New Track City: The Takeover

First things first, please introduce for me the members of New Track City…

How are you doing Todd!?!?! New Track City is a Hip Hop / Alternative trio, made up of emcees Bem and Chi. Stone, and producer Dru on Beats.

Let’s hop right into this latest single / video “Plan B” — Tell me about this particular track? How did it actually come to fruition?

“Plan B” is a track that came together, I kid you not, in about 45 minutes! Our guy Wagane D, formerly known as Vapor Gawd, sent us the beat. Bem caught a vibe, told me the energy we were going for, then I went crazy! This song is unapologetic, uncompromising – exactly what we felt at the moment – and I believe we executed that perfectly within the song…now here we are!

“Plan B” comes courtesy of y’all’s “official” debut album — What all specific details; i.e. title, favorite tracks, producer credits, cameo appearances, etcetera, can you all reveal and / or divulge about upcoming premiere set at this particular point in time?

Y.U., which is the title of our upcoming project, is our self-reflective journey into the experiences and traits that make us who we are. It is a project of acceptance. Accepting that what you experience and the choices you make, make you “Y.U.”

Tell me your whole inception into music – When did y’all first become interested? And, how did it all begin for New Track City?

I feel like New Track City chose us; we did not choose it! My brother and I [Bem & Chi. Stone] have been into music since we were 5 and 7 years old. Blame that on our parents for all the James Brown, Bob Marley, Brandy, Anita Baker – and the list goes on and on – they used to play throughout our house when we were younger. Our producer, Dru, shares the same love for music; we met in high school, and been rocking out ever since!

Where do you all hail from? And growing up there, who all did / do you all consider to be your strongest musical influences?

Myself and Bem are First Generation Nigerian, raised in Federal Way, Washington. Dru is from Kenya. Our biggest influences are The Fugees, Amy Winehouse, Brandy, Nat King Cole, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Outkast, A Tribe Called Quest…and let’s stop there.

Where does the moniker New Track City originally derive from?

The moniker New Track City derives from the classic film New Jack City. Our name is a play on words. To us, New Jack City was about taking over and we feel like that has always been our goal with Hip Hop. To leave our stamp and push the culture into a new direction, while paying respect to those who MC’d before us.

With that being said, how do you all classify your overall sound and / or style?

We define our style as progressive – fresh as hell with classical elements – that when combined, make for an alternative sound the culture has never heard before.

Switching gears here, what exactly do you all want people to get from your music?

We want people to always get a sense of self-reflection through our music, have a good time listening to our music and, most importantly, get inspired by our music.

If you all could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

We would love to work with James Brown, Biggie, Brandy, Amy Winehouse…alright, no more!

If you all could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?

We would have to say Federal Way Memorial Stadium right here in our hometown, because it would mean everything to our city. Federal Way has given us so much, it would mean everything to give that energy back.

In terms of longevity, what do you all feel it is that will continue to sustain you in this grueling industry?

What would sustain us in this industry is the love, the love for the music. We sacrificed everything to have a shot at making Hip Hop our career, we love it that much. That same love has allowed us to evolve with the times and keep pushing like we are. We believe this same love will keep us consistent as time goes on.

Do you all have any other outside / additional future aspirations, maybe even completely away from entertainment?

Definitely! The guys and I have some future investments in film, finance and food, that we can’t wait to explore when the time is right.

To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?

Our biggest accomplishment was doing a show at the famous Crocodile venue in Seattle. We almost sold it out, which was dope, BUT our parents getting to see us live in front of our biggest audience was an experience we’ll remember for as long as we live.

Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you all see yourselves?

We see ourselves leaving a hell of a mark on this Hip Hop thing. Impacting the world in ways we did not even know were possible, and boo’d up with some juniors running around us!

As for the immediate, what’s next for New Track City?

As of right now, the goal is to survive 2020! As you know, this year has been wild. Everything has been thrown at us, so if we could just make it to 2021 expect to see New Track City on everything.

Is there anything I left out or just plain forgot to mention?

No! You covered it all for the most part.

Any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?

Everyone, it is never too late to become the person you want to be! Change the things you don’t like and magnify the things you do. Remember that! Thanks for your time, Todd, one love…