Interview with Inf Grizzy (Hip-Hop Artist)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, April 22, 2022

Jersey Shore hip hop artist Inf Grizzy has been hard at work building up a loyal following, expanding his radio plays, and even appearing on billboards in Time Square and South Jersey. He’s currently working on a release date for his upcoming album and has already released two singles from it, “Love is Blind” and “Clap Clap.” I spoke with Inf earlier this month to ask him about the inspiration behind “Love is Blind”, what the filmmaking process was like for the “Love is Blind” music video, and to learn what else we can expect musically in 2022.

Despite all the attention, Inf remains a grounded and humble guy. Inspired by DMX, he even included a prayer on his upcoming album and hopes to inspire others who have ever felt down and low. Check out our interview by watching the video above or by reading the transcript below, and be sure to follow Inf Grizzy on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter in order to be the first to know about upcoming shows and the release of his new album.

(Video and transcript have been edited for time and clarity.)

Photo courtesy of High Rollin Entertainment.

Thank you so much for taking time out of your Saturday to chat with me.  

Of course.  

So for first-time listeners, what's your name, where are you from, and what do you do?

My name is Inf Grizzy. I'm from the Jersey Shore, New Jersey. I'm an artist. I write music. That's my life. I love being in a studio. That's my specialty.

How would you describe your sound and who are your musical influences?

My music influences are Biggie and Pac. Tupac, he's a poetic artist. That's what attracted me to him, that different style that he had. Biggie, he had that gritty New York swagger, that gritty type flow. When he'd be rapping, he'd be talking about his life. It was interesting to hear both talking about their actual lives.  So for me, I picked up off of that. When I was young, like, in the fifth grade, I was starting to do that myself, writing rhymes and stuff like that.  

Congrats on the release of your music video for "Love is Blind."

Yeah, it was released about a month and a half ago. It has about 86,000 views right now.

That's awesome! Well-deserved. 

I pat myself on the back. It was a lot of hard work.

How long was that song in the works, and what can you tell us about the inspiration behind it?

What made me write that song was I was in a serious relationship and, basically, everything was fine until you get in a certain situation and then people don't want to be around, they don't want to be there for you. I tried to work things out with her, and she just turned it back on me and basically told me, "Forget me." That broke my heart because, you know, I really loved her. Anybody can relate to this situation because everybody goes through it. It's sad how things turn out to be, but I guess we live through it, we fight through it, and things get better with time.

So when I was going through that situation, I just started writing a little bit and I got the melody in my head and then I got the beat. I was like, "Maybe we could tweak this up. I could write a love song to this." I was doing that, writing the hook first. I had a longer hook and it didn't make sense. The hook was eight bars and we dropped it to four. Then from there, that's when the pen game, I started writing. I was like, "Yo, I've gotta get these verses done because the time is coming and this is the right time to drop it."

Once I got in the studio, I recorded it, sent it off to the production team. They chopped it up, put some little instruments in the beat, and then I'm like, "OK." At first, I was rapping it and it didn't sound right. So they did a little magic and they turned it into a song, like a singing song, then we got it prepped for mastering, and then we released it.

Nice. A great thing about music is it makes you feel less alone. You realize that there's someone else in the world who's been through a similar situation. I'm sure a lot of people really appreciate that you put that out there.

Where did you record? Who did you record with?  

I recorded where I was staying, at my friend's place. He had a studio at his house. I had to get familiar with Pro Tools. I used to do Pro Tools back in the day, but I forgot how to do it, so I went on YouTube to figure it out. I recorded the song myself, and then I sent it to the team and then they said, "Oh, you gotta redo it." The quality was off because it didn't have any compressors through the mic, so I had to go to a different studio and rerecord it. Once I recorded it at the house where I was at, I used it as a practice run and just studied the song and made sure I got the pattern and the melodies right. Then, I went to SpaceBar Recording in Jackson and just banged it out. From there, that's when the magic happened.

The making of the music video for "Love is Blind" — what was that process like? I saw a little bit of Atlantic City. I saw the Hard Rock sign. Where did you film? Who directed it? And the actress, how did you two meet up?

