RESPECT. Interview: Hi-Rez Talks His Re-Introduction, Social Media, and More

Hi-Rez’s artistic re-introduction may just be the catalyst for his projected breakout year. It’s been an interesting journey for Rez. Having consistently released music since an age where he technically couldn’t buy a ticket to a R rated movie, the Fort Lauderdale native is transforming his art and brand to match his maturation process. As a sharp lyricist and an engaging personality, Rez’s inevitably prolonged breakthrough isn’t due to lack of talent, drive, or work ethic, but finding the right balance of underground consciousness and mainstream appeal, while staying true to his craft and letting the music speak for itself. With two new releases, “Victim Of The System” and “Swear,” (Feat. Cory Gunz) an upcoming project, a true love for performing, and endeavors reaching far beyond Hip-Hop, Hi-Rez is positioned to make the leap from popular mixtape rapper to widely acclaimed MC. Hi-Rez sat down with RESPECT. Magazine to discuss early discography, performing, social media, comedy, and how amidst all his releases he’s really just getting started.

RESPECT.: Let’s start with discussing your discography. From projects like “Early Release,” “A Walk To Remember,” and “Product Of My Environment,” how have you grown and evolved artistically?

Hi-Rez: “To be honest man, just growing up and getting older. I started making music at a really young age and started putting out mixtape at like 15-16, so the industry has been hearing from me for years already. Whenever you ask anyone how much they’ve changed from 15 to 21, people would laugh at how different of a human being they are. Just experiences too, experiencing life and building relationships. I was kind of stuck in a bubble of an environment back in the day, so once I started traveling and experiencing different things, my music reflected that. I used to make music only looking at it from a sonic point of view, I didn’t put emphasis on lyrics, flow, the hooks, etc., just how it sounded overall. There’s no longevity in that. I just have a whole new approach to my music.”

RESPECT.: Do you still have the core fanbase you had with your earlier projects?

Hi-Rez: “Statistically I’ve grown a certain amount, but I’ve definitely seen a decent amount of the people who were there for me in the beginning. When I was younger though I was making music for younger kids as well, now at my shows it’s anywhere from teenagers, my peers, to 35-year old people. I still have young fans which is crazy to me because I’m in the works to tour with artists like R.A. The Rugged Man, Masta Ace, and Pharoahe Monch, so it’s gonna’ be interesting to see a 15-year old and 40-year old at the same show.”

RESPECT.: Being a true lyricist first, how have you been able to maintain relevance in a rapidly changing Hip-Hop market?

Hi-Rez: “My goal is just to maintain relevance in the mainstream market while still being true to myself and fans of underground, conscious music. I have at least 40 unreleased songs. I like making ignorant music and conscious music, I enjoy both sides. It’s not like it’s one for the them and one for me, but it’s just being aware of both the mainstream and underground. You might ask that same question to an ignorant artists and they’d have no fu*kin’ idea what you’re talking about. Just being aware of both puts me a few steps ahead.”

RESPECT.: Discuss “Victim Of The System.” Give us some details about how that record came about.

Hi-Rez: “To show my fans that I’m versatile in making conscious, as well as mainstream records, I’ve been dropping one party vibe, then the next conscious, another party vibe single, then a conscious record to drill into people’s heads that I can really do both. “Victim Of The System” is basically about a drug deal gone wrong. It’s actually based on a true story. I had a homie a while ago who was stabbed and passed away from a drug deal. It wasn’t like as soon as it happened I went in and wrote a song about it. One day I just heard a beat I liked and decoded to tell the story. It’s kind of embellished the way I tell it because I’ve learned not to follow every exact detail because that can rub people the wrong way. It’s like a re-imaging and re-creation of the event, that way people can really relate to it.”

RESPECT.: I know it’s still untitled, but can you discuss the new project? Will it be your most impactful yet?

Hi-Rez: “What I keep telling blogs, magazine’s etc. is that I’ve put out four or five projects already and each one was too much or too little if that makes sense. One was too mainstream, one was to conscious, I hadn’t found a good balance. This is my first project where you could put some songs on a playlist with Migos and others with old heads. People always have their opinions, but as the creator, it’s my most versatile. I’ve handled the creative side of it so as long as everything goes right with management, publicists, and the business side of sh*t, it’ll be great.”

RESPECT.: Your performances seem to always be high-energy, is that the way you approach all your shows? How important to you is performing?

Hi-Rez: “Performing is just as important, if not more important than your music. You could be the greatest studio artist ever, but if you’re just standing on stage and not doing anything, you’re not going to impact your fans at all and leave an impression that will make them want to spread your music. You don’t want to leave your fans with the image of you being a boring dude who just stands on stage. I’ve seen both sides of it. I’ve met dudes that just stand there, holding their fu*king nuts in one cubic foot the whole time. I’ve also seen the wildest and craziest fu*king performances. That’s what I want people to take away from me is that I’m not just a rapper, but a MC who can really perform. If you seen some of my new performances there’s a lot of eyes-on-me type sh*t, a lot of crowd interaction, and sh*t like that, which is very necessary if you want to impact your fans.

RESPECT.: Where do you envision the Hi-Rez brand? Will this project effectively be your breakout moment?

Hi-Rez: “I was just talking to my manager about this and for years I’ve felt people have had a false perception of me. I’m sure some of it has to do with me indirectly, putting out corny, gum ball, white boy suburban music, which is the opposite of what I grew up listening to. Definitely not what I was inspired by. Looking back it’s not a reflection of self at all. Even if you look back at my twitter, I’m a dude that really likes to laugh and joke around, so sometimes I was just forcing an image because I was impatient, my words were way louder than my actions at the time. I’m quieting down a little, letting the records speak for themselves instead of wildin’ on Twitter. The plan is for this project to be the one that sticks in people’s minds. I’ve never had these emotions and feelings for any other project I’ve done. It’s really the plan for this project to set the brand and show people how versatile of an artist I am.”

RESPECT.: Having released music at such a young age, how has the major advent of social media impacted your career?

Hi-Rez: “Social media is a blessing and a curse. Social media didn’t play a role in artists that I grew up on, so sometimes I wish I could get back on the corner and hand out mixtapes, have street teams, sh*t like that, but the reality is, that sh*t is gone and isn’t coming back anytime soon. That being said, it’s allowed me to grow the fanbase I have. I’m not the dude to sit around refreshing my social networks, but it’s really something you can’t ignore. My BackSeat Bars freestyles made my Facebook jump from 100,000 fans to over 300,000 fans in about 6 months. It’s sometimes the smallest things that give you the biggest jump start. All of these things play a part in my re-introduction.”

RESPECT.: What does the future hold for Hi-Rez?

Hi-Rez: “It’s way beyond music. My ambitions and goals with music are just as important as comedy, animation, sh*t like that. I don’t want to wait until I’m big in music to venture off into other things, I’m doing all that sh*t right now. I’m trying to build my brand through connections, The Lucas Brothers, contacts at Adult Swim, etc. I cook all the time, I love animals, (laughs) I know it sounds weird but that’s why we’ve got management and publicists on board to let people know it’s much more than rap.”