In an Era where rap has taken over Its good to catch a fresh breathe of Hip Hop. Insert Hoodie Allen & his mixtape Pep Rally. Dude quit his 6 figure job @ Google to follow his heart & ride the beat. East Coast-born Hoodie Allen (a.k.a Steven Markowitz) is a unique rapper/songwriter with mixtape-type flair. Living life by his aphorism “make every word,†he recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and took a hiatus from his dream job at Google to make music. His recently released album Pep Rally is a blend of many hip-hop sounds, so different it has its own genre referred to as “hoodie-hop.†One of the most unique aspects of Hoodie Allen is his willingness to communicate with his fans. He will actually communicate personally with his fans via Facebook and has developed quite the following doing so.Â
Hoodie Allen cannot be denied. It’s not that he cleverly chops & samples notable indie songs on his tracks — Chiddy Bang & The Hood Internet have been doing that for years. It’s not any kind of novelty of being a white rapper (which he is). It’s not his ability to craft a catchy hook — pop music is full of catchy hooks where you bob your head for a second just before you begin shaking your head in shame.
Now, as with any good emcee, it’s the rhymes… His witty verse and rapid-fire delivery is playfully fitting of his age (21) yet intelligently beyond it. His wordplay is plain wicked. Whether he is name checking Bernie Madoff or Karl Malone, rhyming “play me†with “Sam Raimi†or devoting an entire track to his obsession of January Jones, no one packs more pop culture references into a single verse than Hoodie Allen.
The Lumberjack: Obviously what you do with Facebook is very unique, but is it really always you talking to fans?
Hoodie Allen: Always, 100 percent — I mean, the way music is nowadays isn’t a very personal level. I wanted that [unique personal level] so that I could empower my fans and get their ideas. I actually did a concert in Rochester that started with 20 excited Facebook fans!
LJ: And how do you stay so ego free?
HA: I like to say the three F’s keep me grounded: Friends, Family, & Fans. My crew also helps; they’re great. Right now it’s my producer, my tour manager and DJ RTF. That’s the trio right there!
LJ: Is this is your first time on the West Coast?
HA: This is my first time doing shows on the West Coast, and my very first time in Arizona at all, and my first time headlining — so stoked and so crazy.
LJ: Your sound is so unique; what would you want fans to call it?
HA: It’s hard to say — I like to think words can justify it. The root is pop-witty pop, mixed with hip-hop. I like to call it Hoodie-Hop. It’s definitely my own unique blend of sound.
LJ: And who have your biggest influences been?
HA: It’s so diverse. Outkast, for sure. I listen to a lot of The Dill, and I love Amy Winehouse. I am a lot of what I listen to.
LJ: You just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania last year; what was it like making music and going to school?
HA: I knew I was always going to be on a path to graduating. The timing of my new album was great (right after I graduated) and probably not a coincidence. I studied finance and marketing, and actually got my dream job at Google working in sales and advertising, but decided to take a leave to make music. The hardest part of making music and going to school was definitely knowing I wasn’t going to go out that night; I was going to study and make a demo until 3 a.m.
LJ: What’s next for you, Hoodie?
HA: Cop out answer — what’s coming next is always what’s best.
LJ – Italic
HA- Bold
