Black Liquid was the quiet child growing up.
“My parents were afraid that I’d never talk, I was extremely shy,” he said. “I was scared to order fast food.”
Black Liquid was the quiet child growing up.
“My parents were afraid that I’d never talk, I was extremely shy,” he said. “I was scared to order fast food.”
Now with nineteen albums, three radio shows, performances with DMX and Snoop Dogg, creative writing classes, and a regular hip hop series at Strange Matter, it’s safe to say the local hip hop artist has come out of his shell.
Black Liquid, real name Rob Fields, just dropped his nineteenth album, Fall for the Fly and by this time when most artists would have run out of steam, Black Liquid still has something to say and continues to deliver with his same aggressive, raw, high energy. It’s real, it speaks the truth, it’s him and it’s unapologetic.
The new album isn’t without its changes though. It’s shown his growth and maturity as an artist and how far he’s come since he first started in the local music scene.
“You won’t find a record dedicated to a female on it, there’s no relationship song on there, there’s no party record because the party’s over,” said Black Liquid. “This is probably the rawest, most aggressive project I have done since Liq St8 Of Mind. While it definitely continues to tell people what my life is like and view on certain things is, on a larger scale it represents to me what I demand of myself to live up to the standards I have set and stand for; and what I want to see us as artists who represent this city accomplish.”
The 15-track album was produced by Lord Slugg and Brenda’s Baby and covers a wide range of topics and took him about three or four months to churn out.
Black Liquid records all his music in my house and he’s not the typical 9 to 5 guy.
I record typically late night, three in the morning,” he said. “When I do record, I record in large amounts, 30 songs, 50 songs something like that.”
He hosts Hip-Hop for the Rest of Us on WRIR 97.3 FM Saturdays 1-3am, Hip-Hop 101 Monday nights from 11 pm-1 am and Hip-Hop 102 Thursday nights from 11 pm-1 am on WDCE 90.1 FM where he’s currently Hip-Hop Director. He’s also taught hip hop creative writing classes to students at the private school Sabot At Stony Point and to kids in Richmond city public schools. In addition to that he hosts a regular hip hop series “Face Melt Fridays” at Strange Matter.
Black Liquid said these experiences teaching the classes, holding down three radio gigs, and hosting his regular series have helped shape the content for Fall for the Fly.
“Things I’m doing outside of the lane of just being an artist and experiences I’e had have helped to form my music and my creative direction and what I say on record in a new direction,” he said. I feel like this album is the best fusion of my perspective but also my experiences.”
In July, he’ll be teaching a creative writing course at the Bon Air Juvenile Detention Center.
Don’t think he’s slowing down anytime soon either because Black Liquid said he’s already working on his next album.
And although he puts out his music for free, Black Liq assured me he’s now doing quite well and no longer lives off malt liquor and frozen pizzas.
His next show is July 17 at Strange Matter for his Face Melt Friday series.
