Pursuit of Dopeness loves to shoutout overlooked artists & let them know that they matter! We recently ran into a really dope act out of Sacramento- Tavis Landry. We posted his motivational track “Slice.” We were instantly fans of the west coast rapper & looked forward to keeping up with him & his projects. Tavis dropped his video for the single “Slice” & also spoke with us about his life and his music. Check out the interview & video below!
What’s up Tavis.. how are you? Thanks for sitting down with @ Pursuit of Dopeness.. We’re really digging your music!
I’m great! & no problem thank you for checking it out!
Absolutely.. “Slice” so motivational to me… What motivated you to make that track?
Well it all birthed from a conversation with a close friend about where we want to take this & how to do it & what the goal was. We joked how we only want a “slice” aha, we didn’t want more than we needed but just wanted to be able to live comfortably off of our crafts .
I like that.. You got a smooth sound.. How did you get into music ?
Aha word & thanks ! Well I started this shit when I was 12 -13 so 2006/2007 & at first it was just a game we (Devon & I) would record on a chat room mic on this website called “DopeTracks” & make diss songs towards our homies, eventually we decided that we should make real songs and from that point on we just kept it going.
Lol that’s hella funny.. So you always had this music shit in you!
Aha I’d like to think so even before that id make up songs about girlfriends in elementary school & shit ahaha
You’re from the west coast.. What’s it like living/growing up there? Any influences it’s had on your music ?
Yea man it’s definitely an experience , the west is definitely a big influence in hip-hop culture.
From the slick way they speak in the bay, to the gang banging in La & So-Cal.. California is definitely influential all around the country at this point. As far as influences go, I would say just showing me that being authentic no matter what you’re talking about is important. That’s the only way people will feel & respect what you’re saying, you dont wana go around talking bout this & that & the other and when you get checked on it someone pulls your card aha so I always remained me.
That’s why I fuck with your music.. You have a story.. & you’re telling it.. It’s beautiful to hear your story & see you making something out of it.. What’s your goal with this music?
Word, it’s much appreciated. I can’t say exactly what my goal is today cause you know it always changes. I want people to want to go back and listen whether it be because of the words I spoke or the feeling it may have given them when they heard it , I want to make music with longevity in it.
That’s a dope goal.. I don’t think many artists set it to do that anymore.. What’s next for you?
Well I’ve wrapped up my project “Over The Hill” and now it’s time to shoot videos and you know gain some momentum around myself, the movement (MyNorities) and the project itself. We’re working hard to make sure everything goes how we want it to
That’s tight! You got an album coming out ! We’re excited to hear it! What can we expect from “Over The Hill?”
Hell yea! And man…. I feel like its soundtrack to my life from a young kid till now like not intentionally but I basically encapsulated, all the experiences and emotions I’ve experienced from the past 10 years . Some more obvious than others but for example there’s even a track when I talk ‘bout suicide not that I was ever close to it and not to take away from those who’ve taken their own lives, but at one point in my life I just remember being really down you know not understanding or being able to realize what was ahead of me.
But that’s an example aha it’s not all sad and shit
Nice! That’s raw.. It’s real.. I think artists don’t hear it much.. But I think you guys are so courageous when you put music out .. Just putting your life out there for people to hear & listen to ..
Very much so, especially when it’s a deeper joint , you think like “well I hope people hear what I’m tryna say”
But also its like “am I telling too much” but this how I express myself this is my therapy you know ?
What does “Over The Hill” mean?
Well the neighborhood I grew up in is dubbed “The Hill” I lived in the 6040 building. I named it “Over The Hill” because I’ve lived there from 8-19 so it had a great impact on who I am today , some bad, some good but I’ve always held onto it. I never wanted to go too far but once I left it was like I found the world outside you know, and I feel like a lot of people I grew up with are still stuck going back or are still there.
So it’s me getting over the hill and understanding that even it’s still there but I gotta go find my own identity
Secondly it’s just overcoming or at least trying to overcome all the hills in my life….
From my older brother struggling to stay on the correct path, my father being distant, my sons mother and our issues shit aha it’s a lot…
Wow! This album sounds like it’s gonna be really dope.. Thank you for telling us about it! When is gonna be out? ?
Man it should be ! We’ve put a lot into this ! No problem… right now- aiming for the first or second week of September.
Well.. we can’t wait to hear it! Thanks again for talking to us about your music!
Any special shoutouts?
Thank you for having me! And I’d like to shout out MyNorities !
Lefty, DOM P , Pede, Manik, Dj Steve, E4RL , 006 …my homie who shoots my videos ced & all the homies aha
Watch “Slice”
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