Vocalo Radio Pivot Gang’s MFnMelo Shines On New Album “Everybody Eats”
Written by Vocalo Radio on February 27, 2020
Pivot Gang member, MFnMelo is back with his new album Everybody Eats and says more music is on the horizon.
Jill Hopkins sat down with the rapper to dive into his music making process, how he takes care of his friends, and how you can eat with him too, thanks to the release of his cooking show’s second season.
You were saying to me before we got on mic that it had been a long time since you’ve taken the stage by yourself …
Definitely a different vibe, especially coming off the tour we just did. Just the rundown…our set wasn’t like a set; it was kind of like a play, it was more theatrical. So just getting back up there and being there alone, and not having those things … but still trying to work those things into my set now. That was cool. It was a great learning experience and I missed it. I really enjoy performing so I was happy to be back up there – especially doing new music.
Talk to me about the the process of writing and recording on your own as opposed to with the whole squad.
I feel like the process is kind of similar in the idea that I kind of listen to the beat and then I just go find a corner. You know, just lock in and do my thing – I kind of do that when I’m by myself or if I’m with the gang.
I think with the gang, I’m a little bit freer. I don’t think as much. And I don’t know why that is but … I think it’s just a natural moment to recall the times when when we first started this. Before anybody even listened to my music. We would just like throw on a beat, vibe together, and then go make the song. I wasn’t thinking about how I was gonna make the song – I was just acting.
And I think sometimes in my own music I kind of get lost in the idea of trying to think too much about the creative process. Especially early on, with MeloDramatics, I was definitely thinking too much. And I feel like when I’m rapping with them, I don’t think as much.
And then also I’m feeding off their energy. So it’s like, whenever I do get to a point where I start thinking too much, I step out of that little zone and I’ll be like, “Joe, what you got? I was over here in my world, what you got going on?” Then he’ll say, “I got these eight.” It’s a different energy that’s entering me now. It’s not just me focusing on my things. It’s, “I hear what he’s doing and then now I’m trying to piece how those two can mesh.”
It’s just better to feed off their energy. It feels more like when we first started. I think that nostalgic moment – those feelings of just creating with my friends – is something I miss when I’m doing it alone.
I’ve always enjoyed the camaraderie that Pivot Gang has with one another. I think, that spills over to even the title of Everybody Eats. It’s a loaded title. It says to me that you’re looking out for the squad, and if one of you is doing well, you’re all doing well. But it also says to me, this man is always hungry – literally and figuratively. [laughs] Am I wrong about any of that?
M: No, you’re right on the head. I’m factually always hungry – literally and figuratively.
And I think just from the start, before it was even music, I’ve always just wanted me and my friends to be doing well. Even though we were just hanging out that day, I wanted to make sure nobody was hungry. You know, if we wanted to go here, nobody felt like they were being left out. Like I’ll figure out a way to make sure that you can go too. Just make sure everybody’s involved and feels included and is able to do their thing but still be in the midst of this. I just really took pride in that.
And I think that just extends to the music and to how I am with my friends and how I am with my close family members. I really like making sure everybody’s okay. I feel a lot better when I know that everybody around me is okay as well.
Are you the dad of the Pivot Gang? [laughs]
Facts. Facts! I am factually Papa Pivot.
So you gave yourself just about a half an hour on this album to tell the story that you wanted to tell. What story is that and why did you want to keep it short and sweet like that?
I just wanted to give off a lot of the feelings and emotions and the thought process that goes into making sure everybody is okay. But also trying to make sure I’m straight. Showing myself that same attention that I’m trying to show everybody else. So it was really just the balance of that.
I like to keep it short and simple. I like to keep everything as minimal as possible … I just make my point and move on. I really wanted to make sure it was heard properly. I didn’t want to give people too much or they wouldn’t be able to digest it all.
I feel like a lot of times my raps are layered. You really gotta listen. I didn’t want to give you all of this material to have to siphon through. I wanted to keep it short and sweet. Plus I plan on coming back with some more. So I just wanted to let you know: this is what we on now … expect this era.
Let’s talk about the new season of your YouTube series, Cooking w/ MFn. What made you want to launch a cooking show? Because I’m here for rapper cooking shows…like always, 24/7, give me that whole channel.
M: It kind of just happened. I’ve always liked cooking but I was afraid to do it. I didn’t think I was good enough because nobody starts off good enough. But also, in order to get better I gotta do it and mess up and I just didn’t want to waste food. [laughs] I won’t really dive into cooking too much because I don’t want to just be in there messing up stuff.
Once I got to a point where I got more comfortable, I started cooking more for myself. And then I started cooking for the house and then [I thought] “Oh, I’m not that bad, I can continue to do this.” I got comfortable with it. And I did a skit in one of my videos off MeloDramatics where I had a cooking show. The video was “White Cheddar,” and I’ve got a fake cooking segment in the middle of it. And it was just interesting!
I liked it and a friend of mine, she was like, “Hey, you should do a cooking show. That looks cool. That looks like something I would watch. You should try it.”
I did an episode two, just messing around, and I liked it. It was comfortable. I did a couple more and I knew I could actually continue it. Then when I came back and we started season two, I was just more comfortable in it so I really liked the product.
It’s hard to do it. Me and the people I’m working with have lives! So it’s hard to connect and do it how we want to do it. The length of the seasons is kind of shortened. I’m trying to take it as far as I possibly can because I just really enjoy cooking and talking to my friends and learning from them.
So Everybody Eats is out there! The baby bird out of the nest! What comes next for you in this process of watching it grow and watching people appreciate it?
M: I like to observe, I like to see how people are feeling, I like to talk to them. When they hit me on the internet, I like to engage all the time. If anybody hits me up, nine times out of 10, I’m going to engage in that conversation.
I’m trying to learn what you liked, what you didn’t like, about it … and what it did for you. When I started making music I didn’t look at that part at all. I can just be completely honest with it.
I have more content to add, just showing different sides of me that are all going to correlate back to the music. And then of course, I’m just trying to give them more music too. Soon. Sooner than later. I feel like I take a long time in between projects, but there’s really no need to take that time. So I’m trying to eliminate some of that time for sure.
