Interview: Alex Wiley Talks Village Party, Religion, World Domination, and being mistaken for Action Bronson

Ask Alex Wiley what his job description is and his reply is quick and to the point: “I’m a swagsmith. I swag for a living. It’s my job to swag.” The Chicago native is one of hip-hop’s most sought-after rappers—so sought-after, in fact, that the time is ripe for him to claim his rights as an artist. He is emerging with the belief that by avoiding cultural politics the rap movement has nothing to lose but its gold chains. Somewhere in between the hype, there’s a growing buzz of anticipation to find out who he is and what makes him tick. But perhaps no one is more anxious to see the wider impact than the man himself. He is destining to change the face of hip-hop music with his free-spirited, melodic sound that is intellectually stimulating as it is danceable. In fact his newly released mixtape Village Party is exactly what you’d expect it to be: It’s a 14-track project, bursting with melodic shifts, almost offering an intimate peek into his life. The songs provide a constant flow, keeping your attention firmly fixed upon what’s transpiring. They are so dense and hypnotic they will haunt you for days.

Talking to the 21-year-old, who was basking in the cold sunshine of fame in New York City, is like an invitation to the craziest afterparty you’ll ever go to. He has a way of making you feel as if you’re a member of his guest list, stalling conversation in mid-drawl, inventing his own words, laughing and joking around. RESPECT. caught up with Wiley during his promo run for Village Party to discuss the album and his plans for the future.

Have you already had phone calls from people you haven’t spoken to in a long time?

Yes, I have. A lot of people I haven’t talked to in a long time are suddenly trying to hang out and shit. It’s weird. But in a positive light, a lot of people who I haven’t talked to in a long time are congratulating me and sending these, like, super heartfelt messages [laughs]. It’s cool though.

How would you describe your current state of mind?

I feel pretty good, but my foot hurts. I shot a music video in Toronto the other day and I was rapping on top of this big ass van and I basically jumped off. It was just really stupid — when I looked down it didn’t seem as far down as it was and I just jumped off the fucking van and really hurt my foot. I’m in New York City fucking wimping around and shit. It hurts to walk right now.

What’s one of the craziest thoughts you’ve ever had?

Wow. I’m trying to think of what kind of crazy thought to share — give me a moment [long pause]. Well, yesterday we were looking for food and we were very stoned. One of my camera guys was with me and he said he wanted mac and cheese on a burger. I think that’s a pretty crazy thing, considering the fact that we found it and made it happen. We actually executed that — mac and cheese on a cheeseburger. It was awesome.

Jimi Hendrix once said, “Music is my religion.” Does music ever feel like that to you?

Yeah, sometimes, but I’m not particularly religious. It does feel like this higher thing that we hold it in a very high esteem than, like, even human beings sometimes. In a sense, I guess music is my religion. It’s something that I deeply believe in. However, I probably wouldn’t have said something like that, but I can see where he was coming from and I can understand what he means. Music can really consume you, to the point where it becomes your identity.

What do you consider your job description?

I’m a rapping-ass-rapper. I’m a swagsmith. I swag for a living. It’s my job to swag. It’s my job to be hot, like, I gotta make the raps hot. The productions gotta be hot. When we shoot the videos — my dance moves have gotta be on point. They have gotta be very well rehearsed and tight. And when I hit my two step away from the mic and do some old Temptations shit, it’s gotta be hot. All my shit has gotta be tight and hot.

Do you remember the first time you were able to impress a girl by telling her what you do?

I feel like it’s less impressive when you have to tell them what you do. As a rapper you’re not really impressing anyone by telling people you’re a rapper. They should just know. The way to really impress a girl or anyone in general is if they already know what you do, like, if I tell someone I’m a rapper that’s not impressive. But I do remember the first time I walked around in my city and people started recognizing me. It was after my first ever music video “Dollar Please” with Kembe. I remember going to the library after that came out and there was like an open mic there and everybody had seen the video. It was cool, even when people started asking for pictures and stuff.

I was listening to “Ova” and noticed the line where you say, “Talkin’ all that bullshit, that shit ova.” Can we talk about your desire to escape from this reality that surrounds you?

It’s like rap game bullshit. I feel like at this stage to get to where I want to get to and to have the influence I want to have in music, I have got to avoid the bullshit. I hate having to deal with super weak music shit that that I have to deal with. All the handshaking, all the acting like, I care about what people are talking about when I super don’t, and also the rap game politics that has nothing to do with my music.

Do you ever have nightmares?

I had one a couple weeks ago. It was really weird. So basically I got kidnapped and got thrown in the back of a van. The dream doesn’t make a lot of sense, because I don’t know how I got the van door open. Anyway, I got it open and I’m trying to run away but then I realize that the whole world is underwater. There’s no water and it doesn’t look like water but you can’t move through space the way you do in the real world, like, I couldn’t run. I had to swim. Whoever it was that kidnapped me I remember them vividly looking like a creepy witch-looking lady, like, she was just gaining on me. I couldn’t get any separation, I was fucking swimming. And then I woke up saying, “What the fuck?” Other than that, I don’t dream a lot. I go to sleep tired as hell and wake up.

Your fans seem to identify with you and your music in a very personal, almost fanatical, way. To you, what does your music represent?

