Barbaydose - Alpha and Omega (Album) + 10 Questions
Bay Area California mainstays Barbaydose are back with their latest LP Alpha and Omega.
This record builds upon their previous work with themes of growth and perseverance while challenging conventional thought. With Hiright handling the production you will hear classic boom Bap influences and nods to experimentation with emcees Bsidez and WeInTheCloud taking you on a journey of thought and experience unique to their perspective.
In addition to the 12 song LP you can find visual singles for three of the songs as well. Roll The Fuel, Look At The Sky and I See Lightning. Find all things Barbaydose at www.barbaydose.com as well as your favourite platform.“
Barbaydose sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:
1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?
Weinthecloud: In elementary school, I had a music class where the music teacher played classic records from their collection. TIL this day I can clearly see myself stepping in the middle of the classroom to The Temptations and Michael Jackson records, spinning, moon walking, and doing the worm while the other children danced and watched in awe.
Bsidez: The thing that sparked my love for Music was at four years old. My stepdad put the headphones on my head and put the needle to the record and pressed play with the James Brown record and I said “hit me!” right after that.
Hiright: Rhythm and rhymes. I used to skateboard as a kid and teenager. While watching skate videos during that time period music is an integral part of the backdrop. I heard Blackmoon and Souls of Mischief for the first time. That early exposure to Hip-Hop and getting my first turntables in high school really pushed me into it.
2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?
Bsidez: Those folks are Andre on the flute. I want the André 3000 sampled flute on the MPC by DJ Premier with fucking QuestLove on the drums and Storch playing the keys in C major. Besides that most of the artist that have influenced me are either not here anymore or not making music as much anymore but the people that I would love to work with would be Nas and AZ as far as far as lyrics go when it comes to like like a R&B sensation I’m definitely saying Sade and maybe Mary J and even Keisha Cole.
Weinthecloud: Nas, Planet Asia, Crooked Eye, E40, StylesP & Jada, Wiz Khalifa, Black Thought / Jungle Pussy , Rhapsody, Glorilla.
Hiright: I’m blessed to be able to work with my bandmates and they inspire me. We got hella talent in the bay, too many to name that really push the threshold for quality higher and higher. Keep making records as Barbaydose and sharing the vision and experience with as many people worldwide as possible. Aside from that a dream of mine would be to produce a whole album for Evidence. He and the Alchemist have a heavy influence on my production and that would be dope!
3. What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?
Bsidez: Music will be announced when it’s time I don’t wanna talk about anything prematurely. I just wanna let you guys know that we are working and we are pushing to push individual projects as well as collective projects in the near future but we have a bunch of singles and songs sitting on the hard drive.
Hiright: We just released our Alpha and Omega LP which is receiving an incredible response. We are really proud of this piece of work. We continue to push ourselves lyrically as well as with the production and subject matter we speak on. We also have a few projects we are working on with some of our contemporaries in the Bay Area that are really dope.
4. How would you describe your sound?
Bsidez: My sound is a collage of all of your favorite artists put together in one human being that encapsulates Emcee, producer and visual artist. I don’t know if that makes sense but that’s it.
Weinthecloud: My sound when I slide sweet like a trombone. Progressive Boomblap.
Hiright: Futuristic boombap. Past meets present, future reminiscent, gritty with a thought provoking spirit.
5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?
Bsidez: Probably being able to rock Hiero day for the first time after working it like four years in a row. For being invited, you know what I mean, as opposed to like having to ask for a favor.
Hiright: Seeing our name on the Hiero day flyers and performing. That’s a big deal for us since we all came up aspiring to leave a mark like the Hieroglyphics Crew.
6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?
Bsidez: Just remember it never stops you could get to peaks and valleys, but there’s still more to come. Some of the best artists are in their old age right now because they’ve been through so many other things and they’ve been doing it forever so don’t ever give up and it’s never too late to start. You could be 40 and start. You could be 10 years, five years old and start it’s up to you. The thing is to stick with it.
Hiright: Focus on the art as much as possible. You have a lot of peripheral business to always attend to that can take up your time but always return to the music. Practice,make more songs, experiment, collaborate and share it.
7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?
WeIntheCloud: Honestly hard for me to just be like check out this one artist you know what I mean it’s a lot of artists that are dope that are out there that they’re in the network. That I personally just be like oh shit I like to see the next so it’s kinda like you know definitely check out Barbaydose. They’re really doing their thing :) outside of that. I would definitely say just tap into the Bay Area. You know there are local artist everywhere that are just heat that are fire bro that I draw personal. You can’t really ask me cause I’m like a music person. I just like music bro like it’s about the journey. My boy HMZA he’s going crazy. He’s real dope. You know Philip Bank$ got a project coming out. You know what I mean. He’s real dope so you know I just think just like explore this that’s just some of what I listen to other people do you know the world game OG Dave there’s so much out there.
Bsidez: I like DJ Pauly D and Taylor Swift.
8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?
Bsidez: So fuck Spotify… Apple Music there’s a whole different category. They pay the artist a little bit better not much but they do pay you. Damn, what am I listening to right now? That’s what the question is pull out your phone check and see what you got Alpha Omega by Barbaydose. That’s a great album.
WeIntheCloud: Not really knocking Spotify but I’m right now yeah man I’ll be on like YouTube and shit like I said I like that’s my main source for music for real like I listen to different genres you feel me I’m saying so that’s like my biggest thing, bro, I just recently discovered like peso Pluma and shit I’ve been slapping it but it’s like certain songs that I really just keep those in rotation for real. so yeah I’m just on the escape man no, it’s no one Artist you know I got some inspirations that are like long-term. I got some current inspirations that you know always frequently changing and pop up but right now I just got my favorites from different genres.
Hiright: My coworker put me on to that Wordsworth and Stu Bangas Album “Two Kings” anything Marco Polo is producing on and “Pink Pony Club”.
9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?
Hiright: Watch anything in the Sci-fi film or TV genre and think about the next time I get to make music or create visuals to accompany the music. It’s hard for me to turn off the creative side of my brain.
Bsidez: I like to smoke a lot of marijuana a lot of it as much as you can find in heavy Indica no hybrid sativa leaning for sure. Get that shit shit out of here but on a good day I’ll smoke a blue dream. That’s a sativa. I fuck with that one Acapulco Gold, that was actually a good one too. I’m not going to but if you want some top shelf, that’s what I do with my time. Top shelf time.
10. Name Three things you can't live without when in the studio?
Bsidez: Marijuana marijuana and more marijuana, real answer is my drum machine ice cold water with the straw and Palo Santo.
WeIntheCloud: In the studio, my anchor power pack you fill me rechargeable magnet no no no no no I’ll probably say definitely we are. I’m sorry marijuana cannabis. I think cannabis is the best answer for number one number two backwoods number three. What’s the thing my phone that I feel me so you know the Bar‘s got to stay tucked somewhere and if not, my phone alternative me and my notebook.
Hiright: Water, phone for making beats or snapping photos and writing rhymes and third would be a granola bar towards the end of the night. Kind of a ritual to have a late snack and it’s usually a granola bar :)