"We believe that hip hop in Africa is so underrated" - StarVation

What does Starvation stand for?

The name StarVation was made by the A&R of Itz Alive Entertainment "Brelly G" to show the hunger that we have for music, and to leave our fans wanting more! 

What is the group come up story and major highlights thus far?

it’s weird, but each member from StarVation has some sort of history. Jaxx, A-boogie and Gino all knew each other from being in college together. Gino and Slim DeVito were childhood friends. Who knew everyone would be working together musically. One day Jaxx invited the fellas to the studio where he previously recorded with his producer Ojizz. The song came out so crazy that Slim DeVito mentioned to Ojizz about making a compilation mix tape. The name of the mix tape was the cheat code which had an amazing impact on listeners yearning for authentic hip hop with tracks such as "What Happened to Hip-hop" and "Built Like Dat.” The tape grabbed the ear of who is now our manager "Kobié Kiambu." Since August 2012, we have been in numerous magazines such as South Africa's own "HYPE MAGAZINE" and XXL.COM. We believe that one of the greatest highlights was opening for hip hop’s leading guy "KENDRICK LAMAR" in front of 5,000 people! This is when we know we were made for this!

StarVation opens for Kendrick Lamar at the University of Delaware! from StarVation TV on Vimeo.

Notice y'all are trying to create a strong presence over here in motherland, what is really the plan on invading Africa?

First we want to say we LOVE and APPRECIATE all the support you all give us in the motherland! Our main focus was to attack places that appreciate real authentic music! You guys show so much love when you hear music that comes from the heart. 

Which African artists have the band worked with and who else would you like to work with?

We've worked with "Xtatic" on a track called "Who Run It" and "Reason" on a track called "Reasons to Starve.” We are looking to work with Nigerian artist "MI" next! 

As an American Hip-hop group what is your impression about hip-hop in Africa? Are we copycats or trying to carve a niche for ourselves?

We believe that hip hop in Africa is so underrated. The soul, rhythm, and passion that you guys have is unmatched. Many try to master the mic but can't capture the raw essence of music from the motherland. So we wouldn't dare say you are copycats! If you think about it, you helped pave the way for hip-hop to thrive the way it does! But great music knows no boundaries, nor race! 

Tell us more about the recording business. And what do you think is the way forward for independent artists across the globe?

Indie is the way of the future. Based on if you have a strong team or not! You don't necessarily need a major label to sell records! Yes is good for promotion and distribution, but why relinquish control when you have a team that can make up for everything else. It's like the song "Anything you can do, I can do better". Record executives respect movements that aren't looking for handouts. 

What can be done to bridge the gap between the United States and the United States of Africa? 

STARVATION IS THE WAY! We are bringing a dope sound and mixing it up with some of the hottest artist from Africa to show the world that real talent is never local, it's very global!