Tuesday, October 20, 2015

I.B.C.L.A.S.S.I.C. - When All Else Fails (Album) + Q&A


Producer I.B.C.L.A.S.S.I.C. first caught our ears on a track called "Heartbreak Murderer" from Aye-B. Since then we've continued to keep watch for his production, working with numerous artist in Chicago with some of my favorites being collaborations with ACE B8gie. I.B. continues to spread his seed of sound, with his own compilation album, grabbing some names we seen work with him before.

Today he delivers "When All Else Fails", a 14 track project that will showcase the production style. We've heard singles "Kinfolk" with Tree, "Loud Entrance" with ACE B8gie, Wheate, and JMella, "Security Blanket" with Logan and Femdot, just to name a few. The end result of the content creation, is varied sounds and vibes to enjoy with a combination of different artist and their respective styles.

We had the chance to ask I.B.C.L.A.S.S.I.C. a couple questions about this project and more below. Plus listen to the full project.


What does I.B. C.L.A.S.S.I.C. stand for? Where did the name come from?

"I. Believe. Cold.Lyrics.And.Sick.Styles. Is. Coming.”  Something I came up with in like the 8th grade while battling and it just stuck afterward.

What inspired you to create music? Who/what influence your sound?

Music has been the highest motivating factor within my life for as long as I can remember. The ability to articulate my mood, vibe and emotion as well as others is the reason I feel I'm here.

Influences range from Stevie Wonder, Outkast, Dr. DRE, Goodie Mob, Nas, TheRoots, Timbaland, Phil Collins, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson, Killswitch Engage, Portishead, Rick James, Temptations, Usher, Jay-Z, Eminem, Jay Dilla. I could go on for days.

How did you choose who to work with on the project? How would you best describe this body of work?

Honestly I really have a small circle of artists I frequently collaborate with. Maven, Murph Watkins, Jabari Rayford, Wheatie, Schenay Mosley & GemTree of (Highness). I try to vibe with them as often as possible. We're always writing together or separately.

Everybody else, I either know them through the people I just mentioned, or my management did the A&R thing and we linked up & have been building ever since.

I would say this is a collection of my thoughts ,life experience from whack ass production deals from companies that will remain nameless(lol). Almost getting evicted, to trying to work out a relationship in sincerity. To being dumped by a fiancé & getting high out of my mind. Going through a lot of trials and tribulations, being tested by God and struggling to succeed and make moves.

Why was it important to create "When All Else Fails"?

After creating hundreds of songs for other artists at some point you just wanna be in control of telling your own story as effectively as possible. I was blessed to have my best friends & really good associates 100% support in helping me craft that & the response has been better than I could've dreamed. I'm so grateful at this point in time.

At a time when big name artist/producers are facing legal trouble for sampling, does these situations affect how you create?

Not at all, I give my music away for free & only perform it for people who want to learn about our history as artists. I am also taking lessons for piano, guitar, drums etc. so I'm still evolving as a musician. I do more original pieces, but sampling is still very much part of my repertoire. Only 4 of the 14 songs of my project have samples the rest are all original live produced instrumentation, with a bit of drum & synth programming here and there.

What was the most difficult part of creating this project?

I told myself this was the year I would truly go broke for my music & I have. I've spent thousands of dollars on promotion, hiring musicians to play parts I wrote if I couldn't articulate it to the feel I wanted. I honestly can't even tell you how much I've spent on studio time, it's ridiculous.

What should listeners expect going in to this project?

Sincerity, no sugar-coated fillers. Original production within my interpretation of the new Chicago Soul sound. Something you can cherish; hopefully when you hear it you'll  remember exactly where you were & what you were doing WhenAllElseFails.

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