Looking Into The Eyes Of An Angel

EEzE (Ezra Hertzal) shares about how his transition from drugs to music as his primary expression.  He is an up and coming Rapper and CEO of - http://www.knowgraffitidesign.com/

See EEzE's profile at - https://soundcloud.com/egghertz-1

Transcription:
Justin: Hey, this is Justin Finkelstein here and itís my honor and privilege to interview a guy who goes by EEzE on ìSoundCloud,î Ezra Hertzel. I stumbled onto his work probably less than a week ago at this point in time. He's one of those givers on ìSoundCloud,î commenting on stuff, reposting the stuff that he actually likes. I checked out his profile. He's an incredible rapper and artist, but what really got me about the work that he does is his physical art, his graffiti work. Just a quick story. This morning I got challenged in a good way by somebody I'm working with. Really these profiles that you're doing are powerful which really gets deep into the story, and I wrote about the challenge that I was going through and the struggle and the creative block. Ezra, EEzE, chimed right in and said just keep doing what you're doing. I'm so inspired by this guy and what he has to offer. I shared a little bit about his story behind the scenes in private messages. [Inaudible] And I asked him once again on the phone. I think the world needs to hear what's behind his art. Ezra, EEzE, I want to just turn it over to you. Thank you for coming on today. Just start to tell us a little bit about your background and your story.

EEzE: Well, first of all Justin, thank you for giving me this chance. I really do appreciate it because that's exactly what I'm trying to be heard. Trying to get my word out there. I wasn't always into Hip hop. Iíve gone through every genre of music I think. Basically I ended up sticking with Hip hop. That's basically my inspiration and everything. But I use everything else to kind of mesh my own feel into things. I'm all about the 90s Hip hop too. The new stuff doesn't really click with me. The radio I can't stand. I won't turn it on. I refuse. I was an athlete when I was younger in High School. Then I got hurt. But, basically my whole life I was going to be an athlete. I was going to play in college. I was going to get a scholarship maybe. I was pretty good at lacrosse. I'm not going to boast or anything. But then I got hurt, got surgery. Then one thing led to another, a little bit of a drug problem. For a couple years I didn't talk to anybody, like emotionally. I mean I just used drugs like a mask. You could even talk to my parents. They would tell you the same thing. They like didn't even know me for five years. I guess I didn't even know myself. Cause High school you're supposed to find yourself. Like for five years I was in a slump. I mean I always wrote. Didn't really have the motivation or passion I do now because I got over the problems I had. I guess writing pretty much took my hold. That's my new addiction. I guess it's a lot better than drugs. I mean being addicted to writing rather than a substance. Basically I just try to write my emotions. I mean, that's pretty much my only way to get them out. Sometimes it's hard to talk. So I just write. I just want people to hear them. 

Justin: Thatís awesome. Talk to me about if you remember it, I'm sure you remember it, but love to hear how you articulate it in words, that moment when the drugs stopped being the dominating force in your life and writing started taking over. Do you remember that moment? Can you talk about it?

EEzE: Yeah, actually, it was kind of around my grandmother passed away and she was a really big, big influence in my life. She was just the best person in the world, most genuine person I've ever met. She took me under her wing when I was going through problems and all that. So she passed away and I pretty much started writing about her. I just continued writing. I would say I just wrote poetry rather than Hip hop or whatever. That's all how it started. It was just poetry. To this day I still will write without a beat and then try to match it up later just because I don't know if I'm necessarily a Hip hop artist. I know I'm a poet. So I mean that's pretty much how it started what pretty much sparked me to start writing more. 

Justin: So you started off with your poetry. When did that start transitioning into Hip-hop? When'd you start bringing the music into it? 

EEzE: I took a class at a community college around me, and [inaudible]. I got the setup and everything. It just took a little intermediate class. Just learn how to record. Then for a while I was writing, but I wasn't really recording myself because you hate your voice in the beginning. So I was recording some other people. So, I was getting good with the program. Then once I really started writing again, like the last year, I really started to transcribe that using Hip-hop beats instead of just free speech or whatever.

