The Artist Spotlight kicks off a new week with Outlier and their cover of “(Rock) Superstar” by Cypress Hill. The song features guest vocals from Sen Dog and Hyro The Hero. Here is what Outlier frontman Joey Arena had to share about the track:
“‘Superstar’ was more influential to me than I had realized in my youth. Growing up, there wasn’t a Rap, Rock or Pop station that wasn’t playing this song. A friend of mine would pick me up for school and we would blast this track like it was the only song that had existed for months. I listened to so many genres growing up (still do) and given that my first instrument was guitar, I would play anything from NuMetal, Hardcore and Grunge to Jazz, Classic Rock and Pop Punk but listened to a lot of mid-90’s and 00’s Hip Hop. I never believed a band should have one specific sound and always heard from so many industry reps is that I needed to find my “identity” when my identity was doing whatever the fuck I wanted. An artist is meant to grow, push boundaries and experiment, why would that not manifest in songwriting? ‘Superstar’ was just that for me, it was a staple in the fusion of the genres it portrays. A track that pushed the envelope, took a chance, and now has the accolades to prove its success.”
You can hear the track again today at 130 & 730 PM. Plus, you can watch Ryan’s interview with Joey below.
