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TRAP JAZZ Talks New Hulu Documentary, Building A Genre, Working with Jeezy, Cheef Keef & More
Aug 22, 2023
Have you ever heard of a genre called Trap Jazz? It's a unique blend of two completely different types of music- trap and jazz. If you're interested in discovering something new and exciting, then you should check out Trap Jazz. The Atlanta musicians behind this innovative sound, Chris Moten, Stixx Taylor, and Cassius Jay, have created a new documentary that talks about their journey and debuts on Hulu on August 23, 2023.
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TRAP JAZZ Talks New Hulu Documentary, Building A Genre, Working with Jeezy, Cheef Keef & More
https://youtu.be/Q-urLcfwIAA
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0:01
one of the true American
0:04
exports
0:07
started here
0:10
started with us
0:13
it's the genre called Jazz
0:16
music
0:18
all genres have an evolution hip-hop
0:21
doesn't sound the same as it sounded in
0:23
1973 right r b doesn't sound the exact
0:27
same as it sounded when Stack's records
0:30
was around and and Motown record and all
0:33
these different uh movements were around
0:35
and Jazz in itself has had to go through
0:37
a tremendous Evolution and it's been fun
0:40
to watch a lot of my friends like
0:43
Christian Scott like Robert Glasper a
0:47
lot of these Jazz musicians that are out
0:49
there doing some amazing work and listen
0:52
you don't have to be a super celebrity
0:54
to be a successful jazz musician you
0:57
don't have to be uh trending a trending
1:00
artist in order to really make a living
1:02
traveling around the world playing in a
1:04
collaborative effort with jazz you know
1:06
if you a jazz musician you truly are
1:08
doing it from the heart and it's coming
1:10
from a whole nother place and when you
1:13
start to contribute and add on to its
1:15
Traditions then you know you become a
1:18
Vanguard in a sense you becoming a
1:20
Pioneer in your own right there was
1:22
never a thing called trap Jazz
1:26
just some years ago it was never here
1:29
never it did not exist
1:32
we started this
1:34
okay and I want to welcome these
1:37
gentlemen if you look at the accolades
1:39
they worked with everybody from Justin
1:41
Bieber to Boys to Men uh to uh Zendaya
1:45
to zaytoven to Fantasia to Mary J Blige
1:50
have to be they even worked with Usher
1:52
uh Janet Jackson Janet Jackson Justin
1:54
Timberlake I don't know if I said him
1:56
already Justin Bieber okay I said to
1:59
other Justin all right and
2:01
the lips goes I can't name everybody
2:04
they they've worked with uh Flow Rider
2:06
included
2:08
um but they do phenomenal work I've seen
2:10
these guys over the years a matter of
2:13
fact Jay was here last time zaytoven was
2:15
here and I want to welcome them to the
2:17
show give it up for the fly
2:22
okay Chris what up Chris all right it
2:27
cashes Jay give it up for trap jazz
2:35
[Music]
2:37
come on man who loves Jazz call us up
2:41
888-742-3345 you love great music they
2:44
got a new documentary trap Jazz uh um
2:46
it's premiering August 23rd on Hulu
2:48
starring everyone from Christian Scott
2:51
Yung Joc Big Boy uh Quincy Jones Layla
2:54
Hathaway
2:55
Cassius J yes sir for the first time to
2:59
the world
3:00
what is trap Jazz trap jazz is uh
3:04
hip-hop music Atlanta South 808s uh a
3:08
lot of hi-hats the 808s that trap jazz
3:10
is trap Atlanta trap music Mr Jazz mixed
3:14
with jazz who was the first to kind of
3:17
step into that Chris Chris this guy
3:20
right here in the middle yeah see that's
3:21
he just thought this is what he said
3:23
look at Christmas looking at me like yo
3:24
yo hack that [ __ ]
3:28
hello
3:30
this year y'all better say the same [ __ ]
3:33
and Chris started this though Chris
3:35
started this yes sir what made you
3:37
started
3:38
um like you said we play and tour with a
3:41
lot of celebrity artists so it just
3:43
gotten to the point in my life where I
3:44
wanted to you know insert my own ideas
3:46
or have my own voice musically and uh
3:50
being from Atlanta we love trap music we
3:52
love hip-hop and I'm a Church musician
3:55
