The Late '80s

Total products of their environment the NYC duo The Late 80’s were quite the treat to feature last year with the release of their self entitled debut The Late 80’s. As the name implies they’re definitely reminiscent of a different time in Hip-Hop. Well guess who’s back again and just announced the release of their new LP “The Hell Below” ?! So we figured we better catch up to the dynamic duo and see what’s been up?

Welcome back guys! So it looks like a lots been happening since your last visit, fill us in. What’s good?

Alain: A lot of creating, some shows, a few interviews here and there … And in the process of writing “The Hell Below,” I think I lost my mind a bit. Really though.

Bred Wondah: Ha! Man, you been lost your mind. Nah, but “Sorry We’re Late!” got more attention than we anticipated, so we kinda had to let it do its thing for a minute while we got “The Hell Below” ready for release.

“The Hell Below” Explain?

Alain: It’s actually a concept we’d been discussing for a long time. I did a bid years ago. I’d call Bred when I could and we’d talk about all kinds of deep shit. “The Hell Below” was born out of those conversations, and I started writing a lot more. Bred even recorded some freestyles over the phone.

Bred: We had stopped kickin’ it like that for a minute before he went away. I was in the studio, but he was doin’ his own thing. Soon as I heard what happened, I wrote him a letter and we reconnected. When he was able to call, we started having some real ass conversations. Always started about life and all that, but then that extended to all sorts of problems with society — shit like the prison industrial complex, the school-to-prison pipeline, institutionalized racism, mass surveillance, media brainwashing, consumer culture and bigger picture issues like globalization and war profiteering. The kind of shit we touch on in “The Hell Below.”

Alain: Hell is a place that people choose whether or not to believe in. Personally, I see hell on Earth, and I feel like the world chooses to ignore it. This project addresses the poisonous cannibalistic mentality conditioned in us by this hell we’ve created. It’s a dark perspective. We want to inspire our listeners to think differently about an evil society we’ve accepted as normal, but in a way that people who don’t usually think about this type of shit can relate to. We are the voice of a dark reality in a world blinded by shiny distractions.

Bred: Just to clarify, we’re not on some religious shit. I don’t think of hell as a physical place, but more of a mental state — one that we all share, to some extent, by intentional design. The project is also about understanding that each of us help perpetuate this organized system of fuckery just by existing and functioning in it. Even with the best intentions, none of us are truly above judgement. The way modern society is structured, we pretty much can’t be. I think we all have to recognize that individual responsibility before we can make real positive change together, as a global community.

Where can people find the new album?

Bred: Instead of a full length album, we decided to release the project as a series of EPs. This first one is sort of an introduction.

Alain: It’s more personal and less globally focused. A lot of it was inspired by my time away. Download it at www.thelate80s.com for free.

We understand you guys have been getting a little Air time in NYC, mind telling us how that came about and how we can tune in?

Bred: Nah, haha, really couldn’t tell you how that came about. Shit was unexpected, with the type of music we make. I randomly got a Tweet from Dharmic X at #NW3Radio on WNYU 89.1 FM in NYC. He let me know he’d been playing one of our joints regularly. Not sure how he heard it. Probably should’ve asked. Big up to ’em, though. Dope show.

Alain: College radio been showing us a lot of love. We did a couple of interviews for different college radio shows in the city. Even heard a radio station in Vermont played our shit. Guess they found us on the internet.

You guys usually get a lot of blog love which usually means you network a lot. Have Blogs like ours been beneficial?

Alain: Yes, definitely. People are always searching for the next new thing. In the internet world, blogs are some of the only platforms actually breaking artists. Traditional platforms are scared by new ideas and everything is political. How can the culture move forward if we just keep repeating the same shit over and over again?

Bred: Y’all are great. We got a good thing going. We give you dope content and you give us new listeners. Everybody wins.

These day it’s seems it’s all about the visuals do you guys have any video plans for 2015?

Alain: We purposely haven’t made any because we want the music to speak for itself. We prefer no representation over misrepresentation.

Bred: Man, we came in the game with a “radical” philosophy — make good music and the people will listen. We kinda wanna see how far we can get ignoring the “industry standard” of how shit should be done.

Alain: It’s sort of a social experiment, and its been going pretty good, so far. We only put out one EP with no single, no video and no backing. Since then, we been on mad blogs, done a bunch of interviews, rocked a few cool shows, got a few great reviews and even some FM radio play.

