Sync

Epiphany jokingly calls the newly released Such Is Life his “second” debut album. There was a previous debut by the Little-Rock-by-way-of-Pine-Bluff hip-hop artist. About eight years ago. But Epiphany is not counting it. It’s not that Epiphany is embarrassed about his true first album. It’s just that he was so young and inexperienced when he made it. He needed seasoning as an artist. First with a Conduit Fam album then a string of mixtapes over the past few years.

“With each [project] I felt as though I showed progression in different areas,” Epiphany says. “I told myself that I didn’t want to put out a full project until I could do it correctly.”

Correctly is the 17-track Such Is Life, an album Epiphany recorded over the last half of 2011, working with producers such as Apollo Lane, BlazeBeatz. Kwestion, Don Key and others. It’s the work of an experienced hip-hop artist. And the experience shows.

Epiphany is a fan of albums. Real albums. Not these CDs nowadays where there are three or four singles wrapped in filler. Such Is Life is an album. Front to back. The album flows, from the big beat bounce of “Zone Out” to the organ-y, street gospel of “Gettin It (Hay)/The Real” featuring the soulful vocals of Gina Gee.

“My goal is to make no filler tracks,” Epiphany says. “Tracks that are there just to be there. It was a collaborative effort. I very much so worked with people who proceeded to make [my ideas] bigger. Sometimes I just felt like I was the conductor of an orchestra.”

Beyond working with seven different producers, Epiphany also employed a live band on Such Is Life, with musicians such as Bo “Warwick” Floyd, Lucas “Cool Hand” Murray, Velvet Kente’s Joshua, Rodney Block and Verenda Lowe lending their talents. And guest artists included Gee along with Justin Paul, Bijoux and Joshua.

Epiphany sat down last week for a chat about Such Is Life and how the project came about:

On what he learned from a 12-city tour in late 2011

“Man, I got to go back out. I put it like this: If it has to be a struggle to this destination where I’m in the same spot or a struggle to the destination where I’m bouncing around and doing shows and what I love, then put me on the road every time. ... My goal was never to be a ‘Little Rock celebrity’ — just be known around this area. Somehow, someway, I want to expand so it was let’s just go some place and perform. ... It was great. I’m been pretty much going out of town since then. I’m working on some more tours right now. That’s what I want to do. That’s what I need to be doing.”

On Such Is Life being an album and not hits with filler

“The thing with me is that I am very project oriented. I didn’t want something that just sounded like a bunch of good songs thrown together. I wanted something that was cohesive. ... My main thing was to have a flow to it. The way I describe it is ... you can throw it in there and let it ride completely to the end and it goes together.”

On picking beats for the album

“I have two or three different processes. One is I hear a beat and know that somehow, someway that’s going to be something. Sometimes it works out; sometimes it doesn’t. I go off feeling nowadays. ... I find the ones that are going to be dope for me cause it makes me feel this way. Then I just listen to it on repeat, and the theme comes out of it. ... Other times I have ideas for a songs and build around it. Like, I have this hook, and I want this sound. All these producers I had worked with before so they know my visions and can take it further. The one I did that with the most on this album was Kwestion. He could see what I wanted and make it even doper than what was in my mind. [Lastly] someone might have an idea for a song for me. The only one on this album that was a collaboration like that was ‘Standing Ovation.’”

On the message of the album

“For me, it is that in life we have extreme highs and extreme lows, and everything in between. Regardless, you got to keep moving. Whatever happens, Such Is Life. Not so much shrug your shoulders and move on; you got to progress and there is no standing still. You either go forward or you go back. If you're standing still, you are going back. You keep moving on and doing the best you can. Such Is Life.”

SEE THE SHOW

Epiphany plays the Rev Room on Thursday backed by a live band, and the night will include musical guests. It’s a 21-and-up show with the doors opening at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover. Ladies get in for $5 before 10:30 p.m. Such Is Life is available through Epiphany’s website bigpiph.com