June 4th- Album Release Party in Columbus, OH at The Way Columbus8pm June 25th- Album Release Party with special guests Pizzie & J Carter in Colorado Springs, CO at Solaris Center 7pm
With a pre-order minimum of $10, you will receive a "Ketchup Packet", which includes the following:
A physical copy of Ketchup signed by Armond
A digital copy of Ketchup sent to your email at 12am May 28th
An advanced screening of the Ketchup movie presented by Be2Become
An exclusive private ustream session of Armond & DJ O-Sharp working on "Snooze Button III: Summer Vacation"
(if you are attending the Colorado Springs album release party, you will receive an invite to sit in a studio session as Armond & Pizzie work on their EP "Insomnia"
"Ketchup" (The Best of Armond 2010-2011) available May 28th
Ketchup. The Best Of Armond from 2010-2011. May 28th. Buy it for someone who's unfamiliar w/ Armond, then point them to the bandcamp. If you're the one who's unfamiliar, nice to meet you. Enjoy.
1. Wanna Hear A Joke? (Intro) 2. Beautiful Ashes featuring J Carter 3. Rearview/Dashboard (produced by Doc 4. Never Going Back featuring Uriah 5. The Highest 6. Airplanes (Interlude) 7. Catch Up featuring Rich Tunes 8. Forgive Me 9. Blank Canvas 10. Wait It Out featuring Pizzie & J Carter 11. Chevy Impala Music (Interlude)
side note: I encourage you all to participate with me, by all means leave songs that remind you of someone in the comments.
A Song That Reminds Me Of Someone: Common- "The Light"
Nah, this isn't an instance where I talk about that special someone & get all mushy. I'm about to throw myself under the bus. Come hither, gather round & let me tell you a tale...
The year 2000...my sophomore year in high school. I remember skipping my 6th period to go cop Common- Like Water For Chocolate. My man Alex was a huge hip-hop head so every Tuesday we'd go to a local mom & pop shop in Colorado Springs called Independent Records to get the latest albums. While Sam Goody in the mall had new CDs for $17.99, Independent would sell the same joints for $6-7. At this time NOBODY knows Common, at least not in Colorado. At the time, Com was a rappity rapper, rapping his little heart out for his rappity audience.
I'm playing the album in my huge DJ headphones & Discman (with the duct tape around it because I dropped it too many times & the spring that kept the lid closed popped out) & "The Light" comes on.
To this day, it's a TRUE love song. It's honest, vulnerable & strong. He places his queen high without demeaning & belittling himself, which is rare nowadays. At the time, I had a crush on this chick...I won't say her name but if you knew me back then you know who it was. Her senior year I finally got the courage to speak to her, not even holla. We had a journalism class together, so I laid my little corny 16 year old mack down. In the class, we would submit articles, poetry, reviews & editorials to national publications to see if we could get published. And that semester my poems (now my rappity raps) were published by 3 separate publications. No other student that year achieved such a feat. So you couldn't tell me nothing. As a result, she starts giving me play cuz I gained a little fame (which should've been a red flag, but I was 16...whatever) & she asked me to write her something. So I did......
The Light
I went to ohhla.com, which back then was like the mecca of hip-hop online (along with tha-real.com & hiphopsite.com, but I digress) & pulled the lyrics up. I had to listen & read along because ohhla was NOTORIOUS for butchering the words to songs. So I hand wrote the entire song & gave it to her the next day. So I'm IN THERE!!! I even got to 2nd base (which for me was a home run) but nothing ever materialized. She ended up going out with this Trap Or Die dude (commonly referred to as a "thug"...red flag #2) & we went on our separate ways.
A few months later...the song blows up. To this day it's Common's biggest hit.
She never confronted me about it, she never "exposed" me (although she did go on to tell some of her homegirls that she used me...I gave her my hot fries from McDonalds one lunch period, did I get "gamed"?) but anytime I hear that song I always think of that girl, and my introductory lesson in Sucker For Love 101...smh
While we're on the subject of Queen Latifah, this song is the soundtrack to the saddest scene in the history of modern cinema; the death of Cleo from Set It Off...
The only other song that comes close to this level of depression is Gary Jules- Mad World. While super depressing, doesn't touch the pain of Cleo's untimely demise.
