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You know when you’re a kid, and you and your best friend talk about all the things you want to be/do when you grow up? How many of you fulfilled those dreams WITH your best friend?
[Photo Cred: theempireproject.com]
Let me introduce you guys to two New Jersey natives who are doing just that. Everyone, meet Kyle and Nico AKA “Neeks”. They are the hip-hop duo behind “The Empire Project” whose album, Infin8ty, released in the summer of 2016 which you can listen to here: https://soundcloud.com/theempireprojectnj
I was able to catch up with Kyle and Neeks to get to know them and pick their brains a little more about their music and their upcoming show. On May 11th, at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, the band will be opening for Tech N9ne and The Strange Music Roster.
You can purchase tickets and get more info on their website: https://www.theempireprojectmusic.com/
But for now, check out our interview and familiarize yourself with these names. I have a strange feeling you’ll be hearing about them more soon!
Kyle: Hello, I’m Kyle. I’m 24 and I’m from Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey. I’m pretty heavily into nutrition and health, so much so, that I got my B.S. in it from Rutgers. When I’m not working on music, I play a lot of hockey at Tab Ramos and lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about wedding planning for my fiance and me. Neeks: I’m Nico. My friends call me Neeks. I’m 24, seriously pushing 25, but I don’t like to admit it, and I’m from C-Beach. Kyle and I are basically neighbors. Aside from making music, I make cheesy YouTube videos with my buddies on my channel, NeeksTV. I don’t watch much TV but I’m kind of obsessed with House of Cards, Shameless and I’m not afraid to admit that I love This Is Us. I’m an obnoxiously proud New Jerseyan and I spend a lot of time in Asbury Park as of late. We’re going there for my birthday at the end of the month. Woop, Woop! Shout to J macs!
How did you guys meet? How long have you known each other? Kyle: I don’t remember knowing Nico so it must have been a long time ago. Neeks: Tooo long. It was 2nd grade. We both joined Cub Scouts at the same time. We were in scouts our whole lives till we were 18, played drums together in middle and high school. I’m not sick of being friends with him quite yet. Kyle: -- I played trumpet in middle school. Neeks: I block out bad memories.
When did you form your band? Kyle: What was it, 3 or 4 years ago? Neeks: I think 2011. I remember sitting in class at Brookdale writing raps to a beat Kyle made and the teacher would call on me and I would have no idea what the question was.
What inspired you to do so?
Neeks: We were actually in a pop punk band for like 3 years before that. When that band broke up we still wanted to make music but were both kinda leaning towards hip-hop. Kyle: Yup.
Where did the name come from? Kyle: I like to play around with the idea of the word “Empire” because it reminded me of how societies and corporations rise and fall. Neeks: We live in a time where everybody is constantly trying to fit in and be cool. We wanted to make music that inspired people to think for themselves and be open minded. People who can see things for themselves and create their own opinions. The idea of the name was to take this “empire” of carbon copies and see if we could spark a change in thinking through our “project”.
[Photo Cred: theempireproject.com]
Thinking back to your early childhood, what was your first experience in music? Did you play any instruments? Take any classes? Etc. Kyle: Everyone was forced into chorus in elementary school. You were also forced to pick an instrument and my family coerced me to play trumpet instead of drums, cause I totally wanted to play drums. Eventually, I got my way. haha Nico: I took drum classes in school but didn’t really follow through with it. I play a little piano and never really took vocal lessons or anything of the sort but I always loved to write -- stories, songs, anything really.
What has been your biggest break thus far? Kyle: Probably “Garden State of Mind”. Neeks: Yeah, we dropped a song and music video about New Jersey this past summer that NJ.com, NJ 101.5 and Only in NJ wrote about. It did more for us than anything we’ve ever released. We felt famous for a hot second. Kyle: And we just found out that we’re opening for Tech N9ne and Strange Music at Starland Ballroom. So we felt like all of the work we’ve been putting is being validated. Neeks: May 11th! See ya there.
Briefly, explain to us how your music-making process goes? Do you guys write your songs together? Neeks: 9 times out of 10, Kyle writes an instrumental and sends it to me. I write to it and come record it. Sometimes, I’ll make the beat with him and sometimes he’ll write lyrics with me. Kyle: And then after he records it, I usually rework the instrumental a touch so the song as a whole comes together.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing together? Kyle: We’re just doing what we’ve always done at a higher caliber, I think. We don’t let ourselves release anything that we don’t think is great. In the past, we may have left our so-so, okay music get through. Lately, I’m more into taking out as many elements as possible rather than continuing to add more and more instruments on a poor foundation. Neeks: Kyle does our mixing and he’s an obsessive researcher. He’s always learning new things and our sound has gotten much better as a result. I feel like I’m not afraid to write anything that I feel now and I think that putting that truth into a song is the best thing about me. If we can shock you or make you feel emotions, we’re doing what we were trying to do.
Who has had an influence on your music career? Are there any artists that you look up to? Kyle: Kanye West, Lido, Atmosphere, Tech N9ne, Clipping. I love Kanye’s melodies. Lido has lush production. Atmosphere shows off a side of lyricism that I felt was missing when I was first getting into Hip Hop. Tech N9ne showed me that I can put whatever genre of music I want out, and I recently heard Clipping, they allowed me to hear that there’s really no boundaries to Hip Hop. Neeks: I’m definitely not the first white dude to say Eminem inspired him to rap, but I can’t lie. I’m also a huge 2pac fan. My favorite band of all time is Guns N’ Roses. Saw them this summer. I’m super inspired by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. We want to do exactly what they did and take the over the world while staying independent. Lately, I’m real big into Chance the Rapper -- the sound, the message, and the unstoppable indie grind.
Talk about your upcoming show. Tell us where, when, and who you’ll be performing with. Also, tell the readers where they can purchase tickets. Neeks: May 11th at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, we’re opening for Tech N9ne and Strange Music! Kyle: Krizz Kaliko, Ces Cru, Stevie Stone, Brotha Lynch Hung, The Underachievers and Water 4 Mars. Neeks: We’re stoked. Water 4 Mars is the other opener and those dudes are fire! Kyle: Tickets are on our web site, theempireprojectmusic.com
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own band? Kyle: So far, what we’ve learned is that consistency, marketing and branding are very important. Check Simon Sinek. He has a good philosophy on figuring out your “why”. Neeks: I think the most important thing I could say to somebody who wants to start a band is to do whatever the hell you want with your life and ignore negative opinions. Be stubborn about your goals. Work towards them every day. It’s important to have a plan but it’s equally important to trust your plan. Invest in yourself -- time and money.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering support, (emotional and/or financial)? Kyle: Shout out to my friends, my family and most of all, my fiance, Jessie, who supported me when it seemed like everybody had something negative to say. Neeks: I love you, Ma! Thanks for being behind me no matter how insane my dreams seem to the rest of the world. Shout to my girlfriend, Meagan Byrne. She said she’s down for the crazy ride we’re about to go on as starving artists. Shout to Joey DiPrima, Brandon Castro. To our friends and family who helped with songs/music videos, bought our CD/tickets. I hope one day we make y’all proud. I promise we’ll take you with us.