By The Rap Scout
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
The “New West” has risen and taken over the rap game. Currently leading the pack is Kendrick Lamar, a Compton native. While Kendrick Lamar has done well for himself, there are many other West Coast artists who are making noise. Among those is SoPresice and his Fastlane Music Group, which is affiliated with many well-known West Coast record companies.
SoPresice has been around the game for years and is presently in the midst of a major takeover, with his street album, Fastlane or Die, Vol. 1, recently released. While SoPresice is making his way to the top of the game, he is also opening up for his team. Rymedy is among the members of the Fastlane team making noise.
A native of Fresno, California, Rymedy has also been making new music and flooding the mixtape scene with SoPresice beside him. During the course of this journey, Rymedy has had a front row seat to many notable hip hop artists, learning all he can. On the West Coast, Rymedy’s buzz is steadily rising, thus leading to him becoming Hip Hop Vibe’s latest “On the Rise” artist.
Read the entire interview below:
How did you meet SoPresice? We met ten years ago, we both did music, so we linked up and began doing music together.
Together, you two created Fastlane Music Group, correct? Right.
Can you elaborate on that? It was me, SoPresice, and one of our other buddies who had the idea to put the group together. But, things happened and in the end, it was me and SoPresice working together. We had another name for the label, but when SoPresice recorded a song, he said something like “fast lane.” I liked it, so did he, so we changed the name to Fastlane.
What has it been like working with him over the past few years? It has been cool. He handles his side, I handle mine. At times we bump heads, like all people do. Overall, though, it has been a cool experience. SoPresice has a different outlook on certain things than me, for the most part it makes things better.
What led you to making hip hop music? I grew up on hip hop music and it was a way of expressing my inner thoughts, feelings, and life. It was a way to escape, so to speak and I just like music. Once I started, I did not want to stop.
How has your style changed over time? When I was young, when I first started rapping, I was more aggressive in my style and I did more freestyling. Early on, I was more of a battle rapper, but when time went on, I began making more music about real life situations. Getting older, I calmed down, personally, I think I got better because I got serious. Later, the raps were more thought-prokoking, instead of showing my rap skills off.
Do you have any projects currently in the works? Yeah. I will soon be releasing my first mixtape, It’s Like Magic, sometime next month. I have my second mixtape, OD: Overdose, also in the works.
What has the overall experience been like since you began taking rap music seriously? It has been a real long and good experience. I have learned a lot, lost a couple friends, but it has been an experience I do not regret. After all these years, I still enjoy what I do.
Where did the name ‘Rymedy’ come from? Me and my brother, rest in peace, were in the room and we were just talking. We happened to get on my rap name and he asked me what I was going to call myself. I did not know what to call myself, but I told him I never heard anyone named “remedy,” so I decided to name myself ‘Rymedy,’ the cure of hip hop. Well, that is how I look at it.
Have things, so far, gone as you have expected? Yeah. I am only moving up, so things are definitely going as I expected.
For Rymedy, what comes next after the two mixtapes? I, most likely, plan to do another mixtape and then an album, just to keep the practice going. I am warming myself up and preparing for the next step. I have the experience, but I want to have more mixtapes out before I release an album. Personally, I do not think rappers should have many albums out, unless they are very big. I want to build my hype before I put out an album.
