As far as fully, well-rounded artists in Virginia come, Era Hardaway may be the one to beat. He’s constantly switching up his style to acclaim from fans and peers and he’s cultivated a growing fanbase of die hard denizens. He’s associated with some of Virginia’s premier acts like Doe$ki and Young Crazy and acts as the milquetoast counterpart to their outrageous, vivacious personas. His smoother, mellowed personality belies a cunning wordsmith that’s garnered attention from a number of notable music outlets, most recently The Source. The release of his latest project The Juug Tape, and the resulting wave of positive feedback, has placed him on the short list of Cardinal state artists that have mainstream success lurking around the corner.

ELEVATOR recently got a chance to get in contact with Era for an interesting discussion regarding the origins of his name, his forays into the music and fashion world, and the ever lucrative Virginia music scene.

You probably get this a lot, but where did the name “Era Hardaway” come from?

Era stemmed from, firstly, the definition of the word. Era means “a date or event marking the beginning of a new and distinct period of time,” and that’s what I feel I do with everything I create. Secondly, before I was a rapper and producer, I was a DJ. My dad has been DJing all my life. So naturally, I adopted the turntables. I start out at age 7 with the name DJ Quarter Pint. That name came from the fact that I was the son of my father, whose DJ name was DJ Half Pint. Then I changed it to DJ Instrumental, then to DJ Era. Then when I started producing, I dropped the DJ and just left Era. The Hardaway came later from my favorite NBA player, Penny Hardaway. Not only his ball playing style, but his sneakers released through Nike (such as the Foamposites and the Air Pennys) really influenced the style of Fredericksburg. I just loved everything about his legacy and I felt like I was the rap version of Anfernee if he didn’t get injured.

You’ve been putting in work for years and your sound constantly evolves. What’s the driving force for change?

My driving force for change is that I’m influenced by so much. I’m full blood Virginia, born and raised. And I was raised in Fredericksburg, the midway point between DC and Richmond. I have a lot of southern influences, mixed with east coast city (my father is from Jersey), as well as a go go influence. It’s just a mix. Another driving force is the fact that I strive on not being limited. No one can put me in a box. I am hip-hop. I embody the culture through a Virginia style lens. I can do anything with hip hop. It’s an art to me. When you’re being yourself, you can express yourself in any style without being corny or tacky.

How would you describe your sound?

Versatile, raw, and original. I can get on any type of beat, song, etc. and when anyone hears my voice, they know it’s me. They know my style. And everything I rap is real. I don’t speak on things that I haven’t done. And that’s what makes it unique. I don’t speak nor brag about my dark times or times when shit got real because that’s something that I went through in life that I took a lesson from and kept it moving. Fake niggas brag about being real all the time, but the realest don’t speak about what they do, they let their work speak for them. And that’s what I’m doing.

Your last release, The Juug Tape, is one of the best projects to come out of the state in the last couple of months. What was the creative process while recording that record?

I wanted to show people that I am who I am, good or bad. Without darkness there would be no light, and vice versa. I wanted to capture that darkside while also having fun, in a sense. Besides Cal Ripken, Juug, and All Out, the rest of the songs were really me just going in. Mixing bars with versatility. Trying my hand at different sounds and just vibing with them. Just having fun, stating facts, and being me. It wasn’t any set formula, it’s just the type of music I felt like making at the time.

You’re associated with some of Virginia’s hottest rising stars like Doeski and Young Crazy. How did you cultivate those relationships?

They just came naturally. Me & Doe met through a former friend out in Norfolk. Before iLPackMobb formed, it was International Locals, Sole Pack, and Bliq Mobb. One day I met our former friend in class, we got on a track together, and the song turned out dope. And then we just started hanging around each other more. When we would hang out out his hood on the block, I would always see Doe cause he stayed over there at the time. Then we just started hanging and gaining a better understanding of each other as we kept hanging and making music. This is the way iPM was formed foreal. And it’s crazy cause me and bro got two totally different backgrounds, but we still brothers. I would die for bro.

How I met Crazy was through people I would hang around. Me & Crazy had mutual friends and would see each other out. So we would chop it up every now and then. Then when I realized one of his homies was one of my older homies from the Burg, we started to kick it more. It was just natural foreal. Even now, bro hit me up and and ask what I’m on, I’m like come through. Everybody wanna win, and it’s all love between us cause we got our own styles so we all know where we headed.

What’s the Virginia music scene like?

It depends. Virginia is so big you would have to specify an area for me to describe a scene. It’s so many scenes within Virginia. Currently, the 75 is full of love right now, it’s just people need to really come together and open the gates. I will say this, the artists who have their own style and their own lane are more laid back and don’t look at it like a “crab in a barrel” game as much as the ones who are just coming in and are developing their style. I never viewed the scene as a “big dog eat lil dog” mentality because I know I make music that can’t anyone else make. But I come across artist who think like that because of the evils of the game and/or because their lost. I give them advice, but it’s on them to take it. But the scene is great out here. I can’t complain, I get love everywhere I go. Politics or no politics.

What kind of production do you like to rap over?

Depends on my mood. Right now, I want rap over some It Was Written Nas, Welcome to Detroit J Dilla type beats. But tomorrow, I might want to trap it out over some Zaytoven type shit. Just depends on my mood. Either way, I like to get lyrical.

You’re also the owner of Steez PRM, one of the hottest lines in the area. How did that come into fruition?

It came into fruition from a mix of me wanting to have another creative way to express myself while also filling the void for a need of quality, fly apparel at a good price. Now that it’s grown, I’m striving to make it into an incubator for creatives to grow, as there is not many avenues for creatives like us to gain experience to get a job or create the job we need to make a living. I’m glad to see how it’s growing. It’s not doing crazy numbers or anything, but people see it. They respect it. I’m really patient with it. It’s like my baby. And I’m glad I have a team like mine that’s flexible and adapts to the ups and downs of the business.

Do you look at music and fashion as two sides of the same coin or do you treat the two entities separately?

I look at them as two separate entities, but I still bridge them together. Music and clothing are two most important characteristics that define what a person’s culture is. So they go hand in hand. But when it comes to doing business, I do handle them separate.

One look at your Twitter feed shows that you like to drop motiviatonal gems in addition to music-related information. Where do you find this information? Do you read a lot?

I do read a lot but all of these gems are just my thoughts. And all of my thoughts stem from truth and experience. My perspective on life is more critical and calculated than most, especially being a 5 Percenter. One thing that we pride ourselves on is living according to truth. So I seek the truth in all things. I read many books on the history of the Original people of the Earth, self growth, wisdom, and other books of knowledge that help me add on to life.

Any plans to write a self-help book?

That’s actually been in my plans for a while now. I just been so busy I haven’t got around to actually executing. But definitely in the near future. Self-Improvement is what I like to call it.

What’s next for Era Hardaway?

I got some tricks up my sleeve. I’m not going to announce anything. Just know that new music is coming, in a dope way, with a unique experience.

Do you have any advice for creatives looking to come up out of their city?

My advice to creatives looking to come up out of their city is to travel. Travel and be inspired by the places you go. Use that inspiration as fuel to keep going in your local area. Taking on the name of being a creative comes with the responsibility of giving people a view, look, or insight on things they’ve never seen, done, or sometimes imagined. You must travel the world to see it all so you can see it for what it really is, and not what the media and society paint it out to be. Build upon your own perspective, your own experiences, and use them to create something that will benefit the Earth and it’s well being.

Peace.

Stream The Juug Tape below: