#crazemen

[crazemenofficial]

As we gear up for our official album release on October 4th,Check out another sample of some of that 🔥🔥🔥🔥 you can hear off the new 👉FREE👈 CRAZEMEN mixtape "STRAIGHT JACKETS VOLUME 3" peep the verses off track 8 "FINISH EM" in order!!! ONESUN (@onesun187) and A.FONTAINE (@spontaneous_fontaineous) mixtape is available now for👉FREE👈@audiomack(👉LINK IN BIO👈) so go get that and add it to your playlist!!! #crazemenofficial #crazemen #afontaine #onesun #panic #straightjacketsvolume3 #ninthstreetrecords #thacorplife #sosavere #7venthirty #bammiliti #raxielsinz #prymeprolifik #hiphop #rap #music #worldwide #mixtape #new #friday #summer #summertimemadness #august #newmusic #finishem https://www.instagram.com/p/B187jX6g8mb/?igshid=1ttn8o2txhzqf

[djgbox]

repost via @instarepost20 from @thep0wercircle #Crazemen Will Protect There Families "By Any Means Necessary" 2nd Joint Off The Album "IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS" Stay Tuned!!!#artwork By @onesun187 #Crazemen #AFontaine #Onesun #Panic #M80 #ThePowerCircle #instarepost20

[iamunsigned-blog]

I.AM.Unsigned Music Series: Interview with One Sun

Persistence, loyalty and longevity. Once you’ve become familiar with native New York emcee OneSun, it’s easy to see that these are qualities embodied in both his character and music. Getting his start in music in 1995, the powerhouse emcee is still going strong and representing harder than ever. As one of the brains behind the vigorous collective, the Power Circle, OneSun has demonstrated that an unending love & respect for Hip-Hop, combined with the hustle it symbolizes, breeds success.  

The amalgam of a DJ father and a diverse musical upbringing were all the fuel to OneSun’s inevitable creative aspirations. However, he very much became a student of Hip-Hop in his youth and never looked back. “Watching Hip-Hop from the beginning and evolve to what it is now, I’m definitely a student of the game you know what I mean?”

I.AM.Unsigned recently had the pleasure in speaking in-depth with OneSun about his love for songwriting, the inception of the Crazemen and Power Circle collectives, and the misconception of Latino rappers not being represented or accepted within the Hip-Hop community.

IAU: Being highly inspired by music and a student of Hip-Hop, what did you do to get the ball rolling on your career?

One day I just started writing. I decided I had loved it so much I just wanted to do it and I wanted to be good at it, so I just kept writing and writing. I wrote so much ‘til I eventually got myself into a studio. Back in the day if you got into a studio, that was a really big thing, you know what I mean? If you were able to get into a studio and record it was huge. Now, it’s nothing. You can make a studio in your closet [laughs]. Back in the day though, it meant something to be in a studio. I had the opportunity to experience this whole Hip-Hop thing before the digital age, you know? It was actually more fun and interesting back then.

IAU: Well since you had been writing for so long like you said, I’m sure getting in the studio was actually really cool. What was that first experience like, hearing the playback, recording, etc?

It was crazy when I first recorded man. I didn’t even like the way I sounded [laughs]. I was looking to give it up already. I was like ‘oh I’m not built for this’, you know? I don’t know, but then you have another side of you that just wants to keep trying. You try until you get it right. I had to be persistent and that’s part of my personality, I don’t give up. I just kept going and eventually I just became a master of my own world you know?

It was the result of these early studio sessions that solidified various musical connections for OneSun, especially in regard to his dedication to song writing. These networks would eventually help him to evolve into the self-sufficient artist he is today, a fact which the emcee prides himself on. “Now I edit, shoot and direct my own videos. Pretty much nowadays as an artist, you’ve gotta be self-sufficient” he continues.

IAU: Did some of these connections ultimately lead to the beginning of the Crazemen and Power Circle?

