Nine Questions

Johnny Redd

Johnny Redd is a local rapper and a film student at the Art Institute of Tucson. In the 18 months he's been in Tucson he has performed at almost every local venue, including the Rialto Theatre, the Rock and Hotel Congress. Redd has been a rapper for almost 10 years and started performing in Chicago, his hometown. His music can be found at honorroll.bandcamp.com.

What was the first concert you attended?

A Talib Kweli concert. ... It was an experience that I'll never forget because it was around the time that I wanted to start, like, getting into the music business.

What are you listening to these days?

I listen to a lot of Honor Roll music for the most part, but I would say Curren$y, who's a rapper out of New Orleans ... Ab-Soul, who's part of the TDE crew with Kendrick Lamar.

What was the first album you owned?

Camp Lo, Uptown Saturday Night; It's a group out of New York in the mid-'90s.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?

I really don't get, like, the real scream punk with the colorful hair ... whatever that's called ... the ones that whine when they sing.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

I would have to say the Beatles because it'd be part of, like, everybody just going crazy and fainting.

Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Sade. When I'm down and out, I need that pleasure.

What song would you like to have played at your funeral?

"Mind Playing Tricks on Me" by the Geto Boys ... so I can try to think it's a game and it's not really happening.

What band or artist changed your life and how?

Jay-Z. I just felt like his lyrics spoke to, like, all the questions that I had at the time.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z.