I've always liked JC Poppe. And have long respected his honestly through his music. I was first introduced to Poppe when he released Sleep Therapy, an album that comes literally from a sleeping disorder. Music was his outlet to keep mind or body occupied. It was “Mixtape Epidemic” off of that project which immediately caught my attention.
We've been cool ever since.
Back when I first interviewed Poppe he described his sound as a bit alternative Hip-Hop with major influences from Public Enemy and Rage Against The Machine. To boil it down, his sound is aggressive.
And with his two new projects, he continues to build using that aggressive sound.
Tea Party and Shadowland provide two parts of the talented Wisconsin native. Tea Party, in a sense is your traditional Hip-Hop project. And Shadowlands is a deeper look into the personal side of Poppe, which includes some highs and lows from the last few years of his life. Of the two, Shadwolands is the more heartfelt project because of it's deep connection to Poppe personally.
That's not to say that the content on Tea Party isn't heartfelt. It's just a different personal connection.
I don't think Shadowlands could survive without the other. They compliment each other too well. You get this hard-hitting Hip-Hop side of Poppe in Tea Party and through Shadowlands you get some raw material that comes from a deeper place. Once you hit play, you'll get the picture.
Recently, I reached out to Poppe for an interview. Check out the Q&A after the jump.