Bred: We don’t wanna make a video just because we’re supposed to have a video, we want it to be something conceptual and out the box — a true visual representation of whatever song we shoot it for. Shit, we don’t even have to be in it. That being said, when we do finally drop a video, we need the right people who share our artistic vision behind it.

Alain: Plus, if people find out how stunningly attractive I am, the population would increase by at least 10%.

We’re sure your fan base has doubled since last we spoke what’s your guys choice for social media so we all can follow?

Bred: Yeah, that’s the other thing we don’t really put as much importance on. Our favorite social media is music based. Check us out at www.audiomack.com/artist/thelate80s and www.soundcloud.com/late80sclique. We do have a Facebook, though — www.facebook.com/thelate80s.

Alain: We mostly just use our personal pages on Twitter and Instagram. I’m @late80srep and he’s @bredwondah - WhatIz.biz

"The Hell Below" is a conceptual EP series from MC/Producer duo The Late '80s. This first installment is a dark, gritty, soulful followup to their debut release, which dropped last September. Alain The Don's complex lyricism and Bred Wondah's hard-hitting evolved boom bap production connect with guests Alain The Don, Bred Wondah and Cannon Will. - Ok-Tho.com

The vintage rapper-producer duo known as The Late ’80s will have rap fans at attention upon first listen of their new EP, Sorry We’re Late. Rapper Alain the Don’s lyrical capabilities are remarkable; on Sorry We’re Late, several times listeners can hear the rapper blast through bars, rapping multiple words that all rhyme together in usually one breath. The emcee also has a strong energy on the boom-bap productions provided by beatmaker Bred Wondah. Grabbing a feature from Charles Hamilton, the five-track EP is full of shockers. The Late ’80s surely carry the torch for New York City on their strong effort, and you’d be missing out if you didn’t stream and download Sorry We’re Late for FREE below. - HipHopSpeakeasy.com

A very good 5 track EP titled “Sorry We’re Late” EP by The Late ’80s out of the NYC. This group definitely has a style of their own. Bringing back Raw uncut golden era style Hip Hop with a bit of modern conscious Hip Hop all in one. The production is amazing along with the fact that as a group, they are killing the game as of right now. Making new fans day by day and continuing to brand their music to the masses. My favorite track on the album is “Checkmate” clearly displaying their music talent and lyrical ability. Bred & Alain is a true NYC Hip Hop duo that cant be ignored. We recommend this EP to all the real Hip Hop heads out there. - UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

Tell us a little about yourselves. Where are you guys from? How long have you been making Hip Hop together?

Alain: We’re The Late ’80s. We rep the five boroughs, in general. Originally, we’re both from Manhattan, but we’ve pretty much lived all over NYC, between us. I’ve known Bred for about 10 years. We made music when we were kids, but I didn’t really start taking it seriously until recently. I was distracted, but now I’m at the point where I realize this is what I have to do with my life. Fuck everything else.

Bred: Yeah, we met working at Fat Beats (the legendary record store), back in high school. We were two of the youngest dudes there, so we clicked and started workin’ on music — but it was really more of a social thing, you know, just for fun. We were always cool, but we kind of went our separate ways for a while. Still kicked it and all that, but I got fully immersed in production, working with different artists, and Alain was out there, doin’ his own thing. Long story short, when he finally decided to get back in the studio, we kicked around some ideas, the creative energy was flowing, the stars aligned and The Late ’80s was born. Well, reborn.

What influences you in making Hip Hop?

Alain: For me, it’s a lack of good shit. I love Hip Hop, and I just feel like a lot of these new artists aren’t reppin’ the culture right.

Bred: I think we both try to make music we wish was already being made for us to listen to, if that makes any sense. Shit we’d buy if we
could, but can’t, so we have to make it ourselves.

Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs & Producers?

Bred: Our sound is unique. Yeah, there’s an obvious nostalgic boom bap vibe to our shit, but we do it different from other like-minded brothers. A lot of these cats straight jack a sound that already had its time. We try to pay homage to the golden era while still offering something fresh to the game, giving you original styles you never heard before — preserving the culture by evolving it, but without forgetting its soul. Renaissance shit.

Alain: Word. The Marty McFly and Doc Emmett Brown of this rap shit, taking it back to the future.

Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?

Alain: Anyone dope. We’re not on some opportunistic shit, trying to work with mothafuckas just because they got a buzz and might help us get some plays, or whatever. So far, just people we know, or people Bred has worked with. Not into name dropping. I don’t really think about shit like that. We just make good music, and if you’re around us and you make good music too, we’re down to work.

