Westleaf Staff
What's up Leafers? Welcome to the latest edition of On the Rise where we interview upcoming hip hop talent. Today's guest is artist, Legendary. Legendary hails from Marietta, GA, right outside of Atlanta. Legendary's sound is barsy yet mellodic. We can. definitely see him performing on stages such as Rolling Loud or Coachella. The rising MC is buzzing in his home town so we had to tap in with him. Check out the interview below.
Westleaf Staff: What's up, Legendary? Your sound is dope! When did you start making music?
Legendary: I wrote my first rap in 2004 at eleven years old. I would go into my
classmates’ ‘homeroom’ in the morning before first period and have
somebody drum on the desk while I rapped the rhymes I wrote the night
before off of loose leaf paper. That led to me linking up with other
classmates who were into music and I made my first song at 12 years old
called “Ride Superclean.” The song was hard but I couldn’t drive so it was
all cap haha. That’s when I knew though; I would do this forever.
Westleaf Staff: That's dope! What city do you represent?
Legendary: Marietta, Ga.
Westleaf Staff: Shout out to Marietta! So how did you create your stage name?
Legendary: My stage name is my initials. I always respected artists who go by
their birth names. My name is who I am; Legendary Curtis Stewart-Turner
Westleaf Staff: Dope! So who is your biggest Musical influence?
Legendary: Hands down, Lil Wayne is my biggest influence. That was the Rapper who I chose to model my style off of. He was the first artist whose flow I could decode. I felt like he had the perfect formula for putting bars together off the top of the dome. Random similes strung together in a nice pocket of flow. It was mind blowing to my teenage mind. After that I’d say Jay-Z. My Grandparents moved to Brooklyn from Barbados so my Mom, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins all grew up in Crown Heights. Every road trip my Mom would play Biggie, Jay Z, and Jaheim for hours haha. Out of that rotation, HOV was the one that kept me awake. Lastly, I gotta say that Drake is the most relatable artist I’ve ever listened to. His perfect balance of bars and melodies has definitely worked its way into my style of music.
Westleaf Staff: Dope! I feel that. What's been the defining moment in your music career thus far?
Legendary: So far the defining moments have been the ones that I create for
myself. I think making the decision to pursue music as a career after I
graduated college was the defining moment. Because once you graduate
college you realize your life is only going to be what you make it. The
hardest thing to do in America is make a living as an Independent Rap
artist. I’m convinced lol. But that challenge is enticing af, I’m here for it.
Westleaf Staff: That's dope! So what makes you a unique artist?
Legendary: The thing that makes me unique is so scary to me. “I’m the only
rapper who don’t cap and don’t floss,” that’s the first line of my latest
single. Coming out of Atlanta and not faking it to make it is so real and rare.
I rap about fitness, finance, and personal development. I call my sound
“FinTrap” short for “Financial Trap” music. Cause I got the swagger of an
Atlanta artist, with the bars of a lyrical/conscious rapper, but my content is
unique to my own life. I don’t think there’s been a Rapper who really raps
about entrepreneurship and investing the way that I do. At the same time,
I’m excited and I hope that I open up a lane where more artists start trading,
investing in stocks, taking care of their bodies/working out, eating
healthier, etc. We can be so influential as artists and for too long I’ve seen
major corporations leverage that influence to promote their own agendas
that don’t necessarily benefit the Hip-Hop community.
Westleaf Staff: Dope! So what does art mean to you?
Legendary: Art is creative interpretation and re-expression of reality through
the lens of the creator. Artists tell it like it is then we tell it how it could be,
word to Andre Benjamin.
Westleaf Staff: That's deep! Where do you see your music career going over the next few years?
Legendary: Over the next few years, I see myself being a Global brand; picking
up the torch where Nipsey Hussle left off.
Westleaf Staff: I wish you much success! Before we go, describe music in three words.
Legendary: Music is: The Universal Language.
Follow Legendary: https://www.instagram.com/legendarycst.eth/
