Happy June and Happy Weekend Muses! It’s actually crazy how quickly the year is moving by. When I say crazy, I also mean, absolutely bananas. I seemingly blinked and now we’re in summer and hurricane season, respectively and quickly. However, one of my favorite things about June is the fact that it is Black Music Month.
Now, if you’re like me, then you celebrate and uplift Black Music year-round. The culture that surrounds being Black and music in general is something deeply important to me. Music is how we love, it’s how we live, it’s how we celebrate, it’s how we move through the world! It’s a vital instrument to the fabric of our lives.
So when given the extraordinary opportunity and privilege to interview an artist that I’ve been watching and supporting for a while now, everything in me was overcome with both nerves and excitement.
I am honored to launch my new series on the blog called “22 Questions” (because y’all ain’t about to have 50 Cent coming for me plus I was born on the 22nd of December; it just felt right!)
My first guest on 22 Questions is none other than Alfred Banks. An artist charting his own path, bringing not only rhymes but a vibe and rhythm completely his own to the music space. Alfred just released his new album, “Yestermonth,” this month on the 12th, literally yesterday. I had the honor and privilege of being able to listen to the album early, and I can already tell you, this album is (and already has been) in my permanent rotation for the year. It’s got album-of-the-summer-type potential, and y’all know how I love a good little vibe for the summer.
Without further ado, let’s jump into 22 Questions and shoutout again to Alfred for hanging out with me for this one!
1. Introduce yourself like you would to a friend. You can include fun facts about yourself, where you’re from, anything that makes you, you, that you always include in helping people get to know the real you.
My name is Alfred Banks. Born & Raised in New Orleans, LA. I’m a Grammy-nominated sneakerhead & I’m allergic to shellfish.
2. When you think about music as a whole, what about it is your favorite part? What part especially moves you?
My favorite part is performing live. It’s always been the most impactful part for me. The realness of it and it being the main way I make fans …. just makes it extremely important to me.
3. If you had to choose one artist that you would say inspired your journey the most, who is it and what about their music, journey, or story inspired you the most?
That one artist would be rapper Charles Hamilton. He showed me you could be successful & still be weird as hell. You don’t have to turn your weird down to get to the places you want to be.
4. When you reflect on your life to this point, can you honestly say that where you are now is where you thought you’d be when you were say a teenager or younger?
I’m actually further along than younger me could’ve ever imagined. I’m currently living my dream….I just now want to go up a few notches.
5. What has been your favorite experience as an artist so far? How has it shaped your journey continuing forward?
My favorite experience was the European Volkswagen commercial. It was the first time I had ever been overseas, & it blew my mind. Such a cool moment for sure! Seeing all those cameras & being treated like a rock star for the first time at that point, it really changed my view of the music industry.
6. What is your favorite song you’ve put out, and what about the process of making that record makes it your favorite?
I have a song called “Sunday Drive”….I want that song played at my funeral. It’s an incredible song because of the melody. It’s soothing to hear & it puts me in a nostalgic mood every time I hear it.
7. Of all the places you’ve travelled so far, where has been your favorite place to visit, and what was your favorite thing you ate while you were there? (sorry, I’m a foodie and speak on it often!)
I think my favorite place was Hamburg, Germany. I ate like 9 Nutella-covered waffles, and I made myself sick but it was sooooooooo Good! Lmao!
8. As an artist and creative, what do you think is the hardest part of creating?
For me, the hardest part is creating while having to still do all the business stuff that goes along with it. It truly takes away from the creative process & it suuuuucks but it’s important so, it gets done before anything else.
9. In a world that seems to glorify instant gratification and pressure to chase trends, how do you stay true to your own sound and individual identity?
I stay true to myself because I need to sleep at night. I do that by only doing things that make me happy. Point blank period. I wanna make what I wanna make, when I wanna make it & that just how that’s gonna go!
10. Being from New Orleans, what is your favorite thing about being from The Big Easy? How do you show love to your roots through your music?
My favorite thing is how friendly it made me! I’m a really nice dude & I credit that to my hometown! I’m yelling New Orleans every time I rap or freestyle or perform. I love New Orleans!
11. Do you feel like you create art with a legacy in mind? If so, what do you want your legacy to say about you?
I do create with legacy in mind. I truly just want people to know how much I cared about everything I put out, every stage I hit, and every fan I met! I care so much & I’m extremely Grateful.
12. Your freestyle videos are some of my favorite things on the internet, if you could pick a top 3 (because there’s no way, I’d ask you to pick just one,) which ones would you choose?
1. My rap over “Devo – Whip it” – 2. My rap over the YouTube Survey Music – 3. My library video that went viral!
13. What album, when you heard it for the first time, changed your life and why?
Lupe Fiasco’s Food Liquor. That album made me wanna be a rapper for a living.
14. Thinking about life on the road, if there’s one place you’d absolutely be excited to play, what venue/city would it be?
I wanna play a show in Hawaii! I heard it’s gorgeous & they like rap out there soooooooo, I’m tryna see what’s good! Lol
15. What song in your discography is a must-listen for a new fan?
G-Wagon – I think is a good way to get introduced to my catalog!
16. If I asked you to describe your music taste in five artists/bands, who would they be?
A. Charles Hamilton, St Lucia, J Dilla, Letrainiump & Sean Price
17. Switching gears to your upcoming album: How does your upcoming project, Yestermonth, rank on your list of projects you’ve put out?
IT IS AT THE TOP BECAUSE OMG ITS AMAZING!
18. What do you want this era of your music to say about you and your journey?
I’m grown now. I’m more emotionally mature. I’m battered & bruised but I haven’t lost my enthusiasm quite yet.
19. When this album drops, what do you think your fans will be most surprised about?
How much I’m singing on it. Loooooots of melodies on this project!
20. What is your favorite song on the album and why?
Sunday Drive (Orlandas’ Redux) – It’s a better version of an already amazing song!
21. What was your creative process for this album like? What worked right away and what kinks had to be worked out?
It was started in 2021. So, it’s really the culmination of a lot of internal battles I’ve had over these last 5 years. There weren’t really any kinks creatively tbh.
22. When you were sequencing the album, how intentional were you about the order of the songs? Do they tell a story together?
I legit let the music tell me how to sequence it. The story I tell is gonna be told no matter where the songs went!
As someone who truly allows music to flow through their bones and feel it on a level that feels deeper than the average person, nothing excites me more than being able to sit down with someone and hear their processes that have birthed a piece of art.
Music is everything in life from a piece of auditory art, a voice that speaks when our personal words fail, an act of rebellion, a love letter to where we’re from, and/or a reflection of where we’ve been and where we’re going. There’s so much you can convey in a song, an EP, and an album.
For all those reasons and more, I am so thankful for the opportunity to play 22 Questions with Alfred and take a peak inside of the mind that has produced such a beautiful work of art for all of us to enjoy!
And Muses….Yestermonth, here! You can listen to it wherever you stream! You can also further support him by buying a copy of the digital album here.
Who do you want to see me play 22 Questions with next? Or do YOU want to play? Drop me a message and let’s play.
Until next time, have a beautiful weekend!
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