It’s an absolute pleasure welcoming back B. EVEREADY on the blog. The Baltimore rapper was last featured back in 2018 with single, ‘Always Major.’
After lengthy spell away from the blog, he returns to discuss his upcoming album, ‘The Answer’ coming out tomorrow (26th February). Find out what events inspired him to produce the album – trust me, his reasons will truly resonate with you…have a read below...
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?
BE: Pretty good so far. My family is dealing with some health challenges, we had some COVID scares, but everybody is well & on the road to recovery, so I can’t complain. We’re blessed.
NLM: You are about to drop your album ‘The Answer’, where you dropped singles ‘2BLACK2STRONG’ and The Answer (Intro) ahead of its release. What is the public perception on the singles so far?
BE: It’s been a good reception so far. The Answer (Intro) is a direct response to the book on the cover of the project – “The Negro A Beast or In the Image of God?” – and people are loving the truth I put in the track. 2BLACK2STRONG is a conscious turn up record that everybody has loved from day one. Hopefully it blows up the way I’m thinking it can.
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
BE: After dealing with the police-involved murders from last year & the protests, I felt like I had to have a project that was exclusively responding to that moment. Not to mention what was going on with the political scene. I felt like if I didn’t have something to say as a Black man, I wasn’t the artist that I thought I was. So I dug deep and came forth with these 7 tracks to speak to the times we’re living in. I feel like this expresses my point of view & thought process as a Black man in America in 2021.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why?
BE: I love the first two singles (The Answer (Intro) & 2BLACK2STRONG) definitely – they stand out for different reasons. The Intro is the mission statement of the project. It just speaks straight to the heart. 2BLACK2STRONG is a record that could spawn TikTok challenges, dances, and go up in a party while giving our people pride. Outside of those, I think it’s a tie between Ferguson & 3:57AM. Ferguson is a record that I definitely shed some tears to once I finished it. It talks about the riots, but also the 3 protest leaders that died under very suspicious circumstances. 3:57AM is a record that embodies the feelings you might be feeling at that time of the morning when you are being consumed by some of these thoughts. It partially feels like a dream, and then you think about what matters most to you as an individual.
NLM: So how would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?
This is a project that is sample-heavy but embraces trap sounds. It sounds like Black Revolution & Black Liberation over a beat.
NLM: If you had to feature one mainstream artist on the album, who would it be and why?
BE: It’d probably be Kendrick Lamar, because I feel like this project is my version of To Pimp A Butterfly, and I’d love to hear him over 2BLACK2STRONG.
NLM: Did the Covid pandemic presented any drawbacks in the production of your album?
BE: It presented some challenges when it came to recording because my regular studio was shut down for a while. But we overcame that challenge pretty quickly, so outside of that, we’ve been able to keep it moving.
NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?
BE: I definitely have a bunch more music coming for this year, and I can’t tell you everything that’s coming down the road, but I will tell you this: this will be my most prolific year of dropping music by far. Coming not too long after this project is the deluxe edition of my #GS2 EP, led by a single featuring MC Bravado & Kxng Crooked, so you know I’m serious with it out here.
NLM: How can potential fans find you?
BE: You can find me at my website BEvereadyRap.com, Twitter @BEveready, IG @b.eveready, or at my Bandcamp – Beveready.bandcamp.com.
NLM: Finally, any special shoutouts to those involved in the production of ‘The Answer’?
BE: Well, I definitely want to thank my wife who is a constant source of inspiration. The producers (Anno Domini, Synesthetic Nation, Baltimega, Alex Collins, Makaih Beats, Big Shot Beats), features (Jay Charles & Scholarman), and my studio & engineering folk (Lineup Room Studio, Brandon Lackey, MooseJaw, Beauvallis & Steel Tipped Dove). I appreciate what everyone brought to the table to make this project happen. And thanks to NEW LEASE MUSIC for allowing me to share this project with the world.
And just because y’all are my people, you can stream the project here before it drops anywhere else: https://beveready.bandcamp.com/album/the-answer
B. Eveready’s album, ‘The Answer’ is out on 26th February