Olskool Ice-Gre Perspective on Love Always

I am Olskool Ice-Gre, the male half of the legendary Chicago Hip Hop duo Abstract Mindstate . I'm an entrepreneur who has taken on many roles as a music and entertainment industry professional such as: Artist, A&R, Author, and Film/TV Producer. I am a true creative, so I create! 

My love and dedication to Hip Hop caused me to go through a lot of ups and down so I stepped away from being an artist for almost two decades and only concentrated on the business working behind the scenes with the biggest and brightest in the business. A opportunity was presented to me to step back in the forfront after this abbreviate stint and I found myself front and center yet again. This songs deals with the reality of a love lost and found.   

My earliest memory of listing to music was as a very young child (maybe 5 or 6), sitting next to my mom on Saturday mornings as she played the new albums she'd purchased the week prior. I'd sit right next to her as she placed the wax on her turntable looking at the artwork marveling at what I was seeing and hearing.  

My decision to become an artist happened in stages. First, I feel in love with Hip Hop after hearing Showdown -The Furious 5 Meets The SugarHill Gang. Sometime after that I started searching for more music like it and started writing raps two years later. I decided I wanted to be an artist (for real), when I first heard Reckless by Ice-T. Later, I decided to become a performer after hearing and seeing LL Cool J for the very first time.

This release plays into the Hip Hop genre as well as a genre I've done and continue to do the work to solidy, and that is Adult Contemporary Hip Hop.  

My style and sound has evolved tremendously over the past 3 years. I'm much more serious and in tune with my writing as it releates to wordplay, delivery and cadence.   

I explore a variety of themes throughout my music ranging from my love for the craft, the ups and downs I've experienced as an artist, the need for peace and proctecting your energy and repecting, valuing and cultivating relationships.

I've already gone on tour with Slum Village who are one of my favorite groups in Hip Hop but I'd love to tour with Kendrick Lamar. I feel his audience would love my music because they attend his concerts to hear meaningful, conscious, thought-provoking Hip Hop coupled with wordplay and a skilled delivery. That's exactly where I am as an artist and where my music lands.

I'd described my favorite artists music as Tranquility.

I'd say my music is Adult Contemporary Hip Hop. Traditional sensibilities (Boom Bap, Storytelling, Style, Consciousness), meets a current sound.  

If I could attend a performance by any artist dead or alive, it would be Prince. I choose him because I was/am a huge fan of him and his artisty and I didn't get to see him live before he transitioned and he is hands down the ultimate artist/performer of my generation. 

One of my favoite songs made is a song called "Alex In Wonderland" from The Gregarious Mixtape. I was in a zone when I wrote it. That song was on another level in terms of my flow and wordplay. The creative direction was inspired by one of my real friends who I based the character Alex off of. Also, the song was only a verse long with no hook, which made it very interesting and play back worthy.

If I could only listen to 3 artist the rest of my life it would be De La Soul, New Edition and Sade. I pick those 3 because De La is my all time favorite Hip Hop group and one of the most profound groups to ever do it so I never get tired of hearing their music. New Edition are my favorite R&B group in exitence and the best to ever do it in their space. We all need peace and mental relaxation and Sade's music is that. You literally can exhale and let go to music by Sade everytime.

My dream performance looks like Glastonbury Festival. 

All of the artists and musicians once dreamed of collaborating with have passed on. There are several I'd collaborate with that are still here but I can't say any of them fall into a dream space in terms of artistsic collaboration. 

The strangest place I discovered a new song was in the car, on the road, driving to Mississippi from Chicago. I was in an area somewhere deep in rural Illinois unable to get a signal for any station except one and a song came on so many times I started loving it and it later became a huge hit.

When people listen to my music I want them to feel good and interested in hearing more. 

Three words I'd like my fanbase to describe me as is creative, talented and undeniable.

My faorite way of sharing my music is live.

I practice all the time and my dedication to practicing hasn't changed over time.

The most memorable response I've had to my work was the audience at every stop of the month long European tour Imy group Abstract Mindstate embarked on with Slum Village in the Spring of 2024. 

My definition of success as an artist is having a core fanbase that consistently supports your releases and pay to see you perform. The way I measure success as an artist is being able tour internationally and make a comfortable living off of your art.

I plan on being a game changer within my genre by expanding the Rap/HipHop category at award shows and commercial radio to include a genre I call Adult Contemporary Hip Hop or ACH. This expansion will created the much needed diversity and inclusion the game needs as it relates to Rap/HipHop music.

The role the artist has in our society is to create a moment of joy, escapism and musical entertainment. 

A song that represents success to me is Lovely Day by Bill Withers. I feel this way because happiness is the end goal of why we do any and everything. Lovely Day (in my opinion) represents the pinnacle of reaching nirvana so to speak. That song speaks to reaching the height of satisfaction. Total peace and happiness is 100% success at the highest level. 

My scariest experience while persuing music was losing it all financially and having to start over because I took a chace on managing an undeserving artist. 

My most embarrassing moment while pursuing music was having to move in with my Mother until I got back on my feet.

If I could alter the music business in any way I would change how record labels and music executives robbed artists of their music rights and finances. This is important because tradition and practices would be 360 degress different and the music business we know to day would be a much more fun and happier place for creatives.  

The jobs I've done outside of being an artist is: Publicity, Street Promotions, A&R, Management, Personal Assistant, and label owner.

The way my other passions have reinforced my process of making music is having a full understanding of the work that goes into every role on a team. 

Being an artist has never made my life lonely but I have found myself more dedicated to my craft than a past releationship. The way I counteract this is by not allowing the music or business of, to be my everything. It's about living life and enjoying things and friends outside of your life as a recording artist.

I define having an artistic outlook on life as colorful. Artists think outside of the box, so approaching life with that mentality makes the simplest of things a lot more interesting. 

My favorite work of art is my current 6 song ep "Yall Ready For Some Hip Hop?"

The mediums of art I most identify with is music and archetecture.

Three artist I'd life to be compared to are Common, J Cole and KRS-ONE.

The most significant lesson I've learn is not to expect people to treat you like you treat them.

The main reason driving me to continue to make music is my love of live performance and creating thought-provoking Hip Hop that touch people. 

My overarching goal as an artist is to create an income stream from a core international fanbase that allows me to tour the world whenever I want.