Maestro IV, "I make music for the people, I'm a mouthpiece of their moments of glory and strife."

We caught up with Maestro IV and had a chat, circumstances beyond our control resulted in the interview being cut short. But we thought it fair to release it as is...

Zela Lawless: Maestro IV, welcome to, a Skynet exclusive, Shoot The Works With the Lawless edition of 2017 where we are gonna be discussing entertainment and its affect on society and society and its affect on entertainment.

Zela Lawless: The late great Nina Simone said that artists must reflect 'the times'. Do you think you ARE a reflection of the times?

Maestro IV: I like to think so, my people have given me the 'people's rapper' status something I wasn't aiming for and which I'm not comfortable claiming but that alone shows they hear and understand my story coz it's their story right now. So many artists old and young tell me they look up to me and are inspired by the music I make and as humbling as that is it also consoles me to the point that imt in the right direction in terms of doing the rightful job of a true artist and that's making a difference right now to change the future. I make music for the people, I'm a mouthpiece of their moments of glory and strife.

Zela Lawless: Go 'head and claim that title my nigga, I'm rooting for you. Moving on. We are homies but I gotta be a journalist. In light of the violence that erupted in South Africa. Do you sometimes think instead of creating a Valentine's record you should've created a record that addresses Africans, since it was Black History Month??

Maestro IV: I did that, you should read your papers bro.

Zela Lawless: I do read the papers. I'm talking of an album not a song...

Maestro IV: You don't need an album to get a message across, you just need art.

Maestro IV: It only always takes one song to change the course of history.

Zela Lawless: OK, IV,
Isizwe Esimnyama, please give us a brief run through of how you got down with the other musicians and how the song came to be.

Maestro IV: When M.J. did We Are The World, when Elton John did Candle In The Wind, when Benny E.King wrote Stand By Me e.t.c.
As an artist I felt the need to say something about the occurences, to speak for my people to my people and the "bigger" artists in my home who could have had greater effect had they addressed the issue were awkward so I created the beat, composed and wrote the chorus and sent word out, and on the set date of recording artists who were equally concerned were at my stu and we finished the project.

Zela Lawless: As an activist and a homie of yours, thank you for your selflessness, time and artistry. How have you guys been promoting the song?

Maestro IV: Social Media and radio.

Zela Lawless: Please elaborate, IV. Give a bit more detail about the promo and all.

Maestro IV: I didnt do a promo, I just released the track online and on radio.I am doing promos though for "Brown Sugar" a compilation of love songs I'll be releasing early April.

Zela Lawless: OK, I'd saved, Brown Sugar for the genre section of the interview but the Lawless is all about bending rules, let's get into it. Brown Sugar is a very smooth record, please let us know, which numbers in particular did you classify as not trap or rap? Also, Drake has been saying that he wishes some of his songs would be acknowledged as pop. Do you feel you don't want to be boxed in, do you want a possible R n B nomination for Brown Sugar?

Maestro IV: I don't make trap music, in all my records there is a great degree of musicality, melody and poetry interwoven,its soul music if I was to put it in a category. The music is CUT-ACROSS. I've been accused of singing too much in my music to be called a Hip Hop artist and I'm like who put me in that category in the 1st place.Im an artist, a musician, I do what I feel and what God blessed me with versitility but it's human nature to categorize things coz they feel more in control of you when they think they have you figured out.

Zela Lawless: OK, IV. It's only I've heard you use a lot of trap instrumentals in your songs.

Maestro IV: Yah, it's common understanding that trap is defined by the type of instrumental... but eversince Migos e.t.c the people are starting to understand my point that having an 808 on your track doesnt automaticaly qualify it as trap music.

Zela Lawless: Trap is not just the 808 bass drum and/or the hi hat rolls. I meant the instrumental as a whole, as I'd noticed the beat makers you work with, Phanas for example, who is popular because of his trap instrumentals, Realiance too.
But we can save the genre topic for another day unless you have any last words on that.

My next question is on the music matters project. What inspired that? And what is it all about?

Maestro IV: Trap is not about the "instrumental as a whole" nor the producer, it's about origin of the music, I really wish Zim reaches a point of understanding that. But anyway moving on.

Zela Lawless: Let's talk community. My next question is on the music matters project. What inspired that? And what is it all about?

Maestro IV: The music matters initiative came about when I realized, felt that a great lot of us as artists were heading in the wrong direction in terms of the message we are putting in our music, most new age Byo music carries a negative message, encourages immorality, rebellion, drug abuse and belittling the girl child and I felt the need to change this and encourage the opposite by subsidizing studio service charges for any one who felt they had music that could add value to our society. Culture is driven by music, it's a slow but sure process and if we are not careful we as artists might be subliminally planting rebellion in our kids,the next generation so we need to encourage and do positive music,music that comforts people,gives them hope & drives them to a better life & yes, trap music can do that if we use our own approach towards it as it is the new sound this generation is vibing to generally.