DJ Beowvlf interviews Boulevards live from Hopscotch Music Festival!
Off the Record features interviews with local and national musicians as aired on WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2.
00:03
Intro
[Music]
00:22
DJ Beowvlf
All right. Hello, Wristband City. This is DJ Beowvlf, DJing directly from Hopscotch. I have beside me Boulevards.
00:31
Boulevards
What's up? What's up? Jamil Rashad, AKA Boulevards in the building, Raleigh north cac what's up? How y' all feeling?
00:37
DJ Beowvlf
Hey. Hey. I bet everyone's feeling fantastic. We've been playing a lot of your stuff on air in preparation for this interview. Very excited to get into the nitty gritty. Heck, yeah. All right, so we're gonna cover this. We kind of talked about it a little bit ago. How'd you get the name Boulevards?
00:52
Boulevards
Well, Boulevards was going to be actually a side project. You know, when I was coming up with it was going to be just Jamil Rashad, and then I had some friends, lady friends that were British and Australian and French, and I just loved the way a woman said Boulevards. So that's beautiful. So for me, I kind of was like, yo, if I, you know, I'm traveling. It was kind of romantic, very seductive with the way a woman said it.
01:16
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, exactly.
01:18
Boulevards
So, you know, I thought it was good. And then another thing, you know, alphabetical order, so B. So, like, when people are scrolling down their iTunes or their Spotify.
01:27
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, it's right up there.
01:29
Boulevards
It stopped, you know, so that's what we wanted to do. So, yeah, that's how I wanted to do it.
01:33
DJ Beowvlf
So you said that Boulevards is a side project, but you're a Raleigh local. How'd you get your foot in the music business?
01:39
Boulevards
How did I get to what now?
01:40
DJ Beowvlf
Your foot?
01:40
Boulevards
Oh, yeah. So for me, I was always, you know, writing music. You know, it. It didn't come. It just didn't come overnight. It took a lot of hard work. I was in a lot of punk bands and hardcore bands back in the day.
01:53
DJ Beowvlf
That's pretty cool.
01:54
Boulevards
I started doing, like, some, you know, producing back in the day in college. But, you know, when I came back from New York, which, you know, to Raleigh, slowly started playing shows, and I released the video, forgot to go and capture tracks, reached out, and, you know, that was it pretty much. You know, that was kind of, like the start of, like, me playing shows and touring and releasing records and releasing songs and people kind of knowing who Boulevards is, and we, you know, still a lot of work to do. But, like, that was pretty much the.
02:20
DJ Beowvlf
But you really got your name out there. I saw that you recently played in Montreal, right?
02:24
Boulevards
Yeah, yeah. Montreal was. That was so dope. That was very humbling, man, because.
02:28
DJ Beowvlf
You know, I'm originally from Montreal. Well, I was, but I. I was just in Montreal for a family reunion. So when I was doing my background research on who you are, I was like, okay, he's one of us now.
02:39
Boulevards
Montreal was cool. They showed us a lot of love. It was very unexpected. I wasn't expected to play two sets back to back in one night in front of 30,000 people. It was just crazy. Like, they. It was just really humbling. And to have my guys from Raleigh there, you know, shout out to Darian, shout out to Nikki Batts, shout out to Nash. We were out there, and it was lovely, man. We felt like we belonged there. And it felt good to, like, be somebody from Raleigh, to go there, to be playing in Montreal and showing like, yo, people from North Carolina can bring it.
03:07
DJ Beowvlf
They absolutely can. North Carolina has an incredible music scene.
03:11
Boulevards
So. Yeah, so it was. It was very. It was very humbling. You know, it was. It felt good. So.
03:16
DJ Beowvlf
Very humbling. Was it for a festival or were you just playing a show?
03:18
Boulevards
It was Montreal Jazz Fest. Like, the biggest jazz fest.
03:21
DJ Beowvlf
Okay.
03:21
Boulevards
Like, boss gags. You had Herbie Hancock.
03:24
DJ Beowvlf
Incredible.
03:25
Boulevards
Yeah, it was a lot of Seal.
03:28
DJ Beowvlf
Okay. That's a name I haven't heard in a while.
03:33
Boulevards
Yeah, so we. That was, though. That was cool.
