Kyle Hubbard is an up and coming emcee in Houston, TX. I know, I know, but what’s the selling point? Well, being that I’m not a huge proponent of Houston rap that sounds like Houston rap, I’m not necessarily that thrilled either. But that’s where Hubbard comes in an provides a little jolt to the scene around these parts. Carrying the influences of Atmosphere on his back, he set out to release a personal album that isn’t a snafu of wood grain and syrup. Kyle’s a storyteller, and because that drives his albums, I’m on board. Here’s an album he’s been working on for a while, to follow up his 2010 EP, Tomorrow in Retrospect. Download it below and hit the jump for a “get to know you” of sorts, as well as the album’s tracklisting.
download:
Kyle Hubbard – You’re Not That Special [FREE ALBUM]
-grizzly
Roshan Bhatt, weworemasks: Hey Kyle, how’s everything been? If you could, reintroduce yourself to our readers. Last we heard, you had released your EP, Tomorrow in Retrospect, and had released videos and played shows in support of the release.
Kyle Hubbard: Tomorrow In Retrospect was the last project I released back in December 2010. After it’s immediate release, I spent my time trying to hype that up and I did some shows on the local circuit in support of that, but focused was shifted for the majority of 2011. I spent the better part of last year supporting my partner and brother Roosh Williams. He had an insane show schedule, and I was acting as his hypeman at every one. Between that schedule and my actual job I had no energy to work on my own music. By my own hand, my career was put on the back burner. That was my choice and mine alone. This time last year the thought of having an album to talk about seemed like the furthest thing away.
WWM: What’s changed musically for you since then? And as far as your personal life goes, were there significant events that inspired your new record?
Hubbard: Musically everything has changed. I am better in every aspect and I can say that with confidence because I know how many times the album was built, torn down, and built again. It was a long and taxing process, I’d go as far as to describe it as painful. The album was birthed out of an extreme lack of confidence and a basic feeling that the window of opportunity in terms of music was completely closed. Really the album was inspired by this overbearing feeling of defeat that I carried around with me everywhere I went, that weight you can feel in your chest when you think to yourself “what the fuck have I done with my life?”. I had to go through this though. YNTS began as a way of trying to manage these feelings but once I found my footing it became more of way to fight back. I don’t think anyone, not even those closest to me, will ever truly ever know how much this album means to me.
[vodpod id=Video.16246166&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]
WWM: What do you hope to achieve with the release of YNTS?
Hubbard: I am not even 100% sure. I have no monetary goals with the album, I really just want a lot of people to hear it. When it became clear to me and everyone involved that an album was in fact going to happen my only goal was to actually see the finish line. It was more about my self worth at that time, but once we started to realize how good it was and seeing outsiders’ reactions our idea of what it could be changed. I would never be douchey enough to say that I am dropping the best album in the Houston underground this year but I can say with confidence it will be like none other, and I want my props. I hope you can’t have a serious discussion about the future of Houston hip-hop without the name Kyle Hubbard.
WWM: I’ve personally noticed a handful of websites starting to cover your music. Considering this is 2012, what’s your personal outlook on the difficulty (or lack of, depending) for an artist in the internet era?
Hubbard: It’s a true double edged sword. Obviously it has lead to over saturation and decreased the shelf life of everyone, but my main avenue is the internet. There are a lot of things that the internet era has ushered in that I despise but at the same time I still fall in line and work within the system so it would hypocritical of me to preach against it. I am concerned with how quickly projects just come and go though. Back in the “go to the store to buy a CD” days you would have an attachment to a piece of work and because you invested in it you would take the time to explore it completely. I feel that fan dedication to the art is quickly fleeing and with that an artist’s perspective of what he does will get distorted.
[vodpod id=Video.16196036&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]
WWM: I’m gonna put you on the spot. Pick a crew to sign with and why. This doesn’t have to be “current crews.” Just considering your influences and style, what do you feel best represents what you’re wanting to accomplish here?
