Following the release of their album My American Girl, we caught an in-depth interview with hip hop collective Fargoneworld. We found out more about the music, their thoughts on creativity, influence, live performance, and their plans for 2019. Here’s the conversation in full.
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Hi guys – thanks for the interview, and congrats on the album. For those who don’t know – what is Fargoneworld and how would you describe your sound?
Thank you. We greatly appreciate that. We also appreciate this opportunity to have this interview with you.
Well, we are living in a fargoneworld. Our music in many ways reflects that. We are artists from different social and economic backgrounds coming together to offer music for fans of diverse styles of hip hop. We are promoting unity through diversity of all music genres and views of life. Hip Hop is the melting pot. Artists from Ohio, Mississippi, and Illinois contribute in creating and producing a feel and sound called Fargoneworld Music. No artist in Fargoneworld is the same. The key to the Fargoneworld sound is the love for music and hip hop that we share. It brings a unique feel to the rap game today which is greatly desired in a time when everyone is trying to imitate the next man instead of innovating or motivating artists to be uniquely themselves.
Who or what inspired you all to collaborate and make this sort of music?
Destiny… everything happens for a reason. We have been collaborating for some time now, so we’re always inspired to make music. We try not to be categorized in a specific type of hip-hop genre. Whatever we are feeling we put it together and make it the best that it can be.
What does the My American Girl album mean to you, and what do you hope people take away from it?
My American Girl is an album dedicated to all women for giving life and inspiring men to do more and be more than they can ever imagine. She can be good. She can be bad. Despite her flaws, she shapes or breaks a man to be what he is meant to be for better or worse.
My American Girl is another chapter in our story. We hope people take away from this body of work that diversity can create great art together. We just hope that people can just enjoy the music. Everybody has their own preference including us in what we create and do.
How does this project differ from your previous releases?
We have more diversity in this project and our skills and talents have grown over the years, which has made for better songs and music production.
How do you come up with the story-lines and concepts for your songs, and which comes first – music or lyrics?
From life experiences. The music usually comes first. The concepts and story are developed depending on the day and whatever mood we are in. Different situations in life bring different concepts.
We like to hear the sounds and then write the story or the concept based on the music that is presented. We also will brainstorm over the phone with certain ideas, feeding off of each other for choruses, hooks, etc…
A few of us write lyrics without the music and like to build the music around the lyrics.
What inspired the writing of I Love, and knowing how much heart has gone into it – how does it feel when you listen back?
I Love was created as a result of the importance of certain relatives passing. The individuals that are mentioned in the song were our backbone. Morals, respect, and life values are what they taught us daily while there were still living.
Do members of the collective ever disagree creatively, and if so – how do you overcome that?
Anytime you have more than one artist working on an album there will be some disagreements. Everybody has a unique style they bring to the table. At the end of the day, we all have room to add our own touch of creativity to the album.
We disagree at times, but it’s only to help each of us grow. Everyone can handle constructive criticism, so it’s never really a problem. If we do majority rules and we usually go that route. But we usually have a good ear overall for what sounds quality or not.
Is live performance an important part of what you do, and what can audiences expect from a live show?
Live performances are a big part of what we do. We like to have fun when we perform live. We try to engage the audience and give them more than a show. A great experience. Whether it is one of us or all of us on that stage representing Fargoneworld…We always deliver.
Who do you think are some of the most influential artists or bands of our generation?
We come from different generations so there are different influences. It depends on which one of us you ask. A few would be… Eminem, J. Cole, NF, Outkast, Prince, Michael Jackson, Tupac, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Future, Bob Marley, The Red-Hot Chilli Peppers, Scarface, Charlie Wilson, Johnny Taylor, Parliament Funkadelic to name a few. There are too many.
What are your hopes for the future with Fargoneworld?
To bring great music back that you can feel. Substance is everything to us. Hopefully more and more people in the world will hear, feel, and appreciate what we do and what we have to say because we love doing what we do. We want to continue to do albums and gain more and more support from the people in this fargoneworld we are living in and build momentum to carry us to other opportunities.
If you could perform at any venue or event in the world, which would it be, and why?
That is a good question. Lol. All of us would have different answers based on where we are all from. Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH, Madison Square Garden. Definitely Paid Dues Musical Festival. We respect what this festival represents and what they do with it.
What would you say is one of the best songs to have ever been written, and what is it about that song that makes it so effective?
No doubt many, many songs by Prince. His genius and creative mind at composing music and songs are untouchable. Adore, Hate U, Purple Rain, Call My Name… A major influence on us. His range. No limit to what style of music he created.
Stan by Eminem. The perspective coming from a fan.
Today Was A Good Day by Ice Cube. From the lyrics to the melody. Something as simple as just another day in Compton became one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time based off the writing skills.
What’s next for you?
We have a new album coming January 1, 2019 (New Year’s Day) called TIRED. We just released a single called Storming on the Inside a few months ago. But we are looking forward to giving the people who love and support us some new music for the new year on New Year’s Day.
Is there anything else we should know?
Always support local and independent artists.
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Find & follow Fargoneworld on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. Visit their Website for more information.
