When I first discovered WemmyMo’s music, it was a refreshing change of pace compared to a majority of what I was hearing, he brought an energetic + youthful approach to his music that was raw but you could see the potential that he possessed. I was extremely impressed when I first listened to Wemmy’s debut project Bittersweet, it was a sensational body of work that had plenty of ear-pleasing jams on it, which led me to eventually meeting him not so long after + I have been rooting for him ever since. Wemmy is still very young, so he has a ton of time to continue to grow + develop his sound, but in some years I could easily see him being one of the hottest artists in Chicago. Wemmy is well on his way to that already though, so I wanted to bring him by the LL office for a new ‘Conversation With’ segment, read/watch the interview & make sure you follow Wemmy on social media below!
Follow Wemmy on Twitter here • Follow Wemmy on IG here
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EM: How was the quarantine for you?
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EM: I first discovered your music when you dropped your debut mixtape “Bittersweet”. A couple of years later, what does that tape mean to you?
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EM: What was it like growing up in Uptown?
Wemmy: The north side of Chicago has this perception of like “That’s where the white people stay, that’s the peaceful part of Chicago”. But really all of that is media because that control the masses with their narratives that they push, they always speak on the negatives of the south side & west side. Uptown was definitely a struggle, but me and a lot of my peers made the most out of that shit. It grounded us and matured us at a young age, I got the best of both worlds.
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EM: Late last year you released your tape “10:15”, can you speak on how that came about?
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EM: When did you realize your music was gaining traction?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYk-nZYlXf4&feature=youtu.be
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EM: I loved your latest song “Need It All”, do you prefer those soulful types of beats?
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EM: What’s your favorite song you’ve made to date?
Wemmy: My personal favorite I’ve made to date isn’t out yet, it’s called “one to save ya”. Y’all may hear that but it may never come out. But for songs that I have released, definitely “Need It All”.
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EM: Can you speak on the creation process of “Moppas + Choppas” featuring D2X.
Wemmy: This song was produced by the homie DJ Balor, we work together all of the time. But before this track, we were both in a funk. We knew that we wanted to create an uptempo record, an in your face type beat, but we didn’t know how to approach it exactly. Balor went to his crib one day, made the beat, and sent it to me and we knew that was it. The following day in the studio I recorded over it, then not too long after that I had a show with D2X, DJ Hotrod threw a LitPit concert with us both on there. I was already peeping bro but I knew that he would sound hard on that song, we linked up + we shot the video and it’s been going up.
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EM: Can you speak about the importance of somebody like DJ Hotrod in the city?
Wemmy: In Chicago because of the fact that we are such an indie city, our top tier artists are independent, so the grind + roadmap to reaching success isn’t the normal roadmap. There’s no ABC formula in music to achieve shit, but gatekeepers such as Hotrod help artists get the proper notoriety and resources that they need to be heard + capitalize off of the recognition. We don’t get rewards or acknowledgment in music until you hit the Grammys basically, but with people like Hotrod, people like WhatsTheWordTV & what you do with your “Top 50 Chicago Projects” list, it really helps. It gives us that sense of industry that we lack.
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EM: How did it feel to cover the Chicago Reader?
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EM: What’s been the biggest challenge for you so far in your music career?
Wemmy: The biggest challenge I’ve had so far is connecting with my fanbase, even more, I have day one fans, but I eventually want a niche fanbase that’s going to ride with me no matter what.
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EM: Who are some Chicago creatives that you’d like to work with?
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EM: What’s some advice that you would give to your younger self?
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EM: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Wemmy: I would probably be an A&R for a record label and/or a producer. It’s a lot of things I want to do while doing music too, like designing furniture or making children’s books.
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EM: You have a project called “002” that is set to drop this year, but you pushed it back, when can we expect that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CICkzSiHIHg&feature=youtu.be
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EM: What do you think is missing in the Chicago music community?
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EM: Where do you see yourself in five years?
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