Eric Biddines

Complex Magazine visit south Florida to shed light on Eric Biddines Artistry! - Complex Magazine

Southern hospitality is a real thing, not just a Ludacris song, and so, when Eric Biddines phones in, you feel it right away. A compliment about his most recent offering, Planetcoffeebean 2, elicits an emphatic, drawled-out, “Wooooow! That’s real,” which sounds twice as nice when you picture those words emanating from his gold-grilled mouth. He’s just as eager to tell me about his 20 first cousins as he is to talk about the stellar response to PCB2. BET, Complex, and HipHopDX are all singing his praises—oh yeah, and his “Railroads Down / Unfinished” music video just got put into rotation on MTV Jams. The wheels of this train are in motion, and now’s a pretty damn good time to board.

Biddines (pronounced “bid-inns”) is from Ocala, the 45th most populated city in Florida, and home to notable folks like former Vikings’ NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper, and none other than John Travolta. But the people of Ocala are everyday people for the most part, and Biddines spent his early years in Ocala before moving to West Palm Beach, and eventually, Delray Beach. There are three things he remembers about his childhood: the music his Jehovah’s Witness parents played (hint: not a lot of rap), the racism he was subjected to, and his brilliant imagination.

These three themes show up quite tangibly in his music, and he is able to pivot from topic to topic with astonishing ease.

Devi Dev, former host of MTV's Hip Hop P.O.V., and current host for Houston’s 93.7 The Beat and DJ Skee’s The Devi Dev Show on SKEE Radio, had this to say to REVOLT about Biddines’ bright future: “Eric’s music is the pure essence of substance and creativity. His vibe feels nostalgically familiar yet excitedly different and refreshingly new.”

Dev is an especially big fan of Planetcoffeebean 2, telling us that it’s “one of those projects you can just sit with and lose track of time.”

And she’s right, whether it’s the abstract militancy of “Purple Gold Fishes,” the post-apocalyptic hero theme music of “Zero Population,” or the slow-roasting, contemplative vibes of “Coffee Cup,” Biddines’ music has the charm and intellectualism of an Andre 3000, the urgency of a Big K.R.I.T., and the sensibilities of a B.o.B.

Biddines sat down with REVOLT for the next installment of our Artist Spotlight interview series.

REVOLT: Tell us about the young Eric Biddines, what was he like?

Eric Biddines: When I was little I didn't really talk, I didn't play with a lot of kids, I was scared of girls, I didn't have friends - so I used to create stories in my mind. I'd set my toys out and come up with a storyline and theme for the day, the characters had names and homes, there might've been a battle with my Batman toys and so on. At the end of the day I'd set them down and pick up the next day where I left off. Everyday was another episode. So I think that's where my story-telling abilities come from. I was always into stories, I wrote comic books in first grade.

And what music did you hear in your house?

I was raised in a Jehovah's Witness household so we didn't have too much rap around, so we listened to a lot of Motown, Al Green, Luther Vandross. I had to go back and do a lot of research on rap because I was blind to it growing up, but you can ask me anything about soul music. I know the whole story about Motown and R&B.

Tell us more about your family.

Minorities don't leave their families, especially in the South. My entire family is in Delray Beach, we originated in Delray Beach. I can count back to my eighth-cousins just in the city of Delray Beach alone, I got 20 first cousins. My whole family is here. The local paper said our family is the oldest family in the city.

So when did you get your first real introduction to rap music?

I moved to Palm Beach when I was five and started spending time around my older cousin. He only collected Southern music. His catalogue was so dope. He had Goodie Mob, OutKast, Tela, Three 6 Mafia, UGK, No Limit, and all that stuff. I started noticing the South had distinctive tones and language and we wasn't hearing that on the radio. The South was kinda held back for a minute, so we thought it was a big deal when "Rosa Parks" came on the radio. - Revolt

Meet Eric Biddines, a South Florida native who is currently controlling my daily playlist. Growing up on the Dungeon Family's musical output, you can hear the influence in his music as dude sounds like a 2dope cross-breed of Andre 3000 and Devin the Dude.

From 2010 to present, Eric has released a total of five albums independently. To help introduce you to the FLAien, I've included the stream to 2013's planetcoffeebean 2 as well as each of the video releases-including the incredible "Railroads Down / Unfinished" visual-below. Check it all out and be sure to let EB know what you think on - 2DopeBoyz.com

Name: Eric Biddines

Hometown/Homebase: Palm Beach, Fla.

First CD: Three Six Mafia

Most Memorable Concert: T Pain. He's from Florida, and we knew of him years and years ago. To see him come from nothing to something onstage, was amazing.

Favorite Place to Get Inspired: I'm very simple: me, by myself in front of the computer, and I like to perform it while I'm writing.Anywhere I can comfortably look crazy and have a pot of coffee on.

Dream Musicians to Collaborate With: Definitely Big K.R.I.T., he's my favorite artist right now. Drake and Erykah Badu, or Pam from the Living Single.

Currently Listening To: Quadron—a friend recommended them to me. The production sounds like it's from the Jackson 5 days, it's real soulful.

How You Take Your Coffee: A bit of sugar, and a light roast

411: Eric Biddines makes a robust musical concoction under his moniker Planetcoffeebean, a project melding soul sensibilities, R&B and southern hip-hop. After a successful SXSW stint, the Palm Beach native is brewing up his next big project. - Myspace.com

Bad Broads Music Video Highlight: Eric Biddines - Allhiphop.com

Eric Biddines collaborated with MTV.com & MTV JAMS to premiere his RailRoads Down/Unfinished Music Video. Was Jam Of The Week - MTV

Eric Biddines may not be a household name yet, but with a deep Southern sound that’s at times as soulful as it is fervent — and an introspective nature that allows him to expertly use a cup of coffee as a metaphor for the daily grind — there’s something special about this South Florida emcee that makes us think we’ll all be talking about him a lot more often in the near future.

Today, Biddines is exclusively dropping his video for “Railroad Down/Unfinished” on HipHopDX. Off his 2013 LP Planetcoffeebean 2, and directed by longtime friend Ryan Snyder (the unsung hero behind videos for Maybach Music Group and Dre Films, among others), the video for “Railroad Down/Unfinished” is deep, to say the least. Set on a Southern plantation during the slavery era, we watch as Biddines tries to break free from the confines of slave life — being pursued, chained, and punished by his master for doing so. While both the video and the song are heavy, Snyder tells us working with Biddines is all about the abtstract. “You can be way more creative with him,” Snyder says. “It’s really not about clubs and girls and that kind of stuff. We just come up with ideas and they are completely off the wall, but it works for him. I actually feel more comfortable doing stuff like that because it’s not just the same thing all the time.”

We got a chance to talk with Biddines about the concept behind the video for “Railroad Down/Unfinished.” Check out what Biddines had to say. - HipHopDX