The Empire

Profile edited with: CricketSoda Myspace Profile Editor
The rap duo Empire is possibly the breath of fresh air that the current music industry needs. Composed of two childhood friends, Frederick “Future” Jones, and Jarhon “Problem Child” Isaac, Empire is confident that they are “nobody to mess with in this rap game.”
Both artists were raised in East Point, Georgia, and when they had reached the young age of thirteen, they realized that they each possessed a talent for freestyle rapping.
With their new discovery in tow, the duo decided to take rap more seriously in the tenth grade. However, it would not be until two years later that they would lay down their first track, a mix tape track off of Freeway’s song “Full Effect.”
The song was recorded in the studio of Davy P., a man who would later produce Empire’s very own song (“How We Do It”), and a man who Future credits as the one who “schooled us on the ins and outs of the rap business.”
Another essential part of Empire’s productivity rests in the hands of another childhood friend by the name of C.J. Foster.
“He’s been with us from the start, and was originally a part of the group, but he decided to take a [managerial] role. So anything we need--studio time, a specific beat, or promotion, he’s there to get it for us.”
When asked why he feels his group’s music would have a positive impact on the game, Problem Child insists, “we’re bringing actual lyrics to the table…we know some people may be doubtful because we’re from the South, but we’re bringing real music , not snap-dance music.”
As with all rappers, there’s another side of their life that the public wishes to get to know better. In the case of Future and Problem Child, the other side of life involves a university.
Jarhon attends the University of West Georgia as a psychology major, and Fred attends the University of Pittsburgh as marketing major.
Neither appears to be worried about the possible backlash from the public regarding the issue of a highly educated rapper.
Future insists, “the more educated we are, the more we are prepared to handle the business side of the rap industry.”
And for those who doubt that Empire has seen anything other than lush lawns, pricy textbooks, or anything that doesn’t remotely resemble a hard life, they will be forced to take another look.
“I was born and raised in the streets of East Point Georgia. Only being eighteen, I’ve seen things that most people, even grown men, have never seen in their lives.”
Problem Child also feels that just because he’s in college, the disaccreditation of anything he has to say should never take place.
The duo is currently working on a demo to shop to major labels that includes a range of songs spanning from an introspective song, a storyline song, a song regarding relationships with females, a street anthem, a club banger, and a song filled with witty metaphors and punch lines that shows they, “can go bar for bar with the best rappers.”
“We want to show our versatility,” says Future.
Judging from Empire’s influences, a versatile sound is what one would come to expect. Future’s influences include the sounds of Outkast, Cash Money, and Jadakiss, while Problem Child draws influences from Nas, Lupe Fiasco, the Wu-Tang Clan and James Brown.
Dubbed the “Picasso of rap” because of his ability to “paint pictures with his rhymes,” Problem Child feels that the top goals for Empire in the year 2008 are, “establishing a consistent fan base, putting out a local single, and pushing the single to [potentially] get signed.”
His band mate on the other hand, described as a “competitive, stubborn, yet funny musical perfectionist, feels that they “are not in a rush to get signed; we want to be in a position that allows us to grow, [and] before we sign on the dotted line, we’re gonna’ make sure that we get total creative control or we’ll go independent.”
Empire also has its own record company that it is excited about expanding (Empire Records), and hopes that in the process they will be able to launch “people that have the same ambition and love for music like we do.”
Empire can currently be accessed and listened to at the website: www.myspace.com/daempireforlife.
--WGW
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