Artist-to-Artist Series: Coke Bumaye and Rashad Street

Coke Bumaye and Rashad Street are two of Jackson’s heavy hitters in the hip hop scene. Both artists exude a realness, coupled with approachability both personally and artistically, that makes their popularity to continue to rise; both men are movement leaders. For this edition of the Artist-to Artist series, Coke and Rashad interview each other about the trials of being independent artists, building and unifying the Jackson hip hop community, new projects, and collecting cars, sneakers, and tattoos.

Check out Coke Bumaye and Rashad Street at Suite 106 this Saturday, Feb. 12, for the Love/Hate edition of Back To Basics. They join an immense roster of local rappers, DJs, poets, and soul singers to explore, with their music, the theme of love and hate. See the flyer on this page for full line-up. Spread the Word.

First, Coke has questions for Rashad:

Coke Bumaye: Who is Rashad Street?

Rashad Street: I'm the guy you've heard about, but you can't quite think of why you should remember my name. The blue-collar cat. A real MF!!

Coke Bumaye: What separates you from other artists?

Rashad Street: I consider myself a student of the game. What separates me from others is I don't try to do this, I just do it!!! Either you have it or you don't. That's what separates "rappers" from "artists".

Coke Bumaye: What motivates your music?

Rashad Street: Real life situations. Everyday there's a story to be told. We as artists just connect the dots for the people that don't have that voice. We speak for them. Really though, my bank account motivates my music!!!

Coke Bumaye: What are some of the pros and cons of being a independent artist in Jackson, Ms?

Rashad Street: Good question!! The cons, to me, is that there's not many outlets to plug your music. Hip-hop really gets the backseat here. As far as the pros, we learn to be more self-sufficient. Like I said, we don't have a lot, so we have to be that much more ahead of the game.

Coke Bumaye: Who do you represent?

Rashad Street: I represent for the underdogs. The blue-collar, 9 to 5, go hard everyday type. The people that never really had or never knew that they have the gift to make change. Believe it or not, one person's actions can affect the world. So before the curtains close on me, I'm going to try to put my stamp on the world! If it's through this music…all I can say is get ready!!!!

And now, they Flip the Script:

Rashad Street: Where do you see the state of hip-hop going for the city of Jackson in the next year or so?

Coke Bumaye: I think the state of hip hop in Jackson is headed in the right direction.I think with more unity between artist and DJs along with the support of the GOOD music we will keep moving forward.

Rashad Street: I hear you have a project in the works. What's the concept behind this project?

Coke Bumaye: The concept of my album is in the title: Old Skools, Shoes, and Tattoos. The old skool aspect represents us building something from the ground up and turning it into what you want it to be as you would an old skool car. The Shoes represent the flyness or flavor that I bring to the game. The Tattoos are what I represent and stand for. I am a collector of all three.

Rashad Street: I've watched how you've conduct yourself as an artist. How do you feel you'll impact the rap game as a whole?

Coke Bumaye: I feel like there are so many aspects to me as an artist therefore I can give you the same point of view differently. I don't have any boundaries in my music so what or how I am feeling is what I give in my music.

Rashad Street: Finish this sentence. When it's all said & done, Coke Bumaye will be remembered for __________.

Coke Bumaye: When it is all said and done, Coke Bumaye will be remembered for speaking his mind.

Rashad Street: What project(s) or future collabos you have in the works?

Coke Bumaye: Old Skools, Shoes, and Tattoos; Highway to Mars, which includes my producer Crack; Translation 2 collectors edition; and Famous Factory with DJ Bang Bang.

Like what you just read? Click here to listen to “Move,” from Rashad Street featuring Coke Bumaye. If you haven’t heard it, you are missing out.