Cymarshall Law toils mercilessly in the underground, building a fan base slowly but surely through every show, every blog post, every hand to hand sale, every YouTube view, every interaction. Raised partly in the UK to Jamaican parents, Cy was surrounded with music before settling down in New Jersey with his family in his teenage years. By the time he tried his luck at rhyming, it was a natural fit.
Since then, Cy has been a champion of the DIY model of artist development, self-financing his early albums and operating independently for years. His latest offering is Freedom Express Line, an album with Swedish production group The Beatnikz. To get a little more insight on the music and the man behind it, Indie Shuffle is providing a brief interview with Cymarshall Law himself. Enjoy.
Can you talk about the meaning of the title of your newest album, The Freedom Express Line?
My dad used to own a reggae sound set in the UK named Freedom; on this album I got the samples from vinyl records from his collection that he used to sound clash with. The company I run is called Freedom Ent. because of that, and most of my life revolves around having the freedom to do what I like in this world -- my style is free without form like Jeet Kun Do. This album is liberating for me because it's one that I aways wanted to make. The "Express" part comes because I'm expressing myself in the purest form; also, every track on the album is fast-paced, so it gives you the feeling of being on an express train, hence the name Freedom Express Line.
The album is also entirely produced by The Beatnikz, a production group from Sweden. How did you guys connect?
I think I added them on MySpace years ago. They came to my page and asked if I wanted to make music. I took another listen to their beats and replied asking if they wanted to make a whole album... three albums later, we're still working together. I've been to Sweden like eight times, and now we present to you the latest addition to our album family. The power of the internet!
I've heard you mention that this album is your favorite piece of work you've done thus far, how does this album differ to you from your previous projects?
I don't use any profanity. The album is based on only having reggae samples infused with hip hop drums. It's a fast-tempo album from beginning to end. My flow is the best it's ever been on here.
You grew up in England before you moved to the States. How would you say that each place has influenced you musically?
There are a lot of Jamaicians in England; my background is actually Jamaican, so instead of growing up hearing more jazz and blues, I was hearing more reggae, and it sure did effect my style. I used to have a strong English accent, but now I kind of have my own accent after living in America for 20 years -- it's a bit of all three lands in me. You can call it "Jameribritish," but then I may start sounding confused like Tiger Woods...
You've built a fan base for yourself through touring the world extensively. How would you say your live show has evolved, and what have been some of your favorite places to perform?
I have better breath control and crowd control, and my articualtion through the mic has also improved. There are things I do automatically now that in the past I was just learning, like the three aforementioned skills. My fave places to perform have been France, Canada, Holland, New York, and New Jersey!
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