Coming from the Bay Area, rappers Playa Rae and Trey C join together as a Hip-Hop force after locally making their mark as underground artists. The new EP is a summation of their trials and tribulations as independent artists; as they would put it, they are simply ﾓI.L.A.M. (Independent Like A M#Fuka)ﾔ.
Though Playa Rae comes from the South Bay and Trey C from the North Bay, both artists have been able to come together under the same Monstaville Music imprint for the same reason ﾖ to work hard as independent acts.
Their similar goals and relentless hustle have helped strengthen their relationship as friends and as peers, ultimately heard in their EP ﾓI.L.A.M. (Independent Like A M#Fuka)ﾔ.
The first single, ﾓNumbersﾔ, pairs the grind mentality along with an infectious hook about the huge dependency on sales numbers. For the project, the concept message continues to praise the idea of being independent artists, but still continuing to put out high quality art.
ﾓTrey C and I have been working together since 2004. We spent a lot of time recording together, until we realized that everything that we have done was in-house, from recording to design artwork and even distribution. We were being cost effective while putting out quality work,ﾔ says Playa Rae. ﾓWeﾒve been making noise with a small budget, and weﾒve been able to impress some people and get their attention.ﾔ
However, the two make sure to emphasize that being independent artists has both its positives and negatives. While the industry tends to emphasize one side of the spectrum, Playa Rae and Trey C want their ﾓI.L.A.M.ﾔ project to explain that everything takes time and patience.
ﾓWe want them to know what it is that we do musically [with the EP]. It isnﾒt just about the pure grind and hustle of being independent. There are also struggles on a regular basis, too,ﾔ admits Playa Rae. ﾓWe want them to understand that it takes a while for you start seeing things pay off. Iﾒve been doing this for 12 years, and Iﾒm just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.ﾔ
Simply put, this is nowhere near to the last that youﾒll hear of Monstaville Music. Playa Rae reveals, ﾓWeﾒre slowly becoming a bigger machine, and itﾒs exciting. Now weﾒre focused on working towards that bigger picture.ﾔ
Incase you missed the video to “Numbers“, check it out below:
Trey C & Playa Rae – Numbers (Video)
You can also listen to the entire EP before purchasing on Playa Rae and Trey C‘s Facebook pages.
“I.L.A.M.” is out NOW on iTunes, Amazon and all digital retailers.
You can also hit up @PlayaRaeDaBoss and @WestCoastTrey on Twitter.