We filmed that video actually in Atlantic City by the Hard Rock. We shot the clips right in front of the guitar, doing a little walking scene there and took some pictures there, too. ___ House Films filmed it. They shot my original videos four years ago and I got connected back with them again.  

It was a crazy idea, trying to figure out the video. We wanted to do it a certain way. We tried to put a little twist to it because at the end it says "To be continued..." I'm still trying to figure out what was going to be next after that. At the end of the video, she's texting another dude behind my back, and then it's like a little twist at the end. When we're talking by the Hard Rock sign, that's when we were leaving that actual place where the food was at the end, when the dude tapped on her back. So it was a little twisted. So I'm trying to plot it out and figure out what's going to be next after that.  

I like that. I was definitely intrigued by the end.

Yeah, we're going to see Part 2 hopefully soon. I'm still trying to create the idea for it.

Did you film the music video all in one day?

Yeah, we shot it all in one day. We shot it in Tuckerton, AC, and Pleasantville.

Oh, wow. So a variety of places.

Yeah.  

So, "Love Is Blind" is the first official single off of your upcoming studio album. What can you tell us about the album? How long was that in the works? Who'd you collaborate with? How many tracks are on it? What can you tease us about it?

The album was in the works for... Some of the songs were pretty much done. Like the song "All These Girls", that was done I think 3 or 4 years ago. I had that in the cut, just waiting for the right project. I never really released it. I was going to shoot a video for that, but I just never got a chance to finish it or recreate the words and stuff like that. That's one of the songs off of the album.

"To the Bank" is one of my favorites. One of my other favorites is "Take My Time." My all-time favorite is "Love is Blind." That and "Take my Time" is what I'm going through heavy in my life right now.

Artists on there include Nu Breed. That's my brother. He's from South Toms River. YB D'Nero, he's been rocking with me for a while. He's featured on one of the songs on the album, "Clap Clap." JDon, he's on "Take My Time." Shoutout to him.

Shoutout to anybody really associated with this album because it was a long process. We actually did the album in six months, believe it or not. The prayer on there, that's what hit me the most. I was listening to a lot of DMX because, you know, I like to listen to DMX when I'm in a down, low mood. So when I turn him on, he hypes me up, and gets me riled up. When I heard his prayers, it touched me, and I was like, "You know what? God loves everybody. So why can't I do a prayer on my album, too?" So I did it, and that's where it came from. R.I.P. to DMX. I bless you for that. Everybody goes through this in their lives, and so I feel like putting a prayer on my album will probably change a little something and help people grow in their lives.

I was reading the comments under your YouTube videos and also on your social media pages, and it seems like you've got a lot of really genuine, solid support from people who appreciate not only your artistry but also you as a person and are really rooting for you. What's that been like, having that kind of supportive following? What kind of difference is that made in not only your musical journey but also your personal journey?

Honestly, a lot of people have been following me for a while. They've seen my work ethic and they know me as a real person. It makes my day to see the same people who are still there riding by my side, showing me love and telling me to continue doing what I'm doing, and they motivate me to rise even stronger, you know?

Now I'm stronger than who I was. Back then, I really wasn't motivated because I was going through a lot of things with, you know, kids and all that stuff. It slowed me down a little bit, but right now I'm taking it full force because I'm motivated now and I'm stronger than who I used to be a long time ago.

Everybody that stuck by me, they appreciate me. The positive posts that I make, they hit me up in my inbox and say, "Oh, you’re making my day" and stuff like that, and I just appreciate that. They hit me up in my inbox saying, "Keep doing what you're doing. Don't mind anybody what they talk about. You got this," and then I say, "I appreciate that and I respect you hittin' me up to tell me that and that makes my day."

Yeah, that definitely means a lot, that no matter what industry you're in, to know that someone really appreciates the work and time and effort that you put into what it is that you create. So that's really great to see. Not every artist is able to make that connection or put in the time to make that connection with people, and that really does make a difference. So, kudos to you. It speaks a lot to you, not only as an artist but as a person to be able to have people rally around you like that. That's really cool.

