An artist hailing from Chi-Town known as Breathe Eazy, had the industry and fans, doing everything but breathing easy after his debut release entitled “Baby Food” was released in 2001. After a name change and an evolved style, BreevEazie dropped the highly acclaimed mixtape, “Buffalo Wings and Bleu Cheese Solid Food Appetizer”. BreevEazie is back with an upcoming new mixtape and the follow-up full length release to “Baby Food” appropriately titled “Solid Food”.
How did you begin rapping and who was your inspiration?
I started rapping when I was 8. My aunt Gail sat me down and taught me how to write rhymes so I practiced a lot after that and would do them in my head and would write occasionally until I was about 14 or 15. I used to like to change words around on songs on the radio then I came with my own original ideas. I rapped about drugs, guns, partying, sex and all that. These were things that I was doing very little of at the time but it was cool so I did it. I had moved about 15 minutes south of Chicago in '96. When I tried to get in school there they let me take my tests to get in and everything but when they got my records from my old school they had a change of heart. They thought I would be a trouble maker there too and I was 16 so they didn't have to let me in until next semester so I just went and got a job. When I finally did get in school I joined a rap group called Raw Deal with some of my brother's homies. They didn't have the best reputation when I got there so we changed the name to D.O.P. and started distancing ourselves from some of the not so good rappers and started looking for shows. I had started going to church every now and then by that time and I saw some cats doing a black history rap there so I saw an opportunity for my group to get down so I arranged an audition for us with the youth Pastor Rev. James King. We basically took the curse words out of our regular raps and tried to get my on that and Rev. James gently told us no bet. Everybody else in the group got mad but I took it as a challenge because nobody had ever told me that I wasn't good enough. I came back more and more until I made my first gospel rap. I went back and forth between secular and gospel for a while until one day God put it on my heart that I was being a hypocrite and I felt compelled to chose a side. I chose God and the rest is History. I hooked up with one of the most talented Emcees I've ever met named J Kwest who became my best friend and partner in crime prevention and we built each other up to what you see now.
How did the collaboration with Danny Amaro from Gang Outreach for Ultimate Sacrifice come about?
I
got the testimony from Phil and I had to do a song about it because it dealt with the unforeseen consequences of sins that seem harmless and worse than that helpful. He had given me a bunch of testimonies to see if I had a song that dealt with whatever each testimony dealt with. I wanted to take it one step further and make something from the Testimony itself. So it was like 13 minutes long so I had to cut it down into three major parts. I was nervous that Danny would be mad at me for chopping up his work. But he was cool about it. In the first part I wanted to chronicle his love for money and establish that with a rhyme and in the 2 nd verse I wanted to set up the story how Danny did in the poem and in the end I wanted to take it further and tell the end of the story. I don't think of it as a song. To me its more like a story. Don't listen to it like a song. Its much deeper than that. Its more like a movie without a screen.
What will listeners hear on your latest release, Solid Food?
Solid Food is just good music that reflects the lifestyle that I live as a Christian. It does a lot of things. It shows people that there is a new breed of Christians being raised up that have broken the generational curse of traditionalism, hypocrisy, and wickedness that we as Christians have been tagged with for a long time from both imagined and earned reputations. It gives Christians something to bump while you kicking it with the homies or rolling to the movies or whatever. It answers questions for both Christains and people who think about being saved. And it gives those people a reference who wouldn't normally pick up a Bible but leads them to the source at the same time, and it gives people who listen to secular music something positive to listen to when the regular music they listen to isn't working. It does too much to name in a paragraph. One thing I learned from “Baby Food” is that God will do more than you thought with what He has given you if you trust Him.
What do you feel is your favorite track off the album?
