About Me
"Charlie Parker was not seein' Miles Davis! No one from the bebop era was. Not even Coltrane!"In yet another emotional outburst, Black Friday explains exactly why Miles Davis was, and still is, the king of Jazz music."Technically, he surpassed the abilities of Dizzy Gillespi and Charlie Parker. He and Gil Evans crafted some of the best compositions to date, some even comparable to [Duke] Ellington. His midrange was incomparable, his albums were classic, and the ladies loved him. How was he not the king?!"If there was one word that best describes producer/songwriter Black Friday, that word would be passion. Although you can hear how passionate he is when he speaks, his passion for composing is what makes him stand out from the rest.Born Darren Simonson, music has always played a significant role in his life. His grandmother was a jazz pianist, both his brother and sister have degree's from the prestigious Eastman School of Music, and even his dad was a singer in his day. As many would say, music was in his blood, but Friday begs to differ."Yes I have a very talented family, but I had to discover Hip-Hop all on my own. My brother didn't play old school joints, he played Chopin scherzo's. My sister didn't sing Mary J. Blidge, she sang German Opera's. My dad listens to Motown hits 'till he's blue on the face. I didn't even know what hot 97 was. Rap was damn near non existent in my house."Perhaps the influence of so many different genre's of music is what makes Blacks music so interesting. Coming into the Hip-Hop world with a more classical approach doesn't sound too bad at all. Mix in a little funk here and some jazz there, and you'll have a typical Black Friday production."I'm not sayin' that I'll sample a huge concerto, and have James Brown singing over it, no. What I mean is that I'll take ideas, chordal structures from all types of genre's, and try to incorporate them into my music. But with only a basic knowledge of [music] theory, that only works to a certain extent.""See that why I hold jazz music in such a high regard. Never in our lifetime will we ever see a period of music so daring, so technical, so fast, and so complex. Never will we have another Miles Davis, who I personally think that, if not the greatest, he's definitely the most complete musician to ever live. Jazz music is why I'm so critical of my work. What amazes people in the Hip-Hop world, is what people will laugh at in the Jazz world, technically at least. Maybe that's the main reason why I hate half of the music I hear these days (laughs)."At 20 years old, and with only 2 years of production experience, many would call him a beginner. But one listen to his music will surely change the minds of even the harshest critics. What makes Mr. Friday stand out the most is his drive to consistently become a better musician, and to also keep an open ear to what's happening outside of Hip-Hop. He wants to get into the dance/electronica scene, and one day would like to venture into film scoring. He even wants to be a jazz pianist when he gets older (sorry Black, but no you will not be able to play better than Bud Powell). But before any of that, he wants to make a lasting impression on the Hip-Hop community."The first song I ever fell in love with was 'Deja Vu' by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. To this day, I still get the same feeling when I hear that song on the radio. I want people to get that feeling inside, pause, when they hear a song that I've produced. I want people to say that Black Friday gave it his all, and didn't settle for no bullshit. I want people to remember the name Black Friday."And finally, exactly why did he choose to adopt the name "Black Friday?""It's a metaphor for prosperity" he says. "Read about it, and you'll understand why."
