MUSIC
Affliction's 'First Words'
Seth Saltzman
Click here to check out a couple tracks from Affliction's new album.
Affliction is not your typical southern rapper. With his lyrical abilities, unmatched flow, and southern drawl, this emcee could be the biggest thing to hit the south since T.I. With his first LP “First Words” currently out, and receiving praise from every-which-way, Affliction is finally making the moves he is destined to make.
How did you get into rapping?
Affliction: I think it was my sophomore year in high school. My teacher had assigned the whole class to make a rap. Each of my classmates spit about 4 bars on a beat one of the cats made. I wrote my 4 bars and got good feedback from it. Before then I was writing but this was the first time I actually rapped.
Word. Pretty cool teacher and high school. Was it common to rap where you grew up?
Affliction: Not really. I knew about four cats that rapped. It wasn’t a real trend where I was raised.
Cool, cool. How do the environment and the people you grew up with affect what you write about and how you write?
Affliction: It doesn’t affect me a lot. In New Orleans where it’s violent and poverty stricken, so I may write about the hard times, but other than that I do me.
What exactly is you? What do you try to do with your rhymes and how would you like people to see you, as an emcee, as?
Affliction: I just try to distance myself from the southern stereotypes. The same style is coming out of the south and its getting tired. Cats like Ludacris and T.I. are changing those views, but we still have a long way to go.
Yea. So where exactly from the south are you and how long have you lived there?
Affliction: I’m in New Orleans and I’ve lived here my whole life, which is 22 years.
Is there any other place you would want to live? Or is that the only place for you.
Affliction: I don’t see myself here for the rest of my life honestly. I’d like to stay here because I’m a man of routine. I’m comfortable in New Orleans, but cats don’t support up and coming artists down here at all. I’m in college right now. That’s my main focus and I’ll have my degree in a year and most likely I’ll be forced to move out of state to find a job. I’m serious with this rap business and I’m FINALLY getting some income from it, but my education is more valuable than rapping.
What are you currently studying?
Affliction: Business Administration with a Minor in Management.
That’s a good jump into rap business.
Affliction: Yeh.
You seem to stray away from attacking actual people on your album and attack topics.
Affliction: Yeh. I mean-how would I look attacking people who are in the industry? That’s lame. I’m a nobody right now.
Speaking of your album, what took so long to actually release it? You’ve been working on it for over two years, to my knowledge.
Affliction: I started it over three times and the third time was a charm. Basically, I wasn’t ready. I was getting better and better and that’s why I was starting it over and over. Plus I’m a perfectionist and I knew that this album would be a lasting reflection of me, so I took my time.
Yea. It was definatly worth the wait to a lot of people. How long did it actually take you to put together the album (after all the re-starts)?
Affliction: Almost three years.
Three years? Sheesh. You mean you have had some of these tracks planned out and written for three years?
Affliction: I had [the songs] First Words and Last Words planned out since then. I got about 4 versions of each song.
Wow. That’s dedication and perseverance.
Affliction: Yep.
Are those your favorite tracks on the album?
Affliction: UHmmm. I dunno, those 2 tracks are the foundation of the whole album. I don’t really have a favorite track I like them all.
What about production? Are there any beats or producer you liked spitting over or working with best?
Affliction: I always work with AudioCrack. Chase Cashe is my cuz. So I enjoyed working with Phoenix probably the most. He’s one of the most talented producers online.
Are there any last words or shout outs or anything else you want mentioned?
Affliction: Album Preview/Purchase Info:
First Words Snippet can be found at: http://reddude.dmusic.com
Full album purchase price is $7.00—Affliction’s paypal address is: complexitybeats@yahoo.com
You can contact Affliction at: affliction@gmail.com or on AIM under screen name Afflction504 For further info.
Affliction: Those are my last words