03:35
DJ Beowvlf
But speaking of jazz, I read online that your father was a jazz R and B DJ. Is that true?
03:40
Boulevards
Yeah. Yeah, he is.
03:40
DJ Beowvlf
Is he still one?
03:41
Boulevards
No, he retired two years ago.
03:42
DJ Beowvlf
He's chilling, so not too bad.
03:44
Boulevards
Living life at the. At the crib, traveling, you know, watching football.
03:48
DJ Beowvlf
You know, who's his team?
03:49
Boulevards
Philadelphia Eagles. Super bowl champs. Pulled it out last night. Yeah. Go Birds. But, yeah, he was doing that for about close to, you know, 30 years. And he also taught communications at Shawnee University. That's what he DJed. And, you know, that's what he was doing.
04:02
DJ Beowvlf
Oh, so he was a local, too? Yeah, the online article that I read said that he was a Philly DJ.
04:07
Boulevards
Yeah, well, you know, he's from Philadelphia. He came here, he moved here with a school at Shaw, and that's where he got his.
04:12
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, it's like, what, five miles from here.
04:14
Boulevards
Yeah. So that's where he kind of got his foot into the door was when he did that. So that was. Yeah, dope. So.
04:20
DJ Beowvlf
And speaking of you dad again, is he the one on the Black as Hell album cover? Single cover?
04:24
Boulevards
Yeah, that's me.
04:25
DJ Beowvlf
That's a cute photo.
04:26
Boulevards
That was in Joe Frazier's boxing rings. Joe Frazier's, Actually, my dad's great Uncle. That's my dad's uncle. So that when I was a kid.
04:35
DJ Beowvlf
So talent like runs in your blood, huh?
04:37
Boulevards
I'm not a talented boxer, if that means anything. I'm a lover, not a fighter. But. But yeah, that was really, really cool because back in the day, you know, that's where we used to go and to you know, Joe Frazier's gym and see my cousin and see Joe and you know, it was cool. The picture was very nostalgic. So that's why I used it for that. It was very appropriate for that song and that cover.
05:01
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, it also, the song itself reflects a lot about you're like self pride and self worth and how you're proud to be who you are. And I think throwing it back with a photo of like you and your dad and your family lineage. Yeah, it all coincides.
05:13
Boulevards
It makes sense. You know, I was trying to like, you know, should I like design like graphic art or do something? I was like, no, this photo is because it's more personal and obviously it's like the pride of being a black man in America and all that stuff, you know. So. Yeah, yeah, that's cool.
05:27
DJ Beowvlf
Actually, I think I really enjoyed that song. The Reading. When I was a freshman at NC State, the reading that we had to do for everyone. Incoming was. It was by this author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, if you know who that is. And he. The entire book was his synopsis of living as a black man in America and teaching his son the lessons that he was going to grow up with. And it was a beautiful thing for me to read and harrowing as a person who doesn't have to go through that or anything. So it was really eye opening for me and I just really enjoyed that whole time I was listening to your song and thinking about the book that I read.
06:02
Boulevards
Thank you.
06:02
DJ Beowvlf
Absolutely. But let's talk a little bit more about you. Even though your dad sounds like a wonderful man. You mentioned a second ago you were into punk, hardcore and metal bands. Yeah.
06:12
Boulevards
Were you in them? Yes. They were very short lived.
06:16
DJ Beowvlf
Very like as hardcore bands tend to be.
06:18
Boulevards
Yeah, yeah. Very Southern hardcore. Hardcore punk. When I was in school at UNC Charlotte. So like post years.
06:25
DJ Beowvlf
Is that where you went? That's not the art school you went to. Right.
06:28
Boulevards
That's why. Yeah, that's why I got my art degree.
06:30
DJ Beowvlf
Very, very cool.
06:31
Boulevards
It was illustration, minor photography. A lot of people don't know that. That's a. That's a rare fact that people don't know about Jamil Rashad is that I been drawing since I was 4 years old and painting.
06:40
DJ Beowvlf
What kind of. What's your art style? Who is your artistic inspiration?
06:43
Boulevards
I like Jackson Pollock to be. I love mixed media.
