New Wave Collective

Whether they're working on a new track or simply driving around town together, the members of New Wave Collective are constantly freestyling rhymes, just out of an utter love for hip-hop. And in holding tight to this off-the-cuff style, the group has also managed to create a sound that they believe is 100 percent their own.

"It's genuine. It's all from our soul," explains Fre$co. "Everything is us, and that's a big part of New Wave as a whole."

Fre$co (or Courtland Tunstill) and Don Chambers (or Brandon Webster) linked up in 2013 through a friend. From here, the two went on to record The Urrday Tape (which they now refer to as the first project from New Wave), eventually welcoming J. Ice, C-Mac and Jordan ReUp to their crew too.

"We all met up based off of the love for the music, and over time we've grown as brothers and love each other," Chambers says. "I feel like that plays a real important part in the process of the music [making]. Whenever you collab, the music sounds forced if it's just business. But when you know the people and you've got genuine love for'em and all of you love being in the studio, it just comes out naturally. Y'all are just having fun."

Since those early days, various members of the group have churned out releases, including, most recently, Fre$co and J. Ice's Soul Food. Appropriately released on Thanksgiving 2014, the cohesive collection of 16 tracks (including two bonus numbers) showcases New Wave's unique approach to hip-hop.


"When you hear Soul Food, you might think it's going to be super soulful," he explains. "We wanted it to be something that was that way, but that was also coming from a different angle too."

They've come a long way in terms of studio work, and New Wave Collective's most recent appearance as a featured act at the J. Brookinz Tag Team Battle speaks volumes of their growth as a live act over the past year as well — especially considering they started out performing alongside poets at much more subdued open mic events. With their first-ever live appearances at monthly Localmotion gatherings, the group simply performed at any place around the city that would let them at the beginning. Soon enough though, some of Indy's better-known emcees started catching wind of the waves they were creating at these intimate events.

They cite their August 2014 appearance at The Hi-Fi's Skydive event as a turning point in their fairly young career. On a bill with the likes of Sirius Blvck, Pope Adrian Bless, John Stamps, Maxie and many more, they finally felt that they were given the chance to shine on a bigger stage, says J. Ice.

"We felt like that was the opportunity we needed," he says. "We just felt like these were people that were at a higher level, so now we had a chance to compete and show that we were right there."

For that event, they point to Indy musician Diop (who invited them to perform the Skydive event in the first place).

"He showed us the most support in what we were trying to do because he opened the avenue for us a little bit," Chambers says. "And, he had already been established for a minute, so his connections soon became our connections."

Now working as New Wave's videographer, Diop can reflect on the potential impact he sees the up-and-coming collective having on the city.

"I think they're great for the Indy hip-hop community because they represent a flavor and aura as a collective that had not previously been presented," he says. "In some ways, they filled a void."

There's more releases, gigs (including one at the White Rabbit Cabaret on Thursday) and videos on the horizon for New Wave.

"It feels like 2015 is really going to be the breakout year for the city," Chambers says. "We've put in the groundwork, and we're still grinding. But as a whole, the city's got some jewels that are ready to be discovered, and I feel like this is going to be the breakout year. And then from here, Indianapolis is going to be on the map." - Nuvo Magazine