2020 has been one hell of a year, amirite?! For artist, Fountaine, it’s been a year of creativity!

Fountaine, born Michael Stewart, is a North East Portland native, anime lover, and well-rounded creative. As a music artist and producer, he's independently released 5 instrumental tapes [Season 1: Android 17, IM TRYING, Blue? (Blue Questions), Rain?, & IM TRYING TOO] and 3 full-length LPs [Blak $ushi, Wisteria, & Hell for Infinite Losers] since his start as a solo artist in 2015. His music is filled with witty punchlines that reference meaningful cultural symbols from his upbringing, all while being mediated through his smooth lyrical delivery and exploratory production techniques.   

“I feel like lyricism is fairly important but it's also fairly important to groove,” says Fountaine. “Lyrical content is important for the visual representation. If I can't make you see what I'm talking about then it's not good enough for me.”

But that’s not what it’s all about! The artist explains how authenticity can get you far as an artist. “For me, realism and authenticity are the most important factors when it comes to an artist,’ states Fountaine. “If the story is fitting the plot and the plot is actual reality of life, then I'm vibing with it because I feel like I could be a part of something with you.”

Luckily, Identify LA got the chance to speak with the rapper on his upcoming album S.O.N. (South of Nowhere), his influences, and more.

The following has been edited for continuity purposes.

Identify LA: What inspired you to become an artist?

Fontaine: Honestly, I didn't even want to rap. I was a band nerd all through middle school and high school. One of my best friends was like, "Yo, you need to start making beats!" So, he dragged me to the studio out by our school, which was like an after-school program called “Self Enhancement Inc.” for young black men and women. They pretty much kept us off the streets and elevated us mentally with any type of elective we liked; whether it was cooking, hair, music, dance, or sports. So, I did the song that I had created in a studio to Trey Songz' "I Invented Sex" (ha), and I changed it to "I Should Roll with You." It was pretty funny. I did it live in front of everybody at my school for an assembly, and everybody really loved it and vibed with it. They were like, "Yo, yo this is dope! When you 'bout to drop an album?" I was like, "drop an album? what are yall talking 'bout?!"  My homie was like, "yeah, bro, you can't just make one song you gotta drop an album!" That's what made me start being an artist. I made my first rap album senior year of high school and put it out as a mixtape, and it got a lot of love. Then after that, I just kept going with it. Kept making music, kept being voices for people, it's really nice.

IDLA: 2020 has been a challenging year for a lot of people. How did you use these challenges to create your latest album South of Nowhere?

Fontaine: A lot of meditation. A lot of self-evaluation and looking into one's self. I believe this was a blessing in disguise because I was doing a lot of things, in my opinion, that weren't really healthy for my nature. Or the other natures around me. Once I got set in stone, having to sit with the things that you run from; whether going to the club to hide from something or whatever, or just being out and about not really handling business. I really got into the involvement of just recreating myself from things that I learned that weren't necessarily healthy for me that I believed was through colonialism and systematic oppression. I really honed in when I lost a lot of family. I lost a lot of family members in the last two years to cancer and other illnesses.

From there, I just decided that in order to find yourself you have to go South of Nowhere. Then again, you're also placed South of Nowhere as a young Black American in America. You have to revisit all these things and recreate yourself. I grew up in a place of poverty, so I had to step behind that. I was told I wasn't Black enough because I wasn't too gangster in certain areas. I was told I was white-washed because I skateboarded. People from those neighborhoods think in order to strive and succeed, you have to be rich to do it. Learning new things and unlearning things that weren't necessarily good for me and my mind state is pretty much what involved me creating this album. This is just a self-reflection of what I've learned over the last two years of doing that process.

IDLA: Favorite single on S.O.N and why?

Fountaine: My favorite song on the project would have to be "Come Through" featuring my cousin Weez Beats. I made the beat. That song has a sample from Mtume, which is one of my mom's favorite all time bands from the late 80s. Yeah, that's just a breakthrough song for me. I didn't actually think to put that on the album at first, and then I just got into a really groovy vibe. Every time I find a new sound or a new way to create... I REALLY like that. It really formulates a breakthrough for me to curate the rest of the album. I initially started my album with "Red" and wanted to aim for a very political, third-party kind of story line. Then I put it into a first-person perspective of growing up in a Portland, Oregon neighborhood of the North East community. Just telling my own story itself of who I am and what I went through and grew up in. "Come Through" is a perfect representation of high school relationships, college relationships, you know, where it just fit the mold. I really like the whole transition. Creating and composing that song was a very, very fun time for me.

IDLA: Which artist(s) would you like to collaborate with and why?

Fountaine: My top three. Number one: I would really love to collaborate with Pharrell. Pharrell off tops is one of my favorite artists of all time. Favorite producer of all time. Favorite clothing producer of all time. All of that! Pharrell is just THE GOAT! I believe that he's an incredible artist, his brain is amazing. I think NERD is incredible.

My second artist that I would love to work with - Freddie Gibbs. I've listened to every single album he's dropped since ESGN. I believe he's an amazing talented lyricist, hilarious AF. I think we would just be cracking jokes in real life in the studio. The Alchemist is an amazing producer and also another Scorpio that creates so much good, good production. Working with Freddie Gibbs was amazing for me.

And my last artist, I would love to work with - Ty Dolla $ign. Ty Dolla $ign, in my opinion, is the new Nate Dogg of our generation. You can never replace Nate Dogg ever because that's just straight up. He's THE GOAT. But Ty Dolla $ign as far as production he got, the songwriting, he's just an amazing artist to me. Nothing I've ever heard from Ty Dolla $ign was swap, he always makes heat, he's an amazing hook writer. He just got it in the bag. I'd really love and wish all three of those artists came together and made one song. I feel like it would be fire ass fuck. And put me on that muthafucka we'd make some heat, for real.

IDLA: What's next?

Fountaine: A lot more music and a lot more striving for tours. Catching a big break and being able to make something out of nothing to give the world and give the rest of the people out there a platform. My whole identity, what I am, is to educate and uplift the people, the youth, the communities, and just strive for making people feel good. Making people do better for themselves and do better for the loved ones around them. That's what's next for me. Also, learning how to make rugs from scratch because I want to create my own little collection of rare rugs. Yeah, man, just showing love and support and create music when the formula is hitting in my brain.

As we reach the end of 2020 connecting with a talented artist such as Fountaine could not have come at a better time. An artist that uses his platform for good by spreading positivity to reach the community is what its about. His performances encourage the audience by inviting feelings of openness, personal fulfillment, and self-confidence which is EXACTLY the type of energy we are taking into 2021! Check him out HERE and let us know what you think in the comments!