The Collective That is Taking Over the South — ALWAYS PROPER

Hip-hop, as music and culture, has been rapidly evolving since it was formed in the 1970's. The continuous popularity of hip-hop has compelled many artist to shape this movement but what many don't understand is that hip-hop is beyond a state of mind. Hip-hop is a deep language that makes you feel, respect and understand music in an entirely new stratosphere. Although, hip-hop is very much alive, there is a collective that has been pioneering a movement to innovate sounds so distinct that it ultimately helps immortalize and define modern day hip-hop.

ALWAYS PROPER is, a label and collective, keeping the essence of hip-hop alive. One of hip-hop's main elements, production, is integral to a solid foundation. Being able to capture a solid production that is able to encapsulate the emotions hip-hop is suppose to make us feel can be quite tedious but ALWAYS PROPER seems to consistently conquer the core of hip-hop, which is ultimately a spectrum of emotions. Hip-hop isn't meant to be just heard, its meant to cause consciousness and provoke a series of suppressed emotions to surface. It's meant to be felt and have meaning.  

Founder, Oscar De Leon, also know as emune, has managed to expand the collectives versatile sounds not only on a national level but as well global. The labels roster ranges proficient artist based in cities such as Maryland, Atlanta, L.A, Norway, Spain and even Budapest.  With the majority of the label based in Austin, Texas, the collective has sprinkled seeds of hip-hop in San Antonio, Dallas, Plano, Houston & El Paso as well. 

The collective offers its fan base a variety of sounds. From neo-soul to jazz fusion, ALWAYS PROPER showcases a progressive collaboration of musical styles which demonstrate the diversity in their hypnotic melodies. Artist such as The Deli and Lungfulls, from the ALWAYS PROSPER roster, offer subliminal beats that create a state of transcendence. With Deli's captivating piano samples and Lungfulls experimental ethereal sound, the diversity of hip-hop in this collective is endless. Sensi, another member in ALWAYS PROPER from Norway, recently dropped WAX ADDICT EP, a project that evokes a feeling of nostalgic happiness by paying homage to hip-hops jazzy and smooth beats. 

Each individual on the roster creates and offers their audience a unique expression of hip-hop. To talk about the exquisite talent each individual offers would be infinite but that is what makes ALWAYS PROPER so unique: it's ability to offer boundless music that consistently creates new innovative interpretations of hip-hop.

Urban Time recently did a one-on-one interview with the founder of the label, emune. Read the following interview to get to know the vision of the founder himself. But before you dissect the interview make sure you take a quick glance at the visual 'A Proper Introduction' directed by Jagan Cortez.

Who started the Label (who founded it) ? Who is on the label? When/where was the label founded? What inspired the name "Always Proper" & "93"?

E: I started the label myself in a friends bedroom out in El Paso, Texas. It was sometime around late March 2014 or early April. The name was inspired by some car we saw in a magazine my homie had at his pad. The instant I saw the name something just cliqued inside me and I made the page and knew what it was for. It was weird. My hometown friends "mvnners" & Matthew Ledezma were a big part of me deciding to go through with making it. 1993 was my birthyear and it happened to be in a lot of hip-hop i was into so I just went with it.

The AP roster is:

@2latethedon

@autumnkeys

@brysonmcgee

@deadxbeat

@dejilee

@devinmalek

@electric_cher

@emune

@genefishr

@goodmemories

@idntrmmbr

@juan-rios-beats

@levfbevch

@lungfulls

@lordsensi

@mujobeatz

@robbing-smiles

@sandpeoplecologne

@sok-ro

@the-deli

@tylercoolidge

@wepz88

There's a few people on it that don't make music, like Emily Vanderlism [instagram.com/vanderlism]. She's a graffiti artist out of Melbourne, Australia. We are currently working on her with a design for some ill coach jackets we are gonna send to everyone on the crew. Our good friend Jagan (twitter.com/jagancortez) became our videographer and he actually does make beats. There's a lot of people helping us out behind the scenes and i don't want to leave anyone out so I'll stop there.