Bred: Yeah, and not just rappers either. We on some other shit. On the title track for “The Hell Below” (our next project), we got a violinist to drop an ill electric fiddle solo. Out the box shit like that. When it comes to collaborations, it’s all about the art and whether or not another artist will help us recognize our vision.

Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

Alain: Art. Hip Hop made for the sake of expression, without any
corporate agenda.

Bred: Hip Hop that sacrifices exposure and financial gain to maintain
its integrity.

Production wise, who are your influences?

Bred: My main influences are probably DJ Premier, Pete Rock and RZA, but I also gotta mention other brothers like Large Professor, Lord Finesse, Showbiz, Buckwild, Diamond D, The Bomb Squad, MF Doom, Madlib and Just Blaze, to name a few. Shit, can’t forget the people I came up with. I could go on, but there’s too many. I’m a student of music, in general. Not even just Hip Hop. Although I gotta salute some of the folks who inspired me, like them, I’ve developed my own distinctive style and sound — and I don’t think you can easily compare me to anyone, in particular.

Any current or future projects you are promoting?

Alain: Bred mentioned “The Hell Below” earlier. We been working on that for over a year. Actually, we kinda threw our first EP “Sorry We’re Late!” together because “The Hell Below” is taking us so long to finish. We wanted to release something to introduce ourselves to the people, let ’em test the waters before diving all the way in. “Sorry We’re Late!” was some simple fun shit to showcase our skills, more than anything. “The Hell Below” is some crazy conceptual shit. It’s a lot darker, a lot weirder and a lot more thought-provoking. I don’t even know if the world is ready for it, but it should be done by December. Can’t wait to drop this shit.

Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of your debut release EP “Sorry We’re Late”?

Alain: Bred beat me until I got my rhymes right.

Bred: No comment.

Where can we find your music and info?

Alain: On our website, thelate80s.com.

Any shout outs?

Alain: Shout out to Bred Wondah.

Bred: Fuck that guy. He’s an asshole — but shout out to everybody that helped with “Sorry I’m Late!” Shy for the cover photo, Jay and Saga for workin’ the boards, Charles and Subtex for hittin’ the lab with us and Monster for layin’ down the cuts. Oh, and Alain, you know, for rappin’ and all that. - UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

A couple weeks ago we were lucky enough to catch wind of an emcee/producer duo from NYC known as The Late 80′s and well we were so impressed by their vintage but yet new school sound we asked them back for a little Q&A on what’s good with Hip-Hop, Life and what’s next. Check it…

So for those who don’t know you, who are you and where are you from?

Bred: I’m Bred Wondah. I do the shit that makes ya head nod. This here’s Alain. He got bars.

Alain: I’m Alain the Don and WE are The Late ’80s, born and raised in New York City.

How’d you get into music and what’s the scene like where you’re from?

Alain: I been into music for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I was playing with guitars and keyboards instead of toys. Being from NYC, I gravitated towards Hip Hop. It wasn’t until I was about twelve, when some friends put me on to more underground shit, that I really fell in love with it. The lyricism, the wordplay, the concepts and the sampled boom bap beats were nothing like the bullshit on the radio, at the time. It opened up a whole new world of music and inspired me to start making my own shit. Me and Bred started chilling a few years later. We made some music, but didn’t take the group shit too seriously. It’s funny, ‘cause when we met, he was more into rapping and I was more into making beats. Somehow, we switched roles, by the time we decided to get back in the lab together and really dedicate ourselves to this Late ’80s shit.

Bred: Word. I started early too — bangin’ on pots and pans in the kitchen when I was a toddler and shit. I’d grab different cookware from under the sink and experiment with the variety of sounds I could get out of ‘em, even tried to set ‘em up like an actual drum set. Graduated to a real trap kit by age seven, but I was really fascinated by turntables and how Hip Hop DJs use ‘em to manipulate sounds. Eventually, copped a cheap pair of shitty belt-drive joints and started scratchin’ and cuttin’ up records, spinnin’ house parties in high school and makin’ mix tapes and shit. I was writin’ rhymes the whole time, though, so I kind of started makin’ beats out of necessity — just to have more original shit to rock to. Decent producers didn’t come a dime a dozen, back then. Everybody and their mother wanted to be a rapper, at least in my circle. Wasn’t until later that I actually developed such a passion for producing, when I realized how much I missed the musical element of, well, making music.

What or who’s your motivation for making music?

Alain: Personally, I’m an activist at heart. The idea that I can influence people keeps me going, you know, maybe change the way people think or introduce them to a new perspective. I also just can’t help it. Making music is a drug and I’m strung the fuck out.

