Remy Boy Monty and the Rebirth of New Jersey

Image credit: Aderon Mothersill

Since the genre’s inception, New Jersey and Hip-Hop have been just as synonymous as the city in which the music was birthed. Due to its close proximity, the transmission of Rap into the surrounding Tri-State was as simple as taking the PATH train to Hoboken. Because of this, by the middle of Rap’s “Golden Age,” New Jersey was littered with, now, iconic MC’s such as Redman, Queen Latifah, Treach of Naughty By Nature, and, of course, Lauryn Hill.

Yet, similar to the rest of the Northeast, Rap in New Jersey was forced to take a backseat while the spotlight shifted from the region to other portions of the country. However, as known, music and art moves in cycles and as the focus began to readjust to The North in cities like Philadelphia and New York, New Jersey’s history of artistic division and violence stunted its regrowth.

But in 2015, this trend of stagnation was broken. With the release of the monster single that was “Trap Queen,” New Jersey native, Fetty Wap allowed a state that was dormant for so long to erupt back to its historical dominance. As a result of Wap’s success, new attention was paid to other emerging acts in the area such as close friend and one-half of his music duo, “Remy Boyz,” Remy Boy Monty.

In an interview with RESPECT.’s County Grammar series, Remy Boy Monty, aka Monty Zoo, reflected on his life in Paterson, New Jersey as well as explaining why his own artistry has led to him being a candidate for this year’s XXL Freshman Class.

RESPECT.: “Can you talk a little about your life before Rap?”

Remy Boy Monty: “My life before Rap? Well, sh-t. I was trying to find a job. I was in the streets trying to get to it.”

RESPECT.: “How did you transition into making music?”

RBM: “Well, I had always been trying to make music. At one point, I ended up losing my job and I just went all in with the music.”

RESPECT.: “How did ‘Remy Boyz,’ with you and Fetty Wap, come about? How did it start?”

RBM: “I’ve known Wap for a while. I met him at a shoe store in Paterson, where we’re from. He bought some weed off me and from there we became friends. Since we were cool, it was only natural that we would be in the studio together making music. We used to be in there making songs and drinking Remy Martin. Then one day we just decided to call ourselves ‘Remy Boyz.’”

RESPECT.: “So can you explain being from Paterson/New Jersey in general and how that impacted your life as well as your art?”

RBM: “Well, I’m honestly just having fun with this Rap sh-t. I ain’t trying to be no ‘Best Rapper Alive.’ I’m just trying to do ‘Monty Zoo.’ But where I come from, it’s a little different in Jersey. Like New York has its own type of thing doing on, we’re a little different. Where I’m from in Jersey they play a lot of Southern Hip-Hop. So, we have a little bit of The South with some up North added to it. So, that’s my style. I definitely like to keep the feel of The South in my music, but I add in those bars because I’m from up North. You gotta have those bars in your music. They really mean a lot to me. That’s my whole vibe, my ‘Monty Zoo’ flow.”

RESPECT.: “So both you and Fetty Wap have been noticed and highlighted by XXL as potential artists to be featured on their ‘Freshman Cover’ for your respective years. How was the experience and how does it feel to have ‘Remy Boyz,’ as a whole, highlighted by them?”

RBM: “Where I’m from a lot of artists don’t even make it that far. I’m just grateful to even have been a part of the XXL Freshman Experience. To even be in tune with something like that. I just appreciate all of that sh-t. So, shout to XXL and anyone who’s f-cking with the whole ‘Monty Zoo’/‘Remy Boyz’ movement.”

RESPECT.: “It seems like you guys gained mainstream popularity pretty quickly. What was that whole ‘come up’ like for you all?”

RBM: “The only way I could describe it as was: ‘quick.’ Like in a blink of an eye. We were just trying to get the hood hot, get thing popping where we were from. Then it got crazy. It took over the world. It happened mad quick. But, I mean, I’m a superstar and Wap a superstar, so when he popped he went straight to the top. I witnessed it all. I was right there. It was a good experience. But it was fast. I saw a lot and did a lot over the course of a year. A lot happened. We went to a lot of places. I appreciate that whole, crazy experience.”

RESPECT.: “Being associated with a big name in music right now, such as Fetty Wap, how are you looking to stand out and distance your own art from that?”

RBM: “Me and Fetty Wap are individual artists. When we come together-yeah we’re ‘Remy Boyz’, but we are separate artists. A lot of people get that confused. So, I’m taking this year to showcase myself and my artistry. You’re going to get a lot more of ‘Monty Zoo’ as an artist.”

RESPECT.: “So you said you have a lot of music coming up, are there any ventures you want to take outside of Rap?”

RBM: “Outside of Rap? Probably movies. I have been thinking a lot about that lately. I want to get into the movie scene and act. Just to diversify my own artistry a little bit.”

Even though Monty didn’t make the actual cover of XXL’s Freshman Edition, to be considered shows the talent and potential that this emerging artist possesses. And while this tremendous upside should never be overlooked, what is more impressive about Remy Boy Monty is his mature ability to capture the “bigger picture.” As an artist of his talent, Monty Zoo would undoubtedly be successful by a strictly solo act. But through the creation of Remy Boyz, Fetty Wap and he have promoted a sense of comradery that historically has been missing from their home state. By choosing to combine their talents in support of each other during their wildly successful route to fame, they have proven to New Jersey that this a profitable plan when implemented correctly. Being a focal member of this blueprint, as well as, a standout solo artists gives Remy Boy Monty the potential for cultural reconstruction that is just waiting to be tapped into.

Remy Boy Monty’s Monty Zoo II drops this Friday. Listen to the project’s lead single “Know Sh-t” ft. A Boogie wit da Hoodie: