Breaking into the music industry is tough. However, breaking in a new musical genre can be extremely difficult. Antonio Ramsey is accomplishing both with his unique singing style infused with Funk Trap. He’s shared stages with fellow performers including Fantasia, Lyfe Jennings, Anthony Hamilton, Bobby Brown, Vivian Green, Bobby V, Chubb Rock and more.
When asked what he’s learned throughout his experiences with these talented artists, Ramsey replied, “You learn a lot when you open for major artists because you get to see their world. You get to see how they live, run things and how you’re supposed to be a professional on set. You get to feel what these people feel on stage every night.”
With a new single coming out called “Trash” and a debut EP release date of July 19th, Antonio is constantly on the go. He’s presently on tour with Soulful of Noise, an independent collection of artists in California. He has plans to open up in different regions in the near future. Fever Magazine’s writer, Cornelus Postell, recently sat down with Antonio Ramsey for this exclusive interview.
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What was life like growing up in south Florida?
Well, South Florida [was] like a double-edged sword. On one hand, I had a really close family. So, that part of my life was always doing things that I wanted to do because my parents always influenced me. They would say don’t hold yourself back. But on the other side, you [could] get into the drugs, the fast life, clubs, partying and all that kinda stuff. That was really easy to slip into because of where I lived at.
You started out first as a background dancer. How did you get started in the music industry as an artist?
The crazy thing a lot of people don’t know is that I was classically trained. So, I did modern, jazz, and hip-hop. I went to a summer camp when I was younger. From there, the lady that ran the camp said that I should be taking it more seriously and enrolled me into some classes.
But I always felt like the background wasn’t for me. I wanted to take that step to the front. When you’re in the back and see someone in the front, you want to slide on up a little bit. That was my first inclination that I don’t think I was supposed to be in the back because I want the front too bad. I always knew that music is what I was supposed to do. It just took me a second.
Can you describe to us what “Funk Trap” means?
Funk trap, on a musical level, is for anybody that just enjoys letting go. When you listen to music that’s your time to forget about what’s going on in your life. And focus on something that can kinda get rid of the negative. That’s what funk trap does. It allows you to step into my world so that you can see what’s going on like, ‘Hey, I’m not the only one going through this.’
On a personal level, Funk Trap came about when I got to L.A. Everything was good for about the first six months. After that, everything went downhill as far as money and figuring things out. I got into a deep depression to the fact that I didn’t want to do music anymore. As an artist, you go through that. So, Funk Trap is for me to inspire people to stop living your life for other people.
Are you working on any community service projects? If so, tell us more about it to help you promote it.
I was speaking to my manager at the top of this year discussing different things that I wanted to do outside of music. I’m very big on personal domestic violence and I always wanted to get into domestic violence cases. So, I’m looking into different charities that help with domestic violence and things like that… because I love my momma. [laughter]
What can the audience expect from your tour performance?
All I can say is, when you come to a Funk Trap party, wear comfortable shoes and clothing because we’re gonna party. That’s all I got to say. [laughter]
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When asked what three words best describe him the most, he replied, “Driven, Soulful, and Country.” You can learn more about Antonio Ramsey by visiting his website at www.AntonioRamsey.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter @IAmARamsey and on Instagram @IAmAntonioRamsey.
