Warren Britt – A Fire Reignited

LL Cool J once rapped “don’t call it comeback,” but in the case of Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist Warren Britt, you most certainly can, and it’s a comeback that’s been long awaited.

If you were part of NYC’s indie hip-hop scene in the previous decade you definitely knew Warren. He hit numerous stages, including everywhere from the Bowery Poetry Club, to Warped Tour, and was a presence at shows supporting as many acts as he could.

Over the years he developed a reputation as an incredible emcee, and live performer, as well as being one of the good guys in the scene.

One wild show of his even became a bit of NYC indie hip-hop lore, as everyone heard about the time Warren Britt jumped off a piano during his set.

Many still talk about that night, but Warren says not to expect a repeat performance.

“Those days are done, man,” he says with a laugh, “When I jumped off that piano, I landed on my right foot the wrong way. I don’t think I’ve ever really spoken about it, but yeah, I landed the wrong way on the right foot, but I played the rest of the show.”

The show that night was with Kemba, who at the time was going by a different performance name.

Still high energy on stage, Warren notes, “I might jump in the crowd, but never from off a piano. I was like 28 when I did that. I’m now 40.”

With age comes wisdom … and soreness.

In 2017 Warren released the full length album With Laurel., but little did anyone, not even the man himself, know it would be the last music we’d hear from him for seven years.

This past week, the seven year wait came to an end, as he released a six song EP titled This Is For The Win, This Is Writing To Survive.

I caught up with Warren over Zoom, and he opened up about his seven year hiatus from music, which nearly ended up permanent, as well as the fatherly advice, and the artists, that helped remind him of his artistic path.

This Is For The Win, This Is Writing To Survive is your first new project in seven years. First off, there’s a lot going on with that title. Tell me what it means to be writing to survive, especially in the context of your seven year hiatus. 

Writing to survive in a seven year hiatus is literally trying to find a brand new approach to what I was familiar with as far as creating music, and creating lyrical content.

Survival is the main idea, and just trying to keep my heart into it, and trying to fight for the freedom to express myself in a new way, and I think I did alright with that. I think I did alright. Yeah.

Andre3000 released an album of flute music because he wanted to express himself in a new way. What was pushing you to find a new way to express yourself? 

As long as I’ve been writing, and coming up with ideas in the in the realm of hip-hop, I’ve always just wanted to say something that meant something, as well as showcase that I’m above the fray when it comes to putting words together, and such. In that matter, it’s all about the will, and, I mean, there was a point where I just was like – I don’t even know if I could do this anymore. Maybe I could just hang it up myself, but not play the flute, just hang it up and just relax and listen to the things that I’ve made so far, and just be comfortable with it.

Then there were these dreams that I was having, and these ideas that would be taking place in my body, and it just wouldn’t let me go.

I think the last straw was when I had completed the album, the album had been done, and I was talking with my father – he passed away around November of last year – we started talking about the music, he was like, “Well, you still doing the music,” and I said, “You know what, I think I’m about ready – I have my daughter, my fiancee – I think it’s about time for me to hang it up, and just focus on what fatherhood means, and stuff like that.”

My father said, “You don’t want to let go of the stuff that you know very well.” He’s like, “You’ve worked so hard to do all of the stuff that you’ve done, and you’re just going to walk away?”

When he said that, I said, you know what, I can’t do it. I can’t walk away from this stuff. I’m going to really try to fight for my right to survive in this landscape of music. There’s no sitting and being complacent, and just being normal, you know what I’m saying?

He passed a couple of weeks later, and I was just like – this is the way it has to go down. I have to put this music out.

Every day I try to come up with an idea to write. To some capacity I have to be able to express myself, whether it be keeping a journal, whether it be listening to new forms, or ideas, musically, or just playing with my daughter and seeing what’s going on with that, and just having fun with the idea of being a part of a family. But you don’t have to separate yourself from your love, something that you’ve been committed to. I mean, I’ve been committed (to music) since 1996, so, you know, you can’t really sidestep that.

I was going to ask what was going on in your life that took you away from, or took precedence over, music, or at least recording and releasing music, but it's clear that with the birth of your daughter, and your engagement, you had a lot of other things going on during those seven years. 

That, and I mean, I was just uninspired.

I was lacking the focus, and the patience of what was going to come next, and I found it harder to place the sentences and structure when it was coming to certain production, and certain beats that I was getting. I just wasn’t connecting, I couldn’t find the lane to bring myself towards those things that made me love the art form when I was younger.

Also, it’s just like, as you get older, you have to try to find new ways to convey your sentiment. When you’re an artist, in any art form, you have to press yourself a little bit more, and a little bit harder. That’s when I was finding refuge in artists like Homeboy Sandman, and R.A.P. Ferreira, Open Mike Eagle, SKECH185, a whole bunch of different artists who were, to me, pushing the envelope.

I just had to try to find the things that made me happy again, and just go for it, just put it all on the line.

I know from hanging out with you at Warped Tour, and various other shows over the years, you have a plethora of genres that you love. How much of that diversity can be heard on the album? 

I mean, I got Brook Pridemore on my frickin’ album, which is crazy because they’re an incredible wordsmith, and the way they keep in lockstep with their creativity, and just being able to shine … they’re a major inspiration for me, and they opened me up to a whole realm of music that I thought wasn’t even being performed anymore, like the indie pop punk scene, bands like Answering Machine, Nervous Dater, Cold Wrecks. Seeing those bands, and being in that community helped me to just keep on building, and just keep on just wrestling with the way that I execute a word format.

I mean, if I didn’t see those folks like doing exactly what they wanted to do, I don’t know where I’d be today. Brook is the person who introduced me to Cold Wrecks, and Cold Wrecks introduced me to all of these different bands, and it was so influential, it was powerful to see all of those folks getting down, and fighting to just have fun with their their craft.

When it comes to your craft, the first single off This Is For The Win, This Is Writing To Survive was “A Song About A Woman From Harlem.” Why did you choose that particular song as the lead single, and the announcement of your return? 

I chose that song because I wanted to make it a full-throated dedication to a woman that I really liked, and I really wanted to be able to show her how much I really adored her.

I showed it to her before it was officially released, and now we’re engaged, and we have a kid.

That’s awesome! When you were mentioning some of your inspirations, and the conversation you had with your father where he basically said, you have to do this, that seems like a very father’s knows best moment. Do you look forward to having a father knows best moment with your daughter at some point where you give her life advice, and instill that level of inspiration in her? 

I do.

When I grew up, I had family that was supportive, but I had a lot of family that weren’t about doing the music, and (it was) mostly the ones who did music, so I understand, but what I really want to do is to try to help my daughter focus on what she wants to do, and try to be 100% supportive behind it.

What she might be interested in makes me a little bit nervous, but at that point it’s all on her hand. She’s going to have to come to her decisions. I have to come to mine.

I know that the apprehension for my foray into music in my early career with my family only came out of love, and only came out of concern, and safety for me, but I had to go out there and just be my own person, so I’m looking forward to seeing how she comes into her own, and her own manifestation.

 

For more Warren Britt, check out warren.bandcamp.com.