Fluid

Artist: Fluid
Album: Unexpected Greatness
Review by Alex Henderson


Many of the southern rappers who have emerged in the 21st Century have been more than happy to live up to the over-the-top stereotypes of Dirty South hip-hop. They display images that are cartoonishly decadent and hedonistic, they thrive on gangsta posturing, they are over-the-top in their materialism, and they love to rap about expensive liquor, sex with multiple partners and “getting crunk in the club.” But Atlanta native Christopher Coleman, a.k.a. Fluid, defies those Dirty South stereotypes on his first full-length album, Unexpected Greatness. Fluid doesn’t try to hide the fact that he is from A-Town; Fluid mentions Atlanta more than once on this 2011 release, but he avoids the familiar money/sex/gangsta/crunk/clubbin’ mantra that is so common among rappers who live south of the Mason Dixon Line. Actually, the image that Fluid projects on Unexpected Greatness is somewhat of an old-school b-boy image.

Fluid spends a lot of time boasting about his rhyming skills and makes it clear that he isn’t afraid to battle sucker MCs; in other words, he is embracing a time-honored hip-hop theme that goes back to the late 1970s with pioneers like Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the Treacherous Three and Spoonie G and is still part of the picture in 2011. MCs have been boasting, battling, dissing and talking about sucker MCs for more than 30 years, and that part of hip-hop culture remains. But Fluid isn’t b-boy-ish in a northeastern way. Historically, b-boy-type MCs from New York City, Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey have been known for their complex rhyming styles and their obsession with vocal technique; Fluid’s rapping style, however, is simpler and more relaxed. Fluid flows like he’s from the South even though he rejects the fantasy-oriented cartoonishness that many Dirty South rappers thrive on.

The tracks that Fluid raps vary, ranging from low-key tracks to tracks with big, sweeping, dramatic grooves. And some of the big, sweeping, dramatic grooves on this album have a rock influence; “Golden Child,” “Outro,” “Nothing to Lose,” “More Than Friends” and the single “So Fly” are among the more rock-influenced offerings on Unexpected Greatness. “Golden Child,” in fact, incorporates some singing that wouldn’t be out of place on a progressive metal album. But other times, Fluid achieves that bigness without the rock element. “Delirious,” for example, is closer to European trance than it is to rock. Meanwhile, the tunes that opt for more low-key tracks include “Style Like Mine,” “Love of Money” and “Sucker Free.”

The most materialistic song on this album is “Love of Money,” but even on that tune, Fluid ultimately draws some sensible conclusions. Fluid raps about how challenging it can be to pursue a career in the music industry, and he candidly states that yes, he wants to make a lot more money and live comfortably. The sensible part comes into play when Fluid says that if he makes as much money as he would like to make, he plans to invest that money wisely and plan for the future rather than blowing it all at once on luxuries and impractical things. Considering how many rappers have lived beyond their means over the years and gone broke unnecessarily, Fluid’s advice to invest one’s money wisely (thus turning it into even more money) rather than pissing it away in a hurry is refreshing.

Most of the rhymes on this 65-minute CD are boasting rhymes, but Fluid strays from that boasting orientation on “I Ain’t Got It.” Humorous but biting, “I Ain’t Got It” is an attack on golddiggers and material girls. Some will claim that “I Ain’t Got It” is sexist, which it isn’t; the tune is critical of some women, but it isn’t critical of women in general (only golddiggers). And even though “I Ain’t Got It” has nothing nice to say about golddiggers, Fluid isn’t trying to say that women on the whole are like that. So no, “I Ain’t Got It” is neither sexist nor misogynist.

Occasionally, Fluid gets into social commentary. The Atlantan raps about how screwed up the world is on “Redemption” (which has both a rock influence and a reggae influence), and “Sleepwalking” (a song that talks about everything from drug trafficking to teenage pregnancy). “Redemption” and “Sleepwalking” are equally memorable, and both of them make one hope that Fluid will make social commentary a higher priority on future albums. Fluid doesn’t need to do away with boasting rhymes altogether, although he would do well to increase the social commentary and cut back on the boasting on his next release.

