Gerald Olivari and DJ Cisco recently spoke with Blitz The Ambassador about his experiences as an independent artist and about his African heritage. He also gave us the scoop on the marketing concept for his innovative album Stereotype.

What are your goals as an independent artist?

Blitz : Primarily just to tour. I put a lot of time and emphasis on building a fabulous show. I'm a fan of the James Brown era where people paid money to see a show and they never forgot that show. That's my approach to it. As we know, record sales cannot be the standard anymore for any artist so we focus a lot of our attention into performing live.

I absolutely love the marketing concept behind Stereotype. Who came up with the idea to market the stereo as the head?

Blitz : That's me actually. I'm a visual artist. I was doodling one day out of frustration for commercial radio and I found a good way to put it visually. That visual actually came 3 years before the record was completed. It was the visual element that inspired us all to work. There were a lot of people who latched onto the project based on the visual only. They heard the music later, but the visual got them first.


How does your African heritage show in you as an artist?

Blitz : Africa is who I am. Africa is where I belong. I've never lost track of that. I've been living out of Ghana for over 10 years now. I'm still connected in a very, very strong way. I grew up listening to Afrobeats and Highlife Music so they're a direct impact on my artistry. Not too many people use the horns and percussion like I use them because I grew up around drumming and dancing all day. That vibe has never left me. I'm very proud of being able to carry Africa in pop and hip-hop culture.


What other things are you working on outside of music?

Blitz : I just scored a PBS documentary called Bronx Princess. I also just finished writing a screenplay that I'm looking to produce and direct within the next year. It's about amateur boxing in Ghana. There are some really dope Ghanaian boxers that do it on the world stage. Right now, I'm working on funding this picture. I want to represent my folks because unfortunately, there is no voice from where I'm from.


Listen to the Entire Interview!

Blitz The Ambassador gave an in-depth answer about what influenced him to get into the film industry.

He also spoke about performing in Atlanta.