by heart you know a jazz musician I come
3:57
from that era so it's like how do we
4:00
have fun in hip-hop as a musician how do
4:03
we improvise how do we you know have a
4:05
free uh you know playing in in in in the
4:08
music how as instrumentalists how do we
4:10
get that off you know I'm saying that's
4:12
the Jazz so mixing them together was
4:15
just a dream to me if I could do two
4:17
then I'd be happy for the rest of my
4:18
life so there you go this guy with the
4:21
Trap having this guy do the drums and me
4:23
doing the jazz is is nothing better man
4:24
wow I love it man I love it dude are
4:27
there trap Jazz parties in an a right
4:29
now absolutely talk about that uh we've
4:32
been doing that for like the last what
4:33
five years or so yeah but okay five
4:36
years we do stuff every weekend whether
4:38
it's outside festivals or or just the
4:40
nearest club the local club or the local
4:42
restaurant we've been in in the Atlanta
4:44
circuit for about five years so Atlanta
4:46
knows about us and we're ready to take
4:48
it to the next level so y'all got a song
4:51
with Jeezy and Chief Keith I know that's
4:54
crazy
4:57
the hell yeah we had it we had to take
5:00
what came to us you know what I mean we
5:01
appreciate it the Chief Keef though I
5:03
love Chief Keef by the way man that's my
5:05
right hand man yeah that's your guy I
5:07
love Chief Keef I was um in Ghana with
5:10
his manager and we were just talking
5:12
about you know him his career and he
5:14
wanted to come back up on the show he
5:16
did an interview with us what was it
5:17
like working like what is his process
5:19
man that [ __ ] is just fast he like
5:21
little baby Gucci get in that mic get in
5:22
that mic he go real fast he real quick
5:24
man he'd even think about it twice let
5:26
me tell you I was working on Jesus the
5:28
session two ever okay so Jesus
5:39
you know it's normal to me so you know
5:43
that's what I do
5:46
[Music]
5:50
okay so so y'all in the studio so what
5:52
happened look I'm here I told Jesus
5:55
let's let's uh do something crazy with
5:57
the band I was working on I'm like I'm
5:58
gonna give you all these whatever I do
6:00
on your album I'm gonna give it to you
6:01
free if you just look out for me for
6:02
what I'm doing okay so Jesus go right in
6:04
boom lay it down in like five six I hit
6:07
chief of right in on face to hate she
6:08
you gotta do it man I said to the home
6:11
home like I don't know what it is but I
6:13
want to be a part of whatever it is here
6:16
she sent it back in 10 minutes
6:24
look it's 40 minutes after so by 50
6:27
minutes after you would have got diverse
6:28
back listen man 10 minutes
6:30
I promise you 10 minutes like anybody
6:33
that get involved with traffic they'd be
6:34
so excited about it they just go for it
6:36
they don't think about it she did that
6:38
man and it was a blessing because I was
6:41
able to keep them amped up you know hey
6:43
bro we got to keep going with this
6:44
because you know Jeezy excited Chief
6:47
Waka Flocka Jazz everybody excited about
6:48
this so it's like we got to keep going
6:51
uh-huh and that's what we're doing does
6:53
it does it um perform well with the dsps
6:57
man it did great yeah I can't say the
7:00
numbers but they probably can't over
7:01
there in the corner but yes it did but
7:02
you know what I mean like it's always
7:04
when you introducing something new to
7:06
the newer to a new generation it takes a
7:09
minute before a grab sticks what are
7:10
your thoughts on that man yeah it does
7:12
it does take a minute but I mean it's
7:14
been going so good so far man it's like
7:16
everybody was waiting on something new
7:18
like a new sound something okay so so
7:20
the kids care yeah the kids love it
7:23
that's what I'm asking I'm gonna have
7:25
them kids twerking on this trap Jazz
7:28
yes I'm sorry
7:31
I always say that I always say it's the
7:34
only Jazz yeah we took one of the songs
7:36
to the strip club and the strippers are
7:38
twerking to it yeah the strippers were
7:39
Church
7:40
make you shake your ass that's what I
7:42
said that's the Mantra one of the songs
7:44
called boot up they were twerking to it
