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Sharpness, speed and staying self-made: 5 records that inspired 0 hype’s Before You Enter

Hailing all the way from Canada, 0 hype is an 18-year-old rapper who reached our ears not last week. Combining a youngster’s swagger with the skill set of a pro, his debut release Before You Enter knocked us to the floor and back up again.

He was clearly a man who knows his hip hop, and we quickly became keen for a peek into his mind. From the artist himself, here are five records that influenced Before You Enter. Take it away, 0 hype.

0 hype before you enter

While Before You Enter is really a result of hundreds of albums worth of inspiration, these five are definitely the ones that come to mind.

Logic – Under Pressure

When I’m asked which rappers I’ve learned the most from, a lot of the greats come to mind. However, among contemporary work, Logic’s has to be one of the most educational projects I’ve listened to.

Everything from 6ix’s raw production to Logic’s rhythmic and story-driven lyricism embodies hip-hop at its finest. This album was basically the bar we set at the beginning of the year-long process which lead to Before You Enter.

Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

When it comes to electronic-inspired, industrial rap, Vince Staples reigns king. His most recent project Big Fish Theory was so well executed, we couldn’t help but be inspired. One of my producers, Sachin B., started mimicking the production style on a couple tracks. We really wanted to achieve that large, banging feel that Staples’ tracks convey.

This lead to a few songs on Before You Enter (Rave, Conflict!, etc.) being incredibly fast paced and bass heavy. It also seeped into my writing, as I found myself trying to write with the same speed and sharpness that Vince takes to every beat.

Taylor Bennett – Broad Shoulders

As Chance The Rapper’s younger brother, Taylor Bennett often gets left behind in his sibling’s shadow. However, he consistently puts out some of the most engaging and thought-provoking hip-hop of today.

Broad Shoulders, cover to cover, sets a mood and paints an atmosphere with a distinction that very few artists can achieve. Taylor uses vocal and sound effects to build an image – something that I tried to mimic in my own work. Throughout the process of making Before You Enter, I found myself listening to this project over and over again – the result being a lot of writing that is clearly inspired by his complex, steady, mechanically built flows.

Russ – There’s Really A Wolf

Despite a lot of the flack he gets for his cocky personality, I think any independent hip-hop artist has a lot to learn from Russ. His debut album (which just went platinum, actually) There’s Really A Wolf is completely self made. Self produced, recorded, mixed, mastered. Everything.

As someone who also does everything in-house, without any sort of ‘professional’ afterthought, this album serves as a constant reminder; it is possible. Throughout the time spent making Before You Enter, there were a lot of moments of doubt. During these periods, nothing was quite as motivational as putting on Russ, and yelling along “Fuck it, I’ll do it myself”.

His idgaf attitude also lead to some of the more aggressive tracks on our project – namely Green.

Isaiah Rashad – The Sun’s Tirade

Probably the least sonically similar album on this list to Before You Enter, Isaiah Rashad’s last LP played a huge role in my mindset approaching this project.

Rashad’s mindless, natural approach to his music captures a vibe so effortlessly its borderline ridiculous. Every song on his album instantly puts you inside a car, rolling through the suburbs with the windows down. That feeling; fleeting, escaping nostalgia that we don’t appreciate until its gone, is something I’ve always wanted to achieve with my music.

The Sun’s Tirade is what really got me to step back from my writing, and treat it more like a journal and less like an essay. That change in approach is the source of the more personal songs on Before You Enter (Ease My Mind, 4 U, etc.).

 

Listen to 0 hype’s EP Before You Enter below: