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By Greg Brand, Jr.
Entertainment Editor
With the emergence of commercial and overly materialist hip-hop as the dominant form of music in mainstream culture, it?s easy to forget there can still be streams of genuinely intelligent and creative music flowing just beneath the surface.
In a steadily changing musical landscape filled with much hyped appearances and disappearances of suddenly-famous Internet-based superstars, one rising wordsmith is making a concrete name for himself one vigorously verbose performance at a time.
Standing a little over six feet tall with deep brown skin and an easy-going expression, it hard to believe the guy with boy-next-door good looks could be more than meets the eye.
His style is low-key but carries a swagger that belies the humble guy delivering his often lyrically heavy verses and larger-than-life metaphorical messages.
Real T@lk, born Brandon Alexander Williams, 26, is a relative newcomer in the rap game but can boast a distinction that many others only dream of. In 2009 he was honored in Source Magazine in its Unsigned Hype feature for his debut Mixtape, The Mo? Better Mixtape.
A native of the western Chicago suburb of Peoria, Ill, and graduate of University of Illinois at Carbondale, Real T@lk has been working to make a name for himself while still remaining true to himself as an artist.
?In a word, I call myself a conscious rapper,? Real T@lk said. ??Edu-tainment? is the name of the game, because really, it?s about combining the two. You can educate without being entertaining but a lot entertainment that fails to educate ends up as (someone) just ?cooning?.?
Each comment is just as smart and focused as we talk in an old but immaculately decorated room in Fisk University?s historic Jubilee Hall. He is comfortable and warm when speaking and lacks the usual stand-offish antics of one that has achieved so much in such a short time.
As a journalism major and creative writing minor while in college, Real T@lk already had a way with words and his exposure to poetry and spoken verse allowed him a bigger way to explore it. Hip-hop ended up as a motivator for how far he could take it.
He began as a purist, seeking to only make hip-hop in its purest form.
?When I started all I wanted to make was solid lyrical recordss on ?boom-bap? production,? Real T@lk, said. ?While lyrics will always be important to me, I?ve learned to play with the production a little more and make music that is more approachable.
?I?m a little more energetic with my music and lyrics and I think about how I use them. It can be a beat you can dance to without being ?just? a club song. It?s all about how you choose to reach your listeners.?
While his style comes across as a mash-up of several well-known emcees, Real T@lk delivers a hefty dose of originality and wordplay that is almost non-existent among present-day New-Jacks.
The stark difference between him and a lot of his peers is that his incredible skill-set comes from a slightly different place. He has honed his lyrical skills on open-mic nights and in delivering his poetry. The nature of his origin gives him not only a flare for clever wordplay but also an insatiable knack for performance and presentation.
While other new guys learn the ropes of performing in front of a crowd after they have learned how to rhyme, Real T@lk began in front of an audience that could either boo or applaud his efforts immediately.
?When I started I didn?t really have a fan base,? Real T@lk said. ?I had to go in and earn my spot. There was no entourage, no need for one actually. I just needed to be real and let the audience hear what I had to say.?
He has done just as much work in the poetry realm as he has in hip-hop and is content with performance both on wax and live as his means of expression and income.
The messages he delivers tends to glide between meditations on society, relationships, love, hate and life in general but the sound is decidedly more articulate than most. The road has not been all success however,
Real T@lk credits his experience in the business as being both bumpy and smooth. It?s the combination of the two that has made him continue working.
His journey in hip-hop has been one filled with lots of learning opportunities to expand his knowledge. The beginning came once he took a look at artists he considers masters in the game.
He counts himself as a fan of Outkast, Busta Rhymes and Eminem. While each of the artists are different in fan-base and lyrical style, the fact that the lyrics are solid with them all connect each of them together.
Their influence is also apparent in his style.
He spent much of his formative years listening to the artists that served as his role-models and in some case would even step in as mentors to him further down the road.
?I got a chance to meet Andre (3000) and even got to rhyme for him,? Real T@lk said. ?I was even able to get in the booth and record some work for Big Boi.?
He speaks reverently of his meeting with two of his icons as he attempts to express how much their input has impacted him. He even says that some of the lessons he learned from Andre 3000 and Big Boi will manifest on his upcoming full album, The Talented 10th.
?Andre is actually one of the reasons and inspirations behind me even writing rhymes in first place,? Real T@lk said. ?While he doesn?t call himself one of the world?s greatest emcees, he has made some classic records. It was humbling to just spend time with them and see them work.?
He ended up coming to Nashville for a performance because of the connections he has made with his poetry. While in town, he is working to promote his most current mixtape, Fresh Produce.
Near the close of the interview a relaxed Real T@lk was summoned from the interview and led into the venue full of lovers of spoken word and music. As he stood to leave, he stop for one final remark about why he does this.
?When it comes to making music and doing something different things with my craft, I never ask why, I ask why not,? Real T@lk said. ?I like a challenge and at the end of the day I want to enjoy what I do. I cannot imagine doing anything else.?
Following a collection of novice and veteran performers, Real T@lk finally hits the stage and kills it. He rips thru 15-minute set that includes a collection of poetry and tracks from his mixtape, Fresh Produce and shows that he is really living the dream.
Source: http://stayonthego.com/nashville/featured/rel-talk-makes-a-splash-in-music-city
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