Armed with a uniquely recognizable tone, energy and flow, rapper and artist MVP Ruthless has released an impressive collection of original, unmistakable tracks over the past year – not least of all the hard-hitting Militant Shit.
We caught an interview with the Georgia-raised creative, to find out more about his process, the impact of his music, and his plans moving forward. Here’s how it went.
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MVP Ruthless Thanks for the interview! For those who don’t know, where are you from, and what inspired you to make music?
You’re welcome. Well, I was born in Indiana, and I grew up in Georgia, though I live in Virginia right now. I like to say I’m from Georgia, since that’s where I spent most of my childhood.
When it came to inspiration for music as a kid, I always loved music. As a child, I would always beg my parents to put on music when we were in the car, no matter where we were going or what was going on, and if they ended up turning it off, I would throw a fit. So I guess you could say it’s always been in my blood—at least the passion and connection to music.
When it comes to making music, I’ve always just seen myself performing.
“I would often dress up as a kid in a little rapper outfit and just pretend like everything around me was a stage. I’d be up on my bed, jumping up and down, hearing the fans scream my name. All that fun stuff.”
Let’s talk about Militant Shit: great production, an addictive flow, and passionate delivery on the mic. Who created the beat, and how did you master the varied flow and choose the right story for it?
When it comes to Militant Shit, it was produced by a producer out in Belgium. The process of making this song is like many of my favorite songs. While in my car, I came up with a good flow, established good cadences, and all those things, and I normally start to freestyle over the beat and whatever subject matter I start with and can continue to grow. I just made the song about that itself.
Passionate and gritty vocals are a huge part of what makes your music recognizable. How do you make sure to commit with such energy on the mic, and how important is that realism and presence for you?
Oh man, this is everything—the passionate and gritty vocals. I have ADHD, and I’ve always been extremely energetic, and being able to express those emotions over the microphone creates that realism, or that fiber connection, that you can feel through the music through my vocals. To commit to that amount of energy takes multiple takes, and sometimes I have to make sure that I’m feeling it when it comes to certain songs.
What’s the live scene like where you are, and how easy is it to get on stage and practice your craft?
It’s very competitive nowadays. Funny enough, I’ve only been on a stage once—a real stage, that is—and that was back when I was in high school, and in the music class I was in, we performed our album we dropped. I’ve been to a few open mics with a decent crowd as well, but when I get on that stage, I feel free. I feel like even though there’s a lot of eyes on me, they’re not on me at all. I feel like I can just let go and express who I truly am without feeling uncomfortable, unconfident, or anything like that.
What’s your biggest ambition right now?
My biggest ambition right now is leveling up, staying down and determined, focused, motivated, continuously getting better and better, and just staying on my craft and in my own lane and doing me. Creating, evolving, just getting better. Improving my sound in my lyricism, delivery, cadence, Flow, all of that. I’ll do it from the day before.
The visuals for Militant are pretty simple, yet striking. How important is this side of your creative image, and will there be more videos to follow?
This is very important to me. Inside my head, I have visual ideas on, like, some lyrical or lemonade levels. I feel like the creative image speaks more than the words themselves. There’s certain things you can’t get from the words that you can from images or visuals, and things of that nature go hand-in-hand.
What are your thoughts on mainstream music at the moment, and what would you like to bring to the scene?
Thoughts on mainstream music right now are a little under the weather. As I’ve been creating and evolving, I’ve found myself swinging away from the mainstream aspect when it comes to music. The beats and the lyrics all have a mainstream vibe to them, but that’s just what I’m dropping at the moment. The newer stuff I have is not as mainstream or seems to be played by the masses.
Who would be your dream collaborator?
I have a few that come to mind. When it comes to artists, I’ve always been a fan of lyricism and delivery, so I have to say J. Cole’s delivery and his cadence are all just unstoppable and phenomenal, completely mesmerizing. Now, when it comes to videographers, Cole Bennett is on the top of my list for sure.
What’s something about you that would surprise your audience?
Something that would surprise my audience is, hmm, honestly, I don’t know. I feel like I put myself out there fully purposefully, but yet accidentally, and with the way some of the things I share.
What’s the best thing fans can do to support you right now?
The best thing fans can do to support right now is just tap into the music, hold on, and buckle in. Just listen to the music, man. Be authentic with it. Let me know what some of your favorite tracks are, and all those things tap in with me.
Is there anything else we should know?
Yes, the evil twin empire is laughing all the way to the bank. hahahahaha.
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Find MVP Ruthless on Instagram & YouTube.
