We recently connected with Valid and have shared our conversation below.

Valid, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I released thus far was my 2019 album “Mihajlo”. It was self-titled after my real first name because I knew that I wanted to make it the most personal and transparent work of mine up to that point in my musical endeavors. MCs and rappers are often out to impress listeners with dope lyrics, flows, beats, and a whole-lotta braggadocious sh** talkin’. There is nothing wrong with that. I personally love it! But this time around I knew I needed it to be more than just bars and beats.

One of the coolest things about this album is that Detroit legend, DJ Head was extremely involved as an executive producer; overseeing everything. For those that don’t know, DJ Head is a certified-platinum and Grammy award-winning producer who worked extensively on Eminem’s first three solo albums and D12’s debut album, along with many other Hip-Hop luminaries. Growing up I had Eminem and D12 posters on my wall. So having DJ Head in my corner was like a dream come true. Another co-producer of the album was Tone Rizzo, an experienced engineer who was awarded a Grammy for his work with the legendary Detroit group, The Clark Sisters. Pig Pen, one of the most respected beat-smiths in Detroit for the better part of 15 years, also joined the squad and scored nearly half of the beats on the album. The three of them and I worked hard on this album throughout 2018. When it finally came out I knew it was the highest quality music I had put out at the time.

With the four of us curating the project, we received beats from many producers and I recorded many songs, but only 11 made the cut. We felt these 11 tracks flowed the best together, sounded right next to each other in regards to sound and content, and gave the album a cohesive ride from start to finish. I was very particular about the order of the tracklist and how the songs went into one another. It needed to flow and I wanted to make sure certain reoccurring themes and topics were in close proximity to each other on the album.

Everything from the packaging, and the cover art, down to the brown/beige color scheme of the album, visually matched the music. For the most part, it’s a really laid-back, slow, and soulful album. The concept is a time-traveling, semi-autobiographical story of my life. The intro, which is produced by one of the dopest and most respected Hip-Hop producers in the world 14KT, is a story where I go back in time as a man in his early 30s and I’m talking to the 5-year-old version of myself. Discussing with him what to expect from music, life, and the things he feels bad about but shouldn’t. I’m telling him about this very album and telling him, “this album is for you”. And as the album progresses, there is more and more about my childhood, teenage years, and adult years. Towards the end of the album on the song “Tomorrow” featuring Illa J, the elderly version of myself comes to talk to the present-day me giving him similar advice that I gave the child version of myself in the intro. Past, present, future.

Again, I wrote this album for an audience of one, myself. For me to relate to, for me to listen to when I’m down, for me to hear back and reflect on this journey we call life. I was not too concerned about who was going to be impressed or not. I just wanted to make an album that spoke directly from and to my soul. Growing up, I aspired and dreamed about making the music that I loved, and I loved Slum Village, Eminem, Common, Mos Def, Kweli, Dwele, Black Milk, etc. Now, listening back to “Mihajlo”, hearing the music we made on this project, and reading the names of all the artists involved in the credits, I believe the dreams I had growing up came true. Since I was a kid, I wanted to make quality music, with a distinct vibe that we all love and that, most importantly, comes from an honest place. The positive feedback, articles, and reviews of this album made me feel like we did just that.

Valid, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Valid. I’m a Hip-Hop artist who loves to rock shows and create new music. I also keep the music going by putting out dope new merch such as vinyl records and apparel that can be purchased at valid313.com.

I think my listeners are drawn to me for the unique sound and story. Coming from immigrant parents and entering the world of Hip-Hop and somehow being vouched for by Maureen Yancy(the mother of J. Dilla) and Mama Pepper(the mother of Big Proof), to being under the wing of DJ Head… it’s just a crazy story.

One of the things I’m most proud of is having my records spun by the likes of DJ Premier, Statik Selektah, Tony Touch, and many other notable Hip-Hop figures on worldwide platforms.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

When someone tells me my music made them feel better. It’s cool to sell merch and get paid for shows, but when someone hunts me down on IG and pops up in DM saying how they discovered my song “I’m Blessed” and it turned their day around, nothing is as rewarding as that.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Money is not the biggest reward on planet earth for humans to gain. I think a lot of non-creatives can’t relate to that sentiment. If you ask a singer, painter, aspiring film director, or almost any type of artist the question “would you rather make roughly around 60k a year to create your art full time, or would you rather make 100k a year by working a job that you’re only doing strictly for the financial payoff?” Most passionate creatives will take the first option because the 60k along with being able to focus on their passion is far more rewarding to them than money alone. That is a very hard concept to explain to some. The passion, pride, emotional fulfillment, and peace that creating brings to some is everything. Creating their art is how they want to spend their time while they’re here on this Earth. As they say, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life… or somthin’ like that.

Contact Info:

• Website: valid313.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/valid313
• Facebook: facebook.com/valid313
• Twitter: twitter.com/valid313
• Youtube: youtube.com/valid313

Image Credits
All photos and album/single artworks by Paul Lee.