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to either young artists who are just starting, or anyone really, who's trying to pursue music? Are there any pitfalls you recommend they avoid? What are people in store for? How would you encourage them to keep going, especially when there are a lot of times when you might just want to turn back or go a different path? What words of advice or encouragement would you have?  

Words of advice to give somebody that starting out — I would say stay persistent with doing what you're doing. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it. I've been there. A lot of people tried to shut me down saying that, "Oh, you ain't going to make it, you ain't going be this, that." I didn't listen to them. I kept going. That's the reason why a lot of people get mad, too, because they're like, "He's really still going and he ain't stop for nothing!" You know? I'm not going to let the Devil try to get in my way just to block me from what I'm doing. Everybody goes through things in life. I get it.

For people out there, too, that are starting off, do not let anybody try to stop you from creating music that you want to create. Go over it with your team. Certain people that are in the background, they're the ones who are going to try to hate on you and try to shut you down because they can't accomplish what the other person's accomplishing, you know? I've been through that a lot, and I never let it fail me because I stay straight and I pray to God every day for blessing. I need a blessing because everybody needs a blessing. We've all gotta stay focused and stay persistent in what we do. I've been through it, and you can't let anybody just try to block you out from what you're doing.

Amen!

Honestly, the prayer (that's on the album), it just came out of nowhere. As I was piecing it together, I was like, "Wow, this made ME cry" because I'm really writing this and I'm like, "Oh, I got the goosebumps!" I'm like, "Am I starting to sound like DMX now or something or no?" But no, that really came from my heart. I've been seeing a lot of people go through it in life, including me, so anybody could hear something like that and be like, "Oh man, I'm thankful to hear this" and express my feelings to show people that I'm human just like you and we we all could unite. We could talk about things or you could hit me up and vent to me. Anybody that's going through it that I see on my Facebook, or whatever the case may be, that's really down and out and really needs to talk to somebody, I tell them to hit me up. I don't look at myself as cool. I'm just me. Who I am is the person that I've always been. To the people out there, just stay focused and everything is going to be all right once you go that one direction. Just give yourself to the Lord and he'll help you.

Looking back on your music career and also your personal life, what would you say have been some of the highlights or moments that really stand out here? Are there particular people or shows? What are some things that really stand out as highlights?

The highlights of my life that stood out are actually doing shows. I love doing shows. I'm a little rusty because I haven't been done a lot in a while, but now I'm back on it. I'm doing some here and there, and now is about the build-up back up again. So yes, the shows are always something that motivate you, give you an adrenaline rush. You've got the crowd out there. You have you onstage, you show yourself.

I don't have an ego like a lot of certain rappers, you know what I mean? I don't do that. That's not my cup of tea. If I'm going to do something, I'm just going to do it. If I fail, I fail, but there's always another chance to build yourself back up. That's how I look at it. I love criticism. I love when people give me their opinion about, "Oh, I like that, but I don't like that”, “Oh, you could have changed this” or “Don't change that." I love that because I could go back and fix those errors.

The biggest show — well, I wouldn't say "show," it was more like a house party — it was like this Project X party. I think it was four or five years ago. They threw this big Project X party. It was like 3500 people there. That was the biggest crowd I ever performed in front of. (The lowest was about 950.) It was awesome. I was in a basement. Everybody was surrounding the basement. I had a wireless mic, so I went throughout the house just rapping. I was like, "I'm about to make this fun and useful!" It was a fun night, until, of course, you know, the cops shut it down and stuff like that. But everybody enjoyed it. It was fun. That was my biggest experience, and that's what opened me up and made me create what I do today.  

That's pretty impressive. That's a good size.

It was!

It's so interesting with music. There are certain aspects, like the technical end, that you can learn, but largely being a creative person is something that you're really kind of born with. You either have it or you don't. Is there anyone in your family who’s been an artist?

I'm the only artist in my family. There are athletes in my family, but I'm the only artist out of my family. My mom is proud of me because, you know, I never gave up.

