Interview with Sean C. Johnson

2018 was a wild year for Aklesso Agama. After releasing the Dead God EP in the year before, all he did was guest on a couple of features. His musical prowess, well-arranged performances, and humble attitude got him noticed by GAWVI. Fast-forward and the young rapper found himself on the “Panorama Tour” and album. He was also named a Rapzilla Freshmen. 2019 is continuing the trend, albeit, a bit more quietly…for now. 2019 “This year is just about growing and working with people I’ve wanted to meet and grow with,” he said. “More opportunities to write for people too.” Most […]

If you’re reading this, and don’t know, surprise! Wande signed to Reach Records! Not only is it a big deal for the artist and label, but she also becomes the first female signed to the imprint. Rapzilla recognized Wande’s talent when we named her a Freshmen in this year’s class and it’s encouraging to see others have recognized that too. “I think it means a lot because I can do things at a bigger level than trying to do it myself. The reputation that Reach has, it’s great to be on there with the other artists and the culture there,” […]

Last week, we introduced you to Joseph Prielozny. Here’s an A&R, VP, and producer for Word Records, IVAV, and works with Cobra Music. He’s helped Steven Malcolm and Ty Brasel get to where they’re at, and he’s influenced countless others. He’s also responsible for some of Reach Records’ biggest hits. His biggest is arguably “All I Need is You,” recorded by Lecrae for the Anomaly album. “I’m most proud of [it], Grammy consideration. Not my favorite, that would be ‘Fear’,” off the same album. At the Grammy’s Questlove told him he loved the “Fear” track. Another one of Joseph’s favorites is […]

Derek Minor is a lot like director Christopher Nolan making The Dark Knight Trilogy. Confused, let’s explain. In 2017, Nolan commented on the current status of superhero films in relation to his own Dark Knight Trilogy, claiming the latter was afforded “the luxury of time.” He said: “That’s a privilege that filmmakers aren’t afforded anymore…There’s too much pressure on release schedules to let people do that now but creatively it’s a huge advantage. We had the privilege and advantage to develop as people and as storytellers and then bring the family back together.” Reading Nolan’s comments in 2019, his words gain […]

Last week, Paul Russell shared about the creation process of his debut album Once in a Dry Season. If you listen closely throughout the project you hear snippets of his personal journey. For this week, he shared how he got signed to one of the biggest labels in Christian hip-hop and the trials along the way. Despite being signed to a hip-hop label, Russell admits that his relationship with the music genre was rocky at first. “I was always more of an alternative rock guy,” he laughed. “Nowadays I listen to mainly alternative R&B artists who happen to exclusively be British.” […]