#astroknoto

Andy Duong is a 21 year old up & coming rapper from the LBC. When people think of rappers the last thing anyone expects to hear is a Cambodian lyricists who delivers his music from personal experiences. Duong is barely commencing into the rap world but his advantage against these other rappers is that his ethnicity makes up a big part of his persona. This Long Beach City College student is trying to make a name for himself in the musical industry and is well on his way with the support he has behind him. Catch Andy Duong spitting freestyles on campus and writing his own music using samples from other artists. Do not let his Cambodian ethnicity fool you from listening to his music. This young kid is just starting... 

Interview conducted by - Alejandro Jimenez 

1) Where were you born? How old are you? Where do you live now?

- I was born in Long Beach and currently live here. I'm 21 years old

2) What do you do for fun? - I play some NBA 2k with the homies, play some bball, hit the movie theaters, rap/freestyle with my homies, and drink some brew with the crew

3) Who is Andy Duong? Describe yourself. Do you have any nicknames? - Andy Duong is a young Cambodian trying to take advantage of the opportunity that is given to me. Everything he has, car, phone, clothes, he worked for it and don't have things handed to him. In high school, I use to rap under the name "D3WGONG" which is actually a playoff of a pokemon named "Dewgong". I replaced the "E" with a "3" cuz 3 is my favorite number. Allen Iverson wore it, Chris Paul wore it, two players that played in the league at 6 ft.  3 is just the magic number.

4) How long have you been rapping for & what made you decide to give music a try? - I've been rapping for about 4 years now. I started rapping in 10th grade, just freestyling in a circle, with many students watching us. I decided to give music a try when I heard Lupe Fiasco's "Show Goes On". I got motivated by the lyrics and the vibe and just started freestyling or rapping the lyrics out.

5) What is your favorite part about making music? - Writing lyrics out and expressing myself through the lyrics. I like to take my ability of writing lyrics to improve my actual writing for school. My creativity and ability to think outside the box makes writing an essay easier

6) What artists are you influenced by? - I'm influenced by West Coast artist. I've been listening to Snoop Dogg and Warren G when I was about 5-6 years old. Snoop Dogg and Warren G held the city of Long Beach down in the past. In today's music I'm influenced with TDE, Dom Kennedy and Nipsey Hussle.

7) If you can feature any artist in your music, who would it be? & why? - I would love to feature Nate Dogg because he has a harmony that's so unique, nobody can copy it. He makes a great hook. I would love to have him sing a hook in my song. R.I.P Nate Dogg.

8) Describe the content in your lyrics and the type of mood your music brings. How would you describe your music? - My lyrics focuses on story telling and punchlines with substance. I try to put the most substance into every bar I write. I mainly like to talk about everyday life stuff and try to paint a movie image into my audience's mind. The mood of my music can be displayed with many emotions. I make tracks that give off a chill vibe, aggressive vibe towards other artists, and sorrow vibe.

9) Tell us a little bit about the first track “West 2 Impress” you recently dropped, & what inspired the title? - West 2 Impress is a track influenced by many California artist such as Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Nate Dogg, Dom Kennedy,  & Kendrick Lamar. West 2 Impress talks about life of a Cambodian in the ghetto part of Long Beach just trying to survive day-by-day. There are a couple of components that inspired me to title my song "West 2 Impress". First, the statement "Dress to Impress" is stated as a way to impress others by the way you wear clothes and present yourself. I replace the word "dress" with "west" to hint out that my song will be an influence of west-coast hip hop. I'm trying impress my listeners with west coast references. Another component is because I sampled Dom Kennedy's song called "2morrow." Dom Kennedy is another West coast artist that i like to listen to.

10) Any projects you are working on at the moment? - I'm hoping to work on and finish a mixtape titled "West 2 Impress" like my first track title. I'll sample many West coast artists beats for this project. I'm getting started on a song called "F.I.R.E." which stands for Family & Integrity. Respect Everybody.

Who is Whiskey Rou? How did you come up with the name?

“Whiskey Rou is a complication of deep, well fermented thoughts. I came up with the name based on the distinct meaning of explaining who I am as an artist.”

Talk about where you're from.

“Well I was in Long Beach for 6 years and just recently moved back to LA a couple years ago. I reside on the Westside of LA where the crime rate is very belligerent. I feel that explains it all.”

What was it like collaborating with Edub on your latest project, LocalMotive EP?

“It's always dope collaborating with Edub because we've been working together for so long. I feel like he just adjusts to my sound overall.”

How would you compare the LocalMotive EP to the Supply Dope EP?

“Well the LocalMotive EP has more of a meaning behind it. Supply Dope was released to give viewers a taste of my sound growth, which is still cultivating.”

What is your favorite song you've made so far and why?

“I like "High Priest" from Supply Dope. The track had a nice mood set to it, a pretty chill mood.”

If you could open up a show for any artist, who would it be?

“I would have to say Ab-Soul, he's a very influential artist.”

What type of artists do you support?

“I support and respect artists that are paving their own lane because a lot of artists sound just alike which gives me a lack of interest.”

If you weren't rapping, what do you think you'd be doing?

“Honestly I don't know, haha. Rapping for me is very interesting, I like adding that differential distinct feeling to what I do.”

What's next?

“I'll just keep dropping more and more music with visuals behind them. That's all that's on my agenda for now.”

In the urban streets of St. Louis, Missouri a kid by the name of Chester Watson has claimed his respect through his raw bars and dark imagery. A 16 year old prospect has been an impressive addition to the rap game while being able to self producer his own music. Chester produces vintage, yet psychedelic, beats in his music with comparable flows to rappers like Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator, and even Joey Bada$$. After realesing his mixtape, "Carnie and Phantom",last year Chester Watson has impressed many emcee's and could possibly have found his golden ticket to fame. This ambitious 16 year old kid is currently working & being mentored by the famous MF Doom and is finishing up his next mixtape "Nü Age", which is a reference to his group of friends between the ages of 15-18 which he spends most of his spare time with. Chester Watson is a very creative artist that has loads of potential to do something in this upcoming hip hop generation and has a bright future ahead.

-By Alejandro Jimenez

If you have yet to hear buzz, let it be known that the Los Angeles native is up next. Only 21 years old, Mani Coolin' is already one of the nicest independent emcee’s out. With ties to artist like Casey Veggies, Niko G4, Vince Staples and plenty more, Mani has been breaking out of the west coast scene and expanding over the U.S. Coolin’s debut mixtape “Something Perfect” was released March 12th, 2011 which gained much exposure and quickly entered Mani in the “New West” scene. On the day of the release the title “Something Perfect” became a Trending topic on twitter in Los Angeles. Within the first 24 hours the mixtape had over 5,000 downloads.With all the buzz Mani created for his self he decided to release an E.P. entitled “Coolest Minds”. Just as anyone would have predicted he out did his self and within two days the mixtape had over 10,000 downloads. With that being said, keep an ear out for this kids phenomenal talents.

- By Alejandro Jimenez

Rob Curly, best in the game? Arguably, best UP & COMING in the game, yes. This young kid from Miami, Florida has his unique steeze that brings upbeat rhymes with a head nodding flow. Curly has recently stamped his potential on the charts after releasing his very first mixtape "ELEVEN" which dropped 12.11.14. Comparable to rappers like; Vic Mensa & Child Gambino,Rob Curly is knocking on opportunities door. Rob is currently a solo artist with no record labels tied alongside him but this young prospect's future is looking bright. 

By, Alejandro Jimenez