Artist Spotlight: Aaron Cohen Interview



Seattle's Aaron Cohen jumped in the Hip Hop scene in 2011 with his "Up & Down" single and since then has made a big name for himself with the releases "Crack" and "Murk". With an original style and dope wordplay, Aaron sees himself at the top of his game in 2013 with his latest mixtape "Potential Fans" which was critically acclaimed and hemmed classic joints like "Nickvanexelrose" and "Stanley Kubrick".

As we reached the middle of 2014 it only seems that this dark but lyrical styled artist will get a bigger buzz and become one of the sought after rappers.





OK-Tho:
Coming from Seattle, you had rappers like Sir Mix-a-lot, NoClue and Kid Sensation, to name few. How was the hip hop scene out there when growing up? Did you have artists like these to look up to or was it more of an out of state thing?

Aaron Cohen:
There has definitely been some strong hip hop out of Seattle, especially recently, but I would be lying if I told you I was really influenced by it as a kid. I was listening to Kanye, Lil Wayne, Gza, Nas, Mac Dre. Just great artists from all over the place.

OK-Tho:
How old were you when you first started getting into recording music?

Aaron Cohen:
I've always rapped, but I didn't start recording seriously until a couple of years ago.

OK-Tho:
Did you ever have any alias names when you started out?

Aaron Cohen:
When I was real young people called me Big Kahuna, or MCAC. None of those names stuck though, fortunately.

OK-Tho:What artists inspired you to become a rapper?

Aaron Cohen:
Nas. Illmatic had a big impact on me. Eminem's The Slim Shady LP also got a lot of play when I was young. Sound Bombing 2 from Rawkus Records was big for me. I also got RZAs Digital Bullet, The Carter 2. Everything by Mac Dre. Had an Ice Cubes greatest hits cd that I loved. I don't know, a million different artists inspired me. I stole The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill from my sister and got really into that as well.

OK-Tho:
When you first started, was it hard to try and work with producers and find artists to collab with?

Aaron Cohen:
Yeah it was hard. I didn't even really try. I just started ripping classic beats off of Youtube and rapped over them. I got a little bit of a buzz off of that and then was able to work with a few really tight artists. You have to prove yourself before you reach out to established artists about collabs. I wasn't looking for any handouts.

OK-Tho:
What would you say was your career starter that got your foot in the door for hip hop? (What project or single)

Aaron Cohen:
I think the song "Potential Fans" really got things going. The video and song did a good job of capturing me, and I think people felt that realness. Ended up getting on a bunch of sites and picking up a lot of views. Definitely got me noticed in the New York scene.

OK-Tho:
Can you explain the transition from when "Crack" dropped to when "Murk" dropped? Did the buzz you got from "Crack" influence the process of "Murk"?

Aaron Cohen:
Nah, my buzz doesn't effect what kind of music I make. I just make the music I want to hear. I was just starting to record music when I made "Crack", I feel like I just got a lot better by the time I'd done "Murk". And then that much better when I made "Potential Fans".



OK-Tho:
How did you link up with Noisey and Mass Appeal?

Aaron Cohen:
Decon/Mass Appeal put out my project "Potential Fans." I linked up with them after they saw me perform at some shows and let me know they were interested in working together. Noisey just had some writers who liked my music, and I was fortunate enough to get some posts on their site.

OK:
Did you know about Macklemore before he got big?

Aaron:
Yeah, he's been around for awhile, I know some kids that went to his high school.

OK:
Does writing come easy to you? When you hear a beat do the lyrics and topics flow right there?

Aaron:
Yeah it comes pretty naturally, usually in spurts. I'll put a beat on my phone, walk around listening to it and just make up a song. I have to be walking or moving around, I can't really think and sit still.

OK:
Do you try hard to stand out and be different from a lot of artists today?

Aaron:
I think the easiest way to stand out is to just be yourself. Sounds like typical bullshit, but it's true. Everybody's trying too hard out here.

OK:
Explain your move from Seattle to NY?

Aaron:
I moved from Seattle to NY before I was recording music. I just wasn't doing anything productive in Seattle, so I decided to leave. I had a friend living in Far Rockaway so I moved out there with him.

OK:
Would you say your buzz in NY is bigger then it is in Seattle now?

Aaron:
Yeah, for now.

OK:
What is your Inner City Kids crew about?

Aaron:
ICK is a collective of artists mainly from New York. We're a collective of individual artists who each make our own type of music. I think overall we're the most creative crew out and people will find that out soon.




OK:
Do you try and out do yourself with each video and single you drop?

Aaron:
Yeah, I think you have to. I wouldn't be satisfied with my work if it wasn't improving.

OK:
Who would you say out of the up coming rappers out there, that you would like to work with?

Aaron:
I just need to work with ICK for now. I feel collabs need to be natural to be good.

OK:
Name 5 of your favorite albums of all time?

Aaron:
I don't know, here's some.

Illmatic, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Vigilante Season, Purple Haze, Habits and Contradictions

OK:
Are you in the best position career wise right now or are you looking to get something in the future?

Aaron:
Ha, I'm just getting started. I want to turn this into a major movement.

OK:
You performed at SXSW this year, what was that experience like?

Aaron:
It was dope. It's crazy how much shit is going on at SXSW. I had like four shows in a couple of days, it was just a whirlwind of stuff.

OK:
I hear France is big with you, do you find yourself living there at some point of your life?

Aaron:
I'd love to live in France at some point. I went and performed out there. It was crazy, they really appreciate underground artists. I was in Paris, and they city was beautiful. I'm definitely gonna go back out there soon.

OK:
What would you say are the most important factors for an upcoming artist to do in order to get a better buzz? Is it collabing with other artists, promotion on websites, videos, touring etc?



Aaron:
It's about creating good songs and videos that people want to share with each other. Just keep working.

OK:
What producers are you interested in working with?

Aaron:
Honestly my goal is to have one or two producers I work with consistently. I think that's when you begin to develop really classic music.

OK:
"Potential Fans" was a very dope project, was it hard during the making of that mixtape? Did you feel pressured to make a certain type of project?

Aaron:
It was a lot of work, but no I didn't feel pressured to make a certain type of music, I just make the music I want to hear.

OK:
Whats next for you in the future, what can fans expect?

Aaron:
I'm working on another solo project right now. as well as a collab with ABGOHARD and group tape with ICK. I'm busy.

Aaron Cohen Links

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