06:47
DJ Beowvlf
Jackson Pollock is a very evocative painter. A lot of people can, like, find emotions through, like, the. The scattered way that he paints and the way he throws the paint. But a lot of people just say, like, oh, it's not important. It's just. He's just throwing it on a canvas. But there's so much more to that.
07:02
Boulevards
So much more to that. Man, I just love. And this is the movie of him is dope. So I just. I was. I was. I was just drawn to him as an artist, you know, when I was in college. And I just kind of connected with him, you know, so. Because, to be honest, I never really was into big of, like, a lot of artists. I don't know. Like, a lot of, you know, me, art history was born to me, but Jackson Pollock was, you know, an artist that I just really vibed and just. He spoke to me.
07:26
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, he's a very eclectic character. I don't know if he's still alive, but I used to. I took an art history class in high school, and he was one of the artists that we focused on for, like, modernist pieces and things. I really enjoyed that. But musically, name some artists who inspired you. I read online that you are a big fan of Prince.
07:43
Boulevards
Prince, but more so Rick James. Rick James, Yeah. Rick James is who I always really looked up to as far as songwriting, production, charisma on stage. Prince is all. Is amazing as well too.
08:00
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. Did you know that his. His touring band, the Revolution, is playing hopscotch?
08:04
Boulevards
I know, I know.
08:05
DJ Beowvlf
Are you gonna go see him?
08:05
Boulevards
I don't know. I gotta. Gotta. I gotta show tomorrow.
08:08
DJ Beowvlf
True. Well, their show's tonight.
08:10
Boulevards
I gotta make sure I'm ready for you guys tomorrow, so I can bring.
08:12
DJ Beowvlf
You guys a red hat. You know, you can't go to a show, scream your lungs out and not be no.
08:17
Boulevards
But. But, yeah, so, like, that's. Yeah. I mean, it's. There's so many. I mean, there's bands like sos Band Slave, Confunction, Earth, Wind and Fire, Take It Back to James Brown, you know. You know, Sharon Jones, you know, there's. There's so many Pharrell, Breakbot, Daft Punk. There's so many artists that influence me when it comes to writing the songs that I do in the production and what we, you know, what we do.
08:43
DJ Beowvlf
So if you could collab with any artist. I mean, like, put out a song. Hell, put out an album.
08:48
Boulevards
Dead or alive, anyone.
08:50
DJ Beowvlf
I don't care.
08:50
Boulevards
Fire James. Really?
08:52
DJ Beowvlf
What if it was. Is he dead?
08:54
Boulevards
Yeah, he's dead.
08:54
DJ Beowvlf
Then what about alive?
08:56
Boulevards
Oh, man. I don't want to sound cliche.
09:00
DJ Beowvlf
No, no, say it.
09:01
Boulevards
But probably like Daft Punk.
09:03
DJ Beowvlf
Daft Punk, Okay.
09:04
Boulevards
Oh, now, Rogers, you could be there,
09:06
DJ Beowvlf
Like secret fourth member that they never had.
09:08
Boulevards
That punk. Could probably be. For real.
09:09
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. I mean, they've done music together before, so you can just be their third man.
09:13
Boulevards
That probably like. I mean, that's. If anybody that would. So I'm putting that out there in the universe manifestation. Right? Put on the universe for real.
09:19
DJ Beowvlf
Speak. Speak it into existence.
09:20
Boulevards
Yeah, speak it into existence one day.
09:22
DJ Beowvlf
You know, who knows? Maybe Pharrell's a fan of WKNC. Pharrell, if you're listening. We love you.
09:26
Boulevards
We do love you. Yeah.
09:30
DJ Beowvlf
What I was going to say was when I was listening to your music, I could picture. I don't know if you're aware of these two artists, but Monty Booker and Smino. Okay, you could do an incredible collab with them. Your music had a very similar. I would highly recommend they did this song together called Colors spelled with a K. Really very much up your alley. I think you could really do something cool with them. But you're on tour now. You're playing at Hopscotch tomorrow night.
09:54
Boulevards
What time?
09:55
DJ Beowvlf
What location?
09:56
Boulevards
5:30 at the redhead Vibes.
09:58
DJ Beowvlf
Are you playing any day parties during the next few days?