Picking favorite tracks on my CD's is like picking your favorite child. I love all of them but I guess I can say that I tend to favor a few sometimes. I love “In The Zone” featuring J Kwest. The beat is nuts thanks to Anthony Culver for Antpharm Productions and the lyrics are crazy. I love “Hero” also featuring J Kwest the concept is nuts another Antpharm Production. My first single will probably be “Jesus Heat” that song is craaaazy Joe! And another song on there called Turn the lights on is a monster. I also have slower songs like “North Star” and “Alright”. See I'll end up naming the whole CD. I feel that nobody should hear a song from me if it isn't amazing. If its not AMAZING it wont be on the album. Trust!
What inspires your songs?
Sometimes I'll go through something or see something and God will say write about that. Other times God will just come from nowhere and say write this. I'm inspired by achieving destiny and completing Gods will. I'm inspired by hungry kids and lost minds. I'm inspired by the thought of change and the prospect that I could be the one to do it. Actually those things are more like my motivations and my inspiration is simply God.
What albums are in your discography?
- Baby Food (Sept. 2001)
- Buffalo Wings and Bleu Cheese Solid Food Appetizer Mixtape 2004 (Jan. 2004)
- Coming! The Muppet Show Mixtape Vol. 1 The Rainbow Connection
- Coming! Solid Food (2005)
Tell me about your upcoming Muppet Show Mixtape that you're working on.
The Muppet Show Mixtape is a concept that I got from my favorite childhood characters (adulthood too). I listened to some of their songs and found myself genuinely inspired by the lyrics. It sounds funny but they have a lot of spiritual meat. Kermit was deep Joe! The Muppet Show is like a metaphor for the churches out there that do put on shows every week and aren't really concerned with the growth of the people, but rather the growth of the congregation. Or the growth of the radio show or the TV show. Or how famous the members and the Pastor are. The Muppet Show mixtape is about the fashion show churches that are cold and uninviting. That sit in the hood but don't help the hood. The churches that are more concerned about how things look rather than how they are. So they don't invest in the kids because its all about the Muppet Show on Sunday. I got joints like that on there and then I just got some hot joints that you can bang!
Any guest appearances currently in the works?
It's not a CD without J Kwest on it. Im giving him a solo joint on Solid Food to show the world what the most underrated man in the game has to offer though I don't know if he'll still be underrated after he drops his next mixtape “J Kwest is a Thriller” where he flips the whole Thriller album. But he gets a solo to get you ready for him and the Verbal Kwest Cd featuring him and me. Verbal Kwest is the name of our group when he and I are together. But… I am also working on a few joints with K Nine (my other favorite) for his album, mine and some other stuff. A hot new rapper named Ray Ray from Chicago he is a survivor of the E2 club tragedy. Dana Divine (Gospel Slide) I love her to death. I cant forget Generation J they are off the meter. Also Woody Rock and Kim Stratton. Walt Whitman and the Soul Children, Damon Lamar, Max, Zeke, Promise D'Apostle, and Fiti Futuristic, Mista Del, and Mic Angelo from T Bone's camp. Those are the people I have talked to. My wish list is longer. Cross Movement, Sean Slaughter, Corey Red and Precise, Urban D, and many many more.
What would the ultimate reward for you be?
The ultimate reward besides salvation which I already have would be God being proud of me when this is all over and saying good job. Nothing pleases me more than pleasing God. No clichés no gimmicks. That is what moves me. Other than that, a bruh really need a car. I think I have to be the hottest rapper without a car but when the CD's don't sell the repo man cometh! Ha Ha. Im laughing but I need a car! Ha!
What can we look forward to in the near future from you?
No more 3 years without new music from me. You can look for growth and hot music. I don't want to reveal it all you just have to be there for the ride.
Any last words?
Last words are I want to send a special shout out to Anthony Culver for Antpharm productions. He is the illest producer. His talent makes me speechless. He will produce at least 90% of Solid Food and he is nuts. More than that we met through J Kwest and became friends through music and I love that dude. He's one of my very best friends. And one holla to the woman I love. I don't know if she wants her name all printed up but she knows what it is. I love you. One holla to my mama/manager Elaine Frizell and everyone else I love. 1.
Interviewer- Caleb Kinney (Hip Hop For The Soul)
