Donwill, Illyas and Von Pea, the trio that make up the critically acclaimed rap group, Tanya Morgan, are ready to clear the air about a few things. For one; the musical climate may suck right now, but they’re optimistic it can and will get better — with them leading the way. Two; their latest project, Brooklynati is the album that fans have been waiting for, complete with perceptive lyrics, stellar production and a sound that’s bigger than anything they’ve ever done before. And three; all of the fans who are still making comparisons to their acclaimed debut album Moonlighting, need to get over it — they’re on to bigger and better things. –rogue marie
So what’s the concept behind Brooklynati?
Donwill: We pretty much decided to call the album Brooklynati because it was a fusion of Brooklyn and Cincinnati … it was just us creating our own world where we fit in. In Brooklyn you have the “headphone culture'” where people are on the train listening to music and you have the Cincinnati aesthetic where it’s a “car culture” … it’s got to come out the trunk and bass is important. We combine[d] the two different sounds.
What’s your main struggle as a group?
Donwill: You just need to be patient because when you first come into the industry as a new artist you’re like, all it takes is hot music, then you realize that’s not the case and you have to learn patience. That’s why it took us so long to put this out we didn’t want to put anything out there prematurely. It’s really easy to romanticize the idea of doing something that you’re passionate about and you love. [You] think that it will be rough, but it will be fair. Things will happen as they should and not as they will.
What do you want to say to people who tie you to Moonlighting?
Donwill: Let it go. [laughs] Moonlighting was the demo that got us the deal to make Brooklynati in a sense.
What is the most frustrating thing while building your career and what you did to get over it?
Von Pea: It’s like I don’t think a lot of people get us. A lot of people tend to over think our musical direction, when at the end of the day it’s all about [whether] the song sounds good or not?
