Exceptional: 1. Forming an exception or rare instance; unusual; extraordinary; 2. unusually excellent or superior.
Every once in a while, an artist comes along who exemplifies true “artistry”. That artist may be super expressive, extraordinarily lyrical or just plain special and set apart. Enter New Orleans, Louisiana lyricist ELLS. He most certainly fits the bill when it comes to all of the aforementioned attributes. ELLS is HIP HOP. ELLS is EXCEPTIONAL.
We recently caught up with ELLS and had a chance to converse with him. Here’s what he had to say:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where are you from?
ELLS: I’m from the Westside of New Orleans – Harvey, Louisiana to be exact.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What all do you do in the entertainment industry?
ELLS: I am a prolific writer, my own manager and recording artist, and Owner/CEO of my record label BOLD Records.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What do you feel are your strongest talents?
ELLS: I feel one of my strongest talents is that I am a people person by nature whose blessed with the talent and ability to connect with my peers and people of all ages, races, sex, and ethnic backgrounds, through conversation and through what some may call controversial Hip-Hop music I create.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Growing up, who were your musical influences?
ELLS: Personally I’m a huge Nas and Andre 3 Stacks fan. Coming up, of course being from the 504, my influences began with and still remain everyone from the lyrical vets like Juvenile, Mystikal, Lil Wayne to the more business saavy influences of Master P, Bryan “Baby” Williams and Sugar Slim, Jay-Z , and T.I., to name a few. To be honest, nowadays my biggest influence is myself. I critique myself to the point of frustration. But, I also like to hear new sounds from Jay-Z, NAS, T.I. and Weezy.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Did you always want to be an artist?
ELLS: I’ve always wanted to be an artist. My mother was a huge 2Pac fan and the night he died is when she introduced me to what I call “Mrs. HIP HOP”, through her tears and showing me who 2Pac was and what he did. I’ve been in love ever since. I was 6 years old then. For the longest of years, my battle to pursue this dream was a mental battle of how to deliver my thoughts, feelings and experiences to the people, not just for them to like, but to apply to their lives forever.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Who are your favorite producers/artists?
ELLS: My favorite producers are definitely Mannie Fresh, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and Kanye West.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What’s currently in your playlist?
ELLS: My current playlist consists of Lauryn Hill , Kanye West, Jay-Z , Lil Wayne, NAS, T.I., Boosie, and ELLS.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where do you see your career in 2, 5 and 10 years?
ELLS: In 2 years I feel I’ll finally be getting heard to the masses, if not quite yet on a global level, then definitely on a local level and steady building as an artist. I’ll have a song or two on constant rotation in the music world – globally – and I’ll be opening for big name artists at big name events. I’ll also still be working to evolve. In 5 years, I’ll be Grammy nominated with a well-established brand. I’ll also be working on what I can do to evolve as an artist, as a whole. I’ll have organizations in place to aid in educational growth for low income/poverty based families and people, and minority help organizations for the future. In 10 years, I’ll be well-respected in the Hip Hop world, having become a mogul worldwide, expanding my brand into many different aspects of entertainment
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What is your plan for success?
ELLS: My plan for success consists of what to me seems to be a basic plan. Continuing to stay true to myself, challenging myself to continue to grow and creating ‘the new” that people love and can relate to, which I feel in turn will reflect through the music being made and what I’m giving to the people.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: If you could work with 5 artists/producers, who would that be and why?
ELLS: 5 artists would have to be: Jay-Z, NAS, Lil Wayne, Andre 3000, and Eminem. 5 producers would be #1 Mannie Fresh – simply because we both understand our culture here and I feel the sound we would create together would unify the city by giving them that vintage NOLA feel from the 90’s, but with new sounds from an artist with a slightly different point of view and experience of the same city we love. The others would be Dr. Dre, Timberland, Kanye, and DJ Toomp.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where all have you performed?
ELLS: I’ve performed at The Jazz Fest in 2012, Writer’s Block – NOLA Music Awards Edition, Core DJs NOLA Tour, and numerous open mic night events around the city. I was also was a featured artist in the 2015 NOLA Music Awards Hip Hop Cypher.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What projects do you currently have out?
ELLS: I have a project out entitled, “My Dreams, My Visions”, available on Dat Piff and Audiomack. I also just had a new single drop, “Dying Breed”. The song is available on Soundcloud and the visuals are on You Tube. I plan to start dropping tracks and videos consistently.
Social Media | Contact
Twitter @unheard_ells
Instagram @unheard_ells
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/unheard_ells
You Tube https://www.youtube.com/user/ellsunheard
Email: ellsbold@gmail.com
