23-year-old Kawan Moore, professionally known as “Hommeboy”, is a name you’ll want to get familiar with in 2018. With plans to be a household name by 2020, the multi-disciplinary artist who views himself as a product of both Atlanta and the internet is re-defining music, art and fashion with an eclectic style that defies stereotypes and labels.
Hommeboy exudes impending stardom for reasons beyond sharing the same birthday as superstars Rihanna and Kurt Cobain. His vibe is both fluid and grounded. Rapping over upbeat house and electronic music, Hommeboy’s infectious, funky mashup of rhythmic hip-hop and pop sounds is ushering in a new era of artistry. Infused with messages of positivity and the beauty of embracing duality and temporality, his music aims to fill a void in the musical space that people are beginning to crave more and more as an escape from the typical themes explored in most mainstream music; especially in the booming arts and music scene in Atlanta.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the Atlanta native by way of Patterson, NJ to discuss how he was first introduced into the music industry and what his future plans are as an artist.
With freshly dyed bleach blonde eyebrows, black platform boots and yellow tinted frames, Hommeboy made himself comfortable in a green leather chair tucked away neatly in the back corner of a Southside Starbucks. His mature composure and down to earth personality literally makes you feel as if you’re just talking to your homeboy. He and professional photographer, Christian Cody had just wrapped up a day of shooting at Christian’s studio in Stockbridge, GA and were still reeling from the collaborative creative energy of building their first set together.
B: I read that you’ve been writing since you were 8. Were you writing musically then or just in general?
H: I was definitely writing musically, but I’ve just always loved to write. I liked writing stories in school too. I was definitely a language arts kids. Anything that allowed me to write, I loved.
My dad was a writer too. He goes by the name DILLAGAF, all caps. He did some writing jobs for a little while and wrote songs for Gwen Stefani and the Ying Yang Twins. It’s such a contrast, I know, but he’s really well known in New Jersey for writing raps. He used to tell me when I was younger that DILLAGAF stood for “Do It Look Like I Got A Future” but it actually stands for “Do It Look Like I Give A [FUCK].”
B: What a nice way to spin that around.
H: Yeah, you know? But he has all this memorabilia and all these vests and stuff that he used to rock when he was in his 20s. Just growing up watching my dad writing, I thought, “I want to do this too”, and then I just started writing about the weirdest things, like chicken nuggets, but it just felt so natural. Once I started writing, I just couldn’t stop. I felt like it was the way that I breathed.
B: When you write, do you already have certain sounds, rhythms or melodies in your head? How does it work when it comes to production and how you put songs together?
H: Just being part of the Internet generation, I started by finding different tracks online and writing to some experimental things. Currently, I rap to house and electronic music, but at first I was rapping to hip-hop tracks because I saw my dad doing it. When I got older, I starting hearing all different kinds of music, so I started writing to instrumental bands and electronic groups that I would kind of discover.
I was like ‘whoa, these actually need words.’ I would write to bands like Crystal Castles, an electronic group that was popular back in the day, and some other weird bands, like The Octopus Project.
B: Yeah, I listened to a lot of alternative music like rock, punk and a lot of pop for the longest until I got a little older. Then when I did get into hip-hop, I always felt like I was trying to catch up, so I listened to a lot of old school stuff like Big Daddy Kane and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth.
H: Yeah, it’s crazy because I only heard old school hip-hop in my earlier years growing up because of my dad. He listened to a lot of conscious rap too which really taught me about wordplay and being able to rap about positive things.
B: Yeah, and it doesn’t have to be super convoluted. It can be simple and still say something really powerful and meaningful.
H: Exactly. When I started to have more options in music, I started to shift away from that, but that will always be a part of the foundation of who I am.
B: So I hear that you recently decided to quit smoking?
H: I did! 10 days strong right now, actually.
B: I noticed a common theme in a lot of your music addresses being present more or just being in the moment. Was this a decision you made during the process of making the EP or afterwards? And how much would you say smoking was a part of your process as an artist?
H: Well, the realization to stop smoking just came recently. And, you know, I love smoking weed, I think it’s amazing, but I just know that I have a really good personality and I love connecting with people, and sometimes it just gets me in this zone where I don’t really want to talk to people. I just want to stay in this introspective state. So it was great for creativity and writing, and for when you have that time alone, but then when I would get around people, even sometimes the next day, it would just feel so awkward when I would talk to people, and I’m just not like that.
B:I want to talk a bit about your first EP, FUNKWITME. I love the sound. It’s so unique and not indicative of anything that’s coming out of Atlanta right now.
H: This EP is actually something I recorded when I was 19. It’s so crazy because I just spent a couple sessions recording this project in Atlanta. It was amazing, but I just felt like it wasn’t the time when I released it; like it wasn’t ready or something. I didn’t feel like I was getting the reach. I was getting discouraged because I didn’t have as many followers and it wasn’t getting that many plays. But I was just younger too and I had a younger mindset.
B: Soundcloud will do that to you.
H: It will! Now I have a whole new spirit because I can’t worry about those things. But this is just a testament that true things will stand the test of time. Some people think they’re not good just because they don’t have the reach. If you have 50 followers and only 2 people hear it and 2 people say you’re great, then you’re doing great. Even if nobody says you’re great, you’re still doing great, but I didn’t realize that at the time. I was promoting it for a little bit, and then took it offline after about a month or so.
B: Sometimes you’re a little early. You can be ahead of your time.