Hubbard: I would love to find myself on RhymeSayers. If you are familiar with my music as well as the music that comes out of that camp you can see it’s a pretty obvious choice. I would go with them because, at least from an outsider’s perspective, they seem to nurture creativity and really push their artists to exist in their own realm. Growing up I never saw myself as a Jay-Z or Kanye mega star, I saw myself as an elite member of the underground. Without Atmosphere there would be no Kyle Hubbard, point blank. I was like 15 when I first heard Slug and it shattered every notion I had of what a rapper could be. Slug showed me how powerful complete honesty in music could be, and that ideal has been a constant pillar in my own music.
WWM: That’s dead on, man. After the release of this album, do you plan on doing any touring? Who would be ideal for you to open up for?
Hubbard: There are no plans of a true to the definition tour right now though I do intend to be very active in the Texas circuit. Who I would open up for kinda goes back to your previous question…Atmosphere would be ideal. Though I love Atmosphere and as I said before they were a big influence, they weren’t my biggest. I pick them because it would make the most sense. I feel that an Atmosphere audience would be appreciative of what I do. I think that would be a crowd I could get on my side.
WWM: What are your personal favorite tracks from this album?
Hubbard: There are no weak links. The album is relatively short, just a hair under 45 minutes and 12 songs. With that said I have an extra special place in my heart for the songs that were transformed and rewritten time and time again. The ones that caused me the most pain in the creation process now provide me the most joy when listening to the album. Every song serves a very specific purpose. I am never rapping for the sake of rapping. There is weight to everything.
WWM: A similar question, but still different: You have ONE song to pick and this should be the song that represents the entire album and your “selling point.” Go.
Hubbard: The opening song, “Just Breathe”, which was produced by Djay Cas. It’s one of the darker moments of the album, but that’s how I wanted to open it. I didn’t want to hold any punches with the listener so I take them to the depths from the minute they hit play. I feel this song can stand as the mission statement for the album and myself as an artist. There is a lot of weight to it.
WWM: What is the main reason you wanted to release this album for free?
WWM: Mainly because the minuscule amount of money you can make selling an album as underground Houston hip-hop artist is nothing when compared to the potential listeners you alienated by denying them instant access. As an artist you have to know your position on the totem pole. Any artist in my position isn’t doing anyone a favor by making music, and we need to know that. When someone listens to our work it’s not some privilege we bestow upon them, it’s quite the opposite. We need them to listen to our work a lot more than they need to hear it. The album is free because I know I need to be realistic, do it for the right reasons, and appreciate the fuck out of anyone who supports me.
WWM: What are you looking forward to in the rest of 2012?
Hubbard: If 2011 taught me anything it was not to look so far in the future that the right now becomes unfocused. Right now I am solely focused on the release of “You’re Not That Special”. What comes next remains to be seen.
WWM: Thanks for catching up with us, any words to the readers of weworemasks?
Hubbard: All thanks are due to you. I appreciate the platform and more importantly the constant support. You guys have held me down for a good minute now and that’s not lost on me. I hope the readers go and download “You’re Not That Special” and give it a listen. I will let the merit of the music argue itself just know that I don’t take this lightly and I wouldn’t make anything available to the public unless I stood behind it and believed in it.
—
[TRACKLISTING]
1. Just Breathe (Prod. by Djay Cas)
2. Even Though It Shines (Prod. by Mr. Kooman)
3. Around The Way featuring Fullmetal F Dot (Prod. by Djay Cas)
4. A Little Infidelity (Prod. by Basement Beatz)
5. One Time, Two Times featuring Roosh Williams (Prod. by Djay Cas)
6. Official High (Prod. by That Boy Artixx)
7. A Brief Intermission…
8. It’s Burning (Prod. by DJ Corbett)
9. Don’t Ask (Prod. by Djay Cas)
10. It’s Making Sense (Prod. by Niko Prange)
11. Fly or Die (Prod. by DJ Corbett)
12. I’ll Be Vindicated (Prod. by Djay Cas)
All tracks recorded, mixed, & masted by Jordan Regester. Tracks 1-3,
5-8, and 12 recorded at DMG Studios. Tracks 4 & 9-11 recorded at iMix
Houston.