Capo Corleone is an international recording artist and music executive based out of Los Angeles. As the CEO of the highly successful C2 Management and founder and former CEO of Tree4ort Records, his musical endeavors shine bright. The alternative hip-hop artist has solidly embossed himself in global success, honing his international collaboration and artist development like no other. 

His latest single "Brakes" in collaboration with notable Polish jazz musician and global producer Kuba Więcek sees the unlikely pairing joining forces to create a hybrid between jazz and hypnotic hip-hop. Blending two worlds blissfully together, "Brakes" showcases transit-inspired melodies, energetic vocal energy and electronic euphony. Initiating their recording ventures virtually, they finally took to the studio in Warsaw to record their latest release. They explain, “It was really magical how quickly we worked together and clicked - we were really inspired by each other and it showed.”

 Raised on West Coast artists like Snoop Dogg, 2pac, E-40 and Nate Dogg, Corleone’s latest single “Brakes” epitomizes that ‘on the go’ feeling that never seems to ease up, exploring the idea that you're running without brakes or the ability to stop. Corleone explains, “The place and time definitely influenced the writing and attitude of my flow and performance. “Running with no brakes on” as I say in the song was exactly how I had been feeling moving from city to city.” Igniting inspiration to live a life of your own accord, “Brakes” is just the first chapter of Corleone's and Więceks' upcoming EP Thank Myself, exploring unparalleled self-gratitude to one's own accomplishments, remaining strong and succeeding despite life’s obstacles. 

How did you meet each other to collaborate and why did you decide to collaborate on ‘Brakes’?

We connected through Capo’s wife; a Polish pianist that used to live in Warsaw. After Kuba transitioned from jazz music to hip-hop, Kuba asked his ex-girlfriend who was a friend of Klaudia (Capo’s wife) if she could send some beats to Capo. We started working remotely in 2020 until 2021 when Capo came to Warsaw and recorded “Brakes” the first time we physically met.

How did ‘Brakes’ come about and what is the song about?

We recorded it the first time we met at Kuba’s studio in Warsaw. We started making music from scratch and were really inspired by each other.

The single “Brakes” was born from Capo being on the road. Capo was at the end of a three-month stay in Europe and had been starting to feel the effects of constant traveling.

“Brakes” is about that constant feeling of being on the go or the feeling of going through life without brakes.

What was the recording and writing process like?

The day we recorded “Brakes”, we didn’t get to work right away. We found some time to relax, eat some good food, drink some coffee and talk about the music industry in general. It was after all our first time physically meeting each other.

When we finally got to work, Kuba started by finding an interesting drum break that would give a fresh groovy feeling and once he found it, started playing his Fender Rhodes to establish the harmony. While Capo wrote, Kuba looked for another drum sound, doing some choirs and adding saxophones. We knew we were on to something when Capo decided to sing the hook which is not very usual for him. It was a stream of consciousness from him that just happened spontaneously.

The track came together pretty quickly.

It is a blend of Jazz and hypnotic hip-hop, what made you decide to blend two music styles together?

We both come from strong musical backgrounds and both have a profound respect for the others craft.

Capo had been fairly uninspired by a lot of the Hip-Hop music and really wanted to move toward a less traditional sound that he could call his own, something authentic to him.

Kuba comes from a jazz music background but after he listened to Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” his whole life changed and started to move more toward Hip-Hop.

Both of us are incredibly interested in contrasting music styles. We love bringing together elements that complement each other in a new, interesting way. So naturally, our collaboration was an easy decision.

You have also got an accompanying music video to go with the song, how did the music video come about and what made you decide to do the music video alongside?

We really wanted to epitomize the feeling of running without “Brakes” so when Kuba came to Capo’s home in Los Angeles to finish the album, it was obvious we needed to make it happen.

We felt there was no better representation of traveling than a private jet and “Brakes” was just too strong of a song not to capitalize on.

So we rented a jet and convinced Capo’s driver to be in the music video and that’s how “Brakes” came about.

What is next for the both of you?

We’ve got great singles and an overarching project ahead of us called “Thank Myself”. We’re both working on new music with each other and other artists which will really make 2023 a huge year for both of us. With Kuba moving to Los Angeles in January and Capo spending November and December in Warsaw, it is probable we will create another project together.