Unexpected Greatness is a remarkable, worthwhile, and respectable album. And it will be interesting to see what this southern MC comes up with in the future.
- Alex Henderson

Fluid
www.twitter.com/THEREALFLUID

MIL: MUSIC IS LIFE MAGAZINE IS HERE WITH LOUDMOUF MUZIK'S OWN FLUID, CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS?

F: YES, AS STATED MY NAME IS FLUID, IM A 25 YEAR OLD EMCEE AND ATLANTA'S BEST KEPT SECRET....BUT NOT FOR LONG!

MIL: HOW DID YOU GET THE NAME FLUID?

F: WELL, I STARTED RAPPING BACK IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHEN I GOT TO MY SOPHOMORE YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD BECOME PRETTY GOOD AT FREESTYLING AND BATTLING, I REMEMBER FLIPPING THROUGH MY CHEMISTRY BOOK IN CLASS ONE DAY AND SAW THE WORD FLUID, IT WAS DEFINED AS ANYTHING THAT FLOWS, SO I THOUGHT THE NAME FIT ME PERFECT SO IT STUCK SINCE THEN.

MIL: IF YOU HAD TO DEFINE YOUR SOUND, WHAT TERM WOULD YOU USE?

F: I WOULD HAVE TO USE THE TERM ECLECTIC. I HAVE SUCH A DIVERSE TASTE IN MUSIC AND IT SHOWS IN MY BODY OF WORK.

MIL: WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST MEMORIES OF HIP-HOP MUSIC?

F: MY FIRST MEMORY OF HIP HOP WAS AROUND THE MID 90'S WHEN REALLY GREAT MUSIC WAS BEING PUT OUT. ESPECIALLY ME BEING FROM THE SOUTH I WAS BIG ON OUTKAST AND GOODIE MOB. I REMEMBER BUYING THEIR AQUEMNI ALBUM AND BEING AMAZED AT THE CREATIVITY AND LYRICISM. I ALSO GOT INTO NAS, DMX, AND EM AT TIME ALSO, SO WHEN I STARTED PLAYING WITH RHYMES I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A DOPE LYRICIST.

MIL: WHO ARE THE ARTISTS THAT HAVE SHAPED YOUR MUSIC?

F: I HAVE QUITE A FEW, 2PAC, OUTKAST, GOODIE MOB, SCARFACE, UGK, NAS, EMINEM, ICE CUBE, DMX, BUSTA RHYMES

MIL: WHAT TYPE OF MESSAGE ARE YOU TRYING TO SEND THRU YOUR MUSIC?

F: I FEEL LIKE ANY ART BE IT MUSIC, DRAWING, MOVIES, LITERATURE, SHOULD BE USED TO SAY SOMETHING PERTINENT. WITH MY MUSIC I TRY TO MAKE SONGS THAT PEOPLE CAN REALLY RELATE TO, SONGS THAT TOUCH PEOPLE, I FEEL GOD GAVE ME THIS GIFT FOR A REASON MORE THAN TO GET A BUNCH OF MONEY AND BRAG ABOUT IT.

MIL: WHAT PROJECTS HAVE YOU RELEASED IN THE PAST?

F: BACK IN 08 I RELEASED A SINGLE CALLED "I RUN THIS." IT DID PRETTY WELL; IT GOT AIRPLAY ON V103 BY DJ GREG STREET.

MIL: WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH U.K. DJ, DJ AMES?

F: DJ AMES IS GOOD PEOPLE; I DID A RECORD ABOUT A YEAR AGO CALLED "DELIRIOUS" THAT HE PUT ON ONE OF HIS MIXTAPES. SO WHEN I REACHED OUT TO HIM TO DO SOME WORK ON MY ALBUM HE WAS COOL, HE'S OVERSEAS SO WE JUST EMAILED TRACKS BACK N FORTH AND KNOCKED IT OUT.

