Sean Billz
Sean Billz
Friday, September 14, 2007
A RARE SPECIES
At 19 years old Chris Thurston is a music mogul in the making. Thurston, who goes by the name Sean Billz as a rapper, is the founder and CEO of his very own indie record label Reality Check Records based in Chicago. Aside from rapping Billz adds the titles of songwriter, producer, and DJ under his belt (maintaining different aliases for each). But his music is not typical of the rap and hip-hop that you'd hear on the radio today. Billz and his record label bring something fresh to the music industry choosing to create socially conscious music that focuses on real issues rather than on superficial and materialistic themes that usually pervade hip-hop music. Excite Magazine gets real with Sean Billz as we discuss the reason behind his socially conscious music, his take on the hip-hop game today, the upcoming presidential election, and much more...
Interview by Shakeitta McCord
Excite Magazine: Your music is very different from the hip-hop/rap out today, how would you describe it?
Sean Billz: I would describe it as mainly being original in light of most of the hip-hop and rap that's out today. Most of it from my point of view is commercialized as far as money and record sales. I would describe my music as original and something different in the way that I try to focus on real issues that are going on in the world and bring it to the listener's ear as something that they can relate to. You know, it might not be happening to me but I know there's something going on with somebody else out there that might be listening to my music and it can affect them in a personal manner. That's basically how I would describe my music; it's original and personal, that could touch somebody heart.
EM: What made you want to perform this type of music?
S. Billz: Mainly what started that was really finding myself as an artist because at that time when I started writing I was kind of writing in the common trend of what was popular, so the stuff I was writing then was talking about guns and violence and women. It was actually my mom, she read my notebook, my book of rhymes, and she actually pointed out to me, she sat me down and talked to me on a personal level and was like "I know this is not you, this is not how I raised you." That was something I took to heart. I took some time and sat down and really read what I was writing and it wasn't me. So, I came to look at that and say this is not who I want to be, so it was all about finding myself. And then write music that I think everybody would want to listen to. Because I know I would listen to music in the car with my mom and there would be some tracks that I would have to skip through. I wanted to write music that I didn't have to skip through any tracks, I could just play the whole thing and it wouldn't offend anybody.
EM: How did you get started in music?
S. Billz: I got started in 2003 when I was about 16. Actually, me and my best friend (he was a rapper as well) we started writing together; we were working on a project actually. He got killed so I kind of kept on, instead of stopping right there and saying, okay this is it since he passed away. I kept going because I felt like in his memory since we started together I wanted to keep pursuing it. I got more into music as far as the producing aspect of it and the Djing aspect of it. And just in light of everything that was going on I wanted to start a record label that was different from the rest, that had a different way of thinking. That's what led me to start Reality Check Records.
EM: In several of your songs you talk about not caring about the money or the fame. As someone in the music business, is that not something that you want?
S. Billz: I can say it's not my top priority. Money is an important aspect as far as the music business but just for me on an artistic level it's not my top priority. I put many other things above the money, or the fame, or the limelight. Me as an artist, if it comes, it comes, and I'll accept it; but if not, that's not my main agenda. To bring a difference, that's really my main focus, to bring a difference for myself and then for the artists that come after me so they don't have to go through much of the stuff that we go through now in the hip-hop community.
EM: Do you believe that doing music with a message will amass the popularity that current rap about material things has?
S. Billz: I believe that it can. I believe that there's a time for everything. Right now it might be the commercial music. Back in the day it used to be the gansta rap; the more hardcore rap that was the trend. But I think the more positive conscious rap will get to the mainstream level; it's just the amount of people catching on to it and not wanting to follow the trend. I think that's a big thing missing in music, is artists that are not afraid to be themselves and go against what's popular. And I think that once artists and even fans themselves know what music they want to listen to and not what music they want to buy just because it's hot right now, it's going to push more socially conscious rappers to the forefront. Now there are rappers that are doing it [socially conscious music] it's just going to take more of us to keep pushing that idea.
EM: Have you ever experienced any opposition to the things you say in your songs?
S. Billz: Since I started I haven't run into any opposition. I think that's mainly because it's something different. I'm talking about something that they can relate to instead of rejecting and saying, I don't want to hear this rapper talking about guns and money. He's talking about the same thing this rapper over here is talking about.
EM: Even with your focus on the message of the song, how important is a good beat for you?
S. Billz: That's honestly the first thing that I listen to when I hear a song. If you have a good beat it's going to catch the listener. It's going to draw them to listen on and hopefully the lyrics will grab them in the same way that the beat has. But I think that having a good beat is very vital to go along with the lyrics. They have to go hand in hand.
EM: What sort of music do you listen to and which artists do you like?
S. Billz: I'm a big Chicago rapper fan so right now I'm listening to the new Common Finding Forever. I've been listening to that all week. I'm still listening to Lupe Fiasco's record. I'm a big fan of old school rap, rap from the 90's, and some rap from the 80's. That's what catches my ear because I don't listen to a lot what's out nowadays, what's played on the radio, what's hot. I mean, I might go through it being a dj but I'd say mainly 90's rap: Reasonable Doubt (Jay-Z), Illmatic (Nas), Ready to Die (Notorious B.I.G) because those were all albums that influenced me.
EM: Who are your musical influences outside of Hip-hop music?
S. Billz: I listen to a lot of soul music from back in the day Motown, a lot of R&B, a lot of Jazz. I am highly influenced by Jazz like Roy Ayers; I listen to him a lot. Marvin Gaye. Beyonce is actually a big influence. I really like her work ethic and her drive. She's able to do a lot of things not just in music but she has the movies and endorsements. She's one of the people that I can see is really doing for herself and is really driven. I kind of look at people like that, people going out making a name for themselves.
EM: Your music has a political/social message, what's your take on the upcoming presidential election? Who are you pulling for?
S. Billz: I've been watching the political debates and right now my vote would have to go to Barack Obama. It's still early though, you know; I'm watching him very closely.
EM: Do you think that he actually has a chance of winning the election?
S. Billz: Yeah, I think that he has a good chance of winning it. He's a very good speaker. He knows what he wants to do. He has a plan, and I think that's the biggest thing that people are looking for, a president who has a plan, that knows what they want to do coming in. I think that he has a very good plan and as long as he sticks with that, I think he has a great chance of winning.
Check out Sean Billz's MySpace page and listen to his music www.myspace.com/seanbillz
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