Bred: Man, for me, making music isn’t the drug — listening to it is. I fuckin’ love music. I need that shit. Good music has always been therapeutic, and hearing some shit I really connect with, even on an instrumental level, can be a transcendental experience for me. The less I hear shit like that, the more it fuels me to create my own. I just wanna share that feeling with the people, dig? I put my soul into everything I do and hope there’s someone out there who really vibes with it, feels it in their bones, you know?

We all know Hip Hop has many faces, what would you say is your overall message behind your music if you have one?

Alain: We’re the voice of the disenfranchised. A voice against corruption and greed. There’s something wrong with the society we live in. It’s sick. We don’t have the cure, but we can shed some light on society’s ills and maybe reach the people who might. We hope to socially enlighten, but without sounding like pussies, haha.

Bred: Haha! I try to stay away from the rhetoric, but I think we have many messages. If I had to sum them up in one idea — be fuckin’ free, in mind and body.

What’s the plan for 2015?

Bred: We’ll be releasing “The Hell Below” — a conceptual LP we’ve been working on for over a year, from before we even started, finished and released what became our debut EP. We’ve been taking our time with it ‘cause it’s really fuckin’ special to us, and you can’t rush this kind of shit. It’s my proudest work to date. The production is some real out the box shit. It gets weird — hidden backwards messages and live electric fiddle solos and shit, and Alain took the concept and executed it perfectly. We really clicked on the vision for this one. Couldn’t imagine any other two people making this shit. The funny thing about it is that, conceptually, it’s probably more relatable now than when we started it.

Alain: We’re still fine tuning it, but we might release an EP version very soon and save the full LP for later, or just continue it as a series. It kind of feels like it’ll never be done, but not in a bad way. We just wanna keep working on it, make it even better and better. It’s real personal, for both of us, haha. “The Hell Below” is what we’re really about as artists.

We personally love releasing music as much as we love doing shows, what part of the bizz do you like the best?

Alain: The creative process, and performing. I hate everything else. I just like to make music and connect with people.

Bred: Word.

You’ve recently released an LP (Sorry we’re late), how was it received? Were you happy with the responses?

Alain: I was pretty happy, for our first record. Mad blogs posted it, even got some FM radio play, and a few great reviews. Pretty decent for an EP we released ourselves, without any real promotion, videos, backing or pay for play type shit. I’m really excited to drop “The Hell Below”, though. It’s fuckin’ art.

Bred: Honestly, we were kind of on the fence about even dropping “Sorry We’re Late!” Sort of just did it as a side project while workin’ on “The Hell Below” — which was really supposed to be our debut. Happy people are feelin’ it. We appreciate the love.

So how can people keep up with you and your music and any shows planned for 2015 we should know about?

Alain: Check us out at thelate80s.com and facebook.com/thelate80s. - WhatIz.biz

Hip hop of today is geared towards the youth like how it was in my day. Hip hop has since evolved. The difference is the sound output – while most artists are transitioning into this new age with the ratchet snares, over-simplistic rhyme skills, oddball engineering techniques, the approach of music is totally different. Some folks stick to their guns like myself and continue that vibe that’s so dope, so real – predating that bullshit. The concepts, the beats, all is fresh and genuine. A perfect example is this project by the Late 80’s. I think its really dope and ya’ll should definitely support the work: - HipHopNometry.org

One producer, one emcee, Bred Wondah and Alain the Don are a hip hop duo hailing from New York City, The Late '80s. the two released their debut EP "Sorry We're Late" back in September and to help spread the word we give you the Charles Hamilton featured joint "Charlie Collins". - OK-Tho.com

Alain The Don and Bred Wondah are The Late ’80s, a one MC and one DJ/Producer duo from New York City. With a gritty soulful sound reminiscent of Golden Era boom bap Hip Hop, yet unconventional and completely incomparable, The Late ’80s manage to bridge the gap between nostalgia and progression on their debut EP “Sorry We’re Late!” Their next release, a darker conceptual project called “The Hell Below”, should be dropping in December or early next year. - VintageMediaGroup.com

The Late ’80s sent me an email saying that they’re “the best shit out in NY” right now, and while I’m not sure about that, I can confirm the replay value of “Charlie Collins,” a soulful track featuring the one and only Charles Hamilton. Producer Bred Wondah and emcee Alain the Don give off a distinctly vintage style that pays homage to the era that they’re named for. Stream “Charlie Collins” below, and stream the full Sorry We’re Late album via Bandcamp. Look for The Hell Below to release some time in December. - ArtisticManifesto.com