The Riveter: Time to Shine with FlowCity

Several years ago, Kyle and I had the opportunity to meet some amazing young talent. Kyle was working at a high school and had the privilege of helping many students who had an interest in music with a club called "So You Think You Wanna Be a Rock Star?" The students of that club combined with the students in the poetry club teamed up and started putting on coffeehouses. The coffeehouses were a unique opportunity for students to test the stage and see what it really felt like to perform in front of an audience. Some of the students quickly realized what stage fright really was, and others embraced it and thrived off of it. There was a particular group that not only discovered they had a talent, but realized it was a passion that they wanted to flourish, this group was FlowCity aka "302 party crew". What I saw the first time they took the stage was a connection to the crowd, their dream was much like their peers, they wanted to be famous, and their peers connected to this in their words, "that'll be me on the TV screen". Their lyrics were catchy and you could hear the students singing their songs throughout the halls. FlowCity began practicing more and more, and they haven't quit.

Kyle and I have stayed in connection with member, Danielle Johnson aka Brown Suga, and I asked her for an exclusive interview. The boys and Brown Suga have been working hard and coming up with new material.

Q-How would you describe your hip hop? There are many elements of hip hop: DJing, MCing, Graffiti art, breaking and beatbox...what are your favorites and are there any that you hope on bringing to FlowCity's future?

Brown Suga- I would describe our music as fun, in your face party music! Our nick name is the 302 Party Crew and you can definitely hear it in our music. Hip hop started at block parties with djs playing the music everyone loved and people coming together to celebrate and have a great time. FLOWCITY embodies that! If you ever see us live you can't help but have fun just watching us.

Q-Do you feel you are addressing deep changes in society that are not being addressed in any other arena?

Brown Suga- I love when we're recording and get the chance to really ponder and write about a serious subject. I'm actually working on a song with songwriter and musical artist Big Frank, about being a proud independent black woman. I think it's important to be up to date and current in music, especially when you make rap which has for a long time been about current pop culture and what's buzzing, but when I get the chance to really get engrossed in a subject I care very much about I jump at it!

Q-You are all cousins, correct? When did you decide to form FlowCity, how did it happen?

Brown Suga- Haha! Yes we are all family! Shorty Rock (Darien Williams) is my first cousin. His mother is actually FlowCity's manager, Valerie Williams. Nino Nosay (Dexter Brown) has been a part of our family since...I can't remember! He lived down the street from Shorty Rock when we were young children and he didn't have any siblings to harass so we took him in. I really don't think I could feel closer to him if we did share blood. I was the first to really try my hand at music. I wrote little songs on a dollar store piano my mother bought me. You know how they have demo buttons that play percussion of different genres. I would play those and write raps. One day I was brave enough to show Shorty Rock and he thought it was awesome. I think we were 8 or 9 and we just never stopped. Nino came into the picture around 2008 when we were in high school together.

Q-You've been together for 6 years, this was your 4th African American Festival in Dover and your first time having a DJ, do you plan to continue to feature djs or are any of you looking at becoming a dj like pioneer DJ Kool Herc?

Brown Suga- The African American Festival is hands down my favorite show of the year! All of the community is there and we always feel so loved and appreciated. This year was the first year we had DJ ELegal (@DJ_ELegal http://twitter.com/DJ_ELegal) on stage with us. After having a dj on stage you can't go back haha! You have more control of your show and that's big to us because we always try to make it entertaining and not just a bunch of goofy kids jumping around on stage.

Q-You've played a few times outside Delaware- Baltimore, D.C. and Philly, have you ever had the opportunity to play the birthplace of hip hop, The Bronx? If not, how would it feel to get a chance to play there?

Brown Suga- We've played Manhattan, but not the Bronx. New York is kind of intimidating when it comes to hip hop. It's like you walk down the street and someone's freestyling on the corner and it is amazing! Every corner is like that! Well not every corner, some corners I walk in the street to avoid, but you get my drift.

credit: Bill Rife Photography

Q-Like the movie, Brown Sugar says, "When did you first fall in love with hip hop?" What artists would you say were most influential to you? And who would you compare your music too?

Brown Suga- This question is always kind of hard because my first musical influences weren't hip hop artists. They were mostly gospel singers and Jimi Hendrix haha! I was raised in a strong Christian household and really wasn't allowed to listen to secular music. Gospel singers taught me to perform with feeling and emotion and Jimi taught me to dare to be different. Hip hop came later and almost as a lark. But if I have to answer it would be Bone thugs in Harmony and Tupac Shakur. they were awesome writers and performers.