When my brother was growing up, he always used to see me in the basement writing songs, recording, and he was like, "Oh, what are you doing?" I was like, "You know, writing songs and stuff like that." So he came down and started writing with me — my little brother. It's crazy how he picked up fast on it, too. We were using Cubase at the time. He actually wrote a verse for one of the old songs that we were practicing on, and then he recorded a verse with me. He did pretty good for his first time. Ever since then, he's doing good with his music. He's actually on three songs on my album. I appreciate my brother for stepping up, doing what he does. So yeah, now I’m not the only artist in the family, since I brought my brother up!

Well, it sounds like you're a great brother, that he's got someone to look up to. That must feel great to be able to collaborate with your brother on this.

We did play freestyle songs back in the day and stuff, you know, just having fun with it. And then he just dropped a song two years ago called "Vision" and he got me on it. So that was a good record. And then I got him on my Halloween record, on my album "Want Me" and "All of These Girls.” 

So what's next on the horizon for you? Do you have any upcoming shows? I know you've got the album, of course, that's coming out. 

We've got a show coming up on 4/20 in AC. It's going to be hosted by DJ Weswill. It'll build my name even more, create more music for my viewers.  

I'm not trying to do songs with big artists because I don't want to use their names just to try to shine and whatever. I’d just rather do it on my own until I make it there, and then I'll start doing music with big artists. It's just always been my goal. It's always been my dream for me to do it on my own. And thank God for my team because they believe in me. If they didn't believe in me, I wouldn't know where I'd be at right now, to be honest with you. I just thank God for my team right now. They're watching my back for this. 2022, it's going to be a long ride, but at the end of the day, I'm gonna be proud of myself for accomplishing these goals.

That makes a big difference. Your team is everything. If you've got the right people behind you and around you, that makes a world of difference, for sure.

Speaking of team, is there anyone else who you like to give a shout out to, whether that’s other artists, collaborators, family, friends?

Shout out to my family for supporting me. Shout out to my management, my company, High Rollin’ Entertainment. Shout out to Lookout Productions. Shout out One Stop Shop Hip Hop. Shout out to Lux and JSCorner. Shout out to Brownsville. My boy Ty. Shout out to everybody that's associated with me. If there are any names I left out, I apologize. Shout out to all the artists that are on my album. I appreciate you all for doing songs with me.

Is there anything else that you'd like people to know about you or your music that I haven't asked you about yet?

I'm just an artist trying to make it. I'm just like everybody else. I'm just staying persistent this time. I'm never going to give up again. I'm going to stay focused and just continue my journey.

Finally, where can people listen to your music? Where can they find you, connect with you online? How do they get in touch with you if they want to collaborate? How can they reach you?

They can find me on Instagram @Infgrizzy5. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. Everything is "Inf Grizzy." My songs are on all platforms — iTunes, Spotify, everywhere. Check out my video, "Love is Blind" on YouTube. I'm just happy that I made it to 86,000 views.  It's just a blessing. Honestly, I thought I wasn't going to make it to that. Being on the billboards in Times Square and South Jersey, it was a good accomplishment that we made, and I'm proud of my team for making this happen.

I saw that, with the billboards. That's impressive! How did that feel, seeing yourself?  

You know what? A lot of people ask me that. To me, I'm an artist, so I've got a lot of things going on. So, yes, it's exciting when I take a picture in front of it, like "Oh, cool. Yeah, that's me." But to other people, it's more exciting to them, I guess, because they know me and they're like, "Oh, snap, yo, you know you made it!" Me, I'm just regular, I'm just like "OK." It's normal. But I'm thankful that they see that and they appreciate me and show me love and congratulate me. I appreciate that so much.

You're so modest. Not everybody has that quality. You've definitely earned some bragging rights!

This has been awesome. Thank you so much for taking time out of your Saturday to chat.  Let me know when your upcoming album drops or you've got new singles that are coming.

They're coming very soon! So, the first single was "Love is Blind" and the second single is "Clap Clap." They're all on rotation on radio stations everywhere right now. It's actually picking up. We have 50-80 stations doing 800 spins. It's doing pretty good. Trend City, they blasted "Love is Blind." I've made it to the Top 40. I'm like No. 37 on it. That's a blessing, too. I'm happy I'm even in the Top 40, you know? That's an accomplishment for me.

