In part one of a three-part interview (part one here), New York rapper/singer and Fool’s Gold signee Leaf dug into the business side of the music industry, advising anyone entering the field to be educated on music business administration. She added that she educated herself by reading books and asking questions though admitted she has experienced being screwed over.
On her writing process, Leaf said she’s been writing since she was six years old, starting with poems. When she moved to Atlanta, Leaf began freestyling in the booth. She noted, “If I’m in a car and I get inspiration then I’ll do a voice note.” With production, Leaf said she says it’s important to stay involved to protect one’s creative vision. “People around you don’t always get the concept immediately,” she said.
While in the process of recording, Leaf, who is a vegan, says she doesn’t like to eat beforehand. “When I don’t have anything that is creating gas or mucous in my body, it’s easier for me to get out the notes I want to get out,” she explained.
She also discussed her upcoming EP “Trinity,” which she’s been working on over a year and is releasing sometime during summer 2017. In discussing the timing for an album drop, Leaf explained there is a lot of coordination involved in getting the music read to debut.
On streaming, Leaf described it as “the new radio,” a trend that started with Soundcloud and expanded with Spotify. Whether one can make money streaming, she said, “You can definitely make money off of streaming.”
On the topic of touring, Leaf tackled the disparity in hip hop festivals booking male versus female artist, and also talked about being one of just two females booked at Rolling Loud’s festival held in summer 2016. She pointed out her performance not only wasn’t announced, but was scheduled at the same time as Lil Uzi Vert, whose performance was announced over speakers. She also shouted out Lil Yachty who was the only person who stayed to watch her set.
She acknowledged that hip hop is predominately male and so are the ticket buyers and added that festivals are a boiled down version of the problems that exist in the culture of hip hop.
Check out the interview below.
