Dami: So y’all just released a collab project. Can you tell us more about it?
Sareem: Yes, it’s a project that’s been in the talks since 2019. Alex, Sean, and I put a ton of work into this project over the years to be able to release it as it is now. It is probably the third version of the project as we know it. We had to make sure it was released in the best possible state.
Alexander the Great: Me and my homie, Sareem just put out the tape and we been working on it for a little over 2 years now. It started off as just a song or two we made together, but we had a good chemistry going and we are from the same area so we just decided to run it. Really glad it’s finally out. It’s also completely produced by Sean McNamara, our other homie so it was the three of us on the whole tape together.
Dami: How were y’all able to pick the songs that made the final version?
Sareem: We probably went through 15-20 songs and re-recorded the whole tape on a whole new interface. After that, we cut it down to around 12, then we stagnated on the project because we didn’t have a solidified banger that we wanted to put out first. One night before going out last month, Sean came up and, in an hour, we made both the beat and recorded Roll Bounce and that changed the entire trajectory of the project. From there, we felt a new wind and finished the project that same weekend. To answer your question though, whatever slapped the hardest and was a legit reflection of us was put on the project. I have a few drill songs I recorded for the project that were left off because that just ain’t my energy lol. We experimented heavy tbh.
Alexander the Great: We actually had multiple versions of multiple songs on the album. So, the first thing we did was decide what songs we even liked enough to make it. It ended up with 8 songs together and 1 individual song. We sat as a group with Sean and listened to all versions of the 8 songs we chose and decided which versions were best and which songs we needed to fix. And then we each had a song in mind for the tape that we pitched and that’s how we came up with the songs we picked and the order.
Dami: How did y’all meet and what made y’all decide to do a collab project?
Sareem: We met through two of our mutual homies. Shoutout Seth and Sammy. We met pretty early in our respective careers. I had just come off my first album and was just looking to make as much shit as possible. He invited me over to record at his producer’s crib and we made a song called “Yessir” that you can still find on my SoundCloud. The chemistry was there and we recorded a few more times that year. His girl went to the same school I did so he’d come up to visit her and I introduced him to Sean during that 2020 summer when we were making “Ignorance is Bliss”, and we busted a couple songs out that weekend and decided we wanted to go all in on a collab tape. We visited Alex’s apartment a couple times, but life got in the way of the project for sure. But after Sean and I graduated, we made sure to finish the project at some point and well, here we are now.
Alexander the Great: So, we actually got put into contact through some mutual friends who don’t make music. Shoutout Sammy and Seth Kett. Sareem and I both lived in Carlsbad at the time and both knew these homies and when they heard I made music, they got us to link up. At first, we did our own thing and just said we would collab in the future. Pretty sure it was 4th of July and we decided to link up and he was with Sean and they were working up there so I slid with a bottle and we made two or three songs that day and we loved them. Sadly, I don’t think 2 made the tape because of how far we grew musically after that.
Dami: What were the vibes for this project? How would you describe the sound?
Sareem: Whatever Sam was on, we’d be on hahaha. There aren’t many people on the planet that work harder than that dude. He’s always working and even outside of the project, that’s how it usually goes working with him so it helps his artists get out of their comfort zone if they want to. This played into what we were doing since it’s more of a trap project than anything else. My projects range from old school to new west with a little trap mixed in, but this project was damn near all trap until my solo track. The production he put on is crazy and I feel like we matched that energy in our hooks and lyrics fasho. Bouncy with a mix of some shit you can kick it and get high to.
Alexander the Great: I would say the vibe for the project is confidence with a little something to prove. For the sound, I would say it’s some hype shit that bounces and is definitely wavy.
Dami: What do you want people to take away after listening to this project?
Sareem: That we can do it all while getting lit with it. You can make turn up songs and keep it lyrically inclined. Sometimes, it ain’t even about the lyrics. Not everything gotta be serious. I went into the project thinking I gotta have the hottest verse on every song and if anything, that hindered our process in making the project because I was tryna do too much. It’s important for Alex to have his shine as much as it is for Sean or me. It’s a lot more that goes into a track than just being the best rapper on it and when you let go of your ego, you end up with a cohesive ass collab album that slaps pretty hard. And to add on to that, San Diego got something to say!
Alexander the Great: I want them to enjoy the music most importantly. I want them to like it and, in the process, hopefully trigger some interest in Sareem’s career and mine moving forward because we both got a lot of heat coming out soon.
Dami: What are 3 words you’ll use to describe the project?
Sareem: Hard hitting, hopeful.
Alexander the Great: Hype, fire, and wavy.
Dami: Even though it’s early, do you think you and Alex are gonna drop another collab tape in the future?
Sareem: Yeah once it makes sense. We haven’t even performed a song off the tape yet hahaha. Alex has his album he’s gonna put out and I have a ton of shit I’m tryna put together currently. If we were to do another collab tape, I’d wanna include AG3 and a couple other homies on it too. Keem and Zay, Stella and some homies I’ve met in LA. Making a collab album takes a ton of effort from everyone involved. Like Black Hippy never even made a collab album. Bottom line- it’s gotta make sense in the moment and “A. Anonymous” made sense for both of us. If it makes sense again, then we’ll run it back.
Alexander the Great: Definitely early so we wanna see how this one turns out. Like I mentioned earlier, we got a lot of individual stuff coming out soon that I think is really gonna catch some people’s attention. Sareem and I will collab 100 percent in the future but if it’s for another tape, I think we both wanna see the demand from the people.
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ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 