JoeVille on The Connection Between Poetry and Hip Hop, “CLRD Tears“ & Manifesting His Success
Hailing from Fort Lauderdale, rapper/recording artist and self-described lyrical poet JoeVille has worked tirelessly to shift his reality from experiencing homelessness and living out of his car to being able to support himself financially, all off the strength of his artistry, tenacity and drive.
His breakout hit “Sexy” earned more than 11M streams on Spotify and over 730k videos on TikTok. Coming fresh off the release of his new project "CLRD Tears", we had the opportunity to chop it up with the young G.O.A.T. in the making for this exclusive Hype Off Life interview 🙌🏾
Tap in below to learn his early influences, the similarities between poetry and Hip Hop, what he told himself to keep going through hard times and how JoeVille manifested his way to success. Right now and only on Hype Off Life!
Photo credit: Ido Eyo
Thanks for coming through! How has 2021 been treating you?
2021 has been great so far. I’ve been spending time in Atlanta and now I’m in LA so everything’s been good so far.
Your music is a vibe, hard-hitting yet easy on the ears with substance. What artists have influenced your sound the most?
Well for starters, Isaiah Rashad is one of my favorite artists of all time. He brings some melodies and styles that I really admire. Lil Wayne is another one who’s my favorite, he was the one who got me into listening Hip Hop. Baby Keem rounds up my top 3 artists, and they all have styles that definitely influenced my sound.
As a self-described lyrical poet, how do you feel poetry and Hip Hop go hand in hand?
I started out writing poetry, and it pushed me into making music so they do go hand in hand. They are very similar, as songwriters and poets can have similar writing styles, and can be inspired by similar sounds.
The love I have for the music, I want the fans to know that and feel that.
You grew up being surrounded by all facets of the industry. But when did you know you wanted to carve out your own lane as an artist?
I knew from the jump because nothing else interested me, nor gave me the feeling I get when it comes to music. I could sit there and write songs and listen to beats for hours, but when my peeps wanted to get me into sports I was not hearing it. Put it this way, I didn’t give a f*ck about anything else apart from music (chuckles). I don’t have a specific time or anything, but I knew from early that music was what I wanted to pursue.
2019 found you graduating high school before moving to LA to pursue your dream, where you went from living out of your car to eating off your art. What did you say to yourself while you were going through the struggle?
I told myself when I was going it, “This is a part of the story”. No matter what you do and how many times you failed, I felt like they were all a part of my story, and my journey. Just had to motivate myself to keep pushing because my moment is near.
Having faith really carried me through those times, and got me this far. When I made “Sexy”, I listened to it everyday, and I really told myself that I manifested everything that’s happening now. I forced myself to listen to that song to keep my focus up and remember what the goal is. It’s all a part of the story.
What was the grind like during that time, working and pushing your music as much as possible?
At first it was all about figuring sh*t out. I went to LA on a whim really with only a few dollars in my pocket. Before I got a job I would showing up everywhere, and I used to write my @ on paper and passing it out to people along the way as a part of promoting myself.
My pops would tell me to post up at the record labels and studios, and while I did it a few times, I wasn’t gonna keep doing that. The grind was something. I signed up for a gym so I could take showers, slept in the car, and a lot of other things. But as I said before, it’s all a part of the story.
Things took a turn when you dropped your breakout hit “Sexy. What about it made you feel like it was the one?
I really studied to get this far. I went as far subscribing to YouTube Red so I could have the videos play in the background. From there I’d learn everything about Tik Tok, the algorithm, and various things that artists would do.
With “Sexy” I wanted to make a song that’s somewhat universal and have everyone sharing it and playing it on any platform. So, when I dropped that, I executed a plan for it including dropping it on a mixtape so that when people start to rock with it, they had other songs to vibe to as well. It has all been paying off since then. It’s a blessing to hear people singing the chorus and just rocking with it. “Sexy” did its thing.
So, you’re releasing a new project called “CLRD Tears“ this month. What does that title mean to you?
“CLRD Tears” is for the Pimps and the simps, the lovers and the heartbreaks, and there’s a lot of different emotions when it comes to that title.
What type of growth will fans hear on this one, as compared to your previous projects, “CLRD Thoughts” and “CLRD Dreams”?
On this new project I’m really finding my sound, a more cohesive sound. I’m more confident as an artist on this project. It’ll even inspire you to become more confident.
Which track are you most proud of?
“Sexy” of course! It’s the one that got me in. I have some other records coming out that I know the people will love, and they’re gonna take over. I won’t give you the names just yet, but look out for them. “Sexy” got everything popping.
Where do you want to take your artistry next?
I wanna be the G.O.A.T. It may sound cliché, but I want to make a huge impact with my career. I want to be able to inspire those on the come up. I’m not here to just get the benefits of a hit single or record, I wanna be a part of the culture and contribute greatly to it. I want to be the ultimate playboy in this rap sh*t. The love I have for the music, I want the fans to know that and feel that.
Any message for your fans?
Now that I have fans, it’s a weird feeling. But, it’s all love and I really appreciate them. To the fans, stay tuned because I have a lot coming your way, and I appreciate you all!