Yeah, for sure. Congrats on that! That's awesome! And for all the listeners out there, be sure to call in and request it. We'll bump it up even further. That is really awesome.  

I appreciate you having me on to interview me. It's a blessing. Thank you!

Interview with Christian Sparacio. New Music "About Time" and "I Melt With You"

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Friday, April 23, 2021

Christian Sparacio is a singer-songwriter hailing from Marlboro, New Jersey. Since first releasing music on SoundCloud back in 2017, Sparacio has released ten new singles, playing shows to support the tunes. The two latest singles include an original, “About Time”, and a cover of the Modern English hit “I Melt With You”. I got to speak with Christian about his songwriting, producing a music video, and the talented musicians who worked on these tracks with him!

Who did you work with on your newest song “About Time”?

For About Time I worked with Rob Chiarappa at The Barbershop Studios in Hopatcong, NJ! Rob is a mad scientist producer with a crazy ear for pulling the potential out of a stripped down song like “About Time” and making it a production masterpiece. 

When did you write this song? 

I wrote “About Time” about 2 years ago between sessions of watching the movie About Time. About halfway through I got super inspired and wrote it, then about a month before recording I wrote the bridge section which was a cool testament to letting songs grow on the back burner. 

Did you approach this song differently from past releases?

I approached this song a bit differently because it was the first that I went all out on a music video for, and also had a way more experimental experience producing it. I sort of let my eclectic production taste speak in. this one and I am super happy with it. 

Who did you work with for the video? How did you find them?

I worked with Chantel Erin and Peter Dolshun on the video. I found Chantel via an Instagram ad for her production company, and met Peter through Chantel. We all quickly became friends and our creative processes meshed super well. Then we enlisted Clotilda Demauro as an actor through backstage.com and she, too, quickly became a friend. 

Who did you work with for the Modern English cover?

For the “Melt with You” cover, I stayed in the family and worked with Rob's brother Mike Chiarappa at DIMM Studios in Freehold, NJ! We wanted a more live sounding track, and I knew the simpler set up at DIMM and Mike's ear for feel would be perfect.  

What made you choose that song in particular to cover?

Well, I actually grappled and experimented with covers for a few months before settling on this one after my friend Jimmy suggested it. He put it perfectly when saying that the original song has heartfelt lyrics disguised by an upbeat 80's rock arrangement. This was my opportunity to match the music to the lyrics and deliver an authentic reimagination to pack a punch to the feels. I am super proud of this one. 

You can keep up with Christian Sparacio on his website.

No Great Pretender Releases Debut Album, "The Piano Project"

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, February 19, 2021

If you’re craving tunes with an indie/folk, singer/songwriter vibe, look no further than No Great Pretender’s debut album "The Piano Project,” which was released today on Spotify and other streaming platforms (via Mint 400 Records). No Great Pretender is the solo project of Eric Sosler (Union City, NJ), who also is a member of the band The Racer. The first music video for the album ("Comfort") also premiered earlier this week on Blood Makes Noise. Check out our interview with Eric, below, to learn more about the inspiration behind his album, what it’s like to solo-crew a music video, and more.

Congratulations on the release of your debut album "The Piano Project" and your music video, "Comfort"! What can you tell us about the inspiration behind this album? How long has it been in the works?

Thank you! I started writing for this album in the beginning of the pandemic. I lost my job as a bartender and had all this extra time and decided this was a great opportunity to start doing something I had been wanting to do for a while. Write and sing my own songs. My own ideas. Being in the band The Racer, it's always been great to be able to write songs in a group setting and all the ideas get molded together, but this was a chance to do something completely on my own. So as bad as the pandemic and quarantining was and is, I am grateful for the opportunity it allowed for me as a songwriter.

Where did you record? Who did you record with?

