Singer-Rapper Rizzloe Jones won over fans after his appearance on the sophomore season of “The X Factor USA.” (Photo property of SYCO Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America & FOX)
By: Jacob Elyachar
While I was covering this year’s Mix 93.3’s Red, White and Boom concert, I noticed that there was a long line of girls blocking some aisles at Starlight Theatre.
It turned out that the girls were waiting to meet singer-rapper and Kansas City native Rizzloe Jones, who made his national debut on the sophomore season of The X Factor USA.
I had the pleasure to meet Rizzloe when he auditioned at the 2012 Kansas City auditions. He had incredible charisma and smooth raps that not only impressed then judges L.A. Reid and Britney Spears, but with hundreds of people that attended the Sprint Center callbacks.
In an exclusive interview, Rizzloe talked about his musical influences and the lessons that he learned during his time on The X Factor USA.
Jacob Elyachar: When did you first get interested in rap?
Rizzloe Jones: I first became interested in rap music when I was a sophomore in high school. I remember playing a word game in class and we all had to say three things that rhymed with the word that was given to us. I would always win that game. After class, several students came up to me and asked: “Have you ever tried to do freestyle rap before?” I said: “No,” and they told me to try it. So, I did it and they thought it was dope! Everyday after that class, we go out in the hallway and tried to spin raps.
JE: Who are your major musical influences?
RJ: My major musical influences are Ke$ha, Icona Pop and Julia Stone. People do not understand why I have them as my musical influences, but those are my top three.
JE: What are some of the factors that you consider while creating your freestyle raps?
RJ: The words just start coming out of my mouth and I create my freestyle raps by not thinking about anything.
JE: Why did you decide to audition for the second season of “The X Factor USA”?
RJ: When The X Factor was in Kansas City, I decided to go support my friend who was going to audition for the series. Originally, I thought I was auditioning for America’s Got Talent! We got there at 3:00 a.m. and we were in line for five hours and 10 minutes before we were about to go on, I realized that this was not the show I was auditioning for…this was a strictly singing show. I was getting ready to leave and I was exhausted because I was up for 48 hours before I went to the audition. My friends kept pressuring me to do it because they said that there was nothing to lose. So I auditioned and everything turned out for the best.
JE: When you auditioned in Kansas City, you performed in front of L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and because Simon was sick: original “X Factor UK” judge: Louis Walsh. What was it like performing in front of the judges and the Sprint Center audience?
RJ: Being on that stage was one of the highlights of my life. I have never done anything like that before and it was an experience that I will never forget.
JE: What were some of the lessons that you learned from “The X Factor USA” that have helped you grow as an artist?
RJ: Do not be afraid to step out of your boundaries. Go over and beyond what you are supposed to do as an artist and constantly be yourself.
JE: How has your life changed since your appearance on the show?
RJ: A lot of girls LOVE me! (Laughs) But at the same time, a lot of doors have opened up for me. People have come up to me and said “Hello!” to me. It is really cool to have the chance to meet new people and gain new experiences that I can use later on in my career.
JE: Do you have any dream collaborators?
RJ: I would love to collaborate with Katy Perry! Kanye West has always been my all-time favorite rapper and I would like to do something with him. In addition, I would also like to collaborate with Julia Stone and Icona Pop as well.
JE: How has social media helped your growing career?
RJ: I always thought that it would be so cool to be trending on Twitter. Then, two weeks later, X Factor USA aired my audition and I trended worldwide on Twitter. A lot of people did not know how to spell my name and there were numerous different spellings of my name. I gained a lot of followers due to my audition and if you are an up-and-coming artist, one of the best things to do is to get a big social media following.
JE: If you had the opportunity to meet with aspiring rappers who want to get into the entertainment industry, what advice would you share with them?
RJ: They should explore all genres of music! Some days, I will be listening to Katy Perry, Kanye West and even Beethoven and yodeling. The more variety of music that you listen to, you will become a well-rounded artist you will become. Even though, I am not doing mostly rap music anymore…just explore, play around with the music and have fun with it.
Want to connect with Rizzloe? Visit his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter at @RizzloeJones.