It actually goes all the way back to 1995. That was 20 years ago, and by then I was only rapping for a couple years and really trying to find my place and stuff. Eventually I ended up forming a group after meeting this dude who’s like my partner-in-crime named Panic, called Crazemen back in 1995. We also connected with Jimmy Swag and 2 other great emcess named,Main and  Chambo who had a group called The Unknowns, and together the 5 of us formed a super group and we called it the all star squad.we recorded about 3 to 4 albums together as a super group throughout the 90's. Basically as a duo more things started happening for us. We started performing at clubs and stuff, hanging around famous artists and things and from there we couldn’t stop doing music. We were just hustling all the time. In our neighborhoods everybody knew who we were, you know? People really felt like we were the next big thing and would follow us. They still follow us to this day. But it started with Panic back in 95’, then three years after that we met up with A. Fontaine. He became the official third member of Crazemen and we also started producing his solo albums in the late 90s.

In 1998, the Crazemen would eventually meet rappers Debut, Raxiel Sinz and Tommy Toe Tag, collectively known as The Leegans. Through the growth of these friendships, the idea came to form an authentic, sustainable music support system, leading to the creation of The Power Circle.

It was “through that friendship we all started to support each other, got on stage together, we stayed in touch and through the years we kept doing it. Eventually there was a time where everyone was separated and just did their own thing. It was life progressing naturally, you know? We ended up linking again about 2 years ago, started doing music and now we’re here forming together with more artists and even more music. I give Facebook a whole lot of credit. I had no idea that Facebook would be the ultimate marketing tool if you know how to use it right. You can really make connections with people on Facebook, like talking to fans, and other artists. That’s what helped the Power Circle, at least the friendship aspect of what Facebook is about. It really helped everybody connect and now we are doing songs with 10 or 12 artists on the same track you know? We’re also shooting videos and stuff, it’s really dope I can’t even front. I never thought I would get to this point, but it’s a great thing. It shows that artists can come together and really create great stuff, especially when you can relate to it.

IAU: 12 artists is a lot and definitely creates the space for many ideas, but how do you all find time to support each other, seeing as how you guys are either based in New York, Atlanta, and Sweden? How do you manage to stay so tight knit but remain strong in these different places?

It’s like a big family. When you have big groups in the industry they try to make them look like a family but it’s really about the money. Over here though, nobody is getting paid like that to do this and that. We are actually coming together like a family to make s**t happen. Everybody comes to my house, like everyone who is in the circle and come together to talk about music, have parties and stuff like that. We have writing sessions and just connect. It’s how we make the dream work, with our team work. It’s what my lady always says…she’s probably the biggest Power Circle supporter you know? She runs our social media, like our Twitter, locking us in with radio shows and everything. It’s great to have family support as well.

 IAU: Were you proud of the very first project you guys had put out? You had been writing for so long, then finally got in the studio and worked with various people. What was that moment like for you?

It was an accomplishment like you wouldn’t believe. Our first few projects out were the group albums and our producer at the time, Jimmy Swag, was such an inspiration to all of us. He was our main producer and was making all of our beats back then. He was rapping as well, but was actually the one who pushed me to make my first solo project and go out and write a whole album by myself. Its rough man. Putting together a project of high quality is a lot of work man.

IAU: How would you describe your particular style then? You all collaborate with each other, but your approaches are very different.

There really isn’t a definition to it. It’s almost like you hear [the music], and you either like it or you don’t. But I like to just call it Hip-Hop. It’s not gonna sound like the music you hear on the radio you know? It will always have a dope beat, some killer rhymes on them…a lot of our music is very versatile too, and we talk about a lot of things. We talk about Political things and stuff like that, or our experiences and stressful times etc. I can’t really describe it man. It’s whatever the beat brings out of you man. I’ve worked with some great producers and talented artists who have created these amazing sounds that give you goosebumps and just bring this energy out of you. If I can’t feel the beat, then I won’t write to it. It won’t do anything for me.

 IAU: Where did you get this inspiration from? Or at least who inspired to you care this much about your music and its integrity?

Honestly it was [Jimmy] Swag! He’s really a great friend of mine. He was a perfectionist and really taught me how to engineer music. Swag was very instrumental in my career and helping me push it further, you know? He was also very instrumental in my still doing music today. He encouraged me to never give up, to always believe in yourself and if you work hard things will happen. I mean he’s right, nothing just falls in your lap. That’s obvious…

 IAU: You started this whole journey about 20 years ago, what has been one milestone that has really had you sit back and say “wow I’m really proud of myself?”

