You might know hip-pop duo Shwayze from their 2008 show Buzzin’. Or you might know their string of chill party hits like “Corona And Lime.” Regardless of how you know Shwayze, come Friday, you’ll know their concert antics firsthand. We talked to frontman Aaron Smith (better known as Shwayze) to get you ready.
Street: How are your first and second albums different?
Shwayze: People heard the first record, and were like … the style’s so summertime, beachy, just really chill music. I think that’s true, because we’re indicative of where we come from, which is Malibu, California … I don’t think the second record is so much different from the first record. Cisco [Adler] still produced the whole thing, and it’s the same kind of vibe, with him on the hook, and me on the verses … Our first record, we were just chilling in Malibu, having fun; the second record was like, alright, we’ve experienced so much from the first record. [it] took us around the world, and we had a TV show, and we saw so much, so we tried to incorporate that into the second record – up the production, up the lyrics, up everything, you know?... With “Get U Home” [the first single from the group’s second album] some of the old-school Shwayze fans were taken aback by it … but it’s the same thing: a hard rock ‘n’ roll hook, and a cool electro but still straight hip-hop verse. Cisco and I have a lot of fun, and a lot of pride, in knowing that we can do different genres and keep it us.
Street: But do you think the second album is still party-ready?
Shwayze: I think it’s a different kind of party. Because the first record was an incredible party record, like we were just having fun and that’s what we were talking about … The first record is for the daytime, like beach, barbecue; the second record is when the sun goes down.
Street: What was it like working with fellow Fling performer Snoop Dogg (on Shwayze track “Livin’ It Up”)?
Shwayze: Snoop is incredible. It was obviously a dream come true as a hip-hop artist and a rapper … and for Cisco, it was a dream to have Snoop rap on one of his records, over one of his beats.
Street: Should we expect you to get onstage with Snoop?
Shwayze: I’m not sure if we’re gonna perform together, but I definitely plan to kick it with Snoop for sure. He’s a classic dude.
Street: Which Cudi and Snoop tracks are you most excited to hear?
Shwayze: I love “Pursuit of Happiness” [by Kid Cudi, MGMT and Ratatat]. Dope track. And for Snoop, all the classics. I love all his stuff. You can’t pinpoint one Snoop song.
Street: Will you be chilling in Philly after the show?
Shwayze: We actually gotta rush back to LA for Coachella … That night [Friday] we fly back to LA, or maybe the next morning. If we stay overnight, I’ll see what’s going on. I’ll hit up Cudi and see what’s poppin’.
Street: The classic question: how would you get alcohol into the Quad for Fling day-drinking?
Shwayze: I would go before [Fling starts], bury it in a flask, and dig that shit up … I think the bury is on some James Bond shit, like some real dedication.
Street: What is a Shwayze live show like?
Shwayze: We have a lot of energy. I mean, I think our live stuff is kind of like a rock band [concert] … We have a one-man band, we have our DJ, we have a lot of fun.
Street: What’s a favorite crazy concert story?
Shwayze: Okay, so there was a crazy show at Warped Tour, I forget what city it was. I stage-dived a couple times on Warped Tour, and my boy Warren … was with us, and he’d been drinking … since like, early in the morning … He was so wasted, and it was a huge crowd, so he did a stage dive. He ran – while Cisco and I were both performing – and didn’t know there was a gap between the crowd and stage. He jumped and broke a rib on the divider between the people [and the stage]! Everyone in the crowd, probably like 2,000 people, was like, “OH!”… That’s the beautiful thing about tours – just being able to go out and have fun with your boys.