Everytime I watch Set It Off, I always hope she fake stops the car & soon as the task force thinks they've got her, she drives off into the sunset. Nope. She GETS OUT THE CAR!!!!! GET BACK IN THE CAR CLEO!!!!!!!!! WHat were you gonna do against virtually an entire division of a police dept???
But on the flip, Lori's tune serves as a sample to a song that features my favorite Jay-Z verse..."Most Kingz"
So the song that makes me sad, ends up making me happy. Go figure.
some of y'all know Queen Latifah as Kadijah James of Living Single. Others know her as a mogul. But me? I know her as my favorite MC of all time (yes, over Lauryn). what can I say about this beat?? it embodies everything I love about the early 90s. That piano?!?!? SON!!!!! Incredible...Latifah's verses, even the corny intro at the beginning of the video. I love it all.
HATE this song....HATE HATE HATE HATE this song. It's so bitter. So seclusive...which to me is anti-everything that God represents. You don't need nobody else?? So Job didn't need his homeboys? So Moses didn't need Aaron? So Jesus didn't walk around with a crew of 12 people?? You just fine all by yourself right???
An enormous issue w/ the church is people who get hurt by people in the church & then reject the church (& God). It's even something that I've dealt with, BUT...if Christ called us to BE the church (not the building), and I am of Christ, I'm rejecting God & I may not even know it. I know how dirty, foul & filthy I am & can be...and that same filthiness is in everybody else (born in sin). So that doesn't give us the right to shun everybody because we were rubbed the wrong way, or because someone was dishonest. We've all been hurt, by friends, boy/girlfriends, spouses, even God has hurt us if we wanna keep it all the way real. But that's where grace, patience, mercy, etc come in to play, because otherwise we WOULD make everybody back back, gimmie 50 feet.
And this is why I hate this song. Plus add to the fact I don't like traditional gospel music, or praise breaks, & anything else inside those churchy walls. I'm good.
Why am I hearing about a Facebook game on every social network EXCEPT Facebook? I saw the 30 day picture challenge a few months ago, but I rarely take pictures, and the rest of your run of the mill online games scream "hey look at me!!!" As much time as I spend online, I'm really a recluse disguised as a people person. BUT, here's a challenge I can do. Music in 30 days? Why not. Most of us music nerds have a "soundtrack of my life"; to condense that into 30 days should be super easy. Without further adeu, here is day one.
side note: I encourage you all to participate with me, by all means leave your favorite song in the comments.
If I can keep it real, this really isn't my FAVORITE favorite song, it's just the 1st song that pops in my head when people ask me what my favorite song is. Truth is, I have a LOT of favorite songs; based off genre, mood, season, etc. But overall, Ms. Adu has managed to stand the test of time. To me, this song embodies the essence of love; vulnerability, passion, submission, patience, & an overall level of schmoozery & googly butterflies. And this is why...
Interview I did last week with the homie Praverb...
First and foremost, who is Armond?
Armond’s a simple individual. He enjoys day old popcorn, peanut butter M&Ms, McDonalds and sipping the finest of lemonades & freshly brewed teas, commonly referred to as an Arnold Palmer. And I guess he raps OK too.
Your project The Havilland Savage Theory is a great listen where you display all faucets of your personality. What were you trying to convey with the project?
Every year for Valentine’s Day I do a mixtape based off of a movie to address different aspects of love. Love is a subject that all of us deal with everyday of our lives, but our perception of what it really is, is wrong. Our vertical relationships are easy (kids, parents, God, etc) but our horizontal relationships (boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse) are extremely difficult. Yet, it's something that all of us aspire to have and succeed at. The view of love in today’s society is unrealistic; too much emphasis on sex and physical attributes, but not as much invested in communication and patience. So withThe Havilland Savage Theory & The Nina Mosley Experience, I tried to present questions that will generate healthy dialogue between men & women. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I think if you ask the right questions, we can come together & work out an effective conclusion.
You stated on your blog that the project has reached a lot of people. What opportunities have you been blessed with as a byproduct of the project's success?
The most exciting opportunities I’m getting now are speaking at colleges. I think 18-25 is such a vital age. They’re no longer children; they’re out on their own taking baby steps as adults. If I would’ve had someone teach me about love, credit scores, and the way the world works, I wouldn’t be in half the stuff I’m in now.
Your discography consists of like six or seven projects and each presents a different vibe. What are some of the obstacles that prevent you putting together a full project? are you a perfectionist?
