My flight landed two hours late at LaGuardia Airport in New York, and it’s been a long night up to this point. The food on the plane ride was horrible, so I immediately make a b-line for “Five Guys” to grab a burger so I can prevent getting a migraine headache. Nothing compares to the combination of Coke Zero and a Five Guys double cheeseburger fresh off the grill. I hop into my chauffeured blacked-out Escalade ESV, and I ask the driver to play “Jay-Z’s” Blueprint album from my TIDAL Playlist. As the track “Rulers Back” blares throughout the surround-sound speakers, and now I’m in a New York “State of Mind.” My driver requests my destination, and I tell him 723 7th Ave, aka Quad Studios.
I’m running an hour late for my interview with Major Recording Artist/Producer “IAMJOSHSTONE” from Long Island, New York. Quad Studio is a legendary recording studio steeped in Hip-Hop folklore. Everyone from Whitney Houston to Bob Dylan has laid vocals inside this infamous studio. Not to mention, one of the most controversial moments in Hip-Hop history occurred in the lobby of Quad Studio’s when Rap Icon Tupac Shakur was shot and robbed erupting the deadly East-West Coast music blood war.
I enter the lobby and request the room Josh Stone is recording at currently. The receptionist informs me he’s on the 12th floor in room Q4. As I take this long elevator ride, I’m playing his track “Real Vibez Only” in my F-Buds powered by Figgers Wireless and there’s a specific verse that’s stuck in my head. He says, “he won’t Post Malone it or fake up a gimmick, cause I feel like if Pac and BIG were here, they wouldn’t represent it, I wouldn’t 69 it just for the critic’s tattoo my face and hair and end up in prison”. That verse gave me a small mental snapshot into the mindset of Josh Stone. I walk into room Q4, and I feel like I’m on set of California Love with Tupac and Dr. Dre!!
They’re voluptuous exotic women blowing on hookahs and smelling like the perfume section in Saks Fifth Avenue. They’re drinking Dusse and eating Wingstop chicken wings and zoning out to the track “Get Gone” by Josh Stone. My eyes land on Josh Stone, and he’s surrounded by a wall of tall, muscular black men dressed in customized made shirts, Timberland boots, and dark color hoodies inside the recording booth. I ask the music engineer, “why is everybody inside the booth with Josh?” He says very quietly, “every lyric that comes out of Josh’s mouth has to embody and symbolize the culture of New York Hip-Hop.”
I approach Josh inside the booth, and he’s sweating profusely on his face and arms. His entire team stares directly into my eyes as I ask Josh can we conduct the interview in Room 3 for privacy reasons. Josh agreed and alerted his security detail of the new location. I asked Josh why everyone is so concerned with all his lyrics? He leans over and removes his “Ray Banz” and says, “my rap legacy can only be told once.” Everything matters to Josh Stone, and there is no rewind button. He tells me the story of how Rap Icon/Legend “Chuck D” advised him to compose lyrics that reflect his poetic roots and skill set of producing tracks. Josh smiled proudly and said the insight from “Chuck D” changed his whole approach to rap music. He understood how to infuse music production into storytelling for a global audience. His assistant brings us a chilled Ace of Spades bottle of champagne and a well-organized fruit platter. Josh and I thank his assistant as she pours two glasses of Ace of Spades. Her beauty and goddess fragrance command my attention as she exits the room. As I come back to reality, Josh begins to explain his musical journey and “Real Vibez Only” imprint. Josh makes it very clear that he is the pure reflection of Hip-Hop with no exceptions.
Josh Stone is a brown-eyed White American Hip-Hop artist at the epicenter of rap culture. I lean forward and look Josh straight into his eyes and asks a simple question. How in the world can a white guy from Long Island write and produce for musical giants such as Jim Jones, Tony Yayo, Maino, and Nicki Minaj??? Josh gives me a wicked stare and responds strongly by saying, “writing and producing is a God-given ability. Either you have a higher connection with the music or not.”
I recline my chair and compliment Josh on his music success over the past 12 months. His “Real Vibez Only” imprint released 4 records via MUSICHYPEBEAST/EMPIRE and accumulated 1,000,000+ digital streams across Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and Deezer. Josh tells me each record reflects his versatile lifestyle and intricate dynamics of his childhood. His engineer dips his head into the room and asks Josh if he was ready to finish his latest track, “What They Talking About.” Josh asks me if I’d mine moving the interview back into room Q4.
I said I would love to and hear him kill this track. He grabbed the bottle of Ace of Spades and finished the bottle, and we switched rooms. Josh walks back inside and illuminates the entire room with his 1,000,000-watt smile and Rayban Wafer sunglasses. He enters the recording booth and gives me this animalistic stare of dominance. The music engineer ques the track, and everybody in the room directs their focus on the focal point of interest Josh Stone. The body language of Josh Stone evokes rage, unparalleled confidence, an assassin trained focus. The Fury of the White Tiger is unleashed and positioned for pure dominance in Hip-Hop.
Written by Jonathan P-Wright aka The Millennial General
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