Who Is: Mad Squablz
Meet MAD Squablz, the 20-year-old Philadelphia based hip hop artist who's music is reviving the original boom bap style.
There are countless hot new artists coming out of Philadelphia. One MC who is a stand-out promising artist is MAD Squablz. 20-year-old MAD Squablz has been on the rap scene since 2012. He discovered his passion for hip hop at age fifteen. Over the past two years this dope emcee has gained much recognition.
MAD Squablz was nominated best album/mixtape of the year and as lyricist of the year for the 2016 Philly Hip Hop Awards. His most recent project, Art of Boom Bap- Generation Next, was top seven on Team Backpack’s top albums of 2016 in the same week that it dropped. He, along with two others out of 250 won Team Backpacks mission underground champions contest of 2016.
Mad Squablz Hottest In The City Cypher Hosted By Murda Mook
Mad Squablz- Find My Way (Official Video)
What is great about his music is that it also gives you a taste of R&B and Jazz. There is no doubt that MAD Squablz will be rising to the top soon. Already many have been saying that he is reviving hip hop, that he is a hip-hop savior, and will become one of the greatest. By remixing and spitting fire on all-time favorites like Kendrick Lamar’s Alright, J. Cole’s A Tale of Two Cities, Logic’s Run It and more it can surely be said that MAD Squablz will be one of the greatest and has the potential to conquer the hip-hop world.
MAD Squablz announced that he is cooking up a new project and will be dropping a new video each month until its release. Art of Boom Bap – Generation Next was nothing short of amazing. We can’t wait until this next project is released. We’re looking forward for more greatness to come. So far Heart & Soul and Who I Am has been released and those are great songs as well as great visuals.
Mad Squablz- Who I Am Ft. Kitty Hawkins (Official Video)
Mad Squablz- Heart & Soul (Official Video)
In this Q&A MAD Squablz tells us more about who he is as an artist, who some of his influences are, what the creation process was like for Art of Boom Bap, and his thoughts on the current state of hip-hop. Read below to get to more in depth information on these topics.
ANGELICA: As an artist what do you believe you should use your voice for?
MAD Squablz: As an artist in this day and age I feel my voice needs to be used to educate the youth and to reassure people that there is still hope in the next generation of hip hop. Also to unify and spread love instead of hate.
ANGELICA: Which song of yours epitomizes who you are and what you stand for?
MAD Squablz: To be honest it is very difficult for me to pick just one song that defines every part if me. I would say my entire latest project defines me 100%. Also this next project i'm working on will go into even more depth about my thoughts and my feelings as Mad Squablz.
ANGELICA: How long have you been on the rap scene and when did you know you wanted to delve into topics like freedom and oppression in your music?
MAD Squablz: I started rapping at about 15 years old. I always felt that oppression and freedom were something that us as minorities always struggled with. But it wasn't until I really found my sound and perfected my flow and felt comfortable with who I was that I started to talk about the stuff that I felt. Which was around maybe 17 years old.
ANGELICA: Who would you thank and shout out that have helped get you where you are today?
MAD Squablz: I always thank my father, mother, and God.
ANGELICA: Many people are saying that you exemplify what hip hop is and that you are beyond your years to only be 19. Who or what are a few of Mad Squablz musical influences?
MAD Squablz: All my influences are Mos Def, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Kanye West, Nas, Tupac, KRS-1, and all the people who gave me free studio time when I didn't have any money and shit free videos and just everyone who believed in my gift enough to lend a hand without wanting anything in return.
ANGELICA: Hands down you’re a phenomenal MC, your flow is so dope and all of your songs are fire, haha. Your EP, The Art of Boom Bap: Generation Next which was released in December is composed of really great songs and dope features. What I love about the EP is that it contains so many good vibes and feels. There is hip hop in it, old school R&B feels, and also a mix of jazz. Can you tell us what that creative process was like?
MAD Squablz: Thank you haha, During the creation of the project I really wanted to capture the essence of what Hip Hop was and where Hip Hop is going. Bring back the boom bap and amplify the melodies and good vibes. What helped me with that was listening to a lot of old R&B ballads and a lot of jazz music which led me to then use samples that resemble most of the songs I love.
ANGELICA: Who do you aspire to collaborate with in the future?
MAD Squablz: I aspire to collaborate with Nas, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Logic, Locksmith, Travis Scott, Chance The Rapper, Joey Badass, Black Thought, Crooked I, Eminem, Kanye West, Royce Da 5'9, and Bas.
ANGELICA: You definitely have an opinion about hip hop today, in many of your songs you mention reviving hip hop. Can you expand on how you feel about the current state of hip hop and share your thoughts on the trend of “mumble rap”?
MAD Squablz: I've grown to realize that the state of Hip Hop is in fact very well. I say this because the artists that the media are pushing and promoting the most are not "Hip Hop". Instead i classify them as "entertainers" or "rappers" because Hip Hop is something totally different. The artists that are doing Hip Hop know who they are and they are keeping the culture alive. The only difference is, the media isn't pushing the true "Hip Hop" as much as they are pushing the so called "mumble rap" to the forefront. And the confusion sets in when the media wrongly classifies the "mumble rap" as "Hip Hop".
ANGELICA: You have two songs out called The Rise and Still Rising which really touch base on how you are progressing and moving upward as an individual and as an artist. I have to ask, what’s next for MAD Squablz?
MAD Squablz: I have a new project coming out this year. I will be releasing a video every month up until the release of the project. I will be doing concerts and hopefully touring by the end of the year. That's pretty much what I'm up to right now haha.
We have to say congrats on all the success thus far, many of us are looking forward to seeing MAD Squablz rise higher. He's definitely a promising artist. With support from people like Vinnie Paz and RA the Rugged Man already he is sure to be embraced by many more and pick up much more recognition in 2017.
BTW is there a collab between Squablz and Denzil Porter in the works? We’d hope so but for now we’ll have to wait and see!
Want to keep up with MAD Squablz? Visit www.squablz.com or follow him on social media! Twitter: mad_squablz FaceBook: Mad Squablz Instagram: madsquablz