Feekee TripleHQ Exclusive Interview

St. Louis emcee Feekee Sits Down with

Hip Hop Headquarters

What made you decide to become a musician?
When I was a kid sad songs made me cry, no matter what mood I was in - no matter what genre - no matter if I even liked them or not. I mean cry like I was trying to win an Oscar. Imagine a lil 6 or 7 year old kid playing outside - doing whatever kids do, then suddenly bursting into tears just because the neighbors were playing Sade. As I got older I was able to turn off the water works, but the impact something as simple as a minor chord progression and some melancholy lyrics had on my emotions stayed with me. Music has such a unique way of speaking to us and I've always wanted to be apart of that conversation. To be someone who could promise you pain or pleasure at a moments notice - all because of that special connection we share through a song. At 9 years old I started trying to put that feeling into words. And I've been trying to perfect that translation ever since.
What’s the first rap song you ever heard? Describe the moment.
Honestly I can't remember. I can recall the first rap song that made me want to be a rapper. The first rap song that gave me that "whoa. This the best thing in the world" feeling. My homie was much more into hip hop culture than I when we were coming up. So, no matter what was running the radio he always tried to put me on to the truth. Sometimes I listened - but honestly a lot of times I didn't. It was usually some old school/east coast/lyrical/etc. and as a kid it's tougher to take out the time to study when all you wanna do is the opposite. I wish I could say I know how it happened or why it happened but that's not the truth. Truth is it just clicked. I was listening to some joints he shot me and Electric Relaxation by a Tribe Called Quest came on. Bruv, it was like a billion light bulbs went off in my head. The rhythms, the hidden meanings, the way they moved effortlessly between party and poetry, bullshit and basquiat, suddenly it was all I could think about. More than anything I wanted to take the feeling that music gave me as a whole and find a way to combine it with what hip hop was showing me specifically.

 
How did “You Used To” come together?
A lot of my stuff is a product of a bunch of different inspirations. Take “You Used To” for example. My homie Elie (Foodbeast what up?!?) was coming to St. Louis to film an episode of his show "all nighter" - check them out on Tastemade - and was willing to share some of his shine so I wanted to build something with them in mind “Cooking up a Big Mac pizza like a Foodbeast - (youtu.be/hhPnYdf7HSw)”, I was coming off of way too much personal drama and needed a way to vent, and while we were working on the project the good homie Cory Rose - who recorded and mixed much of You Knew I was on the Way - told me that you used to was probably the best song on the whole tape. It was just an interlude at the time too. So we worked on it a bit more, and here we are.


What are your predictions for 2017, personally and in the world?
I don't see life in yearly intervals. It's like someone that works weekends being asked what's good for Friday night. Their work schedule dictates a different approach to the standard scheduled program. So right now my mind is completely focused on this new opportunity - writing songs for Third Side Music and trying to produce pieces of music my publishers can truly use to build the brand. 2017 isn't a factor. Aight, midway through this thought I realize I'm being a bit difficult. Splitting hairs. My bad. How about this? This year the team and I will land a huge licensing spot for a song we really believe in, giving us enough capital to really invest in not only creating something great, but in getting that greatness out there. You Knew I was on the Way is hopefully a great leap in that direction. Last thought, from artistic perspective I only want to produce love - hence the focus on love songs. I could be wrong but it feels like there's enough negative energy out there and more often than not for good reason. Other than providing for those that love me? Im motivated to make money so we can put that positive energy right back into the world. Mo money mo problem solvers. My word.