MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you Joe, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.
What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?
Joe Mohney: Well I began making music around the age of 13 when my close friend Alec Aretakis and I were on vacation and he pulled out his laptop and said “Lets make a song to this beat”. I had always loved music since I had been playing the guitar and drums for years and I loved the lyrical component to Hip Hop since it’s really the only genre with nearly 100% of the focus on the lyrics. This made me inspired and it just blasted me into this obsession that I call my music now.
MuzicNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?
Joe Mohney: Growing up I always had been into hip hop primarily due to Eminem. I still remember the first time I heard a rap song on MTV by him when I was around 5 years old. It was him and 50 Cent in a music video and I was just shocked by the way it sounded and loved the way the beats had so much energy. I can also accredit a lot of my influence to the kings of the 90’s era for that gritty old school sound as well as the new school rappers like Mac Miller, Kendrick, A$ap Rocky, and the Odd Future gang since they’re all only a few years older then I am.
MuzicNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
Joe Mohney: My ultimate goal in music is to be recognized as one of the leading lyrical artists as well as someone who utilizes his personal experiences and lifestyle in his music. I want songs to touch peoples hearts and really make an impact on them if thats the point of my song. If its a hype song I want it to pump people up and get the adrenaline going, and if its a chill or smoking type song I want people to be able to sit back and enjoy their time. In the end I really want to make people appreciate rap for the lyrics and even give back to this world in any way I can since I wouldn’t be who I am without it.
MuzicNotez: ‘Static Sounds’ was recently released, what was the making of this mixtape like?
Joe Mohney: This was a particularly crazy process since the Mixtape that I released sounds nothing like it did when I started it. I had completely made the mix tape and was ready to release it when I listened to it and realized I didn’t feel that this was my hardest work. I erased all the songs besides one or two and restarted it. I completely changed my flow and even found my new flows which are the fast and lyrical ones that people can hear on the mix tape and especially in my new music that can be found at soundcloud.com/joemohney. This entire tape ended up being exactly how I had imagined it, and now the only way to go from here is up in terms of lyrical ability and creativity.
MuzicNotez: Do you have a favorite track off ‘Static Sounds’?
Of course! My favorite track has to be either “The Amazing Artist” or “Rap Is Ours” since I can’t really pick between the two due to them being completely different styles. The Amazing Artist is more of a angry song that has emotion and wordplay similar to that of a diss song except it isn’t a diss song. Rap Is Ours is also one of my favorites because believe it or not that was Tevin Heard and I going back and forth on freestyles for several verses each and it actually turned out great.
MuzicNotez: Do you also create your own beats?
Joe Mohney: For “Static Sounds” I didn’t create the beats due to the fact that I was putting so much emphasis on expanding my lyrics and making my flows better then they’ve ever been. I do in fact produce many beats and have several finished that I plan to use at some point in the future, but for now I get them through several individuals I’ve connected with over the years and over the course of my career.
MuzicNotez: You’re from Troy, Michigan, what’s the scene like there for an independent artist like yourself?
Joe Mohney: To be honest it’s not the best place for an independent artist to thrive. I have only recently caught the attention of Metro Detroit and all of the high schools and it was a long time coming. Besides that it has started to be a very welcoming environment for me following my release of “Static Sounds” and I love the recent recognition and appreciation! It really makes me keep going and wanting to expand.
MuzicNotez: You’ve grown up and really honed in on your own style from your debut album ‘Intelligently High’ till the last release ‘Static Sounds’. What would you attribute this growth to?
Joe Mohney: I’d have to say this growth is definitely due to me getting over the issues I was facing in my life and locking in on my ambitions as in artist. I would sit down and study popular artists music and practice my flows my recording songs on songs and improving each time. I have so many songs I never released that were just practice material for me and I attribute a lot of my expansion to this process. I loved finding my new flows and expanding upon them. I also learned how to rhyme words that contain multiple syllables, sometimes even up to six or seven in my more recent work.
MuzicNotez: What do you have planned next?
Joe Mohney: My plans for the future are all mapped out and I am currently in the first step of it all. I recently grasped a Distribution Deal with Sony RED and am about to be going to Chicago to record my debut single. After that I have several plans to get that song attention and began to advance my career step by step until I can release my debut album when I have a large following. I have so much other stuff planned that I would love to share, but its more private inside of my independent label “Young Menace Records”. To say the least, I plan on taking this label with me and keeping my current associates on it which include Tevin Hear who you all know as T-Tone, and our Trap/Dubstep/Hip-Hop producer Anthony Sadlier who you all know as A$AD. We also have plans to release clothing through other associates that we have come up with.
MuzicNotez: Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message for your fans?
Joe Mohney: All I have to say is be ready to see several moves be made and for my music to start being available for digital purchase as well as be placed on Pandora, Spotify, and many other streaming services. 2014 is going to be a breakout year for me and I can’t express my excitement enough. Go check out my newest music at Soundcloud.com/joemohney and stay updated with me at Twitter.com/joemohney as well as Twitter.com/youngmenacerecs Thank you for having this interview and have a great day!