Fushion Magazine Interview with OneHunnidt and Yves Saint from Nice Guys

Fushion Magazine Interview with OneHunnidt and Yves Saint from Nice Guys (Recorded January 2010)

View the Nice Guys Article in Vol 3 Issue 1 HERE

Nice Guys Interview Yves Saint MC of The Nice Guys and OneHunnidt – AwkWORDSilence.com and the fuSHion Magazine and Radio

OneHunnidt: Been following you guys for a little while, for all fans who may not be familiar with the concept of the Nice Guys and the group members and their roles

Yves:
The entire group couldn’t be here tonight we just had  a show. Thanks for everyone who came out tonight.I am Easy Yves Saint sinner the rapper, queens NY. We have Free Free outta Grand Prairie Texas right outside of Dallas he’s a producer/hype man o stage, we have Christolph from Beaumont Texas also producer/hype man, and Go Dj Candlestick.

OneHunnidt: With two producers a DJ, and lyricist that really seems like a great collaborative movement, thats rare. How did you put it together?

Yves:
Yes its a new concept and really it was organic.  We were all friends and we decided to put together our focus our goals altogether.  We believe that anything will work if people can come together, put their goals together, and turn their egos off. We did it like a really really good puzzle.

OneHunnidt: Yea and you can really see that. I can see that you guys have an original hip hop element and feel from the structure of the group to the demeanor of your music. Is that the goal that you are trying to push?

Yves:
Yea the goal we try to bring to the stage is “We are here to party and have a good time. We aren’t scared of nothing except failure, whats the worst that can happen?”

OneHunnidt: How have the nice guys so quickly gained such a huge following?

Yves:
We got it because you have to win people over by being a good person 1st. I learned that from by brother who taught me whether you are broke or not you have to be good to people. People have to respect you or like you as a person, then their eyes and ears will be open to what you say and do. After that, when they realize you are talented it makes you that much more lovable and someone they will want to support and see in the future.

OneHunnidt: When its all said and done, after music and we are old and grey how would you like to look back on life and be remembered?

Yves:
Personally, and I think this will be congruent with the group. I want people to be able to say “These dudes tried to affected change, did something honest and tried to be good people” You know that once you start reaching a level of success and you get a spotlight on you it starts to taint and poison you. As long as you are trying to  not be someone who’s not going to fall victim to that, thats good. But whats even better is when you don’t have to try, when its nature and thats what you want to do because thats what you are that makes it alot easier.
I want people to be able to look back and say those Guys were successful, I want to remember them and they made me feel good about things in general. Real talk, if someone can say I was having a bad day, but then I heard to a Nice Guys song and now I’m not having a bad day anymore that says alot.

OneHunnidt: I hear alot of artists say that the music industry is 20% talent and 80% business and politics. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

Yves: Allow me to neither agree nor disagree. The real talent in music or any art is the talent to get better. You can get stale. Staying at a level is not good enough. Being “okay” through time might as well be getting worse. Eventually people will get tired of you. Yes you have to have business moves but those moves mean nothing if you don’t have the talent. There are some people who have made it without talent because of business moves but did they last? Talent keeps people liking you after the smoke clears and there is no more glitz and glamour. Lol its like a pretty but dumb broad. Yeah you were cute a second ago, but you keep talking.and your not so hot anymore.. Basically you need 100% of both business moves and talent.

OneHunnidt: How long have you been in Houston?

Yves: I came in 03, then left. Came in 04 then left. Came in 05 then left.. 2006 was the official year. its love out here.

OneHunnidt: As an artist from another coast and now here everything is different how difficult was it for you to come down here where there is a different culture to fit in and get accepted with the brand of music that you deliver?

Yves: I didn’t complain much but in my mind was like “man I’m not here” but my brother Lotto who is on lock right now and my nigga Goose told me if you are an ill nigga you can go anywhere. You just learn your surroundings then get with the program. Its hard to adjust. When you realize its about your music but its really about YOU its good.
There is a difference because a celebrity and a superstar to me. Celebrities are talented and celebrated for what they do. Superstars are loved for the people that they are. People will love you for what you do but that wears off, but people will love you as a person if you really really are just that nigga.

