In Miami's over-saturated megaclub market, it's difficult for homegrown bands to stand out.
But the Llamabeats dudes drew local hype from the moment that they burst onto the 305 music scene. And by the time their debut album, Como Se Llama, was released, George Spits, The What's Good, and MF Jose had cemented their place on South Florida's groove circuit.
Recently, Spits dropped a solo effort, Hoodlum, which is also being billed as a Llamabeats product. So we here at Crossfade caught up with him to talk about the new album, getting the fuck out of Miami, and the future of Llamabeats.
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Crossfade: The Hoodlum record is a George Spits solo album. But it's a Llamabeats collaboration. How does that work?
George Spits: I originally started Llamabeats with The What's Good and MF Jose, AKA Master Fader. But everybody has their own thing going on, and we've got to make our money and all that crap, so the time we've had to dedicate to the project has varied over the years. When we come together, it's something special. And even though Hoodlum is my solo effort, there's some beats made by The What's Good, and even in the writing process I was working with these guys. It's been mostly all of us.
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How would you describe your music?
I was born in L.A. and raised in Miami, a lot of people tell us we have a West Coast vibe. I hear that a lot. I don't know. Our music just comes from a very genuine place. We only try to be ourselves and we avoid being something we're not. And we call each other out on shit all the time. There's stuff you haven't heard for a reason.
Can you describe the Llambeats writing process?
Everyone in the band listens to so many different things, and we all come from such different places. A lot of times, the band is going in multiple directions. Me and The What's Good often write a lot of hooks together, and even Jose will go in some times. I like a catchy hook, that's what I want in our songs.
So what's next for the Llamabeats Crew?
The main thing is we're going to get the fuck out of here. I want us to travel a lot, to get out. And I want to see this in print so that it motivates me to actually go and do it. We've also got a collaboration with ArtOfficial called Adventure Fund, which we'll be releasing in the next couple of months. We've been working on that for a few years. The What's Good is working on his album. Drastik and Daniel Marquez are two new crew members that we also want to showcase. Right now we're just booking shows.
Ultimately, what do you want people to take from your music?
Honestly, I want people to like it. That's why it takes us so long to release material. It takes a ton of time and effort to make something that everybody believes is timeless. Everybody dies, but this music doesn't have to. I don't want to put anybody on blast or whatever, but I don't want to make some of that shit you hear on the radio that you know won't be around tomorrow. I want this to be forever.
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