|
Rapper Hopsin and his Funk Volume collective of artists have been on the road since September 8. That is when they launched their latest outing, the Funk Volume 2015 Tour.
Although Hopsin dropped out of James Monroe High School in Los Angeles, the rapper is a savvy businessman and recognizes the value of an education. And he is never not felt confident in his abilities.
“Life will give you whatever you want out of it as long as you take the time to just learn what you’re doing,” Hopsin told The Independent Florida Alligator. “And once you understand, it gives you all the answers.”
Hopsin’s founding partner in Funk Volume is University of California, Berkeley/Stanford MBA graduate Damien “Dame” Ritter. Hopsin and Ritter have built an impressive following for Funk Volume, especially on social media, thanks to the popularity of artists like Dizzy Wright, SwizZz, Jarren Benton, producer DJ Hoppa and others.
Their artists’ rigorous tour schedule and appearance at major festivals like Rock The Bells, Soundset, Paid Dues, Firefly and others have paid off. Funk Volume has amassed 200 million YouTube views and 2.6 million Facebook likes. That is in addition to Hopsin’s following of 485,000 on Twitter and the same amount on Instagram.
“I do a lot of things that go viral, that’s because I understand exactly how to do it, and I know what it’s going to do,” Hopsin said in an interview with The Independent Florida Alligator.
Hopsin’ is attempting to adjust to his rising fame. But instead of taking a flashier route like other rappers, the fame has led him to create his alter ego “Hash Brown,” who makes fun of the trappings of Hip-Hop culture in the video “No Words.”
“I’m just trying to find a way where I can talk about it in a way where people are like ‘Okay, that’s what he does now, but not in a Hollywood (way),’” Hopsin said.
Check out the video for “No Words” from Hopsin’s new album Pound Syndrome is below.