Huey Briss
By Paul Jimenez on July 7, 2014
Entering the game with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove is Huey Briss, an extremely hungry rapper coming out of Long Beach, California. The man formerly known as LB has evolved from what he described as a gimmick that made music for others into a patient artist who makes music for himself. Just last month, Briss released his debut EP entitled Ash Lightly, a 5-track collection made up of powerful lyrics and outlandish beats. It isn't the biggest playlist, but it's enough to get to know Huey. From his old days in Grace Park to his heavy hatred towards vape pens. With a thrilling stage presence and talented musicians like Pyramid Vritra and Crystal Antlers surrounding him, expect this dude to consistently grow. At the end of the day, Huey Briss is a fearless emcee that could go a long way with the self-reliant mindset he possesses.
INTERVIEW
Who is Huey Briss? What is something people don't know about you?
"Huey Briss is a mix between finding himself and losing himself. I'm trying to ride that balance between not compromising my art and being who I am. I want to be that standard idea of being human, but so irregular. Something people don't know about me is I fucking read a lot and study journalism. I study how people view the rap game and certain artists for what they are."
What does Grace Park mean to you?
"Damn. Robbing ice cream trucks, stealing cell phones, my dad yelling from the balcony when I was out too late telling me to come home and shit. I seen a nigga get dead ass shot after a party. Grace Park means home, it means drama, but I find the most peace there."
Talk about the making of your recent EP, Ash Lightly.
"Man, I went through some bullshit. I can tell people one thing, don't depend on nobody. Get your shit done yourself. The stronger you are as an individual, the stronger your team will be. I went through a lot, recording in closets for first drafts of Ash Lightly, it was all nasty and rough. I didn't have shit. Then I started getting better beats and shit started picking up. I met this engineer named Jonny from Crystal Antlers, a band from Long Beach. He told me that I was giving them too much and to just get my top 5 songs and make it a strong EP, so that they'll listen to everything I'm saying. I was catching rides to saving quarters to master that shit. I went through a lot of bullshit to get it done. I don't even like it, I hate it. It's like having a child."
Are you working on anything else at the moment?
"Hell yea. I got an EP with Seafood Sam that's going to drop, we did one session. I played drums on every song, Seafood Sam played the keys, and the homie Jonny from Crystal Antlers played bass. I also got an EP with Hance that's going to drop."
How has your music changed since back when you were known as LB?
"LB was tie dye and hot fries, he was happy to be alive. LB was just learning the game. He was making shit he thought people wanted to hear. Huey Briss makes the shit he wants to hear, but it's like a contradiction cause I'm such a cool person. LB was really down to work with everybody. He was more of a gimmick, a bouncy rapper you what I'm saying? I'm glad I stopped after that, I would've been fucked."
What type of people do you like associating yourself with?
"Self-motivated people. I'll kick it with you if you just get up and do your shit. Not haters."
Would you consider performing a strong skill of yours?
"Hell yeah. That's all I got cause my voice isn't like super rappy, so I got to perform it. That's my strongest skill point, I can do that shit all day."
Do you have any other goals outside of music?
"Yeah, I wanna open up a skating rink and a company where people can get they shit mastered for not that expensive."
Is there anything else you would like to say?
"Fuck vape pens. Be a man and smoke a cigarette, rip the filter out and ash lightly. You can't ash with a vape pen."