10:00
Boulevards
No, but we do have a day kind of like. Or evening party tonight at Raleigh Roll. Kind of like a meeting.
10:06
DJ Beowvlf
Oh, it gonna be like an after party type of thing?
10:07
Boulevards
Yeah, no, just kind of like a party, man. You know, we're gonna do some like ginger beer stuff like.
10:11
DJ Beowvlf
Okay.
10:11
Boulevards
Custom mocktails, cocktails for people and just, you know, eat some good food and just kind of chill. Listen to some like 90s R B kind of cool. Just hang out with, you know, Shareef owner, shout out to Sharif owner, Raleigh Raw and you know, myself and a couple other the lovely beautiful people of Raleigh gonna come hang out.
10:28
DJ Beowvlf
So you're mad connected within Raleigh then?
10:30
Boulevards
I got. I mean, it's a community artist community. We all. We all together. We all connected. Everybody's connected.
10:37
DJ Beowvlf
I feel like once you. Once you're in, it feels smaller than. It's very small. But you know, North Carolina in general is small.
10:44
Boulevards
Raleigh is my. My heart and soul. It is. Yeah. So.
10:48
DJ Beowvlf
But you're on tour now other Than hopscotch. Are you excited for any particular city? I know you're going all over. I can't even say you're sticking to the east coast or anything.
10:57
Boulevards
San Diego will be tight. Playing Kaboo Festival, which is like, kind of like the Coachella of the beach. You got, like, Robert Plant, Katy Perry, TLC, Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa, myself, Earth, Wind and Fire.
11:13
DJ Beowvlf
You're gonna play a lineup with Earth, Wind and Fire.
11:15
Boulevards
Jimmy Eat World.
11:16
DJ Beowvlf
Jimmy Eat World! So sick.
11:18
Boulevards
Vanessa Carlton. Yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah. It's a crazy, really big dope lineup, which I'm really excited about.
11:25
DJ Beowvlf
You trying to fly me out to San Diego?
11:27
Boulevards
Maybe.
11:27
DJ Beowvlf
Maybe.
11:28
Boulevards
Yeah, maybe.
11:28
DJ Beowvlf
If this interview goes well, I look.
11:30
Boulevards
At my miles, see if I got the mil.
11:32
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, let me bubble a couple air points off of you.
11:34
Boulevards
Exactly.
11:35
DJ Beowvlf
Have you performed in any of the locations on your tour before?
11:38
Boulevards
Not San Diego, la. I have. When I was. When I was touring with the band Rye, and I was playing at the Orpheum, Costa Mesa. I have performed. That was dope. San Jose. I never really performed, but, yeah, I mean, then I got another tour late in November with a legend, rap artist, hip hop artist called Lyrics Born. That's me. Tight. And I'll be coming here because I'm playing a Motorco.
12:02
DJ Beowvlf
You always got to come back to your home.
12:03
Boulevards
Yeah, it won't be Raleigh, but it'd be good. Motorco’s a good venue, so I'll be cool headlining that. And that's gonna be dope. That's gonna be. Have the guys out there, the band, and it's gonna be fun.
12:12
DJ Beowvlf
So do you have a favorite show memory or, like, the wildest experience? Has a fan ever thrown something at you on stage?
12:19
Boulevards
I think in Australia, they. They. If they. If it's like. If you. They throw shoes at you, that means you're killing it. And I have, like, bras don't. I mean, that was the only.
12:28
DJ Beowvlf
That's very typical.
12:29
Boulevards
That was. No, that's never typical. That was only in Australia.
12:31
DJ Beowvlf
Typical for artists in general, though. Like, shoes is a little weird, but I've heard of people throwing bras before.
12:36
Boulevards
I think the wildest is probably when I got kicked out the Orpheum.
12:39
DJ Beowvlf
Really?
12:39
Boulevards
Because, you know, being sober now is cool. Like, you know, I think all the times I was, like, performing, like, wow, belligerent. But, like, I'm actually sober and clean and, like, I do my Soul Train line in the crowd like I always do. And they kicked me out at the Orpheum for doing my Soul Trailer. They did tell me a sound check I couldn't do, but I was like, forget that.
12:59
DJ Beowvlf
Nah, I'm gonna do it anyways.
