 
Published: October 18, 2008 5:39 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA
(Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight
Ereez
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Ereez
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Ereez is a passionate and talented poet who knows the true meaning of the message behind the Hip-Hop culture; an expression of creativity and flow. He takes many of his life lessons and transforms them into his own melodious style. Ereez, who recently released "The Pen is Mightier" and his single "Talk to the Angels" featuring Bizzy Bone from the famed group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, is poised to have a big impact in the music industry.
The Texan native, who has been performing and rapping since the age of fourteen, recently completed an online interview with our Internet Publication.
Check out the final result from this interview.
Isaac: Elaborate on who you are and your upbringing.
Ereez: I was born in Palo Pinto, TX in 1983. My mother had me for my first three years of life, and my father took over from there, which I'm truly grateful for because he instilled in me a far greater mental foundation to grow on than my mother ever could. My father worked his hardest to make sure my sister and I stayed fed and enjoyed our childhood as much as possible. Making friends was a bit of a challenge for me, though. On top of the fact that I was shy, we were poor. We couldn't afford decent clothes. It's a bit tough to be confident while wearing green high-waters.
Isaac: Was there any one musician that spoke to your heart so profoundly, you were
inspired to do your own thing?
Ereez: During my younger teenage years, when I first started rapping, I would write about the same things everyone else was writing about. It was all about being a thug. Sure, it was fun, but I never felt any personal fulfillment from any of it. Then I heard "Cee Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections." He showed me that you can still write great "rap" songs while putting your heart, spirit, and emotions into the lyrics. Thanks to Cee Lo, I now write confidently, driven by my own creativity, never conforming just so I can sell.
Isaac: Which singer/group would you say you would most like to do a duet with?
Ereez: This one is tough to answer. There are plenty of great artists I would love to work with. At the top of the list, I would have to say either Cee Lo or the rock band Disturbed. I say Cee Lo because he has a great singing voice and a very creative mind. So two artists, just as diverse within themselves as they are from each other, I think, would make for a wonderful piece. I say Disturbed because, damn it, which would just be one hell of a song.
Isaac: What singer/songwriter do you most connect with?
Ereez: Cee Lo. Just like him, regardless of how much people try to push me to conform, I will stand strong and tread my own creative path.
Isaac: Out of your entire song collection that you've written thus far, which song(s) would you say is/are the most personal/meaningful to you?
Ereez: "Two Piece Puzzle (Piece I)" has the most meaning to me. Not only because I wrote it with so much passion for someone who was special to me, but also because it was the first song that I recorded under my own power. I paid for the music and the studio time. It's symbolic as my first step toward artistic freedom.
Isaac: Which singers/groups do you enjoy/like from some of today's music genres?
Ereez: Of course I have to say Cee Lo's group, Gnarles Barkley. I love listening to rock groups such as Evanescence, Fly Leaf, Disturbed, and Linkin Park. As far as rap goes, there's not too much I can listen to right now. Ludacris, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Eminem, and Petey Pablo.
Isaac: What charities are you involved with or support?
Ereez: We have so much to fix here in our own country and of course children are the future. The one's who have it the hardest are those without parents. They don't have that individual guidance and nurturing that they need. Anything to help the orphan children here in America, that's what I give my money to.
Isaac: Have you (or would you ever consider) writing a song about any of today's
particular world issues/problems? If so, what world issue would speak to you the most to write about?
Ereez: I would most definitely love to write a song about world issues. I'm the kind of artist that works from inspiration. Whatever's on my mind or whatever I'm feeling when I hear a piece of music, that's what I end up writing about. The one thing that weighs heavy on my mind, as far as world issues go, is the foundation from which many of the other problems stem from; human ignorance and stupidity. Our lack of knowledge and understanding of everything, delusions of grandeur, making such a temporary and meaningless thing such as money a high priority, and so much more stems from the simple fact that we're too blind to see that we're not as smart as we think we are.
Isaac: Why should people listen to your music?
Ereez: My music has a little bit of everything, mixing in flavors from rap, RnB, rock, and even classical music. From sentimental love songs like "In Your Eyes" to hardcore horror movie dedications like "Massacre", there's something for every mood. If you're tired of the hip hop culture being spit on by countless stereotypes rapping about money, cars, and hoes, then my music is a breath of fresh air bringing back the now ancient concept that we are the poets of the streets.
Isaac: What has been the greatest moment for you as an entertainer thus far in your career?
Ereez: My crowning achievement thus far has to be recording with Bizzy Bone. I first started rapping because of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. For my first famous collaboration to be with one of the fore fathers of my art, it has to be one of the greatest honors in my life.
Isaac: How far into the creation of a song do you share any of it with anyone? Who would you play it for? Would it be a chorus, a verse and chorus, or a complete song?
Ereez: The only thing I share about a song is the concept or idea. Absolutely no one hears what the song sounds like until I'm in the booth recording it.
Isaac: How much do you let others "mess around with" one of your new songs?
Ereez: The only ones who can suggest anything for the song is either the recording tech or the featured singer. I've had a singer take off or change a couple words so he could work with his vocals to make his part sound better, but the meaning stays exactly the same. Recording techs will suggest an echo here, a sound effect there, but nothing major. I pretty much have the entire song mapped out, so I have never allowed any major changes.
Isaac: Do you have to be a tortured soul to be a singer-songwriter?
Ereez: Nope, just passionate. Yet, the positive can't be fully understood without the negative. If you don't know hate, sadness, or pain then you do NOT understand love, happiness, or bliss.
Isaac: This is such a true statement.
Isaac: Do you prefer to write music from your own personal experience, life's issues, or a little of both (explain why)?
Ereez: As I said, I write from inspiration. I don't choose what to write about until I hear the music. Then I say to myself, "This would be a great love song", or, "damn, sounds like you need to break a few bones to this one." I'll listen to the music and let a few ideas run through my mind. Once words start to form, then the concept can be built upon. With that said, I pretty much write about anything and everything.
Isaac: How long does it take you to process your emotions and turn them into songs?
Ereez: It varies, which is why I listen to several pieces of music. I'll listen to a few beats, loving all of them, but I'll only get an idea for one of them. I'll hold on to the others and wait for my mood to match that music. Once I get an idea for another, I'll begin working on that one. To finish writing a song doesn't take long at all. If I'm not overwhelmed with what's going on in my life, it can take me two to three days to finish a song.
Isaac: The best piece of advice you actually followed?
Ereez: A true artists never stops learning or growing. Never think that you're the best you're ever going to be. Continue to evolve into an even greater you.
Isaac: Give Shout outs to your family and friends.
Ereez: To my grandmother, Augralia, and my father, Ralph Ray, I love you and thank you for actually taking the time to be my teachers of life.
Isaac: Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?
Ereez: I'm working on my second independent album titled "For the Art of It" which will include songs about artistic and mental freedom, a couple more love songs, a dedication to zombie movies, and whatever else comes out of my crazy little mind.
Ereez
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