To be honest it might just be being on stage. Performing honestly does something for me…it’s just something I can’t describe. That energy when you are on stage is crazy and when you look at people and they look back at you, that connection is real. They rockin’ to your beats, they see you killing your verse and you’re giving your best; they see that. That’s like the best feeling in the world. That’s a real accomplishment to me man; to feel that. You know some people get booed or aren’t really great on stage but really try to give it their all. I’m just happy that I got to experience that from the crowd and just kill it.

IAU: That’s love man, especially when you’re doing something you really enjoy doing and people appreciate that as well. So when did you start taking creative control over the branding side of your music, Crazemen and the Power Circle?

It was always in me, and I knew that I would have to rely on myself to do it. You can’t always rely on people to get things done the way you want them to be. You have to do it yourself. Can’t expect somebody to see your vision the way you see your vision. Swag always respected our vision and actually helped us create it in the beginning and we continued it. That was an Era back then, and this is new Era but continued from some of the stuff we were doing in the 90s. But I knew one day I wanted to put out a video and I knew it would cost money. I’m all about quality and I don’t want to film a video and it look like s**t. So I did my research and like anything you have to do the work. I got the cameras I needed, the video editing programs and basically started going. Like I told you, I didn’t give up and just keep practicing. Eventually I was recording myself when Pro Tools hit. Let me say thank god for Pro Tools [laughs]. It was like a blessing to the Hip-Hop community. I taught myself how to use Pro Tools, Cubase, and different movie editing programs. This all led me to eventually doing a video for the Crazemen a couple years ago and I’m proud of it. It was shot and edited by myself and it got a great response. I still do videos today and collaborate with other video editors and directors too. You just gotta do it yourself man.

IAU: Throughout your career you and the Crazemen have stuck together in a way, even when you guys haven’t put music out as a group. How cool is it to know that still after all these years, you still have people in your corner like that and still want to create?

I’m going to say this, as much as I love being a solo artist, I love being in Crazemen more. I love the group you know what I mean? I think it’s a blessing that we are still doing this to this day. The chemistry believe it or not is actually even better. We’re doing more music than we were doing back then. I can say I’m super hype that we are dropping an album in December called In the Mouth of Madness. It’s actually a throwback to our first album which we released 20 years ago. We are bringing that title back. We’re also working with our producer M80 who’s producing the whole thing and I’m so proud of it. I really can’t wait to shoot this video called Young Lords. It’s a reference to people who were actually like the Latino Black Panthers back in the day, you know? The Crazemen will be the first to elaborate on a topic that hasn’t been discussed like that. Being in a group is so ill, like when you have an ill team and everyone brings something to the table. It’s unbelievable and I don’t even know how we make it work sometimes [laughs]. But when things are real they just flow naturally.

IAU: So let’s discuss another topic that also isn’t often discussed then. What was it like being an up and coming Latino rapper at a time where other Latino rappers of higher caliber were also trying to navigate a space that seemed more accepting of African-American rappers?

I actually think that’s a misconception, the Latinos were always there. When Hip-Hop started Latinos were there too, you know? It all started in the Bronx, like with B-boys and s**t, battle dancing, and pop lock. Back in the day that’s how they used to settle beef too. It was incredible how it was done through music. But yeah, that’s a misconception man. With me growing up too, most of my friends and the people I grew up around were African-American, but I hung out with Puerto Ricans too. You are where you come from and we all regarded each other in the same ways. It was just who we were and who I am. Latinos were always there, I mean you can ask Fat Joe what that was like for him. He was there and present. But I’m sure to people who don’t really know, that’s how it may look to them. There are rappers from all races, people who genuinely love the culture.

IAU: That’s actually very true, and in some ways there are people of different races who have actually contributed something to the Hip-Hop culture, despite lack of media portrayal.

Hell yeah! Absolutely and I totally agree with that. I love Hip-Hop and I listen to the new stuff and really try to give everyone a chance. There is a lot of talent out there you know?

IAU: So who are some of the new artists that you’ve been listening to?

Well I don’t really know if it’s really new, but it’s new to me [laughs]. But I like cats like Oddisee...

IAU: [Interrupts] Oddisee is great! He’s doing great things in Hip-Hop right now and has been for a while. Huge fan of his.