13:00
Boulevards
I'm gonna do it anyway because it's part of the show. It's part of what I do. It's part of, you know, Boulevard's experience, you know what I'm saying? So I had to. I had to do it. So.
13:09
DJ Beowvlf
All right, so let's talk about music. Favorite and least favorite song to perform of mine. Yeah.
13:15
Boulevards
Oh, wow.
13:16
DJ Beowvlf
I mean, if you do covers, you can mention those too. But I'm trying to talk about Boulevards.
13:20
Boulevards
I think my favorite song to perform is probably Sanity's the last song because that' do the Soul Train line.
13:25
DJ Beowvlf
If anyone was listening about 30ish minutes ago, it was on air. We'll probably play some more Boulevards after this interview.
13:31
Boulevards
Don't be shy, Raleigh. I'm gonna have to go have a Soul Train line at Red Hat. I want you guys to be a part of that, so.
13:36
DJ Beowvlf
Oh, absolutely. I'm gonna be at that show. So I can guarantee you that crowd's gonna get excited.
13:40
Boulevards
Yeah, it should be fun. Least favorite. I don't really have a least favorite song.
13:44
DJ Beowvlf
I mean, like, for example, I got to interview Obituary. I don't know if you're aware of that metal band a little. Oh, that was a sound in the distance feedback. But I got to interview Obituary. Trevor from Obituary, and he least favorite song to perform was Slowly We Rot, because they play it every single night and it's just become tiring to him. Do you have a song like that?
14:03
Boulevards
I play. I mean, I love. I mean, I like playing my songs, you know, I mean, you should. I mean, I guess I have some. I don't. I mean, I guess a song maybe. What's real? Yeah, what's real of my. My second record, I don't really like. I mean, I play it, but it's not really.
14:20
DJ Beowvlf
But the fact that you had to dig to find a song that you don't like, that's cool. I was. I was googling some of your music videos. I checked out a couple video of your live sets and they're always high.
14:29
Boulevards
Energy, high performance, pedal to the metal, fun.
14:32
DJ Beowvlf
Absolutely. So the fact that you're always having fun shows in the fact that you don't have a least favorite song to perform.
14:36
Boulevards
You play loose on stage, man. I don't like. You know, a lot of people talk about live shows being tight. Maybe we're tight to a certain extent, but I like playing loose man, that's why it's called live shows. Anything can happen, right?
14:45
DJ Beowvlf
It's interesting that you say you like to play loose, because I read that you. I read online. I think it was an interview with. I don't know. I can't remember that magazine name. But they said that you drove. Drew a lot of your techniques from hardcore and metal because it was tight and it was kept together.
15:01
Boulevards
What I mean by that is the energy, Right. When I used to go to those hardcore shows, on punk shows, the energy was always electrifying. It was always infectious. It was always addicting, you know what I'm saying? So, like, it's all emotion. Yeah. When I used to see these hardcore bands play, to me, was really inspiring. It's really lovely. So that's why I kind of, like, got that, you know, I guess that energy that. That inspiration from. Yeah, because their musicianship is really tight. But, you know, when it comes to our guys, were tight to a certain extent. But like I said, you know, when I see some of my favorite artists like Future Islands or, you know, Mac DeMarco, those guys, a couple other, like, you know, bands that I see, they play loose, man. This is like Phoenix.
15:41
Boulevards
They play really loose on stage, you know? So, like I said, that's why they call it a live show. It's supposed to be imperfect. It's not supposed to be perfect. You know what I'm saying? So when it comes to be perfect, that's, you know, that's when it takes. That's what we talk about records, you know?
15:52
DJ Beowvlf
And I mean, to a degree, it's pretty impressive to go see a show that's been rehearsed and performed. Like, all those big names, like, they're doing, like, world tours. Like, oh, God, I don't know why. For example, like, Ariana Grande, she rehearses every set that she does, and it's the same every time, which is impressive to say the least, because she has to memorize all those routines. But just having, like, an organic, like, grassroots flow to your performance, making everything unique.
16:16
Boulevards
Yeah, we rehearse and, you know, like, you know, practice the music.
16:20
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, we practice, but it's not planned, I guess.
16:22
Boulevards
Yeah, I mean, like, the sets are always planned, but I'm never one of those guys that have, like, a sheet of my set list.