MIL: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT LOUDMOUF MUZIK, INC.?

F: BACK IN 2008 I HAD A COUPLE OF PEOPLE THAT HAD LABELS MAKING ME PROMISES THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PUT ME ON AND EVERYTHING, BUT NEVER DID. SO I WAS LIKE IM NOT GOING TO SCREW MYSELF OVER, SO I DECIDED TO START MY LABEL. I HAD BEEN USING THE NAME LOUDMOUF FOR A MINUTE BUT I JUST MADE IT OFFICIAL ON PAPER WITH THE IRS AND GOT INCORPORATED. RIGHT NOW I'M FOCUSED ON MY CAREER, BUT ONCE IM ON THE POSITION TO, I WANT TO HELP OUT OTHER TALENTED INDIVIDUALS AND BUILD A ROSTER OF RAPPERS, SINGERS, AND BANDS.

MIL: WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE BENEFITS OF HAVING YOUR OWN LABEL AS OPPOSED TO BEING ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S LABEL?

F: THE BENEFITS OF HAVING MY OWN LABEL ARE THAT I HAVE THE ROOM TO CREATE WHAT I WANT AND EXECUTE MY VISION. NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHAT KIND OF MUSIC TO MAKE; THE MAIN CON IS FINANCIAL ASPECT. ARTISTS HAVE TO REALIZE THAT YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO INVEST IN YOUR OWN CAREER. A LOT OF TIMES YOU HAVE TO PAY THINGS IN INCREMENTS, STUDIO TIME, PHOTOGRAPHY, MIXING/MASTERING, DUPLICATION, BUT LIKE I SAID HAVING THAT CREATIVE CONTROL IS A GREAT FEELING.

MIL: FLUID LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR ALBUM "UNEXPECTED GREATNESS", WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THAT TITLE?

F: LIKE I SAID, I'M ATLANTA'S BEST KEPT SECRET, SO THE CONCEPT OF "UNEXPECTED GREATNESS" IS SIMPLY THAT THE MUSIC ON THE ALBUM IS GREAT MUSIC, AND SINCE IT'S MY 1ST LP NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECTED, SO ITS UNEXPECTED GREATNESS.

MIL: WHO DID YOU WORK WITH ON THE PROJECT?

F: ON THE PRODUCTION SIDE I WORKED WITH RASHAD THOMPSON OF 2SERIOUS PRODUCTIONS, SOUNDMOB, MOVIN KEYS PRODUCTIONS, JOHN PIERRE BEATZ, FREEK VAN WORKUM, GENIUS BOY, BIG BOY TRAX, YOUNG DRU, AND T-RIFIK PRODUCTIONS. ON THE ARTIST SIDE I WORKED WITH VOCALIST MISS CC LAFLOR, RICHARD WHITE OF THE ROCK BAND "FOR THE WAIT," AND DJ AMES.

MIL: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE TRACK ON THE ALBUM?

F: MY FAVORITE TRACK IS #2 "NOTHING TO LOSE," IT'S A TRACK THAT REALLY SHOWS MY MINDSET NOW, THAT I'M FOLLOWING MY DREAMS, I HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. IT'S A REAL HARD TRACK AND THE LYRICS ARE DOPE, LIKE I SURPRISED MYSELF ON THAT SONG.

MIL: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR SONG "SO FLY"?

F:"SO FLY" IS THE FIRST SINGLE OFF MY ALBUM. SHOUTOUT TO GENIUS BOY ON THE PRODUCTION. BUT IT'S A REAL FUN RADIO FRIENDLY SONG. BUT GOING DEEPER, IT'S A SONG ABOUT INDIVIDUALITY, YOU CAN BE FLY WITH YOUR OWN STYLE, SO MANY PEOPLE FOLLOW TRENDS, YOU CAN BE YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR OWN STYLE AND SWAGGER. IT'S A COMMERCIAL SONG, BUT NOT TOO COMMERCIAL TO WHERE I COMPROMISED MY ART.