I think it represents a spirit of defiance. It’s about real freedom, defiance, doing what you want and being imaginative. I want it to be eloquent, free-spirited, and content wise — a very progressive sound. I want to progress music forward sonically while expressing myself in a way that’s relatable and also saying, “Fuck you” to everyone that wasn’t with it from the jump. I feel like there are a lot of people who I can say, “I told you so,” which is something I kind of do through my music. I’m trying to be less of a vengeful person, but honestly, it’s kinda the way I am. It makes me feel better when someone wrongs me and I can kind of get them back. It kind of comes through my music. It’s defiant, it’s meant to have that like, one person against the world kind of feel to it.

Word on the street is you’re part of the hip hop consciousness. So what do you think your role is in this revolution of new rappers changing the face of rap?

To do just that — change the face of hip-hop. I also want to usher in a new era of music where it’s more progressive and focus on creativity, more so than anything else. The people who should get the most attention and props from everyone are those who are coming out of the box.

Your parents must be pleased with the outcome of everything.

My parents are super proud right now, especially because what I was doing before rap was fucking failing school. Like once I left school I literally spent six months in my bedroom, like being a fucking sad boy. But what I’m doing right now is ten times better than what I was doing before.

If we were kids and we were hanging out together, what would we be doing?

If we’re like 11 or 12, we’re probably somewhere outside and I’m talking a lot of shit as I’m dropping really ridiculous buckets on you. I mean, at that age I didn’t do much, just went to school, hung out with my friends, and played a lot of sports. If it’s cold outside we’d probably be playing video games, talking about girls who are starting to grow titties, and if it’s warm then I’ll probably be attempting to dunk on you at every chance I get.

If the young Alex Wiley could meet you today, what would he think?

I honestly think the young Alex Wiley would think I’m pretty cool. I’m on the track of doing everything I wanted to do when I was a kid, which is to be creative. He would probably clown me for the way I dress though, because my clothes are from Target. I just don’t really care anymore. So I’d probably be making fun of myself while thinking at the same time, “He’s pretty cool. He’s doing some cool stuff.”

It seems like perfectionism is a big part of your work. You have a great style. That’s what everybody talks about: the fact that you are talented. What is your secret?

I think it’s a lot to do with the approach. What I’m trying to do is kind of the secret, the ambition of it all. I’ve listened to Village Party a lot since I dropped it. I’ve listened to the whole project front and back, maybe six or seven times now. When I listen to it I try separating myself as just someone who stumbled on some new music. I think what’s so impressive about it is my willingness to take risks. I’m still super worried about this project because I feel like, it was very risky. There [is] stuff on there that could easily be taken the wrong way, like, “What the fuck is this?” But I think the willingness to take risk and the ambition of the overall project is what is impressive.

What role do women, money, sex and happiness play in your life now that it is so easily accessible?

Oh, man, I’m trying to not be motivated by money and girls because I understand that the way I get those things is by not being motivated by them. The most money I’ve ever had has come off the strength of dropping really high quality content, like, the most girls I’ve ever had on my phone came from me dropping really dope music. I’m just trying to make sure that I always associate happiness and the things that I want with the creative aspects, because that’s what really makes me and other people happy. There are a lot of perks that come with this but it’s important to make sure that I’m motivated by what I actually want, not the perks. People want money so they can be happy. People want girls so they can feel good, but if you can have a middle man where you just make music directly, you can cut out pretty much everything else.

What do you spend your money on?

I brought a Rolex recently, which was tight. That was my first real big purchase. I buy weed from time to time, but a lot of the time I don’t because people give me weed. I like to eat out at nice places. I think honestly my money get spent on very nice meals at very nice places.

Let’s talk about “Vibration,” it’s such a striking video. What’s the reasoning behind it?

The concept of it was trying to set a video not in the real world. I was trying to come close to setting a music video directly in your imagination. It was set directly in some kind of dream state. I wanted a cool video that had no reminiscent of the tangible world init. Having it still be cool was the challenge, even with all the soundscapes I was trying to set it not in the real world. I was trying to visually represent what I was trying to sonically present.

You say in the song, “I’ve been high for way too long. I just came to show face, okay?” Can you elaborate?

I think when I wrote the song I had smoked a lot of weed everyday for several weeks. “I just came to show face, okay?” — is just the way I am. I’m kind of awkward at parties. I don’t really like to go to parties. If I do go I’ll show my face and then I’m pretty much ready to leave very quickly. Each line in the song is directly about me or the way how I am in someway.

So how autobiographical is your new mixtape, Village Party?

The name Village Party doesn’t have much to do with what the tape is, but I feel like the name is not irrelevant, even though I don’t like to party. I think if it’s not dumb you can name something whatever you want as long as it’s really, really tight. I think Village Party is really tight and I could have named it anything. I’m terrible at naming things. There are six songs on the tape that got named the night before we put the tape out, like, we make all these songs and they are really good songs but they just don’t have names until they have to have names. In general, I’m really bad at naming things.

How many times a day do people stop you thinking you’re Action Bronson?

[Laughs.] Oh, not super often, but it happens though. Nobody actually stops me thinking that I am Action Bronson, but I’ve had people tell me that I look a lot like Action Bronson. I was at this sandwich place in Chicago, and there were two people working there. The guy behind the counter who was making the sandwich said, “Yo, you look like Action Bronson.” And the other guy was like, “Yo, that is Alex Wiley.” It was really tight [laughs].