Bay Area, California rapper Alpha Leo presents ‘Annointed’, his new single produced by Jean-Pierre Mouzon, the son of the jazz legend Alphonse Mouzon. Alpha Leo ran for president last year under his new government name of Hip Hop For President, and his policies included legalizing cannabis, reparations for African-Americans, legislation against police brutality, and college grants for high school students with at least a C average. Alpha Leo released the David & Goliath mixtape in 2012, and also released D&G2 single ‘Jesus Was Black’. His 2009 single “My Time Now†spent four weeks at the number one spot on Hartford, CT radio station KISS 95.7’s Underground Countdown. His presidential bid received coverage in The Source and on KCBS. “Black people always get fooled every election cycle,” Alpha Leo says about the song Annointed. “I wrote Annointed in an attempt to show my qualifications for such of a high position of office POTUS. I knew that people would wonder about my qualifications, so Annointed is a song that I formed showing people that my qualifications are approved from a Divine entity far greater than human approval.â€
SFHH: You have a unique style. What do you think were the big factors that contributed to its development?
Alpha Leo: Most rappers try to fit a format that they were taught is acceptable when writing songs which result in most rappers having identical content. They might have different deliveries, but the content is the same. The reason for this is the lack of authenticity in hip hop music. The record industry has also laid down a blueprint format for radio play, recognition and getting signed. They have convinced the culture that you cant be successful if you aren’t fitting the format and ten times out of ten they aren’t going to even give you a chance to prove them different. Its kind of similar to what Hollywood has done to black films with serious Black lead actors for decades. They would use excuses not to finance these films.
They would tell the creators that audiences don’t want to see those types of movies. They would tell them that black films don’t sell and if you have a black film it better be a comedy, a slave movie, or show dysfunction..and then glorify the movie by giving it Oscars like the movies Precious, Twelve Years A Slave, and Moonlight..but it has been proven that black movies do sell..in fact..they are even more successful than the usual Hollywood format. This type of format holds truth to the music industry also. The format is clear. Just turn on any top 40 hip hop radio station and you will hear how clear the format is. They will like for you to believe that a rapper cant be successful if he doesn’t fit a gutter and ratchet format. They will accept a young black man bragging about how many pills he can pop, but reject a young black man like myself rapping about getting into the White House and destroying white supremacy in politics.
When I write songs I make sure that I’m writing through my own perspectives in life. I don’t chase the format. I don’t write a song trying to fit in what corporate labels want. I write to relay a message and connect with the audiences that can never hear their perspectives in the mainstream. I write music to wake people up. I write to inform people about my Presidential candidacy. Nobody else is rapping that way because nobody else is doing it. That’s why I sound different.
SFHH: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in the music game so far?
Alpha Leo:Â The most important thing I learned is consistency. You have to keep pushing. People have to continuously see your brand. They have to continuously hear your music. That way you won’t fade out.
Related: Alpha Leo – Annointed
SFHH:Â How are you continuing your political career from this point, with the election now over?
Alpha Leo:Â Running for Congress in mid term 2018. Running for President in 2020.
SFHH: How do you feel about the state of race relations in America today.
Alpha Leo:Â There aren’t any race relations. It’s only white supremacy. It definitely isn’t improving. It’s getting worse. Donald Trump signed an executive order that makes resisting arrest a hate crime against police officers. You can only imagine which group of people are going to be affected by that bill the most. Private prison stocks have shot through the roof and Trump is crimalizing Cannibus use even more. He’s almost the exact opposite of me. I will make a great contrast against him in 2020.
SFHH: What do you think are the ingredients that make a classic rap album?
Alpha Leo:Â A classic rap album stands the test of time. If a kid twenty years from now can play your album and find it relevant for his society then that’s what makes classic material. How does an album change the culture or contribute to the culture in a positive way? How did it make a mark? How was the quality musically, lyrically, and how it was delivered? “David And Goliath Part 2: Paradigm Shift” is an example of this. It is the first hip hop album ever released from a Presidential candidate. They are going to talk about this album in the history books. The content also deals with informative topics relating to politics in America and how it relates to Black people, and ideas of ways how we can destroy white supremacy…and the delivery, artistic lyricism, and production quality is second to no one.