Yeah man I think he’s so dope and very talented. I love his music and think he’s great. I also think Childish Gambino is kind of dope too and he’s an actor too, you know what I mean? Reminds of Raxiel, being an actor that also raps too which is cool. Even Waka Flocka man, I think he’s pretty underrated. Some people do think about how lyrical he actually is because you hear all of his down South type stuff. But if you listen to his mixtapes and check out his music on SoundCloud, he gets busy and talks a lot of ill shit. I think Waka Flocka is dope. Hopsin too! I actually got to listen to his stuff recently. I think dude is very creative. I appreciate artists like him. There’s not too much out there that’s that creative, but I really listen to Power Circle stuff the majority of the time.

IAU: So many people have their own idea of what Hip-Hop is. It ranges from the culture, certain styles of music, and more. What to you personally, is Hip-Hop?

That’s a great question, because Hip-Hop is not the same for everybody, you know? Also not everybody interprets it in the same way and disagree with each other. I think the universal thing is that there is a beat and a rhyme, and that’s Hip-Hop. A beat, a verse, and a hook, you know? That’s why the music today doesn’t sound like the Hip-Hop it used to be. I mean it still is a beat, a verse and a hook, but it has almost de-evolved in a way…

IAU: Why do you think that is?

I think the media plays a part in that man. It’s the media, the corporations. When you put a dollar and product placement behind everything, it always dilutes the quality that the music is supposed to have. And I mean, it’s okay to like a stupid song, but don’t think that that song is about something real or real life. It’s not.

IAU: So what core principles do you think are important for someone to abide by on their journey towards success as an unsigned artist, or someone who wishes to start pursuing music?

That’s a great question too [laughs]. You know, for me I think people seek to become rich and famous, those were never my aspirations. It was all about recognition. That is success to me. Pretty much, I’ve already achieved what I’ve wanted out of this. The money was never a thing and I was always satisfied making things happen and connecting with people. That was pretty much the best thing for me, connecting with people. It’s really different for everybody though. People want to be rich and famous, I just want to be recognized as somebody great, you know what I’m saying?

IAU: Interesting, so if you were to be presented with a huge recording deal tomorrow, reaching a wider audience, would you take it? Would you bring everyone else along with you as well, if you could?

We’re in this to bring everybody along man [laughs]. Eventually something is going to happen for us. Or maybe eventually we will go our separate ways with the natural progression of things. But I definitely think I would try and take this thing to the next level and ride with these dudes to the end man.

IAU: If your career blew up, and you and I got the chance to have another conversation 5 years down the line, where would you hope to be in your career during that conversation?

In Europe. Performing. That’s really what I would want to do man. The people have a respect for the kind of music I do. I know if I was out there they would love what I had to offer. Really Crazemen in particular. A lot of people love us out there and I’m sure they want to see us out there sometime soon. I want to start working on that stuff man. Yeah…Europe bro. That would be awesome.

[crazemenofficial]

Check out a sample of some of that 🔥🔥🔥🔥 you can hear off the new CRAZEMEN mixtape "STRAIGHT JACKETS VOLUME 3" peep the 3 verses off track 4 "RAPHOUSE" in order!!! ONESUN (@onesun187) A.FONTAINE (@spontaneous_fontaineous) and RAXIEL SINZ (@raxiel_liz) mixtape is available now for👉FREE👈@audiomack(👉LINK IN BIO👈) so go get that and add it to your playlist!!! #crazemenofficial #crazemen #afontaine #onesun #panic #straightjacketsvolume3 #ninthstreetrecords #thacorplife #sosavere #7venthirty #bammiliti #raxielsinz #prymeprolifik #hiphop #rap #music #worldwide #mixtape #new #friday #summer #summertimemadness #august #newmusic #raphouse https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ip1_mAIqo/?igshid=fc8nr2mbgj8i

[crazemenofficial]

