Albany Lou – “A Hot Minute”

Albany Lou – “A Hot Minute” – interview by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: We all get into creative pursuits for different reasons. Some people get into music and the arts to escape; for some, it’s a natural outlet. Was was music, and creativity in the larger sense, for you?

AL: Absolutely I actually started writing poetry at a very young age. As I got older, some of the struggles and hardships I went through as a child made me relate to hip-hop music. After I found that love, it became my passion!!

RRX: Where was the first place you felt comfortable performing? People talk about places where they cut their teeth musically. Where was that for you? And does that place, or that scene still exist, or was it lost to time?

AL: I started performing when I was seven years old in musicals And plays, which gave me somewhat of a leg up as far as not having stage fright. When I started rapping on stage performing, we used to do small local venues like Bogies, Lark Tavern, Red Square.. most of which aren’t in use today.

RRX: Music is both word and note, beat and measure, and message. If your music was laid out like a story, what’s the main character like? What’s the plot? And what’s one of the big moments that turned the story around?

AL: The main character in my musical story is definitely a rebel even sometimes an antagonist. I never actually pigeonhole myself to any one sound, but looking back in the grand scheme of things, my character would seem to be an outlaw, who doesn’t have a problem shining light on some very controversial topics!

RRX: Creative people move culture, especially musical performers. We have to thread the circumstances in our lives in a way to affect others. And this is sometimes a responsibility put on us. How do you, specifically, move culture?

AL: I think my personal contributions have been to keep it rugged. Keep it truthful, but still bring positive energy. The laws of man never meant much to me, but the laws of God is what I abide by and I stay true to my heart and my craft, and I believe it comes across in my music and in person. 

RRX: Music is a good traveling companion. Play it in a car on that long ride and the miles disappear. But you gotta have something to play. You have something out, maybe more than one thing – can you tell us about some of it?

AL: You are absolutely right on long drives if I have the right tunes playing the hours melt away! I have always loved my music from the late 90s that’s always my go to! Right now me and my team have three mixtapes out YNOTU$ vol 1 -vol 2-vol 3 and we are about to drop volume 4. Besides that we have a bunch of solo projects from myself and my artists coming very soon! 

RRX: One of the biggest challenges musicians face is getting their name out there. There’s so much competition, and technology makes it possible for everyone to be out there with a well-produced offering. What’s your favorite way to promote?

AL: Promotion is something you have to do on every level. You have to promote yourself in person you have to go to shows play live send your music to every DJ possible! I even do radio ads for my music that helps as well. With so much competition you just have to work that much harder than the next person! Stick to the grind, and one day you will either have a Core fanbase who is loyal, or the ever elusive Pop hit, which so many artists dream of. Lastly, you have to get your budget right because connections are good to have and they are usually made by showing business sense a lot of the time.

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