Artist Of The Week - Jav aka Rapmononov

A month or so ago I was at a show with former Artist Of The Week Deep of 2 Hungry Bros and he handed me a CD by Jav aka Rapmononov, recommending I give him a listen. The album turned out to be dope, which really shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. As a member of the AOK Collective Deep works with some of the best artists around, so clearly he knows what he’s doing when it comes to assessing talent. Of course, I wasn’t going to leave things at just a listen, I had to hit up Jav aka Rapmonanov for a feature. This week I caught up with the multitalented artist to find out more about the man behind the music, including everything from his inspirations, to why he feels his work will connect with people, to how a classical musician influenced his name.

Adam Bernard: Start me off with some basic background info. Where are you from and what where some of your influences growing up?
Jav aka Rapmononov: I’m Puerto Rican, from the lower east side of Manhattan, and my music is indigenous to that area. I look at hood life honestly. My inspirations come from what people may call the golden era of Hip-Hop. I am also inspired by what we as up and coming artists do to change the game and where we take the music sonically. Do I believe my music is the next thing? I do. I believe in my music deeply and view it as a world one can enjoy as you cruise through the city with your iPods.

Adam Bernard: Rapmonanov sounds like a fire breathing Russian video game character... wait, that was Karnov. Regardless, tell me about your name and what it represents.
Jav aka Rapmononov: My name is Javier, people call me Jav for short. I really couldn’t think of any other name to use because I wanted to be as real as possible. Being that I also make beats I named the producer side of me, which is my alter ego, Rapmononov after the classical musician Sergei Rachmaninoff. Now, being that my music ain’t “rach” (rock) it’s rap, I changed some letters around and came up with Rapmononov. Jav aka Rapmononov, the Sun of a Gun.

Adam Bernard: What aspects of yourself do you feel are most prevalent in your music?
Jav aka Rapmononov: On Sun of a Gun I had to let out what I had in my brain. It was like I was purging. I’m a fly kind of dude, and I definitely think that shit comes off in the music. I like keeping the music current. Even if you get a sense of the golden era, it’s deliberate. The music is street. I do a lot of running around. You can definitely here that I got some sense, as well. One word I can use to describe the music is honest. The next album is being cooked up now and it is definitely glossier. I like that.

Adam Bernard: In what ways do you feel people will connect with you?
Jav aka Rapmononov: The honesty aspect is major. I give you glimpses of my human frailty throughout the album and I think music should have that… but not too much. The next album definitely has less, but it’s more intense in other ways. I haven’t thought of the title yet, but let’s talk about Sun of a Gun. Note the "u" in Sun. That makes the definition the bringer of light. I try to demystify some of the bullshit we in the hood uphold, yet other times I bask in it. I’m human, but the ratio favors the positive.

Adam Bernard: Where does being famous rank on your "to-do" list? What's higher/lower?
Jav aka Rapmononov: Fame is up there because ultimately I’m trying to get paid for what I love doing. I don’t think fame or money has to do anything with the quality of the music, though. An artist should be able to separate the two. Hollywood would be nice. I’m into movies big. I actually opened up a video editing company, CIRCA 675, and I’m about to shoot a few videos off the album.

Adam Bernard: I learned of you through Deep of 2 Hungry Bros. For those not lucky enough to know Deep, where might people be able to hear you?
Jav aka Rapmononov: You can here me on the 2 Hungry Bros. first album, Frequent Flyers, and as far as my album goes, you can catch Sun of a Gun at every digital outlet as well as cdbaby.com. People can also visit me on MySpace and catch some of the new exclusives I put on there.

Adam Bernard: OK, so now that people know where they can find your work, take thirty seconds to sell the world your CD.
Jav aka Rapmononov: The CD is hot. I love it. You need to pick up a copy. I get nothing but good feedback. I’m not the dude trying to harass you into purchasing my CD outside Fat Beats. I don’t need to hustle you. This is quality, magnetic, music. I love you all. Peace. I know that was a little less than thirty seconds, but you get the picture.

Related Links

MySpace: myspace.com/rapmononov
CDBaby: cdbaby.com/cd/rapmononov