In this interview, we get to know Sleep Corleone, a seasoned recording artist from Muskegon, MI, who has been rapping for 30 years. Known for his vivid storytelling and raw depictions of street life, Sleep Corleone brings authenticity and depth to his music, capturing the essence of his experiences and the streets he grew up on. His dedication to the craft and ability to paint a picture through his lyrics has solidified his place in the music scene. We dive into his journey, influences, and the impact his music has had over the decades.
Your music touches on the realities of street life. What inspired you to focus on this subject, and what message are you trying to convey through it?
Sleep Corleone: My music is my realities, I live a very interesting life, all of my different encounters and situations that I've been involved in gives me a lot of material. On top of the fact that I can rap my a** off and I'm lyrical a** f***. My message is real life Muskegon streets stories told by someone who was really there and apart of it.
Street life can be a complex and sensitive topic. Do you ever worry about the impact your lyrics might have on your listeners?
Sleep Corleone: At one point in time I did but my realism and connection to the streets allows me to actually reach out to individuals before I put names and situations into a song. Every name or situation that you here me reference in a song I have either reached out to the person personally and I have reached out to the families of the deceased to see if it's ok to speak on certain situations and individuals. On top of the fact that all the living hustlers from my era have been actually reaching out to me telling me to make sure I mention them in a song, especially the ones that are incarcerated.lbvvs
Have you ever been incarcerated, and if so, how did that experience shape you both personally and as an artist?
Sleep Corleone: I got locked up at an early age, 11th grade I got caught with a gun at Muskegon high school (well I actually didn't get caught, I got told on and they just so happened to find a gun in my possession lbvvs). Incarceration aged me mentally and created a monster. Lol As a person and as an artist it taught me to live my truths and accept who I really am and to never let em see me sweat.lbvvs
What was the turning point in your life that made you decide to pursue rap as a career?
Sleep Corleone: I've been rappin for over 30yrs, at one point in time I had a distribution deal offered to me from Big Fub & Delle Dell of CWOL records (which was a label out of Chicago home to artists like DO OR Die and Twista). They offered me a distribution major distribution deal but I was young and had no idea what that was and my only focus was a record deal so I declined and put rap to the side and got even deeper into the streets, but at the same time I never stopped writing and my lifestyle was flooding me with material and song scenarios. This lead to me being approached by Big Dre of Bow Down records of Muskegon,MI which had me back in the studio but Dre caught a dope case and went to prison and that derailed my dreams again. Years later I formed a group called L.M.G with 4 other members and we dropped a mixtape rapping over industry beats that went bananas, later I linked with a producer named Corey Briggs and we dropped a mixtape called King Corleone that was on Datpiff. The mixtape went crazy! It created a crazy buzz and gained me a bunch of followers who loved my rap style and dope boy lyrics and stories. After that I was locked back in and decided to take things serious, me and Briggs have been rockin ever since.
Before music, what were your dreams or goals? How did those evolve once you started rapping?
Sleep Corleone: This is going to sound stupid a** f*** but since I'm being totally honest with you I'm gonna tell you the truth. Before music my dreams and goals revolved completely around the streets and hustlin. That was my world and my comfort zone, everything else was foreign to me. My life revolved around money, cars, clothes and females, anything else was uncivilized to me.lbvvs
What do you hope to achieve through your music, both for yourself and your audience?
Sleep Corleone: I want to be recognized for my realness and lyricism, I want my music to become a vibe.I want my audience to be able to listen to every one of my albums beginning to ending without skipping a song and just mentally drift off into my world. For the people who lived the life, my music is a walk down memory lane and for the ones who's never lived the life, my music is a trip to an unfamiliar area and I'm the tour guide.
Your lyrics paint vivid pictures—what’s your creative process like when writing? Do you draw from real-life experiences, or do you blend them with imagination?
Sleep Corleone: Mostly real life situations that I tweak to keep from incriminating myself and the others that I mention.
In an industry that's constantly evolving, how do you stay true to your roots while also growing as an artist?
Sleep Corleone: I am who I am and I could never change that. No matter how much the music industry changes, there's always going to be a place for reality rap and that's what I classify my music as.
How do you balance authenticity with the demands of the music industry, especially when it comes to creating a specific image or brand?
Sleep Corleone: My image and brand is really me, the person that you see is not an act or a character that I've created. Unlike a lot of these rappers that talk that money and street s***, I really live that life. So when you hear my music and you hear me talking that money s***, it's a guarantee that when you see me in real life you're not going to question if I'm really that person. What most people look at as a dope boy look or dope boy image, is just a Tuesday to me. The jewelry,money, cars, clothes, shoes, and the reputation of being a boss is my reality.
Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in the next five years? What impact do you want to leave on the rap game?
Sleep Corleone: In the next five years I see myself deeply established in the rap game. Hopefully my music will put my people back into the getting money and being fly mentality, and take them away from that kill or be killed mentality.
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