Justin: It's funny you talk about your Hip-hop and I love your music, and it moves me. It's how we first got connected. You had a little link on your "SoundCloud" page to ìKnow Graffiti Design,î and thatís the stuff that really blew me away. What I love about "SoundCloud" is [inaudible]. Talk to me about your artwork and what that's all about. 

EEzE: Yeah, that also kind of bloomed after I stopped my problems. Then, like I said, I told you this, I had a chance be a [inaudible] in motion picture production and its great money. But like 15-19 hour days and you give up your life basically. I was doing this for a year and a half maybe? And I was like pursuing to get into the union. It's a union job. So, I was going through all the motions and whatever. Then one day I was like, I don't want to do this because there's no creative outlet to it, and I'm really not happy doing it. The money is great. The money was right, but I'd rather just pursue me and do what I want to do. Yeah, what was that? Oh ìKnow Graffiti.î So, it all started with drawing. I don't know. I just started drawing one day and it just pretty much bloomed from there. Also, I took a silk screening class because instead of going to college for a degree I just wanted to further my knowledge in certain basses. So I took a silk screening class. I actually failed the class, but I got knowledge out of it. I started ìKnow Graffiti Designî with one t-shirt that I designed. Then, from there I got my mother involved. She's a painter. I used some of her images as well. She does like [inaudible] gas mask. That's one of our images. I got her involved. Then, we just started this business together. Now I'm just trying to pretty much promote. Getting the Hip-hop crowd involved in it. I'm trying to just send out promos. I got a new shirt coming out pretty soon actually. That's in the works.

Justin: Love it. Thereís a piece of your work that's really interesting. I don't know if it's your mother's work or it's your work. But I saw some of the work on your site. It's multi-thousands of dollars. The experience I've had with a lot of, we'll call it quote\unquote, "Hip hop" artists, is, afraid to charge that kind of money, afraid to have that at abundance mindset --. And I see stuff sell and see pieces that are actually being sold for multi-thousand dollars. Talk to me a little about that because I think it'll make a difference for people who kind of diminished the value of their work by not charging real prices for the stuff they do. Talk to me a little about that.

EEzE: Right. Every shirt that we do is an original art piece and we transfer that to a t-shirt. So, there's an original painting of each one of our shirts. So that's what we're trying to get out. We're trying to put real art on t-shirts. Because thereíre so many people out there that are like, I love that painting, but how am I going to spend couple thousands of dollars on it. So why not just print it on a t-shirt and start up a company with that. Then have the original there for the people that really want to pursue it. You know what I mean?

Justin: Yeah, I love that. I don't want to turn this into an economic conversation. I think itís an important lesson for people. There's always somebody who's willing to purchase something at the higher level. [crosstalk] I love that you're taking advantage of that.

EEzE: Yeah, that's a lot harder though because you got to find that certain person. So, for us, why not provide to everybody at the cheaper cost. Then, once that one person comes along that's great. They can say that they own that painting for that t-shirt. They can wear the t-shirt with the painting, you know?

Justin: [laughing] Yeah. Get the double whammy there. I love that. I love that. 

EEzE: Yeah, exactly. Hey, if you buy a painting, we'll give you the t-shirt for free. 

Justin: Anybody out there. Only for people who listen to this interview. Thatís exclusive for people who listen to this interview? [laughing]

EEzE: Exactly. Exactly. Knowgraffitidesign.com. check it out.

Justin: Check it out. Absolutely. We'll put the link to ìKnow Graffitiî into your "SoundCloud" in there. I love what youíre doing.  I got two more questions for you. These are my favorite two questions. I didn't prep you for these, not that these are going to be hard questions, but I didn't prep you for these questions. I'm always interested in the [inaudible]. The people who are out there being successful like yourself. What does your day look like in your work? Walk me through, get up in the morning. What do you do when you start your work? How long you do it? What does it look like?