Q-Describe what each of your names mean: Brown Suga, Nino Nosay and Shorty Rock?

Brown Suga- Haha! That's a new question! Shorty Rock played basketball since he was a child. He actually passed up school after graduation to pursue music. During basketball the players would say pass me the rock meaning basketball. He was also pretty short growing up. I'm not sure if it was our grandmother or his father, but someone called him Shorty Rock at a game, and the entire school called him that from then on. Nino is a firm believer in the saying "I am my brothers keeper" a line in the 90s film New Jack City starring Wesley Snipes. The main character's name was Nino Brown. I got my name from a friend. The story is quite simple. We were at this church that was throwing a show full of scream rock band's haha! While we were on our way to the bathroom together before the next band set up, she turned to me and said, "You're so sweet! I'm gong to call you Brown Suga". It was good enough for me. It caught on quickly and soon people didn't remember my real name anymore.

Q-How does fashion impact FlowCity, one of your songs talks about looking through XXL and other brand labels? How would you feel to be a XXL freshmen?

Brown Suga- FlowCity loveeeeeessssss fashion! Not in the spend my bill money on shoes type of way, but in a we want to catch your eye kind of way. I think out of all of us Shorty Rock is most fashion inclined, but we all have our own style. Who said that? Probably Nino Nosay! That would be amazing to be on the cover of XXL. I go into gas stations to us the ATM and that magazine always catches my eye. That cover is reserved for the next big names in hip hop! I cannot wait until I'm using the ATM and my face is peeking out from that cover! haha!

Brown Suga and Chelsea
photo credit: Kyle Bullock

Q- Danielle (Brown Suga) you are very open about being a lesbian, have you endured any backlash in the community? Does it help being a part of hip hop, or do you still fight a battle being accepted?

Brown Suga- Yes, I am out and proud! I am proud of who I am and went through hardships and guilt for years before I finally felt comfortable with myself. If anyone feels any resentment towards me for being bisexual now they have yet to make it public.

"Loose Lips Sink Ships"
Hannah Whitham and Brown Suga in the RatZilla (thanks to Ed Thwaites)
photo credit: Kyle Bullock

Q-Recently your friend, Hannah Whitham got a portrait tattoo of you. It is very reminiscent of the African painter, Ernie Barnes, who is known for elongation and movement in his paintings. His most noteworthy painting is probably "Sugar Shack" which was part of the 70s television series "Good Times" which depicted living in the ghetto. Barnes was also commissioned by Kayne West to create "A Life Restored" a painting depicting the life changing experience West had with a near fatal car crash. How did it feel to discover your friend acknowledge your friendship with a portrait tattoo?

Brown Suga- I never even thought of that similarity. I know the painting you are talking about. I think the first time I ever saw it was in a barbershop. I suppose it does look a little reminiscent of his work. Hannah Whitham is my best friend! We got really close in high school and that was the end of that. She's the sister I never had! It was done as a total surprise to me and I almost didn't believe it, but it's awesome. She is a big fan of art and hard work that goes with tattoos. I love that she got a kickass tattoo of me, but I'd be okay if she was the only person to ever get a tattoo of me!

Q- FlowCity has been at this for 6 years, what are you doing to pay the bills as you are working to get out there on the scene?

Brown Suga- We've been a band for several years. It takes money to make money so we've always found ways to make ends meet and help our craft. I took several months off form making music to go back to school. I work at a medical clinic during the day. I wanted a 9 to 5 job with no nights or weekends, so I could continue my passion without starving to death. Have you ever heard of starving artists? That's not a joke.

Q- What has been the best advice anyone has given you?

Brown Suga- Wow, that's a hard question. I think the best advice ever given to me was from music legend, Bill Pettaway, on a trip to Florida in 2012. He said, "success is determined by three factors: having the right thing, at the right time and being in the right place". I thought long and hard about it and decided it is true on so many levels in life, not just in the music business. Every day I try to make sure my craft, my product, my art, my job, my relationships with friends and family are always evolving. You never know when your time to shine will present itself. I believe in that moment you can change your destiny.

Q-Are you signed?

Brown Suga- Signed to what? A record contract? An album deal? A distribution deal? Haha! this question always gets me funny looks when I answer. Nope, no signing of any dotted lines yet. Flow City is currently concentrating on making good music, gaining fan base (not only regionally, but also internationally) and finding new and better ways to market ourselves. If a deal comes and the numbers look good then amen! If not, we'll continue to build our business with the resources we have and the team of people we've been blessed to work with over the years.