7:46
in Platinum
7:49
so so what did you think of
7:52
um and I asked you this Chris you know
7:54
like The Tribe Called Quest to me uh are
7:57
a group that have really really
8:00
revolutionized how we use Jazz and
8:02
Hip-Hop same with Guru with the
8:04
jasmatazz series I was there when these
8:07
things were happening right all right
8:09
and so do you feel like that that's in
8:12
the same lineage what did you think
8:13
about those projects absolutely man I
8:16
mean uh in Atlanta we got like Russell
8:18
Gunn who does crunk Jazz yeah
8:21
and he been doing that for probably
8:23
about 15 maybe 20 years or more yeah he
8:28
told me he was like man you're doing the
8:29
same thing that we did we're just trying
8:30
to Evolution a lot of like evolutionize
8:32
it and make it different and innovating
8:34
so in our time it would be trap and his
8:36
time it would be Chrome crunk and their
8:38
time it would be something different but
8:39
it's all the same thing we're just
8:41
trying to find a way to make Jazz more
8:43
exciting and more um for the people than
8:45
it has been lately you know I mean I
8:47
love it let's play the song along with
8:50
um with Jeezy
8:52
and Chief Keef on it what's it called Go
8:55
Get It Go Get It we're gonna play that
8:57
song gonna upload these phone lines
9:00
888-742-3345 all right man that goes
9:03
hard right there
9:06
wow wow
9:09
[Applause]
9:12
that's on the EP right yeah and the EP
9:15
is out yes yeah I've been six songs I
9:18
think that's number six that's the sixth
9:20
song on it right yes sir yeah man oh
9:22
that's incredible I like that she keep
9:24
went all the way though yeah he reached
9:27
out there it went no ass no nothing I I
9:29
just put it together I cut it up man
9:31
that joker went for that bus sent me
9:33
like 32-64 ball
9:35
he sounds so different too like in a
9:39
great way you could tell he wanted to do
9:42
that you could hear it he wanted to do
9:43
that it came out natural yeah yeah I
9:46
feel like y'all energies marry each
9:47
other because at the heart of jazz is
9:49
spontaneity you know and so you just
9:52
feel all all of this fun I was thinking
9:54
about
9:55
um you know back in the day so many jazz
9:57
artists had humongous names you know I
10:00
think about everyone knew Duke Ellington
10:02
Miles Davis Coltrane and then we went
10:05
through some period where it was just oh
10:08
that's a musician right right but they
10:10
lost like a personal brand right how
10:13
important was it to y'all when you were
10:15
younger and is it to you now that people
10:18
not only know your your music but know
10:21
your name hmm it's super important to us
10:25
because you know our name and our music
10:26
that's our Legacy you know what I mean
10:28
so I want people to be able to put a
10:30
face with the music and the name with
10:33
the music also you know I mean not just
10:34
be called like a musician like cash this
10:36
out of time like you guys are artists
10:38
not just musicians yeah a lot of people
10:40
just come back oh yeah he's just the
10:42
drummer he's just a keyboard player but
10:43
we're not though you know what I mean
10:45
Superstar Superstars that's very
10:48
important it's super important what you
10:49
said is real back in the day those were
10:51
the top performers top acts in the
10:54
industry I was just saying that at a
10:55
show the other day like they was we was
10:57
throwing Our Ladies through our legs and
11:00
over the shoulders and spinning them
11:01
around and trap that's the trap part
11:04
you know how they used to dance
11:08
[Applause]
11:19
so we want to bring that excitement back
11:22
I mean like I said at some point it went
11:24
to that's just a musician we want to
11:26
bring that back yeah because they lost
11:27
the Artistry that's all it was they
11:29
forgot they were artists they might they
11:30
might have forgot who they was as a
11:31
person they didn't know what their
11:33
purpose was they forgot it that's my job
11:35
as a producing this group yeah let these
11:37
guys know what their purpose is as a
11:38
musician and artist they're not just
11:40
some cats that could play the piano and
