Schoolboy Q:
Schoolboy Q, aka Quincy Hanley, is the California hip hop artist best known for his Oxymoron album release in 2012. Even though he’s only been rapping professionally since 2006, Schoolboy Q was able to secure a recording contract with Interscope Records in 2011/2012 alongside labelmates like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.
Q started his career with Top Dawg Entertainment, an independent record label that began to take him under his wing at the tender age of 21. Jay Rock and Ab-Soul of Top Dawg liked what they heard and continued to invite Q back until they eventually signed him in 2009. The generally positive reception to his mixtapes in 2008 and 2009 helped him start touring and getting material for his first independent album, Setbacks, in early 2011.
Setbacks was hardly a setback for Schoolboy Q; it brought critical acclaim, plenty of attention, and a large fan following. Building off that momentum, Q released Habits & Contradictions in 2012 and eventually announced his major label debut on Interscope Records. His various releases have shown just how flexible Schoolboy is with his rapping technique and rhyme style. Though he cites Jay-Z as a major influence, Schoolboy Q pulls some aggression from 50 cent and lyrical strength from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore.
20syl
20syl (pronounced “vin-sil”) is a producer, producer, and DJ extraordinaire from Nantes, France. He’s earned a solid reputation for his jazz, funk, and soul influences and for his collaborations with the likes of The Procussions and Thomas Lawrence.
Aside from his own blossoming solo career, 20syl has actually been a part of the musical landscape for over a decade thanks to collaborative projects with DMC World Team winners C2C and the acoustic hip-hop/jazz group, Hocus Pocus.
Where the magic happens:
If you haven’t already heard 20syl’s remix of the Schoolboy Q Rapfix Cypher, then you need to check it out pronto. It’s a masterfully smooth and professionally mixed recording of a Schoolboy Q freestyle. 20syl somehow takes a cypher full of pauses and stutters and turns it into a fresh and polished mix absolutely brimming with feeling and soul. Check out the song below!
Also, check out Xavier Capdepon’s dubstep remix of 20syl’s remix below!