Have you ever supported someone’s message so much so, that it inspired you to sit down and write an article about them?
These days it’s hard to genuinely take interest in any local artists. It’s even harder to be inspired enough to want to create a piece on their behalf. As in the case with our next feature, I was eager to get to work.
It was around 10pm when I first got the message that his newest project was about to drop. I immediately called up the photographer to schedule a time for the interview. Between my busy days and his busy nights, finding the right time to meet for the interview became somewhat of a problem. So here I am, it’s the following night and I’m finding my way to Full Sail University to meet with the up-and-coming, Joe Clark.
QUICK! For everybody out there explain the moniker, Joe Clark!
“Joe Clark was actually created when I was 17. I was doing a lot more “conscious rapping”, and at the time I saw myself as the person who would bring that kind of change to rap music, like Joe Clark did for Eastside High.” (For those that don’t know, Joe Clark was the principal played by Morgan Freeman in “Lean on Me”.)
Explain how you made the decision that this is what you wanted to do, that you were going to be a rapper.
It was when I graduated from college. The music that I had made over that time really gave me a gauge of the type of artist I could become, if I pushed myself further and started taking the music more seriously. I definitely feel you, a quote from your project that’s stuck with me.. “The only way you’ll see that Plan-A, is when you get rid of your Plan-B.”
I’m already a fan, but for everyone else reading, tell him or her why they should pick Joe Clark.
Consistency, Creativity, & Versatility. Those have always been my staples; it sounds simple but its something that I feel not many artists can encapsulate. (Agreed, Hip-Hop is like fashion, always in a constant state of change.) You want your fans to be fans of you as a person, not a fan of your music. I can be Joe Clark on a soul record or Joe Clark on a southern crunk record, just stay true to yourself.
Where do you derive your motivation?
Just the joy I get out of creating good music. It’s literally like a drug; when you create something that you know is great, I gain a certain type of high from that.
I always say that you can learn a lot about a person by looking at their iTunes Top 25 Most Played, what are your top 3 most played songs on your iTunes?
Fighters – Lupe Fiasco
Big Krit – Hometown Hero
Kid Cudi – Soundtrack 2 My Life
I’m not trying to put on the spot, but if we were to get in your car right now, what album would be playing in your CD player?
Usually whatever I leave the studio with. I like to ride with my music after I record it to see how I feel about it. Outside of that, I have been back on Cee-lo Green’s latest “The Lady Killer”.
So far so good Joe, but there are hundreds of artists in Orlando trying to make it. What do you think it will take for a rapper to make it out of Orlando?
Quality. Someone that the people can get behind. At this point I don’t think there has been an artist that the whole city has wanted to see win. There have been flashes of greatness, some cool things put together by good artists, but not enough quality to make things undeniable. Bam!
Oh and you engineer your own tracks right? So what’s next up on the plate?
These packs! I am going on a campaign over these next several months, to just give you guys great music and reacquaint myself with fans virally. Relating back to Creativity, Consistency, & Versatility, those 3 things are basically what my “packs” are all about, giving people a consistent stream of quality projects, all telling a different story, with no two stories being the same.
To listen to his newest project “In the End” and to learn more about his team, check out:
http://hulkshare.com/tff4lcnrfch5
www.ItsThePack.com
He’ll be dropping a new project every month.
- Written by Dante
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Check out his newest project below!
Listen/Download to Joe Clark’s In The End here.
