Blazing His Trail in Music, Meet Josh Alias.
Some people call me Josh, but my alias is Alias. One of the dopest rappers to emerge from Elmont, New York, blazing my trail, in the world of music.
Q: What is your story behind becoming an artist? What sparked your interest?
When I was a kid I was really into streetwear and graffiti. I was always around the culture. I used to sing, beatbox, play drums, and other instruments. Music was something that came naturally to me as a kid. Fast forward to my early teens, I started writing poetry and getting in freestyle rap battles at school. I noticed I was better than the other kids and I liked the reactions I got. So, I just stuck with it and started writing raps and freestyling every day.
Q: How about becoming a director? What are some projects that you have directed?
I creative direct 90% of everything for Urbvn Architects and 100% for Josh Alias, from all the visuals, cover art, edits, aesthetics, direction, etc. From there, I had people reaching out who loved our gritty & mysterious look. I started directing visuals for other artists. I have had a few people fly from overseas just for me to help with their creative/art direction. Not sure if they want me to reveal their names though haha
Q: What made you want to write the song “No Regrets”? What is your favorite part of this song?
That is a collaboration with my boy's homage beats. Dude is one of the best on the scene. I have been freestyling to his beats for years and buying leases so I have been a fan. He found my music online and reached out which was hella dope. I already knew his sound so the collaboration was effortless. He sent me the beat with a “no regrets” vocal sample so I just rolled with that concept, I wanted it to be a genuine collaboration and not just me rapping on a producer’s beat because sometimes online collaborations can sound forced. We were building through direct messages, so I knew what he was going for. Also, I capitalized on that.
Q: How would you say Hip Hop has changed over the years? What got you interested in doing Hip Hop yourself?
Hip-hop has become more trendy and image-based. If you do not look a certain way or talk about some street or superficial shit you probably will not get looks. I do my own thing. I try to get personal with my music even more than I would like to sometimes. I want to show my human side and not conform to an image. That is probably why I barely show my face online, I want the music to do the talking. I also try to be versatile and jump on a wide range of beats, not be boxed into a certain sound. Thinking about it, I did hip-hop for self-realization and self-therapy.
Would you like to be featured?
Q: What made you want to let people send you beats and freestyle on social media? What do you like most about doing this?
When I started getting buzz I started getting hundreds of emails from upcoming producers to hop on their beats. I can relate to that hunger and want to make it. Due to my schedule, it is hard to listen or rap on most of the beats. But I notice the effort with them sending me beats and I am grateful. When I first started rapping I was paying bread for beats so to get them sent to me free is a blessing. I hop on their beats to give them some exposure and also to show appreciation for taking the time to email me. I also genuinely mess with their beats, very talented Kats.
Q: How does it go when adding somebody to a song? Do you let them decide what to rap about or do you write it out for them?
I usually do not try to control that part. I like the artist to feel free but sometimes I will try to throw out a concept for us to stick to. I like a song to have some structure, in terms of what we both are talking about. I can not be talking about my childhood or something and he is talking about a girl he’s tryna holla at, u know? Lol. I like the song to flow together
Q: Besides social media, what are other ways that you get your music out there?
Man, the game has changed a lot in this way. It can be hard to promote outside of the internet. What I do is a lot of in-person networking. I am a people person for the most part so whenever I am out, I talk to people and show them my music, etc. I was not always like this but now more than ever I am telling people I rap. You never know who you can run into, especially in New York City.
Q: What are three things about you and your music you would like people to know?
My music is just a reflection of me and my experiences growing up in an urban city trying to figure it all out. It is spiritual, raw, and filled with imagery that I think a lot of people can relate to or at least respect. It is natural, not forced, and as corny as it sounds - comes straight from my soul. I do not overthink it I just speak how I am feeling. Many people call it “refreshing” and I could agree
Q: What is Urbvn Architects of NYC? How is this label different from others?
Urbvn Architects is the label that I founded in 2016/17 with my boy Yung K. It is different because it is extra authentic urban NY shit. The label has many dope artists, all born and raised in NY, with a story to tell. Filled with self-aware and conscious Gritty kids with a serious love and appreciation for music. The music that we make is raw, Lofi, real, hype, or anything we want it to be, we do not follow any rules we just do what we like.