11:42
they're drunk yeah he's a superstars
11:43
look how they look yeah
11:49
[Laughter]
11:59
don't lose who they are doing Jazz
12:01
that's why I bring the hip-hop too hey
12:03
man this is our culture this is what we
12:05
do dress like you dress and get on stage
12:07
and play you know people are like what
12:09
in the world like this I can't believe
12:10
he could play like that when they see me
12:12
play number one I'm big stock out of
12:14
like security they can't believe it they
12:16
like this Joker can play like this so I
12:19
got to make sure they remember what they
12:20
who they are yeah them Kings them
12:22
Superstars right I love them all three
12:25
of y'all yeah all three hey man you know
12:27
what cash is man I do I have to tell you
12:29
see I got a saxophone up oh
12:32
I grew up playing sacks so so we'll be
12:35
working I'm just saying if I warmed up
12:37
can I you know every now and then come
12:39
out on the stage
12:42
in front of you don't agree to that wow
13:02
foreign
13:09
use you
13:15
okay bro
13:30
you are the least supportive
13:34
thank you man we'll see you Wednesday
13:37
right all right you see me at the show
13:40
no you bring that joint bro that's gonna
13:42
boost the Raiders
13:55
I gotta buy some new some new reads for
13:58
my oh yeah you know they they oh they're
14:01
a little dirty
14:03
you know what it is okay hold on we got
14:05
Theo on the line from Raleigh what are
14:07
you from Raleigh is that North or South
14:09
North Carolina
14:11
go ahead man yeah I'm in Raleigh but I'm
14:14
from South Carolina and man I I I've
14:17
lived in Atlanta I lived in Atlanta for
14:18
a lot of years and I wish I'd known
14:20
about you guys because I wonder you know
14:23
what what venues do you guys play at you
14:26
sound like something that you would see
14:27
at the Apache Cafe back when it was the
14:30
yin game
14:36
and man you guys are like everything I I
14:39
thought about when I was a kid when I
14:42
was playing the sack I'm a jazz musician
14:44
I played the tennis saxophone nice and I
14:46
always wanted to make the first hip hop
14:48
Orchestra and then came the roots and
14:51
then came many other people but I would
14:53
love to hear trap Jazz oh my God just
14:57
the sound of it the combination sounds
15:00
like something that's new and fresh and
15:02
I what what venues do you guys play at
15:06
or do you play at any venues on a
15:08
regular
15:10
um for the most part we had like every
15:11
venue man Apache was actually our first
15:14
show in uh 2016. okay Apache Cafe but we
15:18
had you know we grew up in Apache if you
15:20
know if you know it's not a famous venue
15:22
yeah you come to Atlanta you gotta you
15:24
gotta stop by all the jam sessions it's
15:26
the gyms it's like Village or uh okay
15:28
you know new blue or anything like that
15:29
you got to come through Apache all the
15:31
greats come through there and play so
15:32
that was our first show at Apache and we
15:34
had a lot of spies you got sweet you got
15:36
me whiskey Mysteries you guys
15:38
yeah
15:40
every first Wednesday yeah I got a
15:43
residency yeah and then you can also
15:46
follow them at official trap well
15:57
uh Rita
16:00
I'm here Rita uh trap Jazz has a
16:03
documentary that premieres August 23rd
16:05
on Hulu are you going to watch it
16:07
yeah yeah because I heard you all
16:10
mention trap Jazz just anything
16:12
associated with jazz is like something
16:14
I'm I love it I absolutely love jazz so
16:18
yeah I definitely will thank you you
16:20
have a question for these fellas yeah
16:22
yeah I do because jazz music and General
16:25
has had such an influence on people you
16:28
know first for me it started with my
16:31
elders you know ancestors and whatnot
16:34
and then it just kind of trickled down
16:36
into me do you expect trap music to have
16:38
that same influence or kind of gravitate
16:40
to this generation with the same form of
16:43
like therapy you know the way
16:45
traditional jazz music has had an impact
16:48
on people absolutely yes I mean uh with
16:51
that I feel like we're that bridge
16:52
because we're not 21 and we're not 60.
