Take just one listen to Mr. MFN eXquire‘s latest Kismet mixtape and you can tell the Brooklyn upstart is far from typical. Of course, there is his innate creative instinct, but eXquire’s BK upbringing surely helped spark his passion for art.
“Growing up in Brooklyn makes you very diverse and worldly,” he told us sitting inside FREECANDY art gallery on Atlantic Avenue in BK. “Even though you’re from a small place, you see a lot and you learn a lot real quick.”
Before MTV takes the 2013 Video Music Awards to the Barclays Center on Sunday, August 25, we hit the streets of Brooklyn to soak up some culture from the borough’s emerging hip-hop talent. Every day, this week, we’ll spotlight a brand-new artist for our Brooklyn Hip-Hop Week and eXquire is next up.
Where I’m From
“Brooklyn is basically like a melting pot in so many ways. Where I’m from [in Crown Heights], you have Hasidic Jews, West Indians and average hood dudes walking around, all within like a three-block radius of each other. Some many different worlds are interconnected.”
The Brooklyn Influencers
“Obviously Biggie; clearly Jay; clearly Fab, Kane. I would definitely have to throw AZ in there, another Brooklyn great. Mash Out Posse, M.O.P. fits right in there. The whole Boot Camp Clik obviously growing up that was it.”
The Brooklyn MC Is…
“Being from Brooklyn makes you very versatile. Kane, Biggie, Jay, they all had a lot of very layered and diverse ways of going at music. Hov can give you a song about his moms and then he can give you a party song two tracks later. Biggie would give you a song like “Miss U” and “Somebody’s Gotta Die” will be on the album as well.”
2013 VMAs
“To have the VMAs in Brooklyn is long overdue. Not sayin’ that we had anywhere to have it before now, but I think it’s fly. I think Brooklyn is kinda takin’ over, rivaling Manhattan right now. I’m excited to see where this goes in 15 years and will Brooklyn be the spot? Because, it’s becoming the spot.”
Check MTV News and RapFix.MTV.Com all this week to hear from your favorite Brooklyn artists, all leading up to the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on August 25.
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