OneHunnidt: Thats a good mindstate to have because obviously it doesn’t matter where you are if you plan on being bigger than a local artist.
Watching your performances and hearing your rhyme patterns and knowing you are from NY, I can kind of get a Jigga vibe. Who are your biggest influences?

Yves: Even if I didnt listen to  Jay Z, how can you not be influenced by Shawn Corey Carter? He’s every where. Hip hop is in me, I dont really have to look to anyone else as far as hip hop for inspiration.  The things I try to look for as far as making songs is evoking emotions out of people. I listen to a lot of baroke, classical music. The way the way they peice music is so original and ingenious. They make your body move a certain way, make you fell a certain way. I listen to alot of cold play. John Mayer, and Regina Specter.

OneHunnidt: What would you like to see changed in how the music industry moves?

Yves: Niggas need to stop lying. I mean people need to be truthful to themselves. You can lie to me, but don’t lie to yourself.  When you lie to yourself you are doing yourself a serious injustice.  At the end of the day when people put out music, they should ask themselves “Do I really like that?”. Lol seriously on your quiet time you really thought that was good? You got to be real with yourself.  Are you going to blame it on yes men? Man, go to work! I want to see a little more honesty, authenticity, and a lot more genuine behavior from artists.

OneHunnidt: Yea, I wish we could get that fixed today.

Being around this area the “Nice Guy’s Look” tees are everywhere. Is fashion something you are looking into are is that just for promotion?

Yves: How can we not go into fashion. We do it because its part of us. Its harder to turn the switch off. We definitely like clothes lol

OneHunnidt: Are you looking towards signing to a major are do you want to do the independent thing?

Yves: Honesty, I dont know enough. We are wet behind the ears and need to get our feet wet.I dont know enough about how the major label thing works, all I ever hear is complaints. But I am not stupid, I understand that being independent takes alot of work. I think that you need a few more bargaining chips before you get to a major for it to work. You have to be something on your own first. They wont give you something for nothing. You not needing them is going to make them want to do more for you, just like anything else in life period.

OneHunnidt: In Houston you will see Free out taking pics, Candlestick DJing, and you MC’n and DJ’n. How do you balance that with recording and performing and yo plus regular life?

Yves: I’ll be real. I dont have to balance anything. If you want to do something you will make time for it period. People always make excuses. If you are rapping and you make this a career you are making more in a day than a teacher can make in a semester. I’m tired of complaining. If you want to rap but its too hard go get a day job. Nobody wants to hear a bitch dont complain. Either you manage and make time for what you need to do, or you dont want to do it. Its simple

OneHunnidt: Any dream collaborations?

Yves: I want to do alot of female interactions with songs that are more than the original Rap + R&B. I want to work with Regina Specter really bad and also Amy Whinehouse I like her vibe. I want to do female collaborations and convey the interaction between males and females and different types of females. I think dudes have lost that. lol they don’t even look females in the eyes anymore when they talk to em.

OneHunnidt: What can people expect from The Nice Guys?

Yves: From the Nice Guys expect layers. just when you are done getting it all or hear a line, there’s more to it. Expect replay value and expect music. We try to to make sure we honestly stay true with what we are doing. If you are a musician make music as a craftsman with words be a technician.

OneHunnidt: What are you working on now?

Yves: We finished the Green Room working on finishing mixing and mastering the Show album. Expect layers and things you never heard me talk about. Working in collabs. Can’t be a good leader unless you are a good team player. Thats part of being a Nice Guy, the Houston team, the NY team, the hiphop team, the US team. You have to learn how to work with others and do ya thang at the same time. I’m really trying to delve in different types of music to see if people are as different as they say they are..Most people just be saying that.

I want to give a shout out to the Nice Guys – Free, Christolph, Candlestick, OrangiePorangie.com and my baby Orange out in LA, to Queens New York, my brother Lotto, my nephew Isiah, both Shootas in NY and Houston, my boy JR, Ardinary Clothing, Onehunnidt and Sydnee Simone.

Shout to everyone who is believing what we are doing, this is not for ye of little faith, this is for the riders…If you are coming, come on.