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We Wit It L.A. proudly presents a recent chat we had with the rap duo that has L.A./the world fiending for more. We’re talking about TiRon & Ayomari and they’re kinda #HNGRY.
Introduce yourself if you wouldn’t mind
Ayomari: My name is Ayomari
TiRon: I am the walrus.
Where are you guys originally from?
A: I was born in Chicago, but raised in Georgia.
T: Born in Kankakee, raised primarily in the west.
How did you two meet each other?
A: We met on Yahoo! Chat in 2003 I believe. I used to frequent the live chat Freestyle Battle rooms, back in earlier stages of social networking. I remember being amazed at being able to talk to people in other states and countries through a desktop microphone plugged into a computer. I went by ‘bricksteez_the_great’ & I think TiRon’s sn was ‘tyler_alius’ lol.
T: yeah, somethin like that lol
Since you both L.A. transplants, what brought you here?
A: I moved to Northern Cali in 2004 to attend Ex’pression College for Digital Arts to study Recording Engineering. TiRon lived in LA at and told me to roll down. One trip turned into two, then a year after I graduated I decided to make the move south. The rest is history.
T: What brought me to LA was a hectic and troublesome childhood. Family looked for an escape and found one.
What has been your biggest career achievement so far?
A: My personal biggest achievement is that I’ve been fortunate enough to have the beginnings of a music career. I think there’s a long road ahead and we’re just getting started, but to even have the opportunity to turn what started out as just an idea into this living, breathing movement is hard to put into words.
T: Probably going to Sweden. Helping Ayo cement his stake in the fold of LA artists…starting The Cafeteria Line and executive producing all of its releases.
What would you say separates yourself from other artists?
A: I believe we fill a void in Hip Hop that’s been missing since the mid-90s. I think our music represents honesty, yet is still playful and youthful. We’ve managed to build a reputation for quality over quantity. I think if you show your fans that you value your music, they value it more.
T: By being into the things I’m into regardless of what the popular opinion is. I’ve NEVER been into the “cool” shit…ever since a kid. I never had Jordans when I was in school, never “hung out” or did the regular cool kid shit. I was ALWAYS into what I was fascinated by….regardless of backlash. I used to skate, got called a white boy. Used to be in theater…got called a nerd. I’ve always just been into what I was into and did it with no fear of being labeled an outcast…and thats how I approach this music shit. So I’m on some “fuck keeping up with the trends…fuck a label….lets try some new shit”. Cause ultimately I’m still fascinated…so I love to learn.
What was one performance that makes your cringe when you think about it?
A: Outkast, Goodie MOb, Twista, Ludacris, Musiq Soulchild, D’angelo, Timbaland & Magoo, Missy, Aaliyah, Nas, Jay Z, Atmosphere, Dose One, Lil’ Jon & The Eastside Boyz, the list goes on.
T: Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, The Crusaders, Bad Religion, Sublime, Radiohead, Eminem, Portishead, Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down, Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, Timbaland & Magoo, Ginuwine, MHz, Cage, Company Flow, Weezer…bunch of shit.
How do you feel about the current hip hop scene in L.A.?
A: I think it’s a musical Renaissance going on, and has been going on for a few years now. I personally never imaged ever living in LA and being apart of this new era in west coast music. What’s really dope is the diversity and the level of talent. I shouldn’t be surprised being that Hollywood is here, competition is fierce and everyone is ‘somebody’. The truth of the matter is the amount of talent here is staggering.
T: It’s ok lol.
Every artist has that one performance that makes them cringe when they think about it, what has been yours ?
A: Probably my worst gig, would be one I had at Little Temple, which is now called Virgils, or The Virgil. I think it was early last year, there was only like 20 people there at the most, horrible sound, and I was terribly unprepared and lightweight tipsy. Bad combintions.
T: The one time we opened for Kendrick Lamar and it was sold out. All these ladies came up to us afterwards and gave us hugs…ScHoolboy Q said our album was amazing and I got to meet Dr. Dre. Such a terrible time.
What was the last book you cracked open?
A: The Tao of Pooh
T: A Briefer History Of Time by Stephen Hawking
Do you remember the first CD you ever bought?
A: I bought the single ‘My Baby Daddy’ by B-Rock & The Biz
T: CD? Probably Immature “Playtyme Is Over”. I used to wanna sing R&B.
What’s your favorite/least favorite thing about L.A.
A: My favorite thing are the women, my least favorite is the cost of metered parking.
T: Fav thing about LA is probably the food. Least favorite thing is some of the bougie people that live here.
You guys seem to perform everywhere, what has been your favorite local sports to preform at?
A: The Roxy is pretty cool
T: The Low End Theory
If your success continues to grow like it currently is, how do you plan to stay true to your roots and for lack of other words not “sell out”?
A: No clue, I feel like a lot of people say what they will or won’t do once they get money, but most of those people have never experienced theprocess of becoming rich and famous lol. I pretty much wanna make great music, so as long as that stays the primary goal, then I think I’ll be good.
T: Keep doing the same shit that got me in that position. Learning, growing and adapting.
There are tons of upcoming L.A. Music act trying to climb to the top, who are a few of your favorites?
A: Miguel
T: Thundercat
If you had to pick one thing that you love about being entertainers, what would it be?
A: Witnessing fans sing along at our shows, I’ve seen a few fans cry which is crazy!
T: What Ayo just said….also going out to eat and party with the fans afterwards. Shit really makes their day.
What do you want your listeners to take away from your music?
A: Songs to contribute to their life’s soundtrack. Songs they’ll potentially play for their kids.
T: I want our listeners to take away memories. So when they go back and play our music it immediately takes them to a place they were once in….that’s how it becomes timeless.
I’ve been hearing a lot about your #HNGRY project recently, could you fill us in a little bit?
A: We wanted to introduce our listeners to some of the artists we listen to and enjoy. While we were at it, we figured why not do it for a good cause. It just made the overall end result more meaningful.
T: I just noticed there wasn’t enough music….just scenes. There wasn’t enough MUSIC out there…u know? I also noticed that a few folks stopped doing music they loved just to cater to a scene and ended up getting lost…and I just got tired of it. So I wanted to get all of us folks that really care about musically pushing the envelope and give these fans an alternative. The representatives of the alternative.
Anything you want to say to your fans before we rap things up?
A: Be sure to check out HNGRY if you haven’t, good music for a good cause. And if you like that, definitely check out The Cafeteria Line’s entire back catalog > http://thecafeterialine.
bandcamp.com !
T: yup.
@wewititla
