Brothers Jackson and Coleman Vrana, of the rap duo Elephant, released their full length album Queer Nation late last year. A social call to arms for gay America, their music is loud, and angry and never skirts the issues. We interviewed the two boys behind the group below and are also debuting their new music video for “The Let-Go.” Check it out above.
When did you first get the urge to pursue a career in music? Have you ever second guessed your decision?
When we were teenagers living an angst-ridden life in the south, writing music was the only form of creativity that felt redeeming, regardless of whether anyone listened or cared. It really was about expressing ourselves and needing an outlet for all the hatred coming our way everyday in school. I’d say we obviously second-guessed our style of music since then-being in angry punk bands infiltrating shitty bars and local VFWs-but there are still obvious elements of that still prevalent in our songs. As far as giving up music: never.
Explain this notion you two have of “sonic castration” through your music.
It’s a way of saying that when a misogynistic, homophobic individual hears songs like “Queer Nation,” the idea of intimidating hip hop being a genre strictly for like-minded individuals is blown. The same music you use to celebrate your ignorance and the debatably large size of your penis is now a catalyst for gay people to infiltrate pop culture.
Growing up in Oklahoma can you talk about moving out to New York / London and what a shift that was.
We feel like we did most of our real “growing up” away from the small town mentality that you can’t really escape from in Oklahoma. We felt like we could breathe a little more when we moved away; maybe that was the immediate reaction. We knew that we certainly couldn’t expect to be happy, much less write and pursue the kind of music we wanted in a place like that.
What are your hopes and ambitions for your music? While your sexuality always be the most prevalent thing in your songs or do you think you may go another way?
We don’t set any specific goals in mind with Elephant and we only hope that we keep growing until we’re in a place we know feels right. The new song and video we’re sharing with you guys today makes no mention of sexuality, actually. We think we mention queer issues when it helps push a point we’re making, and the abrasive, hardcore talk gives the music this fun urgency.
What singers and songwriters inspired you? Who do you like these days.
When we were young, we really loved rock trio Placebo; still do. I think some of that style infiltrated our music and vocal style simply because it was drilled into our brains so much as teenagers. Our rap/electro taste is totally random and we draw from everywhere we hear something new. As for artists currently topping the charts, we’re not particularly fans of much out there (save for maybe Florence & the Machine). However, we definitely can appreciate and become inspired by the production value of those artists…or their producers more like.
What can you tell us about this video.
The same director who made “Queer Nation” (Jim Zabilla) put this one together, as well. This is a take on religion; not necessarily a ‘castration’ of religion, but more of a message that asks people to think for themselves instead of relying on it. We have Yo! Majesty (lesbian rap duo Shunda K and Shon B) performing in this video. We’re releasing a VS. EP with them really soon and we’ve been performing with them off and on for a short while now. In this video, we wanted to go a little less glam and more real. There’s something about it that’s very approachable, which is what we wanted for this kind of subject matter; Jim did an awesome job.
