Starting today (June 10) and running through June 17, you can, no, you MUST go to www.searchforthecoldest.com and vote for Jackson’s PyInfamous to be named Coors Light’s Coldest MC. Py won the South region with his song “Bliss (Cooler Than This)” featuring Kerry Thomas. Out of hundreds of submissions, voters elected “Bliss” into the top 40, where celebrity judges Pac Div, DJ Khaled, and Bryan Michael Cox hand-picked the final four region winners. On May 25th, Py got the chance to perform “Bliss” in Atlanta as an opener for N.E.R.D. and Pac Div; the performance was taped and you can see it, along with the other regional winners, at www.searchforthecoldest.com.
For the next seven days, the fates of the regional winners is are in the hands of the people, as the overall winner will be elected purely by popular vote. What’s at stake? Other than getting to hold the crown of the Coldest MC for the entire next year, the winner gets to perform at the Essence Festival in New Orleans on July 2.
Now, it is no secret that this blog stands firmly behind our brother PyInfamous. As a loyal reader of this blog, we highly suggest that you go to the site, check out the other finalists, and vote for Py. If you need more convincing, here is a free download of the song that got him to the finals:
“Bliss (Cooler Than This)” featuring Kerry Thomas
If THAT isn’t enough, check out this exclusive interview we got with the South’s Coldest MC. I had to wear a sweater.
What motivated you to enter “Bliss” into the contest?
The hook for “Bliss”(I insist. This is bliss, so tell me of something cooler than this.//This is us, and I trust the cool that we pursue is a must.) seemed to go well with the theme of the contest, and it felt like the most palatable for a large group of fans with Kerry Thomas singing on the hook and the beat being a more melodic sample. Even with all of those things, I had no expectations of winning the contest. It was done more as an afterthought as anything else, but it seems that people really dig the record.
What do you like about working with Kerry? In what ways do you help each other and play off each other musically?
Kerry and I have done a few songs together. He has hooks on two of my songs, and I have verses on two of this songs. Kerry works a lot like me in that he allows the instrumentation of the music dictate what it is he does to the song. A lot of artists already know what they want to say because it’s what’s popular or what they think people want to hear, but neither of us works like that.
I think that we vibe off of each other’s energy when we work on a song. I had already recorded “Bliss” and I played it for Kerry. He started singing over part of the hook, and I knew I had to get him on it. He took the song to another level, which is a big way that we help each other. It’s the idea of synergy – the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Why do you want to win? What will it mean to you at this point in your musical career?
When I entered the contest, I didn’t even know what the prizes were. After being able to open for PacDiv and N.E.R.D. in Atlanta, I’d love to be able to rock with them without being constrained by the need for parity in the contest (I couldn’t have a DJ or additional performers in Atlanta). The day the rep from OurStage.com called and informed me that I won, I immediately thought this would be a more significant win for the State of Mississippi and the City of Jackson (and Crystal Springs!) than for me. I really want people to realize that there are great musicians here who happen to make hip-hop music.
I do a whole lot of other things, but music is what I’m most passionate about. I’ve been thinking what the next few years would hold, and winning the South region has reinvigorated me to a degree. After performing in Atlanta, I saw that a diverse group of people could rock with the music. Most of the shows we do are for “hip-hop heads,” but there were folks who wouldn’t identify with that title rocking with me. That showed me a lot.
What does all of this mean for Jackson and Mississippi in a larger sense? Do you think that if “Bliss” wins, when compared to more traditional mainstream songs, it could begin a change in popular tastes?
People throughout the nation can see what we are intellectually, musically, and spiritually rich in Mississippi. All too often, we receive titles that reflect our lack of resources or lag in development. However, we have always produced some of the greatest academic, creative and musical minds. Unfortunately, those people don’t get recognized until they leave Mississippi. The fact that someone from Mississippi who still lives in Mississippi can get recognized on a national level for a song that doesn’t necessarily fit the framework of what’s popular on the radio right now is pretty significant in my eyes.
I don’t know if one song can shift popular taste. That change would have to also come from the top, and unfortunately music executives are more concerned with profit that quality music. I do think that a win will do two things.
First, it will show aspiring artists, particularly young artists, that they can make the music that they want to make and be successful. Too many artists simply try to reproduce what they hear in an attempt to make something popular, but that has never been the way great art is made. Artists have always been a separate part of society that contributes to the larger body. Now, the larger body dictates what artists make, which is essentially backward.
Second, it will show fans that there are talented underground/independent artists making quality music. Hopefully, that will spur fans to seek out artists more and more. It seems that many hip-hop fans have lost the desire to search for good music because there is so much mediocrity out there. If they see “Bliss” pull out a win, it will mean a lot for artists like Skipp Coon, Coke Bumaye, Lexx Black, Secret Jones, Moses Rockwell, Hassaan Mackey, Super Smash Brothers, 5th Child, 7even:thirty, and others.
Tell people why they should vote for you.
A vote for PyInfamous is a vote for the South. It’s a vote for Mississippi. It’s a vote for Jackson. It’s a vote for good hip-hop music. If you feel positively about any of those, you should vote for “Bliss” in the Coors Light Search for the Coldest Competition.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR PYINFAMOUS!!!!!!
Check back often, because we will be hitting the blog heavy for the next week with all kinds of downloads, videos, and other special treats to celebrate PyInfamous as the South's COldest MC. And don't forget, VOTE!!!!
(Do What Diddy Say)
