It seems only fitting that Rude Minor penned the track “Not Around” on a notebook gifted to him by Pepper Gomez, who happens to be the mother of Tacboy, who collaborated with Rude Minor for the single.
“My introduction to the Wake Up! Music label goes back to around 2018-2019 when the late Benji Espinoza had encouraged me to add Pepper on Facebook,” recalls Rude Minor. “He talked very highly of her and the label and believed that the relationship would help me with what I wanted to accomplish. Thank you, Benji, for your direction and may you continue to rest in paradise.”
They became friends, leading to the aforementioned gift and in January 2021, Gomez reached out to Rude Minor on Facebook about joining forces with Tacboy leading to “Not Around”, which drops on Dec. 28.
ED Magazine spoke with Tacboy and Rude Minor — courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com — about their new single, about Rude Minor’s versatile instrument profile, and Tacboy’s favorite Jim Morrison song.
ED: Tacboy, how did you guys first meet and subsequently start to work on “Not Around” together?
TACBOY: I met Rude through my mom, Pepper. She told me she knew of a kid with Chicago roots and asked if I would do a song with him. We’re both two Latino kids so I agreed instantly — sight and sounds unseen. Rude sent me the beat, I recorded the chorus and he sent back his verses. Our voices definitely complement each other to create two sides of a distinct feeling. Everything just happened real smoothly.
ED: Tacboy, what’s your favorite Jim Morrison song?
TACBOY: I gotta say it is “Waiting for the Sun.” I love the soft-sounding verses and then the clash of the guitar. Ive always been a fan of repetition in songs and the way the word waiting repeats while the music crescendos is real cool.
ED: Rude Minor, I read you play more than 10 instruments — what are they and which was the hardest to learn? Which do you enjoy the most?
RUDE MINOR: I play acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, drums, violin, viola, cello, bass guitar, upright bass, ukulele, marimba, organ, etc. I never thought about the difficulty because I was so caught up in how fun it was. I didn’t realize as a 7-year-old kid that I was training myself to play by ear. The difficult part was reading sheet music — I still can’t do that. I enjoy the guitar and piano the most because I started on those. They were the most accessible, while also being in many great songs I could learn.
To be real, sometimes I don’t like what I make just like any artist but she always seems to think anything I send her is gold. I’m definitely way harder on myself than she is but every artist needs someone to say that their creations are good even if it’s their mama! — Tacboy
ED: Tacboy, your mom is obviously a proven name in house music so do you feel any added pressure or a standard to live up to when making a house track?
TACBOY: Never if anything it makes it easier. If it comes this naturally and easy to me, I can only assume it came 10 times easier for her. To be real, sometimes I don’t like what I make just like any artist but she always seems to think anything I send her is gold. I’m definitely way harder on myself than she is but every artist needs someone to say that their creations are good even if it’s their mama!
ED: Rude Minor, what can you say about the Wisconsin music scene for those that may not be familiar with it?
RUDE MINOR: We have Summerfest in Milwaukee each year which surprisingly was the world’s largest music festival at one point. We also have The Rave venue where a lot of artists will come perform. Those are the bigger things we have in Wisconsin. There’s definitely clubs in the bigger cities to go see a DJ, band, or artist but it’s nowhere near how it is in Chicago or New York City.
ED: Who’s an artist you’d love to collaborate with if given the opportunity based on your sound profile?
TACBOY: Both my brother and I would love to eventually collaborate with a group called chvrches. All of their songs sounds very different yet you can tell it’s made by them and I think the ET boys have that same very distinct sound. There’s something about their production that even rivals my brother’s. It would be a dream for both me and my brother as he’s been listening to them since he was in high school.
RUDE MINOR: I have multiple. I’d work with Jenevieve, Steve Lacy, or Omar Apollo for their artistic vision; a songwriting session with Barry Gibb, Olivia Rodrigo, or Babyface would be amazing; production-wise would have to be The Neptunes, Armand Van Helden or Max Martin; vocals would be Doja Cat, SZA, Chaka Khan, or Chris Stapleton. And Stevie Wonder because it’s Stevie Wonder. There’s way more but I think I’ve already said too much.
I never thought about the difficulty (of playing 10-plus instruments) because I was so caught up in how fun it was. I didn’t realize as a 7-year-old kid that I was training myself to play by ear. The difficult part was reading sheet music — I still can’t do that. — Rude Minor
ED: What’s the most awe-struck you’ve been meeting a fellow musician?
RUDE MINOR: I’ll let you know when I meet that musician.
TACBOY: I gotta say it would probably be a pop punk rapper named lil aaron. I hung out with him after one of his shows in New Orleans and was completely geeked. I spent a lot of my high school years listening to him so it’s crazy to see in real life a person that made your favorite songs. After spending time with him, he’s just like any other person and I admire him as he remains one of my influences today. It’s crazy to think that someone could think that about me one day or even as we speak.
ED: StripJoints services DJs at gentlemen’s clubs nationwide, so, in your words, why would “Not Around” be a good choice to play at a gentlemen’s club?
RUDE MINOR: It has club and dance elements in the track. Thinking about your ex at the club may have you actin’ up, throwing a few extra bills out, and drinking a few more drinks. For that reason I could see it playin’ in the club. Thank you, StripJoints!
