Kelz Tango Releases new single “Celebrate”!!!

By Hardcore Flava | February 15, 2022

Tell us the impact music has had on your life?

Thank you! I’m actually really excited for my release. In regards to music, it has gotten me through some rough lows in my life, like the times when I lost everything to the times I just felt like giving up on everything. There has always been a message that I received right on time through music that gave me the drive to push me through any struggles I encountered.

What is the music scene in DE you like and how has that influenced your sound?

The Hip-Hop/Rap scene for sure. From the unknowns and underground to people putting on for DE, there are a ton of Delaware artists that I like in that scene. Richard Raw, ZeekyEl, B-Wells, A-General, Timone, LJPix, Just Marc, PC Beatz, Bob Deniro, Mercy700, Raww Torey, Klvtch, Vega, Strlyng, Kyon, Tony Amante… the list goes on. If I had time to mention everyone I rock with we’d be here for a lil bit. It’s the energy they bring and drive they have. Some have content they bring that moves me heavily. That’s what influences my sound. I learn from what they offer.

What artists have influenced you?

I’ve been influenced by many artist from old to new. From Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang (as a group and individuals), Will Smith, 50 Cent, Mickey Factz, Andy Mineo, Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, J.Cole or the holy trinity as I call them lol, Kanye, Mick Jenkins, Dax, Russ, Nasty C, Jadakiss… the list is pretty heavy. These are just several of the artists that I feel have influenced me, but pertaining to my music I’d say the biggest influences are Big Sean, Kendrick, Mick Jenkins, Andy Mineo and all of Wu-Tang.

What instruments do you play?

Nothing currently. I haven’t picked up an instrument in many years, however I did play the trumpet, trombone, piano and drums. Learning to play drums was honesty the most difficult for me. I’m coordinated, but there was just something about drums that kicked my a**. I’m probably gonna give it another go.

What challenges or obstacles have you overcame to get to where you are today as an artist?

My biggest challenge has ultimately been me. Being in my own way a.k.a. self-doubt and not realizing my potential. It stopped me from doing the things I’m passionate about for a while. I wish I would have been able to see it sooner, but better late than never. There are other obstacles I’ve had to overcome as well. The most challenging has been ADHD because it’s difficult to focus at times. Not when I’m performing, but when I’m writing. Nothing lasts forever though you know?

What is your writing process like?

Most of the time when I write it’s on my phone in the car honestly, haha. I scroll through beats and if something hits me I just think about how the beat makes me feel and write something I’ve experienced that is attached to that feeling. I may take a break from that beat to hear another one, but then get right back into the instrumental I was working on. Most times I come up with more bars because of something I heard in another instrumental.

How would you describe the vibe of your music?

If I had to describe the vibe of my music it would be a positive, chill, empowering Boom Bap/Pop Rap… for now. My goal is to evolve into a more influential Conscious Rapper like Kendrick Lamar. The line “How y’all let a conscious ni**a go commercial while only makin’ conscious albums?” Kendrick spit on the Mask Off remix stands out to me to this day. That’s the direction I see myself going.

Tell us more about your single, and why did you name it Celebrate?

Celebrate is named Celebrate mostly because that’s what the instrumental was titled as when I got it lol. It was one of those beats I heard that hit me mainly because of the hook. Shout out to Iam3am for killing that hook by the way. When I heard it I was thinking about rough times I faced and how I made it through them. I thought about the people around me both positive and negative influences and I thought about the small to large victories that I’ve had during these times. It’s a Celebration of my personal growth and victories of struggles I’ve faced. It’s also a song I can see at every cookout like ‘Summertime’.

Do you have a favorite song that is on your upcoming project or have written?

I actually have 3. There is a song on a soundtrack that I am working on that is for Lisa Ward’s book ‘Empowered By Disadvantages…’ that I thoroughly enjoyed creating because of where it took me mentally. The second would be Celebrate. The third is a song I haven’t titled that has a boom bap feel. I don’t know if that will be on the project or pushed as a single yet. My team hasn’t decided yet.

What can we expect from your album?

You can expect to want more. With my album I want to give my audience something they want to play continuously and straight through. I want to create something timeless. It’ll be a mixture of personal stories and events that a lot of people will be able to relate to. There may be a fun catchy song or two on there, but mainly relatable tracks.

When will the album drop?

We plan on dropping the album later this year. I want to make this album something that people would say it was worth the wait. I want to put that time in to make every song better than good.

What do you want the people to get out of your music?

I want people to understand who I am as a person and I want them to be able to relate to my music and use it as inspiration. I want to know that my music got people through rough times in their lives as it did with me.

Most rappers are talented poets… is that a title you can identify with?

I definitely can. Rap and poetry are synonymous in my eyes. Poetry plays a big part in my music. From my flow, to the words I use to deliver my bars.

How do you feel about the current state of hip hop?

I feel like Hip-Hop is always changing, so as it changes my opinion on it does as well. There are some things I accept or learned to accept and there are other things that I don’t agree with at all. I’ve heard some artists that I wasn’t feeling at first, but when l actually listened I started liking them. I would write them off before I gave them a chance really. Then there are other artists that I question “Why are they popping right now?”. I’ll leave it at that.

Do you have any upcoming performances scheduled?

I will be performing at Gallery 302 in Delaware on February 26 the day my single drops. By the way, LJPIX aka DJ Kaotic ZeekyEl and Just Marc will be making an appearance.

Where can people go to support your music?

Starting February 26, 2022, My music can be found on all platforms. Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, iHeartRadio, iTunes, Amazon, Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.

I will end this interview with a very popular question, that sparks many debates. In your opinion who are the top 5 greatest rappers of all time?