16:56
so I grew up on a lot of that old music
16:59
Devin cast we all grew up on that music
17:01
so I feel like some of that is always is
17:03
going to trans translate to the Next
17:06
Generation so I feel like they're going
17:08
to be attached to it in the perfect way
17:10
where they'll take it and do their own
17:12
thing with it five ten years from now as
17:13
well so yeah we think we definitely feel
17:15
like it's going to have the same impact
17:17
hey Rita um make sure you get the EP
17:19
it's available now okay and make sure
17:21
you watch the doc you're a citizen
17:22
reader August 23rd on Hulu
17:26
make sure you check it out baby the
17:29
person that hung up had a comment about
17:31
the lyrics She said she loved the song
17:33
but uh what do we do about replacing the
17:36
words like [ __ ] and we don't you
17:38
don't know what you mean that's the hood
17:40
okay don't you when you go in the hood
17:41
they play with a bit Yeah that's the
17:43
hood we can't replace it that will make
17:45
it trap Jazz so if you want an
17:47
instrumental version without it maybe
17:48
we'll put it up but right now that's
17:50
what make us trap Jazz the words got to
17:52
stay because that's how they express
17:53
them says and somebody on the last card
17:56
he was talking about emotion and
17:58
expressing themselves that's what all
18:00
the artists do now they express
18:01
themselves through rap music hip-hop
18:02
trap music you got Broadway you got
18:04
little baby all those guys they're
18:06
expressing themselves that's that's they
18:07
they cope and they crying out on these
18:09
records so I couldn't change the records
18:10
that then it won't be it won't be us it
18:12
won't be on there it'll be regular Jazz
18:13
dude
18:14
he's saying some inspirational stuff if
18:17
you listen to every word okay it's very
18:19
inspirational yeah what you want people
18:21
to take away Chris from Trap Jazz what
18:23
you how you want them to experience this
18:26
um
18:27
like we said emotionally uh stuff we're
18:30
going through trap is passion
18:33
uh pain turned into success and my
18:37
biggest thing is that people relate to
18:39
us that our story is shared with them I
18:42
wouldn't trade my problems for yours but
18:43
maybe we could share them maybe we can
18:45
find a way to cope with them in this
18:47
life so and music has to be that you
18:50
can't it can't just be the turn of it
18:52
has to be therapeutic it has to be
18:54
medicine so I want people to use it for
18:57
their soul and their Spirit not just a
18:59
physical fun thing even though that's
19:01
there I want people to take away a
19:03
spiritual aspect of it and their own
19:06
individual way I love that man give
19:09
these guys a round of applause
19:17
thank you God I love you guys they
19:19
didn't believe in us but God did
19:23
the documentary premieres Wednesday
19:25
August 23rd on Hulu yes and Quincy Jones
19:28
Layla Hathaway Young Jock Big Boy a few
19:30
others to Jazz uh trap Jazz EP is
19:33
available now yeah listen with that song
19:36
again with Jeezy
19:38
and Chief and Chief Keef glow glow glow
19:41
again yes all right thank you they want
19:44
to reach you guys official trap Jazz yes
19:47
okay thank you man we're gonna do more
19:49
all right appreciate you thank you so
19:52
much
19:53
we performing at y'all win anything
19:55
y'all got going on
20:02
we'll be there
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