Antonio Breez is both a breath of fresh air and diverse, in his words: “something that music hasn’t seen for a long time.” Hailing from Boston but now residing in Los Angeles, the rising star prides himself in creating undeniable R&B and hip-hop, boasting infectious melodies and lyricism that immediately draws the listener in.
Breez is heavily influenced by the era of Nas, Jay Z, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West, all artists who not only made him want to do music, but got his creative juices flowing. Exploding onto the scene as a teenager with his breakout single “Wet,” Breez went on to release his debut album The Convocation Of Antonio Breez. But it was 2020’s standout album Views & Likes that truly captured his sound, the perfect fusion between rap and R&B.
Fast forward to today, Antonio unveils his newest single and visual for “Ride,” which sees him manifesting the type of love he’s always wanted. Beyond that, he has his own brand Faith & Dreams he pushes.
AllHipHop: You’re from Boston, how was it growing up there?
Antonio Breez: Being in Boston was cool, it’s where I got the infrastructure of who I am from. It was cool, very artsy. Very small city, very small town, but not really many outlets for the arts. It’s not really a focus.
AllHipHop: When did you fall in love with music?
Antonio Breez: I fell in love with music as a youngin’, I was 8 years old when I recorded my first track. My pops was an MC so I was always around him and the studio. I grew up really wanting to be like him.
AllHipHop: Was there a turning point when you realized you could do it for a living?
Antonio Breez: I remember when I was in high school, they had a talent show and everyone dared me to do it. Once I had won the talent show, I realized “okay, the masses of people might f### with what I’m doing.” I started doing shows and paid gigs when I was in school. I said “alright, I just need to find out how to magnify this time 10,” then I’ll be able to make it. [laughs]
AllHipHop: You live in Los Angeles now? How are you liking it?
Antonio Breez: I do, I live in LA now. I live in South Central now, I’m trying to get acclimated with the city. I’ve been here for 3 years. It’s cool, I think I made the right decision. I get to network a lot, I get to be in front of the right people. When you want to be on Broadway or an actor, you go to New York. When you want to be a musician or a content creator, you move to LA.
AllHipHop: You just released “Ride,” who or what inspired this record?
Antonio Breez: “Ride” was inspired by a theoretical imagining what would a perfect relationship be like, having that ride or die. Once I had the beat, I just knew what to say. The song was recorded in 2018, so it shows you that nothing happens overnight. I kept perfecting it and changing the beat till I felt comfortable releasing it.
AllHipHop: Best memory from the video shoot in Malibu?
Antonio Breez: The best memory was at the end of the day, realizing we accomplished a lot. We got a lot of everything done the way it was supposed to, and we got a great product. Malibu was a vibe. It was really the director’s idea, his name is Corey Saldana. We shot in because we needed that perfect vibe: the weather, the scenery, to really be cruising. Malibu was perfect.
AllHipHop: What is it you want fans to get from the record?
Antonio Breez: I want the fans to get it’s a universal record. Real easy vibe, real easy listen. I hope it’s a classic like I want it to be, that’s all.
AllHipHop: What about from your story?
Antonio Breez: I just want them to know listen, AB is a hard-working artist. A breath of fresh air. Everything coming out is high quality and a good product. I just want them to tap in, that’s all.
AllHipHop: How’s the independent grind?
Antonio Breez: The independent grind is cool, it’s just difficult sometimes getting people to support what you’re doing vocally. A lot of the times people want to hop onto things when it’s already working, when it’s poppin’ and you’re out of here. But you need support while you’re on the way to help you get there, so that’s all I want.
AllHipHop: Talk about your brand Faith & Dreams as well.
Antonio Breez: Faith & Dreams is a lifestyle, it’s a way of living. It’s something I’ve been saying since I was 13, got it tatted on me and everything. I decided to put it in the forefront, like a Dreamville, Dreamchasers, all those types of things.
AllHipHop: How important is it to have Faith & Dreams?
Antonio Breez: It’s very important, it’s the synopsis of who I am and my whole being. It’s very important in my life.
AllHipHop: What merch do you have?
Antonio Breez: Hats and shirts for now, stickers and things like that. I want to keep it light, things that I know people would easily fall into. So those two for now.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
Antonio Breez: I don’t know if they’re tangible things, but it’s cleanliness, quietness, and my phone. My phone because I gotta be able to read my bars. And my hard drive! That’s 4.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from your fifth studio album this fall?
Antonio Breez: Vibes. More records like “Ride,” but I plan to somehow be able to keep showcasing — because I’m an MC first. I plan to find a way to show the bars a little bit too, so a little mixture. I know it’s going to be hot, that’s all I can say.
AllHipHop: Have you always done rap and R&B?
Antonio Breez: Yeah. I’ve been doing rap first, but then I moved over to R&B because of the current state of music. You have to be able to be a little bit more melodic, that’s just the way we’re going so you gotta be able to complete. But I love hip hop and its essence more.
AllHipHop: Do we have a name for the album?
Antonio Breez: I don’t have a name for it, but I know it’ll be meaningful and I know I’ll keep everybody updated.
AllHipHop: You have a song called “Listening to Drake,” what’s Drake’s influence on you?
Antonio Breez: “Listening to Drake,” it’s crazy. I had a producer, his name is Synthsei. He sent me this beat about 3 years ago and the sample that he had in it, it sounded like Drake but it wasn’t. It was just a voice, so I structured the record around the sample. I wanted to keep it cohesive so I named it “Listening to Drake,” then I shot the video. That’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t overly thirsty for it to reach Drake, but I’m still hopeful.
AllHipHop: Do you think he’ll hear it?
Antonio Breez: You know, these things I don’t ever think is too farfetched. For him to reach down and give somebody… it gotta be the right cosign. I hope it does though, should be cool.
AllHipHop: Goals yourself as an artist at this point of your career?
Antonio Breez: Oh man, my only goal is to be able to use my music to be able to generate other streams of income into other business ventures. Eventually be able to use my voice to put on other talent, that’s what it’s all about. You don’t really achieve nothing until you’re able to put other people on or put other people into position.
AllHipHop: Anything you want to let us know?
Antonio Breez: I want to let the people know that if they really f### with what I got going on, this is only the beginning so tap in. Be sure to keep up and subscribe to everything: Antonio Breez. Youtube, Spotify, all that. Tap in with me, artists willing to collab. Thank you for this platform.