16:28
DJ Beowvlf
Oh, you don't give them out to the crowd.
16:30
Boulevards
Because. Because things change. Because things change. I might say, let's don't just do another song. Like, that's the thing. I'm really grateful for.
16:35
DJ Beowvlf
That's what you're feeling.
16:36
Boulevards
Yeah. You know, that's what I'm saying. It's about feeling. That's why I'm really grateful to have the guys that I play with because they. We could switch to any song. Like, you know, if I be like, yo, let's do this song and I do this a day, they're like, okay, that's good. That's. It's dope, you know.
16:46
DJ Beowvlf
Okay, what's good?
16:46
Boulevards
Yeah, that's what funk music is about. It's like kind of like punk, you know, it's like on the fly. It's not really. You know, when we go to live show, it's all about film.
16:52
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. There is a lot of overlap between funk and funk.
16:55
Boulevards
Yeah, we talk about it, and we talk about it like, you feeling this track? Should we do this track? You kind of like being a DJ, almost filling the crowd out type of. Type of thing.
17:02
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, yeah. I went to a merge about a week ago for their local artist Spotlight, and there was this.
17:07
Boulevards
Never been there. It's dope.
17:09
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, it's dope. It's a cute little bar. It has, like, an underground feel because you have to, like, go down a flight of steps to get in.
17:14
Boulevards
Like, Neptune's.
17:15
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, exactly. And it's got, like, art hanging on the walls. Very, very cool. But they had shout out, neptunes, I won't be at your venue tonight because you're 21 plus. But shout out to everyone else who's going, yeah, but anyways, I saw this group called Darren and the Buttered Toast, and they did. That is sick. And they're from Hungary. Oh, yeah. I'm about to go get lunch after this. But what was so impressive to me about them was that they were doing what you were saying, just feeling out the crowd, seeing what they liked. By the end of their set, everyone was dancing, and the whole crowd and begged three times for encores, three extra encores, just because their energy was so infectious.
17:48
Boulevards
I think it's all about. I mean, you want to take yourself. To take yourself seriously to a certain extent on these live shows and being an artist. But, like, when you're on stage, it's about having fun. People are drawn to that. Fun, right? Yeah, to that energy. You're not really having fun on stage. People can see that. People can be like, yo, this. They're not having fun. I mean, I'm like, I really don't want to, you know, dance with these guys.
18:07
DJ Beowvlf
And you know what I'm saying?
18:08
Boulevards
I Want to, like, I'm gonna leave. But, like, when people see guys on stage that are. That are having fun, people are drawn to that. And that's why I think our shows, you know, people love our shows because we're all these guys on having fun. We're on our own world. We're playing in front of, like, 10 people to 3,030 people. But, like, were on stage. That's us. We're having fun together. Us homies are just playing.
18:27
DJ Beowvlf
That's amazing.
18:28
Boulevards
You know. You know, we go into these shows like this. We're just homies playing, man.
18:31
DJ Beowvlf
Well, I can definitely say to all our WKNC listeners, Boulevards is an artist to see. They, he and the rest of the group are on the top of my list. I would say it should be fun.
18:42
Boulevards
Yeah, I'm really playing Red Hat. I played every pretty big venue in the.
18:47
DJ Beowvlf
Give us that time and location one more time.
18:49
Boulevards
5:30. Well, 5:00 clock show, you know, doors open, but we going to 5:30, Red Hat. Bringing that funk, that pedal to the metal, punk funk for y', all, man. Make sure you bring your dancing shoes and your freak flag and come hanging with your boy Boulevards. And make sure you come see chic, too, man. They're legends, man. Pay your respects. That's why I do this music, to pay homage to people like them.
19:09
DJ Beowvlf
So, hell, yeah, we're gonna go ahead and switch over to the next DJ. It was a fantastic time interviewing you today. Thank you for coming by. Before we sign out, you want to put one of your songs on air?
19:19
Boulevards
Yeah, let's do this. Do my jam. Up On Your Love, man. We're gonna, you know. You know, because I love all these. I love Raleigh, you know, so in love with the city. You guys are my homies.
19:30
DJ Beowvlf
All right. Up On Your Love.