As the Bay Area competes for a second straight NBA Championship (care of the Golden State Warriors), its Hip-Hop scene is also booming in the mid-2010s. While the veteran guard of Rap talent continues to make hits, in leading and supporting roles, a bevy of new voices emerge with a spectrum of styles and messages.

Sacramento, California’s BrvndonP is one of the more successful. After striking the Billboard Top 200 under the radar of many (something ScHoolboy Q, Kid Ink, and others can claim, before their media profiles caught up), the MC opted to change his moniker—from Black Knight to something closer to given name. Today (June 3), the MC released his third album (via RPSMG/Alpha Pup Records)—boasting appearances from Lecrae, and regional hero E-40 (both below). The latest notable MC from California’s capital city spit some game to Ambrosia For Heads about traveling the world, following his father’s A&R advice, and making history simply by living his “No Fakery” mantra.

Ambrosia For Heads: Sacramento has become a renaissance home for Rap talent since the ’90s. Guys like Lee Bannon and Chuuwee have added to the lineage. How do you carry on tradition while advancing the sound into the 2010s?

BrvndonP: I plan on carrying the tradition and advancing the sound by being creative and innovative. [I am] not being scared to try new things [or] using sounds that other people are probably not using. [I am] merging two different genres, not just sticking to one particular genre. [While doing so, I am] incorporating live instrumentation and other things.

AFH: The Break In hit the Top 200 in 2012, which is a phenomenal feat for any independent artist. What do you attribute it to, when so many peers dream of that sort of recognition?

BrvndonP: I would say people wanting something different attributed to the album hitting Top 200. A lot of people are tired of hearing the same thing over and over again and are looking for something different. I’ve heard a lot of times throughout my whole career that I have a different sound. I always strive to bring something different. And I also dropped a mixtape a couple months before the album and that helped it out as well.

zc vbb

AFH: “No Fakery” is a huge record. What inspired it?

BrvndonP: Yeah so, obviously, I lived in Northern Cali’ most of my life. So I’m influenced by Bay Area music and culture. I wanted to make a Bay Area slap but also have it feel grown and ratchet. [Laughs] Anyways, the song came from people calling me fake and how I switch up on them. I haven’t switch up [on] anybody and I’ve also me seen how fake people really are. Like, people see you doing something, making moves, bettering yourself and they try to latch on to your success; that’s fake. I always try to remain humble and low to the ground because I’m not the greatest and I didn’t get hear on my own without with God’s help.

AFH: What was it like to work with E-40, given how much he has done for Northern California Hip-Hop?

BrvndonP: It was my dads idea to get E-40 on it. [Laughs] I didn’t think it could happen, but it happened. It was definitely a dope experience working with him. I actually got the chance to go over his house, which is dope within itself because he doesn’t really let anybody in his house. [Laughs]

AFH: Your music is in motion to be pressed to CD and vinyl in an age where so many people’s art lives in the cloud. Why is that important to you?

BrvndonP: I think it’s important because even though we live in a world where everything is going digital, we are still physical humans beings. We like to be hands-on with things. And I believe that having physical copies just makes it that much better because you can hold it in your hand, look through it, etc. I know that for me, I love looking through albums, seeing the pictures and everything. I think it makes the experience of the album better.

AFH: What has been your career highlight thus far?

BrvndonP: My career highlight is just going on tour and traveling to different cities. [I enjoy] seeing different cultures, seeing people react to the music. [I notice] people singing the words and just having a good time—especially when I was went overseas to London, New Zealand, and Australia. People, not even in the same country, knowing who you are and your music is crazy to me! It still trips me ’til this day.

AFH: What does this album mean to you at 22, and at this point in your career?

BrvndonP: Man, this album means a lot to me. I’ve been working on this for about three years now, and in those three years I’ve experienced a lot. [I] traveled the world, kept growing, experienced heartbreaks. And there was a lot that happened in my life that I hid for so long. I finally came to a point where I realized that other people are going through what I went through and my story can help them. [It is my goal] to show them they’re not alone and that they can get through it. It’s self-titled because I’m laying it all out there. This is who I am. No more hiding. I believe this album will set me up good for the rest of my career.

Additional Ambrosia For Heads Spotlight interviews.