In the Spotlight: Hip-Hop Artist A.D. Weighs

1. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview A.D. Weighs. Tell us how you got started….

I got started in the late 1980s. I was just a kid, listening to Hip-Hop, fascinated with the music and culture. I listened to LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, NWA, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and a few others. I started writing rhymes and trying to memorize them. After a few years, I would often freestyle to the B-side instrumentals on cassette singles. I guess sometime around 1993, I decided to start making my own beats. I would make 4 or 8-bar loops on my little beat machine and I’d record 10-minute-long (sometimes longer) beats that I could listen to while driving, freestyling in my car. In 1997, I bought my first recorder, a digital, 8-track Roland virtual studio and a microphone and I started recording at home. At the time, I was just making songs that I enjoyed listening to. In fact, that’s still true to this day. I record songs that I feel will entertain me while I’m driving on the highway or just going about my day. It’s like the background music in a motion picture that will become my life story.

2. How would you describe your sound?

I’d rather leave it up to the public to describe the sound. Personally, I think it’s me. I think it sounds a lot like my personality, if that makes any sense. It’s kinda jazzy, yet aggressive. I jokingly refer to myself as, “The Dirty, Nerdy.” That’s because I’m a bit of a bookworm, but I’m also street-smart. I’m a loving, compassionate person, yet I also have anger issues. The music is like me. It’s melodic and groovy, yet gritty and abrasive. My sound balances perfectly on that fine line between seasoned professional and clumsy amateur.

3. Who are the top 3 artists you would like to work with?

I would love to work with Little Dragon, Purity Ring and De La Soul

4. Do you see yourself as a creative artist as well a ‘business’?

Unfortunately, Yes. I don’t like the idea of making a living by selling my music, but it’s a necessary evil. I own a video production company called AVL Creative. We film music videos, promotional videos and commercials. That’s a business I can comfortably make a living with, but when I go into the lab to record a song, I’m either creating a piece for my own personal collection or recording a shout-out to my loved ones. It’s still a little difficult to grasp the idea of selling the music. I might think differently when my bank account isn’t looking so sexy, but for now, it’s like I’m being dragged, kicking and screaming into inevitable entrepreneurship.

5. What do you have planned for 2015?

In 2015, I’m going to take a small break from filming and editing and create more music. I also hope to finish some of the records I’ve started. I’m swamped with video work right now, and while I do appreciate the business, there are a lot of issues I need to work through. Writing and recording is like much-needed therapy. It helps me deal with those issues and silence some of this annoying mind-chatter.

6. Where do you find musical inspiration?

I don’t have to look far to find inspiration. Something as simple as a good movie, a beautiful woman or a dirty joke could inspire me to pick up a pen or put on my headphones and start recording. It could be something that has nothing to do with music whatsoever. I remember watching a stand-up comedy special by Doug Stanhope entitled, “No Refunds.” I was so inspired by Doug’s wit and style of humor, I believe I spent the next 3 days writing what has become the most brutally-honest material I’ve written to date.

7. Now that you’re developing your project, what is the main advice you would want from Tax Twerk – online tax return service?

I don’t want to personally deal with another piece of paperwork ever. If I had it my way, all of that dreadful paperwork would be handled for me. It’s such a royal pain. I’d be willing to pay whatever the cost to have the comfort of knowing my paperwork is in order and I don’t have to spend one agonizing moment dealing with any of it.

8. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you pick to take with you?

If I were stranded on a desert island, I’d want to take my entire mp3 collection, a naughty woman and a helicopter.

9. Please take a moment to close your eyes and imagine the incredible future in front of you. What is the BIGGEST goal you would like to achieve?

My biggest goal is retirement. Not just for myself, but my mother as well. It pains me to see her still out there hustling real estate and not having enough time to relax and enjoy herself. I want to put a boat-load of dough in her bank account and let her enjoy the rest of her Earthly life.
10. Where can we find and follow you online?

www.facebook.com/AdWeighs

www.twitter.com/AD_Weighs

www.soundcloud.com/a-d-weighs