Recently released Hip Hop concept album Quantum Leap, created by Yannick Beats and the sonically established character Varnell Hill, easily has some music that could be added to any Hip Hop playlist. Stemming from a mixture of a couple different influences, I’ve personally been playing this album regularly and already have a couple of tracks on repeat.
Inspired by songs like the fall and the feeling, I was instantly drawn to not only the creative sound of the music itself, but the meaning Varnell Hill tried to portray, a small city kid with big dreams in Hollywood. Intrigued enough to want to learn more about this character and his story, I decided to reach out and get some answers to a couple of questions for his new-found fans… Enjoy!
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First off its only right to ask, in your own words, Who is Varnell Hill?
Varnell Hill is a character I portray in Quantum Leap…He’s a small city kid with dreams of making it in Hollywood.
Your sound is definitely unique because of its clear blend of a couple different influences, creating a new spin on a new style… What do you think makes Varnell Hill special?
What makes Varnell Hill special is his complexity in Quantum Leap…He has a good side but also has cruel intentions to the ones who did him wrong.
With a December release back in 2014, how do you think your album Quantum Leap received? You get some good feedback?
Sometimes people are not prepared for something different…I gave them something they haven’t heard with the intentions of them not immediately understanding…I got great feedback, but I also got feedback about my voice change…My reply is simple…ART
It looks like you took a major part of the creative process making Quantum Leap. The producer, beat maker, rapper. What do you think your favorite part of the music making process is?
There isn’t a favorite part…I love creating
Using one word, how would you want people to feel your music?
Cinematic
Who are some most important influences in your music? Inside and outside of music itself.
Inside of music it would be Outkast, J Dilla, and Nas to name a few…Outkast for creativity, Dilla for making timeless unique music, and Nas for lyrical content…Outside of music it would be Jim Henson and Elon Musk…Jim Henson because of his incredible ability to create and bring objects to life…Elon Musk for his innovations and ideas of where humans can go.
I saw you just got engaged, congrats! Does your fiancébump Varnell Hill?
She better…lol
I’ve also seen you’re pretty involved with Parkour and Free running outside of the studio, do you think your music is made for them specifically for those particular athletes?
Yes, definitely…We have the same goals but different approach…I’m sacrificing everything for my dreams as they would for their next jump…QL was a story without any uptempo type tracks but my next album will be.
And to wrap it all up, is there anything we can expect in the near future with Varnell Hill and Yannick Beats?
Libertad
Yannick Beats and Varnell Hill might be one in the same person, but they have a message to deliver to the music world, and it begins with true artistry… Make sure to download his new album in entirety at datpiff.com, and if you want an instant song to give you an idea to what you are bout to listen to, feel free to stream some of the popular singles from Soundcloud… My personal favorite is the moonlight!
