Q&A with Cortez

“Besides the fact that we get paid, it’s fun again. I’m taking it all on,” Brooklyn battle rapper Cortez from Murder Ave. says before his match-up against John John Da Don in Atlanta, at the A3C hip-hop festival’s first ever battle rap event, presented by URL.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A PART OF A3C’S FIRST EVER BATTLE EVENT? I feel honoured by it. They picked certain artists, because they see what we’re doing beyond the battles. Beasely called me and said, ‘I see what you’re doing. I like what you’re doing. You need to be here and I’ll set you up with a battle here too.’ And when I realized how big A3C was, I was like, ‘I gotta be here.’ I’m appreciative and I’m not a greedy person. I’m happy.
DID YOU TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH PREPARING FOR THE BATTLE SINCE IT IS AT A FESTIVAL? Nah, because it is URL. At the end of the day, URL is the top of the line. You’ve got to come with your bars there and respect the rap league for a reason so I couldn’t play with him. I came here really focused.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE MATH HOFFA/SERIOUS JONES INCIDENT AT THE PREVIOUS URL EVENT? Everybody knows Math is my boy, like my right hand man. You see the footage; I was there with him. I’m holding him down. It was an unfortunate incident, but like I tell people, I don’t think the punch was a serious thing, because Serious Jones and Math are from the street corner era, where a lot worse things can happen. It was just the fact of where it happened and the timing. There were investors in the building, but at the end of the day, Math knew he was wrong and it was unfortunate, but it is what it is.
DO YOU THINK IT WAS A STEP BACK FOR BATTLE RAP? I think it could have been, but I don’t think it has. It came and it went.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE SCENE TO NOW HAVE EVENTS AT FESTIVALS SUCH AS A3C? The crazy thing about battle rap is, it came from nothing and I think that we created our own lane of hip-hop, we generate our own revenue, we sell out our own crowds; we’re like an independent movement and we’re cashing out. So, for us to get selected for venues and events like this, it just [shows] that people are taking notes, not just the fans, even the execs now, are taking notes and the people that are in power and make changes are realizing that this is here to stay. I’m just glad to be a part of it.

A3C Press Junket

The ballroom of Atlanta’s Melia Hotel looked like the behind-the-scenes of a rap show during most days of the A3C hip-hop festival, but the floor was a platform for industry knowledge and networking as the panels, interviews and press junkets went down all week long. Fans were given an opportunity to learn about their favourite artists, artists were able to network with industry professionals and gain the right contacts with the right people, and members of the press were able to grab those interviews that they needed, all under one roof. Talk about a hip-hop one-stop shop.
Artists like Atlanta’s Forte Bowie, Heltah Skeltah’s Rock-Ness Monster and Da Coroner all took a turn on the mic to share their thoughts on A3C and what they’ve got in the works musically during the press junket, where media crowded around the table during the live stream.
Lyrical legend R.A The Rugged Man took a minute out of his day, the afternoon of his headlining A3C show to speak about the festival. Although, in his words, he thought the festival itself was unorganized, he was still looking forward to performing and sharing his craft.
“I come from that era where, f*ck just making a record, you got to obliterate the stage, so my stage show, like my flows are like my ego,” he says, chuckling into the microphone.
Up-and-coming stars, such as Ken Rebel, had a turn to talk to press as well. The upcoming Brooklyn emcee, who shared the stage with A$AP Ferg the previous night for his first ever A3C experience, was also featured on the official A3C Volume 3 mixtape. For upcoming rappers like himself, festivals such A3C are an important part in gaining a fan base, and he most certainly took advantage of the opportunity.
“Due to various artists all under one bill, different fan bases come out and support each artist so there’s a lot of new faces that you get to see and you can reach out to a new crowd that you don’t have. It’s like, I’ve never been in front of a crowd like this, so let me try and bring them in and make some new fans,” he says.
After five days of knowledge and networking for fans, artists, producers, DJs, managers and press, everyone won.

For The Love Of Music Atlanta

Every city has its own underground music scene, in which its main goal is to give a stage and a spotlight to showcase its own talent. Many artists find an outlet by reaching out to promoters to put them on the bill or befriending venue owners, but deep in the south of Atlanta, radio host Dani Jacobs of 1100 AM’s “For the Love of Music” has taken a unique approach to supporting artists by branching out and uniting musicians all over North America to take part in her first annual showcase.
At the 595 North in Atlanta, Dani and her co-host, Nick Da Host, welcomed artists of different genres from their home state as well as North Carolina, Missouri, California, New York and even Ontario, Canada who were taking part in the concert, all for the love of music.
“I see the struggle that a lot of independent artists have,” says Jacobs. “They don’t really have the opportunity to have a concert at a venue to showcase their talent so I felt that it was something that they work hard for and definitely deserve… My drive is just putting that love back into the music, not for fame or for fortune, but definitely for the love of music.”
The artists on the bill appreciate Dani’s approach. Not only were they truly grateful for the opportunity to share themselves with a new audience, they are grateful for the radio play on Jacobs’ show.

Michelle Ray, Atlanta’s “hood R&B princess”, lit up the concert hall with her charismatic energy. She is no stranger to the stage and commends Jacobs for uniting independent artists such as herself to grow together for the love of music, leaving all egos at the door.
“It is very important that we all come together as a unit and help each other out to get to that next level. I think that it’s wonderful that they can bring a lot of independent great artists out and just have a great show and see people for who they are and what they’re doing,” says Ray.
The long list of artists entertained the crowd with their own unique sounds and styles bringing hip-hop, R&B and even dance to the bill, all receiving great feedback from the accepting crowd. The energy was inspiring and supportive, a vibe that is rare to find in the competitive nature of hip-hop, especially with so many artists in one room, but no one had anything to prove as the music spoke for itself.

College Park emcee, J-Rel, who was approached by Dani Jacobs to perform, says that the event is a win/win for everyone involved.
“It’s not every day that a Canadian artist gets Atlanta exposure, it’s not every day an Oakland artist gets Atlanta exposure with Atlanta being the mecca of hip-hop right now,” says Rel. “It’s a pretty good look for all these artists and it’s a pretty good look for me. It’s a great melting pot of a lot of great people and a lot of different origins.”
Toronto’s own Price finished off the night with an energetic set and represented for his hometown in the Dirty South. No matter where in the world each artist was from, they all shared one unique trait – a love for music.

Video Interview with ATL's J-Rel

Interview with rapper J-Rel at the "For The Love Of Music" concert in Atlanta