Kristofer Shadows
When you hear the phrase Rock N’ Roll, what pops in your mind? Actually, which bands do you immediately think of: Rolling Stones? Led Zeppelin? Foo Fighters? Then stretch that out to Punk Rock, Grunge Rock, Alternative Rock, Heavy Metal, and the list goes on. Now think of all the great bands and artists that fall under the “rock” umbrella. Did Bad Brains come to mind? How about Lenny Kravitz? Hendrix? Surely Prince made your list… right? Yeah, probably not.
When we think of Rock N’ Roll, we often forget, or maybe even never knew, that in 1951 when Cleveland disc jockey Allen Freed coined the phrase “Rock N’ Roll”, it was Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Didley, and Fats Domino he was referring to. In fact, it was Charlie Christian in 1936 who is credited with giving us “The Axe” as the first musician to play an electric guitar. Probably not a lot of shredding going on back then, but the contribution black artists gave to pioneering what is predominantly a “white” genre is without argument. So where are all the black rockers now? In the musical landscape where the cultural significance black artists have made to the music we love so much seems to be disappearing, along comes a Hero… Hyro the Hero.
Originally from Houston, Texas, where hip hop and hardcore rap dominate the streets, Hyron Louis Fenton, Jr., aka Hyro the Hero is an artist from another generation, and the influences are oh so obvious. I was able to catch up with Hyro during his stop in Dallas on the North American tour supporting Nothing More where he shared his motivations, inspirations, and aspirations while blazing his own musical trail.
Kris Shadows: Hyro, thank you so much for taking a few to talk with us. Let’s jump into this!
Hyro the Hero: Let’s do it!
KS: I’m going to keep it real; I’ve heard your music, but this was my first Hyro show and I didn’t know much about you before tonight. But after seeing your set, I’m filled with so many questions! First, when you search Hyro The Hero, you get everything from hip hop to nu-metal to rap rock, rap metal, punk rap…
Hyro: Yeah I know (lol). When you Google me it’s like an ugly picture of confusion. But yeah, when I categorize myself… actually it’s hard to categorize myself because I pull from everything. But I really consider myself metal but I’m punk rock and hip hop at the heart.
KS: That’s so interesting because you being from Houston where the urban roots are deep, you immediately think of Geto Boys and 5th Ward Boys. When I see you perform, I think about Bad Brains and Fishbone…
Hyro: Man, Bad Brains?… if I remind you of Bad Brains, that’s awesome because they’re the top stack.
KS: Let’s talk about that… your influences. Think back to that kid who, when you were thinking about what kind of artist you wanted to be…
Hyro: Tupac was who influenced me in the beginning. But as I got older and worked my way down a radio dial, I heard rock n’ roll and was like, man… Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit was insane, Disturbed was insane, Def Tones was crazy, Korn. I’d talk about these bands at school and kids were like, “Who are you?”, you know (lol). But as I learned more about that music and saw their live shows… like Pearl Jam… they changed my life. I realized that hip-hop and rap were very similar to punk and rock in its attitude and purpose. Both types of music are about injustice and standing up for what’s right, just a different sound in the way it’s delivered.
KS: I want to change gears just for a minute and talk about the cultural significance of you being a black artist in a genre where there are just not many black people doing what you’re doing. Do you ever think about the cultural significance of being an artist of color and bringing a harder sound? I certainly do.
Hyro: Honestly, I never think about that, but that’s cool you do. I always want to show love to my black people in whatever I’m doing. Hip hop, rap, all that. But I really like it when kids from my community jump off and say they like guitars, like the bass, the drums, and see them rock out to a different rhythm, a different tempo than what they’re used to. That’s the most amazing thing for me. All the bands I see that are black, like Post Profit who rocked out before me, they’re my people and I want to show love to them. We learned from Sevendust, we learned from Bad Brains… we learned from all of that but really, I gotta be true to me, and if that’s significant, then cool. I just gotta be me, man.
KS: So you’re paying homage to all those who came before you.
Hyro: I just do my thing and I hope people get inspired by it.
KS: So let’s talk 2011. You’re at the world-renowned Download Festival in London…
Hyro: I got a world record for that one!!!
KS: Yes you do. So you and your band go on the Friday night, the promotor of the concert says, “Yo… I need you back!” Three straight nights, three separate stages. Wasn’t done before that, hasn’t been done since then. What was that like for you?
Hyro: Oh man… that was the most amazing feeling ever. That’s when I knew I was like hip-hop rock because the first night, I hit the hip-hop stage and they asked me to do the main stage the next night, so I knew I was on to something, rocking out on this huge stage in the rain. Then the third night they asked me to do a chill set and it was poppin’. Incredible.
KS: That show really put you on the map and so early on in your career. Since then, you’ve gotten to work with some big names including David Draiman and that voice. What was that like?
Hyro: It was an honor, man, and he’s the most incredible person. I really didn’t get to meet him, but we talked on the phone a lot. When I first got on the phone, he was like, “Hyro, you’re the man. There’s a lot of rappers who ask me to work with them, but I want to mess with you.” He listed names of artists and I was like, “whoa… and you want to work with me???”. So we got him the song, he sends us his part and it was epic! I was originally thinking he wanted to replace me in some parts, but he actually added on top of my vocals when I got the final mix and I was like, “What the fuck… I’m really doing a song with David Draiman… how did this happen?” I mean, I’m no singer but I’m singing with David Draiman. It was crazy.
KS: Alright… I have one more question and I’ll let you go. Your first album, released in 2011, Birth… School…Work…Death. Now… today in fact, your third studio album drops…
Hyro: Bound For Glory.
KS: From the darkness of life to the hope of a better future, the differences in the album names are obvious. How have you evolved as an artist since that first record?
Hyro: You know man, you go on this journey… and I’ve learned so many things, have changed my view, – music-wise, life – and overall, I’m a positive person. In 2010 and 2011, I was young and that was my view. But I’ve evolved and I choose to have hope.
KS: Well, when I listen to your music and see you perform, I get a lot of hope and I’m inspired.
Hyro: I appreciate that man, that’s all I can do. Just trying to be a better version of me, a better person, a better man, every day.
Check out the Hyro the Hero ft. Markus Videsäter of Solence – “Bound for Glory” Official Music Video below:
