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Shout-outs to liquor and rapper-branded drinks are a common feature in hip-hop. But Brooklyn rap duo Junk Science is taking the connection a step further by promoting the release of their sophomore album, Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic, with their own brand of beer by the same name.
In this SOHH exclusive, rapper Baje One talks about the new album, touring with Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Devin the Dude, and making his own beer.
When Baje One and Junk Science producer Snafu came up with the title of their sophomore album, Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic, there was no premeditated marketing scheme. In fact, the "we're gonna make our own beer thing" came about after the title was chosen and the record was complete.
"I'm into marketing, but the marketing has to flow from the creative side, it can never be the other way around," Baje One told SOHH. "After naming our album we were sitting down - me and Snafu - probably playing video games at the time, just talking about what would be cool for us to do to promote the album, and the whole beer idea just came up. Like 'oh that'd be cool, we'll get a company to make a beer with the same name as the album, then we'll sell them together, or we'll have parties in New York and well have the beer on tap.' That's just a crazy idea - it's kind of like the biggest thing we've ever tried to pull off."
Along with Embedded Records CEO DJ Ese, Junk Science teamed up with up-and-coming Brooklyn brewery Six Points Craft Ales to create a limited-release brew to coincide with the group's album release last week. The pair were heavily involved in its creation and shot videos of the hands-on action. [Watch a video of the group making the beer here]
The beer is currently available in a limited bottling and on tap in bars and restaurants around NYC.
As for how it tastes?
"I think it's delicious," Baje One said. "We drank a whole keg of it before we left."
The group is currently on tour with Del and Devin the Dude in support of the new album, which Baje One said is built around the theme of the Nerve Tonic. Initially, the drink was just a metaphor for otherworldly satisfaction.
"On the cover art there's this guy kind of floating in this weird houseboat in the middle of some weird fantasy universe," said Baje One. "It's kind of like the Nerve Tonic is what he has on that boat to keep him going. The idea that's really behind it is we're going to make a record that will be the record that we want to listen to. In the concept of a beer, we're making the drink that we want to drink."
The duo, also part of the seven-member Brooklyn collective Nuclear Family, is known for their dusty, analog beats and down-to-earth humor. Marketing a beer may seem to be a mainstream rap move, but Baje One said the duo makes no attempt musically to conform to popular rap ideals.
"We really want people to understand that it is a very different sound," he said. "Life is way too short to try to pretend like you're somebody else. I'm not a tough guy at all, you can ask my friends, I don't even like hurting like insects really."
"There will always be people that won't like me," he added. "We're not really trying to make music for people who have a narrow definition of everything, or anything, let alone music. We're trying to open up the possibilities of what we can say or how our music can sound, because it's really important to be able to be free creatively. Because then that'll help everybody be free in a broader sense."
Junk Science's Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic is in stores now via Embedded Music / Definitive Jux.
Source: sohh.com
In this SOHH exclusive, rapper Baje One talks about the new album, touring with Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Devin the Dude, and making his own beer.
When Baje One and Junk Science producer Snafu came up with the title of their sophomore album, Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic, there was no premeditated marketing scheme. In fact, the "we're gonna make our own beer thing" came about after the title was chosen and the record was complete.
"I'm into marketing, but the marketing has to flow from the creative side, it can never be the other way around," Baje One told SOHH. "After naming our album we were sitting down - me and Snafu - probably playing video games at the time, just talking about what would be cool for us to do to promote the album, and the whole beer idea just came up. Like 'oh that'd be cool, we'll get a company to make a beer with the same name as the album, then we'll sell them together, or we'll have parties in New York and well have the beer on tap.' That's just a crazy idea - it's kind of like the biggest thing we've ever tried to pull off."
Along with Embedded Records CEO DJ Ese, Junk Science teamed up with up-and-coming Brooklyn brewery Six Points Craft Ales to create a limited-release brew to coincide with the group's album release last week. The pair were heavily involved in its creation and shot videos of the hands-on action. [Watch a video of the group making the beer here]
The beer is currently available in a limited bottling and on tap in bars and restaurants around NYC.
As for how it tastes?
"I think it's delicious," Baje One said. "We drank a whole keg of it before we left."
The group is currently on tour with Del and Devin the Dude in support of the new album, which Baje One said is built around the theme of the Nerve Tonic. Initially, the drink was just a metaphor for otherworldly satisfaction.
"On the cover art there's this guy kind of floating in this weird houseboat in the middle of some weird fantasy universe," said Baje One. "It's kind of like the Nerve Tonic is what he has on that boat to keep him going. The idea that's really behind it is we're going to make a record that will be the record that we want to listen to. In the concept of a beer, we're making the drink that we want to drink."
The duo, also part of the seven-member Brooklyn collective Nuclear Family, is known for their dusty, analog beats and down-to-earth humor. Marketing a beer may seem to be a mainstream rap move, but Baje One said the duo makes no attempt musically to conform to popular rap ideals.
"We really want people to understand that it is a very different sound," he said. "Life is way too short to try to pretend like you're somebody else. I'm not a tough guy at all, you can ask my friends, I don't even like hurting like insects really."
"There will always be people that won't like me," he added. "We're not really trying to make music for people who have a narrow definition of everything, or anything, let alone music. We're trying to open up the possibilities of what we can say or how our music can sound, because it's really important to be able to be free creatively. Because then that'll help everybody be free in a broader sense."
Junk Science's Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic is in stores now via Embedded Music / Definitive Jux.
Source: sohh.com