Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
It’s Robert Smith‘s birthday so, naturally, fans of the singer are sharing what is commonly believed to be one of his greatest moments.
The musician, who is the frontman of The Cure, turns 64 today (Friday 21 April).
In 2019, he became a viral sensation on Twitter thanks to his hilariously deadpan response to an excitable reporter.
Smith was in attendance at that year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where The Cure were being inducted alongside Stevie Nicks, Janet Jackson, Def Leppard, The Zombies, Radiohead and Roxy Music.
The singer approached a chipper interviewer at Brooklyn’s Barclays Centre, who said to him: “Congratulations, The Cure – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees 2019! Are you as excited as I am?”
Smith, without missing a beat, replied: “Um, by the sounds of it, no.”
The interviewer, brushing off the response, laughed in response, and asked him: “Oh, no, what are we going to do?”
Smith continued: “I’m sure we’ll get there eventually. It’s a bit early, isn’t it?”
The clip, which has been viewed more than 10m times, has been shared on social media to mark Smith’s birthday.
“One of my absolute favourite Twitter clips of all time. Perfect!” one Twitter user wrote in response.
In March, Smith hit out at Ticketmaster after fans sent him screenshots of the high fees they were being charged when buying tickets to see The Cure live.
The frontman used Twitter to express his frustration at the pricing system by the ticket site, which he says artists cannot “limit”.
“We had final say in all our ticket pricing for this upcoming tour, and didn’t want those prices instantly and horribly distorted by resale,” he wrote.
“We didn’t agree to the ‘dynamic pricing’ / ‘price surging’ / ‘platinum ticket’ thing…,” wrote Smith on the new higher tier system Ticketmaster has been trialling.
He later detailed what he meant by the tweet, writing: “I had a separate conversation about ‘platinum’ to see if I had misunderstood something… but I hadn’t!”
“All artists have the choice not to participate… If no artists participated, it would cease to exist,” he added.
However, when tickets went on sale, fans were reportedly hit by large fees that meant the cost of tickets was more than doubled.
Samith then announced that Ticketmaster would issue partial refunds to fans.
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Artist Spotlight: I.K.P.
The new single by New York rapper I.K.P. – The Infamous King of Positivity – is all about winning through resilience. Born Kenny Alvarez, I.K.P. calls the genre “grunge rap,” an offshoot of trap with a dirty and textured beat and a dark, ominous melody.
In this exclusive Q&A, I.K.P. opens up about the stories behind the music, lessons learned along the way, and what keeps their passion alive.
HipHopNow: Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
I.K.P.: It's varied. But I wrote something once after seeing Megan Thee Stallion post a teaser of her song Lover Girl on Instagram before it came out. It samples Total's Kissin You and that got me going, big fan of Total. When I found the bounce beat that might have inspired Megan's track, I recorded a demo that day.
Lately I've been inspired by love. Self love, romantic love, desire, devotion. I've been following that energy and I'm in that mode.
HipHopNow: Where do you find inspiration for your lyrics and melodies?
I.K.P.: Pop and R&B music really. I like to study different songwriters. Taylor Swift, Addison Rae, SZA, Teyana Taylor, Ariana Grande, stuff from her Positions album and Eternal Sunshine album, then old school stuff like Aaliyah, Mariah Carey or Brandy's classic stuff to get an idea how to make melodies that move me. That type of pop is above my singing range, but it doesn't stop me from finding my tone and seeing where that inspiration takes me.
My lyrics are mostly just a way to process a certain emotion. I've felt a lot of yearning and willingness to be devoted to love and what that means to me. So once I hear something that helps me tap in, I'll journal it and sometimes the ideas for the songs come from that.
HipHopNow: How do you handle writer’s block or creative slumps?
I.K.P.: Writer's block I don't look at as a hurdle anymore. That's a sign that I need a break and I'm happy to give myself yhat grace. When I'm constantly thinking about what I'm doing next, the next song, the next project, the next piece of content, it can get overwhelming. So when things slow down, its actually a good sign to go live life!
HipHopNow: What comes first for you: the music or the lyrics?
I.K.P.: These days its the music. Sometimes I'll have music with no idea where the song will come from. Then, I'll be inspired by something I went through or something I need to express in the moment and let the process happen.
HipHopNow: How do you know when a song is truly finished?
I.K.P.: My body will know. When the nagging compulsion to fix something in the song goes away, that's a good sign.
HipHopNow: What legacy do you hope to leave with your music?
I.K.P.: I hope it's a way out for someone, just like how my favorite artists and songs have been an escape for me.
HipHopNow: What’s the most significant change you’ve seen in yourself since starting your music career?
I.K.P.: Evolving from thinking I had to show up a certain way - clean cut, perfectly packaged and manicured - to be embraced and accepted. I wore a lot of suits and thought that was a way to portray a sense of authority in my music in order to be distinct and taken seriously as a rapper with a queer identity that I wore proudly. I didn't know how to embrace my own vulnerability until I realized I couldn't escape them without facing them. That journey was when things shifted.
HipHopNow: What accomplishment in your career are you most proud of?
I.K.P.: Mostly to still be doing it actively when a lot of my peers have shifted their priorities. That I still want to make music and have something to say to my community.
HipHopNow: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
I.K.P.: Having new experiences that could inspire new music. But I love traveling and seeing places and cultures I've never been and immersing myself in the moment. I'm definitely a solo traveler.
HipHopNow: How do you stay motivated and inspired in your daily life?
I.K.P.: Giving gratitude for the people in my life that check in. Nothing beats having people in your life that understand and embrace all parts of who you are, without question.
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