EEzE: Today, I got up at 7 A.M. unfortunately for no reason. I don't have to work today or anything. Got up at 7 A.M. started practicing a couple verses that I wrote yesterday to beats I picked for them. Because I'm going to do another recording session pretty soon, hopefully. I just been practicing all morning. Iíll start writing a little bit. I don't know. For me, I canít just sit down and be like, I'm going to write. It just has to like pop for me. Once a line comes to me then I'm like, ok there I go. I can pretty much write a whole verse off of it or do whatever. Then, I sample other peopleís music. Well, I donít sample, but I listen to other people's music and get inspired. Other days I work. Itís not really a routine. I always try to get at least some practice in or some writing in everyday, or some drawing in. I have to be creative everyday or I'm not happy. That's pretty much what I learned about myself.

Justin: How do you know when you're done with your creative work for the day? How do you know when you're satisfied?

EEzE: Nothing's ever done. I'm never really satisfied. Honestly, everything that I do yesterday isn't as good as what I'm going to do today in my mind. I don't know. Honestly, thatís art though. It's hard to tell why you're actually satisfied with something. I donít know if you can ever really be. I donít know. Thatís a tough question.

Justin: Youíre going to get a little bit of dead air because I just have to write down; everything I did yesterday is not as good as what I was going to do today. That's deep. I think thatís the gem quote from this interview.

EEzE: Honestly, I recorded in the studio. Then I was like thatís pretty good. Then I wrote a new verse, rapping it, Iím like, this is so much better. Every day is progression. You just got to keep moving. Keep doing what you do. If you love it, you can make something of it. 

Justin: That's awesome. The last question I got you, what is success will look for you? How are you going to know when you quote/unquote "made it?" 

EEzE: Success is enough money to live comfortably. I'm not like greedy. I'm not. I just want to live comfortably and be able to do what I want to do. I'm successful now, but I'm not quite making the money. But I'm doing what I want to do. So, I feel like I'm pretty successful in my own mind right now.

Justin: For you it's going to be the monetary, when you support yourself fully with your art. But I think the important thing that you captured is you expressed in what youíre doing today. [crosstalk]

EEzE: Yeah, exactly. 

Justin: The success comes right after.

EEzE: Somebody once said that if you really feel what you're doing, if you love your song, other people will start to like it. I've always liked my songs and stuff, but now I'm really starting to notice that. I've noticed my progression too because of course I've listened to my first couple recordings and it's pretty sad. 

Justin: [laughing] Itís painful right. Itís painful. I totally get that. I know. I've listened to my earlier stuff. And even the stuff I did a couple of weeks ago it's hard to listen to. I totally understand. 

EEzE: Yeah, you know every day you get better. You keep doing it and you just get better and better.

Justin: Love that. Any parting words for the people that are listening to this message? Any words of wisdom you have?

EEzE: Honestly, just do everything in moderation. If you're going to do something at all do it in moderation. I'm saying more like the drug. Do that ...**... in moderation. Pursue your dreams. Why get stuck at a dead-end job working real hard for barely anything? If you're going to be working hard for barely anything just pursue a dream. You might as well because you'll be making barely anything, but thereís the potential that you could get everything. Just keep at it. That's all I got to say.

Justin: Thanks. Can't be said any better than that. EEzE, I appreciated you before this interview. I appreciate you so much more now. Thank you. Thanks for running with me and the rest of people who are out here on "SoundCloud," and inspiring others to keep doing what they do. Thank you so much for coming on.

EEzE: Justin, Thank you. I really do appreciate you even listening. I really do. Anybody who even gives me the chance is golden in my book. Thank you so much.

Justin: My pleasure my friend. Thank you so much.


Interview with EEzE - Ezra Hertzel -  Getting Better Every Day

Check out More Profiles at - http://www.soundcloud.com/justin-finkelstein


Everyday I surprise a handful of Soundclouders with a profile on what inspires me about their work. My channel gets up to 2,000 listens a day and what excites me most is that other people have started to tell the stories of the people artists who inspire them through the "One Million Stories" project we created.  

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Interview with EEzE - Ezra Hertzel - Getting Better Every Day

Justin-Finkelstein