Seasoned hip hop artist and producer Lalo The Don has brought out the true spirit of the genre by establishing a soundscape that expresses his mind and tries to change the mindset of the listeners. He has recently released a new music video named, ‘Y.O.L.A.N.D.A’ on YouTube. It is a tribute song for the internationally famed transgender dancer Yolanda Jourdan. The famous dancer passed away in 2019 and the rapper is determined to remind people of her legacy through his latest creation.
The multi-talented musician has agreed to do an interview with us. He made some time exclusively for us to answer our questions and queries. Here it goes:
1. Hello Lalo The Don! Congratulations on the success of your latest music video, ‘Y.O.L.A.N.D.A’. It has gained over 65k views in just a single day. How do you feel?
Ans: Thank you. Honestly, I have mixed emotions. I’m proud of the positive feedback especially from those that knew her but I’m also sad. Sad because she’s not here to see the outpouring of love that she deserved to feel from the people. However, I know she’s smiling. She would have loved the love . . . and the hate Lol.
2. What is the song about and can you tell our readers who Yolanda Valentin was and what she did?
Ans: Yolanda Valentin aka Yolanda Jourdan can be described in many ways. As Yolanda Jourdan, she was one of the most talented, passionate, and influential vogue performers ever. That earned her icon status within the LGBTQ ballroom community. No one can ever take that away from her. As Yolanda Valentin, she was a complex person who struggled with life. She was very open about suffering from bipolar schizophrenia. She had an awareness of mental health way before it became a mainstream topic. She was a survivor of rape, a survivor of the prison system and to many, she was a sister, daughter, mother, and friend. She was a proud bi-racial beautiful transgender woman.
3. Are you a fan? What did you like about her the most?
Ans: We knew each other personally and the love was mutual so I can say I loved her spirit. Meaning that I loved her essence first, her as an individual (Yolanda Valentin). I’ve never been to a ball so I never saw her perform live as Yolanda Jourdan, the icon. However, it doesn’t take long to become a fan after watching any of her battles on video. I featured her as a dancer in my “Boricuas In the Mist” music video in 2017. It was just me and her at the seaport when we filmed that so I did get to see her dance up close in that sense. We were from different worlds but had mutual respect and admiration for each other. She was quick to give an opinion on my work Lol especially my duets with female emcees like Nicki Minaj, Jacki-O, and Nitty Scott. She liked the male/female synergy on those songs.
4. The use of Yolanda’s voice clips was quite fascinating. Any particular reason you did that for?
Ans: Yolanda always wanted to record some music. She would write little raps and hooks. She was naturally gifted in the arts. She would hit me up and say she wants to do a song and video. She wanted to expand her horizons but it didn’t happen before she passed. However, she did hear the beat that was used to make Y.O.L.A.N.D.A. because the original concept of the song was going to be about battles (battle rap, ballroom battles, and overall battles with life). She loved the beat and saw herself dancing to it. So there was just some small adjusting to make the entire song about her and her icon status in the ballroom scene. Her audio would have been on the song, either way, the hook/chorus we had already discussed. I just added the Y.O.L.A.N.D.A. hook to personalize it and then created my verse about her. The intro and outro were added to let people hear her in her own words, her charisma, and charm. I kept my promise to her and made sure it was done right.
5. How do you think her fans will feel about it? And what Yolanda would have felt if she was still here?
Ans: Unfortunately, Yolanda didn’t have a funeral. There was a lot of controversy after her passing in regards to how things were dealt with. There was a small ceremony a few months after the fact but there were a lot of people who felt they didn’t get a proper chance to say goodbye. I’ve been told by many that this video has been therapeutic, in a sense its closure, a goodbye. To many others who are now discovering her, it’s a major HELLO Lol. The fans who packed those venues to see her perform were very lucky because she was once in a lifetime. This video is a capsule of that. It’s impossible to explain who she was in a 3-minute song but it’s a snapshot of her moments of excellence. If Yolanda was here to see it, she would have the biggest smile from ear to ear. She would hug me and say “you did it!, I love you cuz”. That alone would’ve been worth all the work that was put into it.
6. When did you first get involved with music? Were you always interested in hip hop?
Ans: Hip hop was always culture first before music. When you see something go from local to international your perspective is different. Someone in their 20’s was born with hip hop as the dominant musical genre so it’s almost a given they will see it differently. The elements of hip hop include rap but are not limited to it. So I was always hip hop by culture before I even decided I was going to rap. I ghost wrote while in high school but it would be much later when I decided to pursue being a recording artist. I felt it was the right platform for me to express myself and develop my legacy in the long run.
7. Which artists inspired you the most and what have you learned from them?
Ans: There are artists who inspire me but also moments in time that are bigger than the individual. For example, you can have Aerosmith fans and Run DMC fans debate the different genres of music but the moment of their historic collaboration stands on its own. There are those critics that have questioned this project. Hip Hop critics who may feel it’s not Hip Hop or those in the LGBTQ ballroom scene who may feel it’s not ballroom Lol. The truth is both cultures derive from the poor, underserved, minority, outcast Black and Puerto Ricans of New York City, facts. Both cultures have elements of battle (battle rap – vogue battles). Both have been shelters for runaway children (gang – house). A gang would have its ranking system within its crew as would a “house”. The same can be said for a church or a political party.
8. How long are you active in the industry and have you worked with any famous musician?
Ans: It’s been a decade both in and out of the business. I publish and release all of my own music and video content. With that said, I’m also a photographer, videographer, director, actor and overall executive producer. Over the years there have been many collaborations such as the previously mentioned Nicki Minaj, Jacki-O, Nitty Scott but also Kool G Rap, Keith Murray, Chris Rivers, and many others.
9. Have you received any awards for your musical works?
Ans: There have been numerous online acknowledgments including youtube itself in regards to the videos however it’s never too late for The Grammys to join my party.
10. Are you working with a production house or record label?
Ans: Thug Gentleman Publishing, I am a writer and executive producer
11. Have you done any stage shows or tours recently?
Ans: Last performances were in Tokyo, Japan right before the COVID pandemic hit
12. Are you working on any projects or plan to release any soon?
Ans: The 3rd album titled “Til The Break of Don” is set to be released this year. Aside from the Y.O.L.A.N.D.A. song, this album also includes the title track as well as “Upper Echelon” aka Tranquillo Relax (music video out now).
Click here to watch this video on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfCmViC-0IE
Follow him on Social Sites:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LaloTheDonOfficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaloTheDon
