In anticipation of his upcoming tour, Cyclone chats with hip hop legend Hoodie Allen about the niche between hip hop and pop and the benefits of holding the reins on your own career.
The cult New York rapper/singer Hoodie Allen (aka Steven Markowitz) is finally hitting Australia over two years after his inaugural tour was meant to kick off. "I had a tour in Australia announced in the beginning of 2016 and I had to cancel it, aka postpone it, aka this is now the first time me coming back there," Markowitz says apologetically. "So this should have been my second time, but it's actually gonna be my first." Nonetheless, he's amped for his club shows. Markowitz is bringing a live band - and promises to adhere to his philosophy that "the setlist is for the fans, not for the artist" by performing the classics.
Growing up in a middle-class Jewish milieu on Long Island, Markowitz conceived Hoodie Allen (yes, named for Woody Allen) with his "buddy" Samuel Obey as a high schooler. "We grew up really loving duos like Eric B & Rakim, especially 'cause they're also from Long Island in New York, so I think we envisioned ourselves similarly." Sensibly, Markowitz studied Marketing and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. On graduation, he landed a presumably glamorous gig at Google, all the while grinding as a credible MC. "I don't know if I would say it was glamorous, but it was a really cool work environment for someone coming out of college trying to figure out their next step," Markowitz recalls. "There were so many amenities - like, 'Oh, here's free food, here's laundry services, here's a gym.' But, at the end of the day, they're really smart 'cause their goal is they just want you to be at work for as long as possible in the day."
In the meantime, Hoodie Allen became a solo project. Markowitz aspired to crossover, yet Obey, a beatmaker, hoped to remain underground. They amicably split. Dropping popular mixtapes, Markowitz enjoyed a viral hit with the Marina & The Diamonds-jacking single You Are Not A Robot. In 2012 his EP All American went Top 10.
Along the way, Markowitz befriended Oakland's G-Eazy. They collaborated on the flossy bangers Lady Killers and Casanova and toured together. But, in 2014, Markowitz generated noise with Nolan Ryan - slyly (and incongruously) dissing G-Eazy and fellow frat rappers Mike Stud and RiFF RAFF. (Of G-Eazy, he rapped, "Oh, you'd rather be James Dean? I would rather be me, bitch!") G-Eazy let it slide - as eventually did Markowitz.
Later that year, the hip hopper chose a more sanguine path for his official debut, People Keep Talking, which featured Ed Sheeran. The album reached #8 in the US. Markowitz has since followed with Happy Camper and, last September, The Hype. "Sometimes I think I'm hard at classifying my own music," he ponders. "But I think I've sort of created a little niche for myself that exists between hip hop and pop music." Indeed, Markowitz imagines his material as "escapism for people". "I think, as I evolve, just as a person - you know, getting older and having new relationships and other things happen in my life - the writing of the songs definitely moves with that. But, at the core, it is still very upbeat and positive." "Gracious" Washington, DC rapper Wale cameos on The Hype's Fakin. The industrious Markowitz recently aired the double-single Wasting All My Time/Operation ahead of an EP.
Today G-Eazy, aligned with Sony, is a celebrity rapper, but Markowitz has consciously stayed independent - like another old ally, Chance The Rapper. "I love getting to use my brain in more ways than just music and getting to have my own small business and run my own company and have the consumers, the fans - like having that direct relationship, I really value that. I think it's allowed me to have longevity here in the States and opportunities like coming to Australia. I think a lot of that is 'cause of that independent sort of mentality. There definitely is some risk to the major label side... I've seen a couple too many friends of mine be in situations where they feel like everything is going great and then they lose their leverage - whatever that leverage was - and then they are shelved or they are on the backburner. So I think my mentality has always been that, as an artist, you only get one career and you really need to put it in your own hands. Whether you're on a label or independent, you really need to be the one who cares the most about yourself, rather than expecting other people to do the hard work for you."
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