I am my obstacle. I struggle with procrastination. I actually recorded and mixed 12 tracks off The Havilland Savage Theory the night before it was released actually. I was up working on it until 3am because I kept pushing it off. I have a home studio, producers, engineers and I create really fast; I’m doing 5 projects this year and they’re already done in my head. So the musical side isn’t an issue. I’m learning more about promotion and marketing, branding, and getting the music out there. It’s kinda difficult when you’re doing all of that yourself.
You reside in Columbus, Ohio and you have had the opportunity to perform with Eric Roberson. Describe the experience...
Performing with Erro was crazy. I’m such a big fan of his music, anytime I can interact with someone who’s impacted my life, I’m all for it.
Being on stage allows Armond to...
Convey what the music doesn’t say. Looking in the eyes of my audience is a high for me. I always focus on the one person who isn’t paying attention and I won’t leave them alone til they totally engage me. I enjoy doing my music acapella because it’s so easy to hide behind a beat and a hook; I want the words to captivate the audience. The biggest fear artists have is wondering if the world really hears you. There are so many intangibles that people look at when it comes to music that have absolutely nothing to do with music. But at the end of the day, is what I’m saying to you just noise? Or crystal clear? Will it impact your life? Motivate you to change? Or am I just entertaining you. Being on stage allows me to gauge that.
I also respect you for your ability to present music as an artist who has a Christian background. What is your overall feeling about the Christian Hip-Hop Genre and will you gravitate towards it one day?
I think Christian hip-hop is getting a LOT better sonically, which was always my biggest issue with it. I don’t think the issue is in the music, it’s the people. Once the church is open and honest with itself as imperfect humans and not Jesus robots who spit fire and brimstone, you’ll see a renaissance within the culture, which in turn will penetrate the world. People want authenticity; cats wanna preach and give truth, which is cool, but the gospel is much more effective when you’re able to link your personality and your life and who God is to you within it. Including your flaws. Because God does not make you perfect. God’s perfect, we’re not. A lot of people don’t have a grasp on that, so it hurts more than it helps. Will I 'gravitate towards it'? I can't control how people label my music, it's just music to me.
Your next project is called The Residue and the lead single features Marsha Ambrosius. What are the expectations for this project?
The Havilland Savage Theory was the reality TV season. The Residue is the reunion show. There are some things that didn’t fit within the context of the original project that still need to be said. This one is a lot more personal. Right after The Havilland Savage Theory dropped, I went through some things that I address on the EP.
If you had the chance to present a perfect album who would you enlist as features and for production?
Honestly I would handle the rhymes myself, the only features I’d have are the cats that were with me from jump; Rich Tunes, L-Win & Flex. For the most part I’d keep production in house with producers I already have relationships with; Doc, Sandman & Pizzie. If I had the budget to reach out, I’d go with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, The Inkredibles, Just Blaze, & Noah ‘40’ Shebib.
Great choices! This ties into the previous question, who would you like to collaborate with and why?
I don’t hear a rapper & say “you know, I’d love to RAP with them!!!” I’m moreso into having a conversation; what were you thinking about when you wrote this, when you said this, what message were you trying to convey? In that case there’s a LOT of cats who I respect as lyricists that I’d want to talk to. Phonte, Joe Budden, Sade, Anita Baker, Ryan Tedder, Ne-Yo, and Esparanza Spalding. I wanna talk to OJ Da Juiceman. How he was able to parallel selling drugs & fast food on “I Sell Chickens” is amazing to me.
What are some your of your interests outside of hip-hop?
I am a HOMEBODY!!! I will watch old wrestling videos on YouTube, play PS3 and Netflix all day and be content. Growing up as a military brat, I’ve traveled my entire life, so now after 26 years I’m finally in one place and I enjoy sitting still, if that makes sense.
How can the fans get in contact with you?
I’m on twitter all day everyday, Armond on Twitter. My website has my music, blogs, & other randomness of mine as well.
I mean...completely high-tide'd. To get "washed" in rappity rap terms means to get outshined, to do better than. So for example, Eminem washed Jay-Z on Renegade. So in this case...
My homeboy from Toronto named Flex...washed me
I don't wanna get into it...it's too much to handle emotionally right now. I still gotta regroup. Just listen & pray for me. Thanks.
