Urban Vault caught up with cousins $in & Logik, who are the duo BLAKFACE, to ask them questions about their latest track HEROIN, and more…

$incere & Logik are Blakface, presenting the music video for ‘Heroin’, a single from ‘Bamboozled’, their latest album. The track was directed by Poetik Force and produced by Eclectic.

Their previous work includes ‘Humble Pie, Pt. 1‘, a two-part series. $incere representing South Bend, Indiana and Logik hailing from West Covina, California, the duo are cousins, and each are emcees and producers in their own right. Blakface has collaborated with Planet Asia (‘Less Talking‘), Illa J (‘Slow Down‘), Guilty Simpson (‘On The Edge‘).

When asked about the inspiration behind their release, they said, “The song is about the war on drugs in America and how it’s not only affecting our community but how it directly affects our family. One day Eclectic came by the studio and before he played me the beat, Eclectic told me he was watching a movie called Sugar Hill and in a particular scene they show the main actors father dying of a drug overdose so he wanted to make something to match, as if we were redoing the score of the movie. So we just built on that scenario, put into words and try to give people an understanding of our reality”.

You are cousins but live across the country from each other. What are some similarities you notice about your upbringings and lifestyle between southern California and South Bend?

Sin: We kind of had the same upbringing as far as values and morals. We both had our pops in our lives. Both of our mothers were very important in our lives as well. The only differences I can think of is I’ve lost cousins, close friends, and associates to gun violence/death or victims of our surroundings. South Bend is a small city but it’s the fourth biggest city in Indiana so it isn’t that small. It has a high crime & death rate so I’ve seen a lot of things growing up. l like to make music that reflects that and represents for people who are trying to get out or do better with the cards they have been dealt.

What are some big differences you guys notice between the way you guys came up on separate coasts?

Funk Logik: Yes, there are some slight differences. Some of the lingo is different, for example, the term ‘pop’ in the Midwest means ‘soda’. Sin was the first person I heard called ‘soda’ ‘pop’. I was caught off guard when I first heard it, I thought it was funny. We also grew up on different types of music. I grew up listening to a lot of Snoop and Madlib. Sin grew up listening to Slum Village and Kanye. We both developed into the same understanding as creative partners by staying true to who we are as individuals.

What are your predictions for 2018, for Blakface and for the world in general?

Sin: Another dope album. Some dope visuals. Hopefully a couple placements and to just elevate to another level. Logik x Oh have been holding it down and putting in a lot of work behind the scenes even at times when I lose hope.

What do you think the old school can learn from the new school and vice versa?

Funk Logik: Us, the new schoolers, must understand the old cliché, you can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been. It’s important to know and respect those who came before us in hip hop because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to advance the movement. It’s our job to analyze and study the blueprint of old school Hip Hop, then make it ours and make it better. My generation is technology centered. Older artists that seem to embrace this technology still sit at the top of Hip Hop, but Blakface is definitely next up.

What’s your favorite verse in Hip Hop history and why?

Sin: I’m going to say the first verse in Kanye West’s song ‘Through The Wire’. If I had to pick one song and verse that made me want to do this it would be that song. He showed me that somebody from the Midwest could do it on a major scale. He also showed me that you can make dope beats and rap over them yourself. A lot of cats weren’t doing that at the time. So from that point, I tried to follow in his footsteps as far as being a producer/emcee.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music…

Blakface – Bamboozled via iTunes/Spotify

https://twitter.com/blakfacecrew
https://twitter.com/FunkLogik
https://twitter.com/Sin_Asiatic