappers out now?
Brenton Brown: Unfortunately, since everyone is a rapper nowadays, this question is always the toughest and considering there are numerous cliché responses, I’ll simply reply: Honesty makes me unique. Every song I write comes from some event, incident or experience in my life, whether it’s something I wanted to say to a girl, or something I did. You might look at my songs and hear the word ballin’ and think, “yeah right,” but to me, ballin’ is having the most fun you can with what you have. So yeah, Honesty is my unique attribute in this rap game.
24: Tell us about what you are working on.
Brenton Brown: Well, I just finished up my project, The Brenton Brown Affair, which is now available on DatPiff and many of your favorite blogs…cough, cough 24HourHipHop…cough, cough. Now I’m working on a few singles with some of your favorite artists and trying to spread the word on my music and knock out these shows that I’ve been itching to do; that’s the main focus at the moment.
24: What producers have you worked with and who would you like to work with in the future?
Brenton Brown: I’ve worked with my Upstart producers Skitzo, of The R.E.G.I.M.E., DJ Codeman and OVR9000, Black Metaphor, Black The Beast, and Nyce Of Elite Beats so far, but I’m definitely hoping to work with newcomers Hit-Boy, Jahlil Beats, Cardo On The Beat. As for the more seasoned producers, I’d like to work with Kanye, No I.D., Premier and Timbaland, just to name a few.
24: Are you happy with the feedback you have been getting from people on material you have released?
Brenton Brown: That’s a definite yes! Lately more people have been paying attention and I’m slowly making believers out of the doubters. The surge of downloads on DatPiff was totally unexpected, but incredibly humbling and motivational. Thank you to all who’ve downloaded thus far.
24: In today’s free download age, what do you need to do to make yourself a household name.
Brenton Brown: I’ll tell you this, I don’t believe in saturating the game with music to stay relevant. I believe that a releasing full project, an EP or two and a few singles per year is a great way to build your name as an artist. The artists who drop around 32,878 tracks a year run out of substantial shit to talk about and then it just becomes a redundant barrage of money, drugs, guns and chicks; but there’s so much more to discuss. So I guess what I’m saying is quality over quantity.
24: How do you feel about the current state of the Hip-Hop scene?
Brenton Brown: I think that it’s coming full circle back to the style, the lyricism and the hunger. I see more artist trying to build their own following, create their own grassroots movement. Granted, some movements are a bit iffy, but I respect the hustles I’ve seen as of late. I think that we’ve moved from trying to create the next dance craze to trying to create the next classic, that makes me proud.
24: Outside of the music, what else are you currently working on?
Brenton Brown: Well, I’ve got a few things under the radar with a few clothing companies, I’m plan to get back to my blogging, I kinda miss the journalistic aspect of my life, but most importantly, I’m working on my health, getting in shape and eating right. We’ll see where everything goes from here.
24: Where do you see yourself going in 2012 and how do you plan to separate yourself from the other artist out today to get the recognition you feel you deserve?
Brenton Brown: As I said, honesty separates me from my artistic peers. But I also enjoy songwriting, aside from the guest verses on The Brenton Brown Affair, everything was written and arranged by me. I think a possible next step for me is getting back into producing. I remember when I created beats similar to J. Cole’s using Fruity Loops and Reason, and I remember how many people said I was hot garbage; I guess I was on to something back then…
24: How can fans go about contacting you?
Brenton Brown: Easy, my phone is attached to my hip 24/7, if I’m in the shower, it’s within arms reach. Tweet me (@TheKidBBrown) , email my management, hit me up on my Facebook fan page or whatever’s clever. I respond.
24: Thank you for providing 24HourHipHop.com with this exclusive interview, do you have any last words for your present and future fans?
Brenton Brown: Please support the music and the grind and check out The Brenton Brown Affair, you’re gonna find at least 12 tracks you can rock with flat out. Just know that there’s more coming.
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