Check out CRAZEMEN'S very own ONESUN(@onesun187)killing a freestyle @guerrillagroovesradio !!! Don't forget to check out his new album "ONESUN-THE DEATH OF THE LYRICISTS" available now on all digital platforms!!!! #afontaine #onesun #panic #crazemen #crazemenofficial #ninthstreetrecords #guerillagroovesradio #pccrowns #thacorplife #sosavere #m80 #hiphop #rap #music #goodmusic #igers #instagood #instagram #instalike #instadaily #food #follow #follow4follow #foodforthought #followforfollow #likes #likers #like4like #like4follow https://www.instagram.com/p/BnNW-mlgGDW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pd6r1visnnhh

[crazemenofficial]

the pandemic will never stop us from dropping that heat!!! We switch gears with the 3rd official music video off our mixtape series "NOT FOR SALE" this one is called "BALANCE" cuz that is exactly what CRAZEMEN is to hiphop!!! Check out the mixtape at AUDIOMACK,please subscribe to our YouTube channel for updates and like,comment and share!!! Stay tuned for more!!!! #crazemenofficial #crazemen #afontaine #onesun #panic #ninthstreetrecords #thacorplife #sosavere #balance #apollobrown #notforsale #hiphop #hiphopmusic #rap #rapmusic #rapper #musicvideo #entertainment #world #instagood #instagram #instalike https://www.instagram.com/p/CBwatsCpqPs/?igshid=dz5443rphmwo

[crazemenofficial]

Good morning!!!!the time is now to get your copy of A.FONTAINE'S (@spontaneous_fontaineous)The Pre Incarnation Mixtape!!!! Featuring brand new music!!!!! now available on @audiomack Click here for download>>>> https://audiomack.com/album/ninthstreetrecords/the-pre-incarnation-mixtape Let's not forget next month A.FONTAINE will also be releasing his official new album on all digital retailers worldwide so stay tuned!!!!! #afontaine #thepreincarnationmixtape #thereincarnationofcastro #ninthstreetrecords #crazemen #crazemenofficial #spontaneousfontaneous #pccrowns #thacorplife #sosavere #nolabelsjustus #hiphop #raiders #rapmusic #cuba #castro #latino #puertorico #nyc #mixtape #2018 #newmusicalert #newmusic

[crazemenofficial]

you are listening to track number 4 "MEDICATION"off the new "CRAZEMEN" album "WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE"!!! you can purchase or stream the album at your favorite digital retailer!!! so listen to the new album and check out the new music video 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 (👉LINK IN BIO👈) and please subscribe to our YouTube channel and leave a like and comment on all of our videos!!! stay tuned for more!!!! #afontaine #onesun #panic #crazemenofficial #crazemen #ninthstreetrecords #thacorplife #sosavere #hiphop #welcometothemadhouse #album #medication #justbackbeats #entertainment #spotify #applemusic #amazonmusic #googleplay #tidal #youtube #newmusic #cd #musicvideo #madhouse #newvisuals #movie #cinema #newmusicalert #newyork #makeupworldwide https://www.instagram.com/p/B5or-cJgPhs/?igshid=16or5wgvm85gy

[crazemenofficial]

Coming real soon is the new music video for "ROCK THE VOTE"from our new album "WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE" its gonna be a fucking movie!!! Stay tuned!!! #crazemen #crazemenofficial #afontaine #onesun #panic #rockthevote #welcometothemadhouse #ninthstreetrecords #comingsoon #rockthevote2020 #hiphop #newvisuals #staytuned #entertainment https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ttydDpful/?igshid=ve3lx80hqcu

[crazemenofficial]

Here is the official front to back artwork for the "7VEN THIRTY & ONESUN" e.p. "FIRE AND BRIMSTONE" dropping this spring!!! Stay tuned!!! #newyork #atlanta #nyc #7venthirty #7venthirtyproductionz#onesun #crazemen #fireandbrimstone #newmusic#comingsoon #realrap #hiphop #music #worldwide #420#420everyday #hiphopforever #hiphopforlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B9DKIx9gdlsDK-ZeX8hkAM0iqtAZoQFMwHmJXE0/?igshid=b6ectbpjllgl

