Realio Sparkzwell recently dropped his new album, ‘Monoatomic Gold’, and with the help of John Armstrong we have a little question and answer session with Realio about the album and some insight into his history making music. ‘Monoatomic Gold’, is available digitally but we are also pushing the vinyl release over at Diggers Factory. I’m personally really feelin’ the project and have been recommending it to anyone that’s been asking me what’s dope right now. Check the interview and you can find Realio online at Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Q: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Can you tell us about your new album, ‘Monoatomic Gold’?
A: No problem, I appreciate you guys for what you do for the culture and I thank you. The new album is completely executive produced by myself and 100% independent. I have no features of emcees on this project. I feature DJ Tes and Tone Spliff on scratches. Kye sings on a song called Bulletproof Soul. Bulletproof Soul is a remake of Nas’, “One Love”, with a different beat and everything I spit on it is truth. It’s a letter to my homie Bourne Grimey who is doing 10 in the Feds. I also feature B-Sun producing on a track called, “From The Heart”, featuring Tone Spliff on cuts, Da Chop King produces 2 songs, and other than that I produce the rest of the album. I wanted to keep it all me for the most part to show and prove I can stand on my own. I did the same thing with ‘The Main Ingredient’ EP in which I produce the whole thing and feature no emcees. I did a successful vinyl campaign with, ‘The Main Ingredient’, project so I am doing another vinyl campaign for, ‘Monoatomic Gold’, with Diggers Factory out of France. Vinyl is important to the culture so I wanted this to be on vinyl. It’s limited edition and numbered 1-100. I appreciate everyone supporting. Go get that vinyl today!!! It’s only available for a limited time.
Q: Where are you originally from? And how did you get your start in hip-hop?
A: I’m originally from Utica NY which is upstate NY. When I was like 6 my cousin Mike got me into hip-hop listening to like Run DMC, Fat Boys, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Slick Rick, etc. We used to carry the boombox around the neighborhood in East Utica lol. We used to try to break and B boy and copy the moves etc. I started young at like age 9/10 making pause tapes and recorded rhyming into a boombox while playing the pause tapes from another boombox. I taught myself to DJ at like 13 and really wanted to produce too. So I taught myself the best I could. I always rhymed and freestyled for fun. I had a rough home life so I ended up homeless at 14/15 and my life took a bad turn. I ended up in a group home in Syracuse, NY and I hustled money for DJ equipment and continued to DJ, produce, and rhyme. I started making local mixtapes and always did a scratch intro and rhymed on the intros. But it wasn’t until 2008 that I really started to take rhyming serious. Long story short, I was in LA and was supposed to produce for this compilation album on Uprising Records. That never happened. But I had a meeting with Planet Asia at his crib in LA, I was trying to get him beats. I ended up rhyming for him and got some really good reactions from him. He asked me what I was doing with rhyming. I really didn’t know what to do with it to be honest and I told him that. However, 2 weeks later we were in the studio and we did my first real song. So my first official song was with Planet Asia and he gave me the motivation to take this serious. The song was originally called, “Understood Perfectly”, and was produced by Tone Spliff. It was released on Tone Spliff’s compilation called, ‘Authentic’. I re-released it last year on Chambermusik and retitled it as, “Spectacular”, on my best of album called Realio Sparkzwell, ‘One’.
Q: Who else have you collaborated with in the past?
A: Sean Price (R.I.P.), Big Noyd (Mobb Deep), El Da Sensei (Artifacts), Jean Grae, C Rayz Walz, Killarmy, Inspectah Deck, Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox), and I was featured on Cannibal Ox’s, ‘Blade Of Ronin’, album in 2015. I was still going by Irealz at the time.
Q: What other albums do you have out?
A: As Irealz I released, ‘The Code Of Omerta’, with Kyo Itachi producing the whole record. That was my debut album. It was released on Belmont Records in 2011. I also released, ‘Solar Flarez’, album in 2012 on Belmont Records. I released a few mixtapes after that. I toured with my bros Cannibal Ox from 2013 to 2017 on and off. Then I released, ‘Blue Lion Chamber’, album as Realz in 2017 on Chambermusik/Thrice Great Records. But in 2015 I released a video single as Realio Sparkzwell called, “Quartz Crystal Rap”, with a more stripped down sound. I had been recording a lot of material over the years refining my sound. I wanted to redefine myself as an artist. Irealz was a street nickname and I wanted an artist name. My homie Bourne Grimey used to call me Realio Sparkz, so I added the Sparkzwell. As Realio Sparkzwell I have released, ‘The Main Ingredient’, EP in 2018 on Vinyl and CD on my own label I9G7 Records. I also released, ‘Mahdi Musik’, full album on CD and digital on Chambermusik/Thrice Great Records in 2018. Kyo Itachi and myself also released, ‘Akira’, on CD and Vinyl last year with his label Shinigamie Records and Netherlands label Rap De Winkel. And now ,’Monoatomic Gold’.
Q: What do you have planned for the future?
A: Honestly, I have 4 solo albums recorded since last year. One with Kyo Itachi that was recorded last year entitled, ‘Porcelain Plates’, which will be released this year. I have a full album with producer Clypto called, ‘Bloody Luciano’, which will be released this year. I also have a full album produced by Falling Down called, ‘Splashworks’, which will be released this year. I’m kind of overwhelmed. It’s a lot. It’s hard to manage it all honestly. People have already bit some of my ideas and concepts, so it gets frustrating when you can’t release your art on time. I have a full album with Vast Aire called, ‘Cheef Rockaz’, and I’m part of a super group called Crimson Godz with Cannibal Ox, Kenyattah Black, Double A.B. and more. We have a Crimson Godz album we hope to see the light of day soon. I just hope all this artwork gets released and the people can enjoy it.
Q: Any final words?
A: Yeah, thanks to everyone who supports my artwork, you are appreciated. I’m just thankful to be alive. I survived a lot. Been shot at more than once, been cut, been beaten by police, etc. I lost a lot of friends to the streets and prison. Some of them like Biz Zilla (R.I.P.), Bourne Grimey (Free My G), and Goon Pop, this was all our dream together, so I do this for them and I do this for the love. I changed my whole life around and am striving to live a positive peaceful life and spread the light. Hopefully tell my story a little bit and help others relate. If you feel it, cool. Support the art, buy the music. Peace & Bless.