H: I appreciate that. I feel like my dad has that same flow. Some of the songs I’ve heard that he made in the 80s I’m just like, dang, I’m about to take this like, tomorrow. I just had to realize, when you’re a person who’s creating in that frame, you can’t worry about things like time or likes. It’s so easy to get caught up in all that.
B: So what led you back to the FUNKWITME project?
H: When I took it off line, I started working with this space called 787 Windsor as the Creative Director for AFROPUNK. Music is definitely my main flow, but I love building and coming up with ideas too. We turned it [787 Windsor] from an empty warehouse into a graffiti hub, and it was cool to see that happen, but in my heart I knew I still had this project and I was still writing everyday.
After taking some time to get more grounded, I revisited FUNKWITME, and just thought, “This is the time. I want people to funk wit me – this needs to be first. You finna hear from me.” So I said no matter what happens, who hears it or how many people like it, I’m gonna put this out first.
B: What was your original vision for this project?
H: I originally released the EP under my real name, Kawan, then a little later, I started going by Hommeboy. I was getting into Atlanta’s social scene more and I love connecting with people, so I just felt like, I’m your homeboy. But it’s been really cool because now I’m starting to see what that really means for me. All of my music is about duality; masculine vs. feminine, adult vs. youth. I’m just stepping into that and owning it a little more. That’s what FUNKWITME is all about. It’s a little bit of funk, a dose of wit and a lot of me.
B: To go a little deeper on the topic of duality, how much of your look, your sound, and your overall aesthetic plays into who you are as an artist?
H: I believe in the multi-dimensionality of artistry. I don’t just think of myself as a musician. When I hear my music, I also think about what visuals will go with it. I think about what the live set will look like. I think about all these things, so it’s all tied together with how I dress. It all goes back to duality for me and that’s what Hommeboy is all about.
Even with the FUNKWITME EP, I’ve been really focused on formulating the visuals and trying to paint the picture a little more for the people I want to reach. I’m trying to get people to understand my flow – it’s a little different, and to also not look at me as just a rapper, you know. I’m an artist, but I look at myself as a pop star.
B: How would you describe your style?
H: It’s also all about duality. It can be super chill or really extreme, but I feel like it’s very open and malleable. I’m definitely an evolutionist. I believe my sound is always evolving; we’re all always evolving if we allow ourselves too. I believe my style is always evolving. I think it’s simple with a pop of eccentricity. I don’t have much money to paint myself in some of the pictures I see myself in sometimes, but you know, you make due at the thrift stores and you just do what you gotta do. But I love Doc Martens or just a good boot in general because I love stompin’ around Atlanta, hoppin’ on the train, trackin’ through the snow. Just whatever.
And I go through different phases too. I went through one phase where I only wore Adidas suits and cowboy boots. Now I feel like these Harley Davidson boots are the thing that I just throw on right now. You know when you connect with your favorite shoe.
B: Yes, and you figure out all different kinds of looks to go with them. Do you pull from any pockets of subculture?
H: I’m definitely Afropunk, I’m definitely an afro-futurist. There’s definitely a punk influence. I feel like it’s punk meets monk in a way because it’s just really peaceful, but then I’ll throw on the all black. I really like the idea of uniformity with pops of eccentricity.
B: You were recently featured as a guest on Atlanta’s 9 to 5 TV, (a digital art exhibition that dissolves the boundary between artist and audience by way of an experimental live stream and emerging interfaces). How was that experience?
H: That experience was so cool. I really feel like I’m an artist of the Internet age and we’re just craving new shit. I’m just trying to do things and be a part of things that cater to new shit. I love doing concept shows. I’ll probably never do a show on a basic stage. I love set building and giving people an experience. One show I performed behind a glass and someone actually saw me there and asked me to be a part of the 9 to 5 project. I performed in front of a green screen and helped conceptualize that. I love painting the picture in that way, with experience. It blew me away to see it afterwards.
B: Do you see your music fitting in the vein of high fashion culture or influencing that space at all?
H: Yeah. When you think about an artist like Prince, of course you think about the music first, but then you think about how his fashion matches his music. I know Purple Rain paved the way for an artist like me and he was always great at duality, which is what I’m trying to master as well. I want my nephew to know that he can be a black dude and a pop star and wear big platform shoes if he wants to. Prince did that for me.
I definitely make music for the fashion world, but I make music for the regular Joe’s too. Fashion is such a powerful form of expression and music is such a powerful form of expression, so when you combine the two and are you’re completely formless and boundless in those, you’re floating through everything.
B: What message do you want people to take away from your music and your artistry as a whole?
H: I see myself as a friend of the world – a friend of all people. I’m looking forward to meeting people all over the world through my craft and spreading love and positivity. I love rapping to house because it’s just laced with positivity. I want to make sure I’m putting positive affirmations into your ears. Even if you don’t get it now, I can hopefully make you feel good and make you feel something.
I want people to know that the future is not some far off, distant utopian reality. The future is here now. It’s 2018 and we can do whatever we want, be whoever we want, at any given time. 20 years from now we’ll see how big this moment is. I feel like no one can ever truly feel the power of their time. We’re coming up on 100 years after the Roaring Twenties and it feels like we’re entering another Roaring Twenties now. I’m glad that we as people of color are realizing our true worth. This is the first time we’ve ever been free to do whatever we wanted to. This is what freedom looks like.
Photographer: Christian Cody
Styling + Set Design: Kawan Moore