[crazemenofficial]

you are listening to track number 4 "MEDICATION"off the new "CRAZEMEN" album "WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE"!!! you can purchase or stream the album at your favorite digital retailer!!! so listen to the new album and check out the new music video 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 (👉LINK IN BIO👈) and please subscribe to our YouTube channel and leave a like and comment on all of our videos!!! stay tuned for more!!!! #afontaine #onesun #panic #crazemenofficial #crazemen #ninthstreetrecords #thacorplife #sosavere #hiphop #welcometothemadhouse #album #medication #justbackbeats #entertainment #spotify #applemusic #amazonmusic #googleplay #tidal #youtube #newmusic #cd #musicvideo #madhouse #newvisuals #movie #cinema #newmusicalert #newyork #makeupworldwide https://www.instagram.com/p/B5or-cJgPhs/?igshid=1n1gf5huginqa

[crazemenofficial]

Available now at all digital retailers is the new "CRAZEMEN" album "WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE"!!! you can purchase or stream the album at your favorite seller so listen to the new album, check out the new music video👇👇👇👇 (👉LINK IN BIO👈) and please leave a like and comment on all our videos!!! stay tuned for more!!!! #afontaine #onesun #panic #crazemenofficial #crazemen #ninthstreetrecords #thacorplife #sosavere #hiphop #welcometothemadhouse #album #albumrelease #justbackbeats #entertainment #spotify #applemusic #amazonmusic #googleplay #tidal #youtube #newmusic #cd #musicvideo #madhouse #newvisuals #movie #cinema #newmusicalert #newyork #makeupworldwide https://www.instagram.com/p/B40YYvQlzl-/?igshid=hjcqyycbkonj

[crazemenofficial]

Check out CRAZEMEN on the cover of the latest issue of @gmixmag featuring many other talented artists!!! Visit their official page http://www.gmixmag.com to check out the interview and other great content as well.gmix apparel also available!!!! #crazemen #crazemenofficial #afontaine #panic #onesun #ninthstreetrecords #pccrowns #thacorplife #sosavere #nolabelsjustus #gmix #gmixmag #bobbysmalls #music #goodmusic #publications #magazinecover #magazine #hiphop #rap #igers #goodmusic

[crazemenofficial]

Enjoy your Halloween week by listening to our new album "CRAZEMEN-WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE available at your favorite digital retailer or streaming provider and we also have our new music video "WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE" (👉LINK IN BIO👈) that you can watch on YouTube so go get some halloween candy and light up a blunt to the sounds and visions of "CRAZEMEN" follow us and stay tuned for more!!! #crazemenofficial #afontaine #justbackbeats #onesun #panic #ninthstreetrecords #pcrowns #thacorplife #sosavere #musicvideo #newmusic #newmusicalert #welcometothemadhouse #2019 #entertainment #newyork #worldwide #universal #newalbum #musicvideo #crazemen https://www.instagram.com/p/B4KeSpyAzT7/?igshid=rjizaard8ng9

[crazemenofficial]

Enjoy your Halloween week by listening to our new album "CRAZEMEN-WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE available at your favorite digital retailer or streaming provider and we also have our new music video "WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE" (👉LINK IN BIO👈) that you can watch on YouTube so go get some halloween candy and light up a blunt to the sounds and visions of "CRAZEMEN" follow us and stay tuned for more!!! #crazemenofficial #afontaine #justbackbeats #onesun #panic #ninthstreetrecords #pcrowns #thacorplife #sosavere #musicvideo #newmusic #newmusicalert #welcometothemadhouse #2019 #entertainment #newyork #worldwide #universal #newalbum #musicvideo #crazemen https://www.instagram.com/p/B4KeSpyAzT7/?igshid=ht8o4y1rzy9n

[crazemenofficial]

Available now at all digital retailers is the new "CRAZEMEN" album "WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE"!!! you can purchase or stream the album at your favorite seller so start your weekend off right and listen to the new album, check out the new visuals (👉LINK IN BIO👈) and please leave a like and comment on all our videos!!! stay tuned for more!!!! #afontaine #onesun #panic #crazemenofficial #crazemen #ninthstreetrecords #pcrowns #thacorplife #sosavere #hiphop #welcometothemadhouse #album #albumrelease #justbackbeats #entertainment #spotify #applemusic #amazonmusic #googleplay #tidal #youtube #oct4 #newmusic #cd #musicvideo #madhouse #newvisuals #movie #cinema #newmusicalert #newyork https://www.instagram.com/p/B3MovywAkSt/?igshid=roai3hev772d