Written By: Paul Amyot
Rapper & producer Alexander “Spadez” Martinez and vocalist & producer Johnie B come from two different worlds, but have come together to comprise the sounds that make PRTTY BOYS original. Breaking onto the scene with their single “Cop Car” the duo is getting ready to drop their debut album “The Juice Factory” this month.
upfrontNY: Could you tell us about your upcoming album “The Juice Factory”?
Spadez: It’s full of slaps. And there’s a little bit of everything on there. We got some vibes for the clurb, some “poppy” tunes, some deeper songs and just overall flames.
Johnie B: Smooth vocals, tasty bars, and some shit that will get stuck in your head.
Spadez: You might need some new headphones after because they’ll be all burnt up and crispy.
upfrontNY: Is your first single “Cop Car” based on real experiences? How do you usually find inspiration for your songs?
Johnie B: Spending your early 20’s in New York—I mean it is THE party city, everything stays open till at least 5am (I thought that was normal till I moved to LA), New Yorkers wake up hungover on a Sunday around noon and think bottomless mimosas are a good idea. So there was only one thing gonna happen. We got some stories to tell.
Spadez: Definitely. A bunch of different experiences rolled into one verse. I used to chill with this girl who would always tell me “you ain’t gotta lie to kick it” and that’s one of my favorite lines. Also, one time I woke up to this girl asking me if I wanted scrambled eggs and she whipped em up for breakfast. That was a first for me haha.
upfrontNY: You are both from completely different worlds coming from Lexington, KY and the Bay Area in California. How did these places influence your pursuit of music?
Spadez: The music scene in the Bay Area was super tight-knit when I was growing up there, so I was only listening to artists from the West Coast most of my life. Personally, I feel like the Bay Area influences a lot of the music that comes out now (especially when it comes to the way we talk). For example, anyone who says “slaps,” “bop,” “hella,” Shout out E-40.
Johnie B: Frankly I knew I had to expand my horizons, you don’t hear of many big artists from Flexington. But having I said that I keep a humble perspective. I’m not extra flashy and I’m not into the sort of sensationalism you hear about on the radio every now and then. People from Kentucky are very Ginuwine, and they also like to ride ponies so that’s 2 for 2.
upfrontNY: How much did your experience at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU influence the direction you would take musically?
Spadez: I’ve always been musically diverse because I get bored doing the same thing all the time but the Clive Davis Institute introduced me to working with/producing for other artists in person. I used to only send beats to people via email and they would send their vocals back to me. I also learned a ton about song mixing. Before then, I would just put random presets on all my drums and instruments and whatever made it louder was good enough for me.
Johnie B: I was slowly growing out of the pop-punk style of music I had been making in High School. And I really mean slowly, I made a full album in that general style and it will never be released. By the end I was finding my voice, realizing I could do this pop, or r&b, or electronic thing.
upfrontNY: What would be your dream city / venue that you wish to perform at one day?
Spadez: Oracle Arena in Oakland or a stadium in Argentina (a lot of my cousins live in Buenos Aires).
Johnie B: Rupp Arena (where the Wildcats play) or Wembley (where Arsenal likes to win FA Cups).
upfrontNY: Johnie what was it like touring and producing for a pop/punk band?
Johnie B: It was rad but it was a grind. We played plenty of shows for less than 10 people but it made us appreciate the show where 500 showed up that much more. It gave me a solid music background because I was having to learn a lot of new skills out of necessity, engineering, producing, mixing. I’m not saying I did any of that well, but it was a start. And my guys that were in the band are still my best friends to this day.
upfrontNY: Spadez tell us how you reached out to artists by social media. What was it like producing for Travis Mills, Ying Yang Twins, Dem Franchize Boyz, DEV, Riff Raff, The Cataracs (now KSHMR)?
Spadez: It was PRTTY cool. I was in high school when I worked with the Ying Yang Twins, and they were still at the height of their success so I was pumped. The first song I did with Riff Raff has kind of a funny backstory too. I used to watch his car freestyle videos and hit him up with some beats. He called me up and said he was going to have Andy Milonakis and Dirt Nasty get on the song too (which eventually turned into Three Loco). That didn’t end up happening though, so I threw a verse/hook on there and had the homie Deniro Farrar do a verse too. I have a song featuring Dem Franchize Boyz on one of my next projects, and the rest of those artists are from the Bay Area, It’s always a good feeling when you can work with people from your hometown.
upfrontNY: Can you both tell us about the many ways that you have been using your voices outside of music to promote positive change?
Spadez: I’ve done a lot of community service back in my hometown – serving food to the homeless; going to retirement homes and playing games with the residents. I’d love to be able to give back even more eventually but I try to do as much as I can.
Johnie B: I’ve been keeping up with some progressive political groups, Our Revolution, Justice Democrats for instance, and I plan on contributing more to these movements in whatever ways I can, especially during campaign season. I might even run for office myself one day.
I don’t have big numbers on social media but if I ever get to where I have a legitimate platform I will for sure be making my voice heard. Trust. Even more so than I do today cause right now it’s like “should I post this, does anybody care?” Haha. But I love how Halsey, FLETCHER, Maggie Rogers all use their platform. It’s important when you have an influential voice and a well-informed political mind to do so.
upfrontNY: What’s next for you guys?
Spadez: More tune for ya head top and big bags.
Johnie B: Haha he’s right about that. The Juice Factory stays open late. Keep an eye out for the album dropping in May and follow us @PRTTYMUSIC.
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