I am fortunate enough to have a best friend in The Racer, Michael Esserman, who was able to carve out some time to record these songs for me. It was interesting as I was able to send him all the piano tracks in email that were recorded on GarageBand (I have very limited knowledge on all these programs), and he was able to transfer to his ProTools sessions. I was then able to record vocals in his studio, which we did in only a few takes. I am new to singing as a lead vocalist, and I also did not want to strive for perfection on these vocals. I wanted them to flow naturally and for Mike to capture what came out without singing a hundred takes. Of course, I rehearsed and had a game plan for it, but I was curious to see what would come out in real time.

I think Mike did a really good job of enhancing the intimacy of the project. In his words, his vision when presented with the songs was to make it sound like I walked into an empty room and played on an old dusty piano. I am grateful for his work on this!

What was the music-video-making process like?

So, I love making music videos! We have a bunch of videos for The Racer that I love being involved in. The biggest challenge is always what can be done on basically zero budget. The “Comfort” video is a perfect example of this. The goal was to just try and capture all the emotions, uneasiness, discomfort, comfort, pressure of being in front of a camera when trying to perform or interview, or just attempting to stay sane in your own mind.

I was by myself doing this video, so that was unusual and a little weird but still fun (like looking around for someone to laugh with after I just did one of the angry emotion takes). But I just cleared out a section in my home of all the furniture and set a tripod up with my iPhone11 and let loose with all the ideas and went with the flow.

I'm also very proud of this video since I was able to do everything myself, especially the editing. Technology has really advanced in the sense of being user-friendly for people that aren’t the most tech savvy, and something I've been able to do over the course of the pandemic is learn just enough to edit a simple video such as “Comfort” using the iMovie App and VideoLeap App on my phone.

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What has your journey been like?

I’m originally from Monroe, NY and always grew up with that New Yorker sense of pride and New Jersey is gross mentality! I moved to Jersey City almost 7 years ago and boy was I wrong. I now consider myself so lucky to be part of this Jersey music community, and I like to think I have made it to the point where I can say I represent New Jersey now! It feels like home to me.

There’s so much going on here with all the arts and music, which has really influenced me in growing as an artist. It’s allowed for me to develop my own ideas and venture off into this solo adventure. Up until now The Racer, the band that I am in and have been in since 2001, has been my only real creative outlet.

The idea of No Great Pretender and me finally writing my own songs came to fruition in the beginning of the pandemic. The name is from the song off of The Roots’ 1996 album, Illadeph Halflife. I love what that name conjures up for me. The imagination. The possibilities of it all. So I don’t want this to be just about music. I want it to represent a creative practicing lifestyle, and I want to continuously grow with it.

How would you describe your musical style? Who are your influences?

I don’t want to be beholden to any one style. I just want it to be me. For “The Piano Project” there’s a ton of influences in the songs. Most notably Gregory Alan Isakov, Justin Vernon, The National, Frightened Rabbit to name a few. I love the sad, melancholy type vibes and it definitely showed up in the songs. I think “indie folk singer songwriter” is what I put down for this album, but the idea of No Great Pretender is ever evolving. I want to collaborate with artists. Do all different types of music. I have really been getting into Jazz and Blues and trying to learn that as much as I can, but I'm open to anything.

Do you have a favorite song on "The Piano Project" and if so, what is it about?

“Hardly Anymore” was the first song I wrote for this solo idea. So in the beginning, I was just so proud of it and kept playing it all the time so I wouldn’t forget it and of course loved it for that purpose alone.

Over time, “Comfort” has stepped into a nice role for me. I think the video enhanced it for me. I really let that vulnerability feeling out on that one so it’s developed into something special personally for me. I'm not used to being the focal point.

What are your goals, personally or professionally, for 2021? What are you most looking forward to?

I just want to keep growing as an artist. Keep improving and learning from others. I’ve learned a lot during this pandemic time period and mostly that I don’t know a lot! So I just want to keep improving and keep creating as much as possible. I’m looking forward to playing live music in whatever capacity. Although, I am worried about my nerves getting the best of me, so I will have to rehearse a lot for it!

Finally, how can people find you?

You can find me at:
www.instagram.com/no_great_pretender
www.nogreatpretender.com

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

“Cause I'm the soul avenger, remember I'm no great pretender” - Lyrics from “No Great Pretender” by The Roots’ Illadelph Halflife. I love that line in the song.