Located in Southwestern Cobb County, you’ll find the lovely city of Powder Springs, Georgia. And within the Springs, are artists Coodie Breeze and Tyler Major. They’ve collaborated to bring you their southern-centric album titled The Moon Lookin’ Fye Again. We had the privilege of conducting an in-depth interview about this LP with the NRK rapper/producer duo that created it.
DC: How long have you two known each other and how did you meet?
CB: Elementary school like in 1st or 2nd grade. We also lived in the same subdivision at the time and our houses were the only two built and colored the same on some weird shit.
TM: I met Coodie when I was 7 years old. He was the first person I met in my neighborhood when I moved from Marietta to Powder Springs. We met on the school bus and we were always talking about music.
DC: Coodie, what kind of music you were exposed to growing up? What artists specifically did you latch on to and did what they made have any influence on the artist you are today?
CB: I was exposed to a lot of west coast hip hop growing up but as I got older and was able to search on my own I latched on mostly to the southern sound I was always hearing around me. Like music I remember hearing on the radio and at parties that reminded me of a certain time growing up in the part of Atlanta that I’m from.
DC: Tyler you said in a previous DC interview that you’ve wanted to make music in some form since hearing Lonnie Liston Smith’s Exotic Mysteries album at age 8. We could make comparisons of your soundscapes to other fusion producers, but in our quest to master your own sound, do you believe you could sonically surpass any of your musical inspirations?
TM: Surpass is a strong word. I just do my best to be the best at creating my genre of music. All those Jazz Fusion artists are legends in my eyes. My goal is to carve out my lane as well as they did theirs.
DC: Coodie do you produce music as well? And if you don’t mind, give us some insight into your writing process.
Not as well as is I’d like to. When I write though its just whatever. I just try to tell stories off of what I really do, women that I really encounter, and things that I really wanna obtain. I just try and sound as player and smooth as I can. Sometimes I’ll rap or sing or switch it up. Just always trying new things but never being too out of lane with it.
DC: The NRK camp releases new music regularly. What drove you two to make this project together and why did y’all choose to take it past the usual digital-only release?
CB: The fans and the love for the music that we make together. It’s never the same but about as close it gets to the old days when we first started as a collective. Just trying to keep it as fun as possible.
TM: As soon as I moved back to Georgia after living in Los Angeles for 7 months, Coodie and I just really got right back in our groove like before I left when we did the Smooth Douglas tape. Just studying music, producing and recording every day and being in that vibe on a regular basis and finding that chemistry is so necessary to making music that defines a unique sound.
DC: The first released version of TMLFA contained only 6 songs. The 5 additional tracks definitely gives the project a complete, cohesive sound. Was ‘upgrading’ it the plan from the onset or did one of you feel there could be more done with it after the initial release?
CB: It really wasn’t In the plan until Blackhouse (Records) reached out and showed interest in helping with the physical release.
TM: Well, by the time the Where Did We Park project and the Moon Lookin Fye Again EP came out, me and Coodie had really found our stride as far as working together. We knew the music was special and and felt good but they got kind of slept on in our opinion. So Coodie had the genius idea to fuse the 2 projects together and make The Moon Lookin Fye Again album .
DC: If you would, supply the fans with a visual by describing your ideal setting(s) to enjoy to this album in.
CB: Everything I make, I try to make for specifically for car rides and smoke sessions and sometimes a combination of both.
TM: Definitely made TMLFA to sound good riding around in your car. The understated thing about this album is that with the samples and the vibe of half of the record, you can enjoy it with your significant other. It’s smooth. It doesn’t get too “tough” yet it rides and is an easy listen. That was the goal.
DC: Listeners will hear that there are a few notable samples throughout the album. How were they chosen and who decided on the way they’d be flipped?
CB: We would smoke and be listening to music and an idea for a sample would spark. Or we would already have an idea in mind. We kinda like the exact same samples and vibes so its very easy to bring the track to life after we have the instrumental made and lyrics written.
TM: the samples or interpretations of the samples were picked by either Coodie or myself. Just songs we grew up loving or records we had talked about throughout the years. We have similar tastes in music so it’s really easy to bounce ideas off each other.
DC: Name your favorite track on the album, and the track you liked creating the most.
CB: My favorite track on there is probably “Free BG” or “Mobb In This”. I like how we attempted to cover all bases of the south other than just Atlanta. With “Free BG” being a New Orleans feel and “Mobb In This” being a MeMphis sounding track.
TM: Every song is a favorite but I’d have to say NBA Showtime. I remember I was DJing at a casual house party and I decided to start making a beat live and it was the beat for NBA Showtime. Coodie got to the party and hour later and “called” it. We recorded it the next day. I had done that a few times in LA with the other NRK Pyramids so it wasn’t a first for me but the first that made a project.
DC: Is there anyone either of you would like to thank for aiding in the process of getting this album out?