MIL: DO YOU THINK HIP-HOP HAS GONE TOO COMMERCIAL OR THE POETRY OF HIP-HOP HAS DISAPPEARED?

F: HIP HOP HAS GOTTEN TOO COMMERCIAL, BUT IT'S GETTING BETTER. I FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU LISTEN TO A SONG YOU SHOULD GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT. 90% OF ARTISTS NOW DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING OF SUBSTANCE TO RAP ABOUT. RAPPERS NOWADAYS ARE JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY SO YOU GET A LOT OF MEDIOCRE MUSIC THAT ISN'T TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING. BUT LIKE I SAID MUSIC IS TAKING A TURN WHERE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO HAVE TALENT, I LIKE SOME NEW CATS COMING OUT LIKE B.O.B., J. COLE, JAY ELECTRONICA, YELAWOLF, TRIPP LEE, JUST TO NAME A FEW.

MIL: WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH IN THE FUTURE?

F: IT'S FUNNY, I WAS ACTUALLY TALKING TO SCARFACE ON TWITTER SENT HIM SOME OF MY MATERIAL, I'D LOVE TO COLLAB WITH HIM, HE IS THE FOUNDER OF REAL SOUTHERN HIP HOP. I ALSO WANT TO COLLAB WITH OUTKAST, J. COLE, MIKE BIGGA, AND B.O.B. JUST TO NAME A FEW.

MIL: WHO IS THE SINGLE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE?

F: MY MOTHER, SHE RAISED ME BY HERSELF WITH NO HELP AND INSTILLED THE VALUES OF HARD WORK AND NEVER GIVING UP.

MIL: SO WHAT'S NEXT FOR FLUID?

F: WELL I'M RELEASING MY ALBUM NEXT MONTH IN A JOINT DEAL WITH MY LABEL AND 101 DISTRIBUTION; I AM PLANNING TO PLAY A LOT OF SHOWS AND MUSIC FESTIVALS THIS YEAR. THERE IS A LOT IN THE WORKS THAT I CAN'T SAY YET UNTIL THEY ARE FULLY CONFIRMED. I AM GOING TO SHOOT A VIDEO FOR SO FLY AND RELEASE THE NEXT SINGLE "NOTHING TO LOSE." I'M ALSO IN THE PREWRITING STAGES FOR MY NEXT ALBUM "BORN TO LOSE DESTINED TO WIN." WHICH I PLAN TO RELEASE LATER THIS YEAR.

MIL: TELL YOUR FANS WHERE THEY CAN FIND YOU ONLINE. SHARE SOME HELPFUL LINKS SO THEY CAN FIND YOU.

F: I'M ON TWITTER @THEREALFLUID, MYSPACE.COM/THEREALFLUID, AND MY OFFICIAL SITE, WWW.THEREALFLUID.COM

MIL: MUSIC IS LIFE MAGAZINE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING A BREAK FROM RECORDING TO DO THE INTERVIEW WITH US TODAY. DO YOU HAVE ANY LAST WORDS?

F: I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME OUT TO TALK WITH ME, EVERYONE OUT THERE SUPPORT REAL HIP HOP. THANKS AND GOD BLESS!

- Music Is Life Magazine

Definitely this has been a long time in the making but you know what they say, "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait". This scenario definitely proves no different. I'd like to welcome Fluid to the Platinum Dreamz family, the deal was sealed for a minute but as an artist Fluid does not drop any music unless he is 100% satisfied. Let's just say you (the audience) are in for a treat. Remember the name, because it will be flashing in lights very soon. Without further adieu, Welcome to Fluid's World!!!

- Platinum Dreamz Entertainment