 What inspires you? Who inspires you? What would you resemble your music too? What sounds are you attracted to the most?

E: As corny as it sounds, life. Music is periodical because sometimes i'm too busy to do it, so I think it represents what i was going through at the time. Life comes in waves at me and when I get to chill, I'm only trying to stay sane from the wave that just hit so I think that's what you hear when you listen to me. Feeling better, knowing it'll all be ok or something. I don't know. I'm attracted to sounds of like birds chirping on a lazy sunday morning and leaves rustling with the warm wind in the summer. The silence of the night. Waves crashing at the beach. I guess that's nature huh? I like nature. 

When you are going through a period of "music block" what do you do to help you get back in the zone?

E: I can't say I have ever gone through music block to be honest. If i'm not making music it's bc life is kicking my ass or i'm in love with a girl or something. Maybe if my life was stable i could work on music so much i'd reach a block but then again maybe the instability i go through is what makes it dope. idk. idk. If i ever get a block i think i would just take a break from it. Life forces ya boi to take breaks lol 

 Who would you like to work with in the future?

E: For sure Atmosphere, Flako, Sango, A$ap Rocky, Pharell, Swum, Invention, Gwen Stefani, Mike Jones, Gorillaz, all the homies on the Always Proper squad, & well i could keep going. I also want to work with brands and companies like Supreme, Thrasher, Ben Davis, Boiler Room, Adult Swim, Adidas. Things like that would be ill.

Do you see yourself more as an artist or producer? 

E: Hmm I think artist. I try to make my music just as pleasant as music with a singer. I don't think anything i put out needs rapping or singing on it but people like it for that. I guess that's dope. 

 What is your favorite album, artists and producers?

E: My favorite album is probably Overcast by Atmosphere. It blows my mind every time. Fav artist, atmosphere hands down, slug is a genius. My fav producer is Flako although i consider him an artist. His music makes me so happy. 

Where are you currently based and do you plan to relocate to keep expanding? 

E: I'm currently in Austin, Texas. Ended up here in a weird way and I'm moving to San Antonio in mid April. Hope to come back around May or June though. & Yes, I want to relocate to either L.A. or N.Y & eventually both & even spots like Tokyo or London. I'm trying to make this global.

What is your dream project? In other words, what would your ideal project consist of? 

E: I think it would consist of like my whole life. Like a project with so much feeling & emotion put into it that you feel sad when i felt sad or happy when i felt happy. Making people cry with it would be my fav thing, then make them dance after.

Tell me about your dream and aspirations to you? 

E: My dream is to attain financial freedom so i can travel the world freely and change it. I'm trying to go where i'm needed and fulfill whatever purpose i came on this earth to do. That is my dream tbh and i have this passion for music that i've had since i first heard it. it's like my thing to stay sane. idk how people without a hobby or passion get by in this weird world. But hopefully i can help make it a better place for our unborn brothers and sisters.

 Is anybody else in your family musical? when did you realize you were an artist? 

E: Actually no. No one in my family is musical. My grandma actually hates hearing any kind of music it's weird. My moms listens to like Ricky Martin and Pitbull so my siblings be on that whack shit. One day i'll break em off with a little mix CD. I realized i was going to be an artist when i was like 14. My cousin took me to some rave in my hometown and as soon as i saw the DJ rocking the crowd like that, i knew that's what i wanted to do. I haven't had a doubt since then.. 

 Has music always been something you have been into? 

E: I hadn't listened to any type of music bc of the way i grew up until the very last day of the 5th grade. I was always a loner bc i would move around a lot & i was pretty weird too but this guy i would kind of talk to once in awhile was like "hey you wanna hear something cool?" and i was like yeh yeh. He pulled out a CD player, passed me the headphones, played Candy Shop by 50 Cent and changed my life forever. I had never experienced anything like that and later that day I cleaned the whole house so my moms would take me to buy the CD at Walmart and she did. I've been in love with music since, the rest is history i guess.