Getting to Know R.E.A.L. Music

By Patricia Rogers

Networking at its finest.  It has been a great pleasure to meet and work with K-Proetic, O.Live and the rest of R.E.A.L. Music. I met the twin brothers at The Takeover Networking Event last May in the Valley Arts District through mutual friends who were co-hosting the event.  The two performed their signature song "I Have a Dream" at Don't Drop the Mic and at Kreye Culture's "The Last Supper."  Lots of new material is coming our way, and I was able to catch up with K-Proetic, O.Live, Moses The Raven and Kid Allik.

P.R.: What is R.E.A.L. Music?

K-Proetic:  R.E.A.L is the name of the group.  We were given that name by our cousin Aree after watching Yo! MTV Raps last episode freestyle.  KRS-One developed the acronym.  He said in his verse, "True lyrics will always suffice and REAL meaning Rhymes Equal Actual Life."  R.E.A.L Music is the brand and the movement.  It stands for Realizing Entertaining Advanced Lyricism in a Moving Unique Sound that Impacts a Culture.  Basically, we deliver a sound that's entertaining, fun, and melodic while simultaneously giving you raw, honest, conscious, political, introspective, and verbose lyrics.  So we actually have 2 acronyms that define us and a group.

Who is R.E.A.L. Music?

O.Live:  R.E.A.L. is me, Kid Allik, K-Proetic, and Moses The Raven.  We all play different, important roles.  Kid Allik develops a lot of our hooks.  He has a great head for melodies;  he also engineers most of our sessions and does some of the mixing.  Moses is our producer and also contributes with engineering and mixing.  He also does the graphics for our album covers.  As of lately, we are writing more songs to his music.  His solo projects are mainly produced by him.  I do a lot of the promotion when it comes to new music, shows, videos, etc.  He's basically our Social Media Coordinator.  He makes sure we stay connected with the people as well as different artists.  K-Proetic handles things such as the R.E.A.L Music clothing, getting our shows and making the show tracks, setting up sessions, creating song concepts, etc.

Where are you all from?

Kid Allik:  We are all from different cities but East Orange is our stomping ground.  K-Proetic and O.Live were raised in Roselle and East Orange.  Moses is from Newark and Kid Allik was raised in Atlanta and East Orange.  However, we are an East Orange-based group because we all live there now and have so for many years.

Why did it feel pertinent to create R.E.A.L. Music?

K-Proetic:  Honestly, we created this simply because we love music and expressing ourselves through the art of hip-hop.  As we grew, we learned our sound is something needed.  Everytime we hit a stage, we always give the crowd more different than what they heard that night.  We're active, skillful, conscious, and simply fun.  We always give a message to our music, but we incorporate that with entertaining sound.  We know how to keep your attention.

I am a twin, so I find it cool that you work with your twin brother.  How are O.Live and K-Proetic similar and different?

O.Live:  We have some distinct differences vocally and lyrically.  K-Proetic has more of a deeper and more hazy voice while I have a sharper and higher voice with a smooth delivery.  In regards to lyrics, K-Proetic is more of a wordsmith and conveys his message with a more extensive vocab while I use more simple words while the use of both internal rhymes patterns.

What would you consider to be R.E.A.L. Music's signature song?

Moses The Raven:  Our signature song may just be "I Have a Dream."  Most likely because we've performed that song the most.  Our music displays a great deal of positive aggression and lyrical prowess.

What are some of R.E.A.L. Music's other creative endeavors?

Kid Allik:  Moses & I have recently opened a recording studio called "The Stoo." They are working to build this into a multi-faceted company which includes graphic design, mixing & mastering, engineering classes, t-shirt printing, and much more.  K-Proetic has recently become a freelance video journalist.  He has put together several videos, and his biggest challenge will be shooting the video for O.Live's latest song "War Zone."  O.Live has recently dived into the financial world, seeking to become a financial adviser.

How do you want to use R.E.A.L. Music's work as a platform to help your community?

K-Proetic:  We want our music to influence young artists while instilling in them the fearlessness to say how you feel regardless of the consequences.  Our country isn't perfect, and we will speak out against what's going on.  Period.  Also, we want to inspire other artists to challenge themselves lyrically.  You can stand out and be yourself and not follow every trend you see.  Put your pen game to the test.

What's next for R.E.A.L. Music?

Moses The Raven:  Well right now, O.Live is gearing to release his debut mixtape Catharsis in October or early November.  He has a new song out now called "War Zone."  The video for that is coming soon; Pro will be shooting that video.  K-Proetic released middleGround late last year.  He is currently shooting the video for his song "Yesteryear" which features O.Live.  Moses The Raven released 2 projects so far titled Full of BS (Beautiful Sound) and enigma.alsius.  Right now, he's working on his 3rd and focusing on a lot of production.  Kid Allik is also putting together the tracks for his debut project In Light And Love.  After our first project as a group, There Goes the Neighborhood, which he put out back in 2012 and after our first video for our song "We On," we took a break to do solo projects.  Now, we are working on another group project called Vintage.  For this one, we will be rocking over a slew of 90s beats.

Who have you been working with on these future projects?

Moses The Raven:  Our songs do not include a lot of features because there is already 4 of us, but we've worked with a lot of artists including Chad Piff, Chach Ave of Dakira Ave, Infinite T, Perrie & Rico of YRS, Dizzy Da Don, ProphetBeatz, mainly artists that are close personal friends of ours.

Where do you record your music?

Moses the Raven:  We have always recorded our music at DML Recording Studios.  It was founded and still owned by Daniel Laporte (Kid Allik's father), who has worked with many industry artists such as Mary J. Blige, The Fugees, and mixed for Ne-YO, Rihanna, and many others.  As of lately, we still record there but we also record at The Stoo.

In the new projects, what songs/themes stand out on this current project?

Moses The Raven:  We address various themes in all of the projects we have released.  The most recent project we released, K-Proetic's middleGround, addresses topics ranging from the love of music, bridging the gap between commercial and underground hip-hop, political turmoil in America, police brutality, as well as personal topics about self-improvement and love.  Moses The Raven has a very introspective style.  A lot of his works deal with personal things that occur in his life.  He is extremely skilled in conveying his emotions.

Read O.Live and Sebastian's thoughts on performing at Don't Drop the Mic III.

I look forward to hearing more from these four gentlemen!  Please visit their facebook page: www.facebook.com/followrealmusic

About the Writer

Patricia Rogers, #ValleyGirlNJ, lives in New Jersey's Valley Arts District.  The native New Yorker works as a writer, blogger and community activist. Starting Masconsumption Media in 2012, she has been passionate about capturing the stories of the vibrant up and coming Valley Arts District neighborhood through her blog, zine, events and more.  She blogs for Jersey Indie, Luna Stage, and Hat City Kitchen and offers many creative media services.  Visit her blog www.masconsumption.com and keep up with your favorite Valley Girl on social media at @valleygirl_nj (Twitter / Instagram).