RESPECT. Interview: Sylvan LaCue Talks Rebirth, ‘Far From Familiar’ and More

Some of you may not recognize the name Sylvan LaCue at first, but may be more familiar with his name former moniker, QuEST. Sylvan has gone through a lot of changes since the release of his Searching Sylvan project last year. He’s left Visionary Music Group to form his own label entitled WiseUp Co. He left his longtime girlfriend. Moved from Los Angeles to be closer to home back in Miami and more. During our interview, Sylvan and I dove into topics ranging from his origins, the creative process of Far From Familiar, the state of the Miami rap scene and Prince vs. Michael Jackson. Check out our interview with Sylvan LaCue below to get more acquainted with the Miami emcee.

RESPECT.: When did you start making music?

Sylvan: I started writing when I was 7. Trying to get my feet wet. I started recording and composing records at age 15 in high school because they allowed us to have free equipment for recording and we had a music program.

RESPECT.: What kind of music was being played in your household growing up?

Sylvan: My family, especially my mother, played old soul and a lot of funk, Isaac Hayes and Al Green. My father was a big jazz head and was big on 80’s pop as well. He loved Prince, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Growing up around my parents that’s what I was surrounded by, but around my peers I was introduced to hip-hop and popular music outside my family. That’s what became influential to me.

RESPECT.: Why the name change? I noticed in the skit “Hollywood Identity Crisis” you addressed this situation.

Sylvan: Absolutely I addressed it on “Hollywood Identity Crisis.” Essentially I was growing out of it. Quest was an idea that I was trying to fulfil to try to become the best rapper I couple become. The generation I come from is the best rapper alive generation which is the Lil’ Wayne’s, T.I.’s, the Young Jeezy’s. This was in the early 2000’s and mid 2000’s where everyone was trying to claim their territory, whether that was the best rapper alive or the king of the south. Quest was my attempt at that or fulfilling that role. As things progressed and I became a different person I wanted to start embracing myself as much as humanly possible. There was no better way to embrace myself than to embrace my name which is my government name. I can move a lot better and feel way more comfortable under that name. I feel like I’m not trying to sell something but I’m trying to be myself.

RESPECT.: Are you still cool with everyone at Visionary Music?

Sylvan: I haven’t spoken with those guys since I left to be honest.

RESPECT.: Where are you trying to go with WiseUp & Co. and who’s on the label?

Sylvan: Right now WiseUp it’s self is an idea. We’re focused on spreading the idea of WiseUp to the masses. That idea represents spreading wisdom between people in order to reach the goals that you want to reach in life. As of right now we are focused on making it a label and a media platform. Right now, we have myself, Fortune, Linzi Jai and Venus Amor who are featured on the EP.

RESPECT.: Did your early success with Jermaine Dupree shape your perspective and outlook on the industry today?

Sylvan: I think when everything happened with Jermaine Dupree, I was 17 or 18 years old. I was right on the cusp of the internet revolution and I learned your success is going to come from how hard you work and not from who you know. There’s no love lost with Jermaine Dupree. I just learned that you’re going to have to get out here yourself and learn things your own way. I’m glad that I learned that early on and I didn’t have the conception of someone coming to take me to the next level.

RESPECT.: Why did you decide to go with the name, Far From Familiar, with this project?

Sylvan: It described everything I was going through after my previous project. I was no longer living at home, I moved to California and I left the label I was with. I left the longtime girlfriend I was with so that was a different environment and I was experiencing different things. Everything was unfamiliar and I wanted to document those experiences as much as possible. The irony of it is that I found myself within the midst of all of those experiences. It’s great irony within the title because all of those experiences were things I’ve never gone through in my life. But in the process I was able to find who I was as a person and stay true to my character.

RESPECT.: What was your favorite song to record on Far From Familiar?

Sylvan: It would definitely have to be “Emeryville.” “Emeryville” just came natural and there was no thought put into making this track. I feel the best records come from where there isn’t much thought put into the song. You just have to get in there and make it happen. It started early on a Monday or Tuesday and we finished the record before the day was over. It was effortless and I had the most fun creating that record.

RESPECT.: How do you feel about the Miami rap scene currently with names like Denzel Curry, Kodak Black, Rick Ross, Pitbull, Trick Daddy, etc.?

Sylvan: I think it’s pretty dope man. I feel as if Miami has always been manufactured as what you see is what you get. I feel as if we are telling the stories from different perspectives based on our generations. Everything from the beginning, the renaissance with Uncle Luke to transitioning to Trick Daddy. Then to transitioning to some of our legends, Pitbull, Flo-Rida, etc. The transition from that to the new generation now with the Denzel Curry, Kodak Black, Pouya, Fat Nics, Yung Simmie and others that are making waves. We all stick true to the narrative that is Miami which shows that you are a product of the environment. There’s slightly different sections and different stories which is this is where I’m from and this is what I represent. So I think of it as just carrying on tradition and taking things to a new level.

RESPECT.: I noticed that Nas was an influence on you. What other artist do you find influential to your sound or that you look up to?

Sylvan: Nas was the first rapper that influenced me to take my lyricism, content and artistry seriously. After him, I kind of went everywhere but the artists I really studied were Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z and Nas. Outside of that I studied Mos Def, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Eminem and more. I felt like I took notes from every emcee I needed to. From Wu-Tang Clan, to Cannabis, to Chino XL and more. These days I try to listen to either myself or genres outside of hip-hop just simply for the sake of originality. While trying to stay true to myself and also improve, I’m not afraid to say that I listen to myself because I want to improve. I want to get so sick of my music that I know how to move forward from it.

RESPECT.: If you could take anybody to your favorite spot to eat around Miami where would it be?

Sylvan: I’d probably have to take them to Panther Coffee because it’s a staple. It’s right in the heart of Wynwood. I’m a coffee enthusiast and I feel like they have great coffee. There’s a few other spots out there that I would go to in Miami. But the first place we’re going to go to if you are hanging with me is Panther Coffee.

RESPECT.: Do you gravitate to Prince or Michael Jackson more

Sylvan: Definitely Michael. I love Prince and feel like his boundaries were limitless and felt like there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. But, Michael was iconic, and not to say that Prince wasn’t iconic but there were things in Michael’s music that went to a place that he couldn’t go. The way Prince stayed true to himself sometimes content wise or sometimes his artistry didn’t allow himself to do things that were against things that were great and what he felt wasn’t great. I felt like Michael wasn’t that vain and that allowed him to see the bigger picture. I felt as if Prince was more focused on being great in general and I felt like Michael was more focused on that while touching as many people as possible. Not saying that Prince didn’t do because of his own personal feelings towards certain music that Michael didn’t have. In which my opinion allowed Michael to touch a few more hearts.

RESPECT.: What’s on the horizon for you and what’s next in 2016?

Sylvan: At What Cost will probably be my debut album but I’m not really sure when that’s going to drop. We’re looking at some time in 2017 but there’s a bunch of things I want to do music wise before then. I think we might do an EP sometime later this year as well. I have a couple videos coming and I’m planning an independent summer tour that will start somewhere between early to mid-summer. We’ve been working to build up WiseUp Co. and spreading our message and growing even more. We have a lot on our plate but I feel as if I can consistent with my artistry and with what I’m trying to do that’s all you can really ask for at this point you know.