Everlast Talks New Single “My Hollywood” and His Roots in Rap

The Long Island, New York-born songwriter and performer Everlast is one of those artists that fans have discovered many times over the years. For some, they learned about him by hearing the song “Jump Around” by his rap group House of Pain. Others might know him from his solo song “What It’s Like“.

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But today (April 24), Everlast is out with new work. He’s dropping his newest single, “My Hollywood”, via Martyr Inc. Records. The song comes ahead of his forthcoming new record, Embers To Ashes, out August 28. Fans can check out the new track here, as well as an interview with the Grammy Award winner below.

American Songwriter: Tell me about your newest single “My Hollywood” and how it fits into the greater picture of your forthcoming new album?

Everlast: “My Hollywood” is a lighter-hearted take on the ups and downs of success in the entertainment world. The album is a collection of songs that revolve around my last decade—it’s not necessarily autobiographical, but it’s “inspired by” the chaos, losses and a few wins.

AS: Can you bring me into the early days of House of Pain—what were the rehearsals like, how did you find each other and your sound?

Everlast: I had already been signed as a solo artist to Rhyme Syndicate by Ice-T. When I left that deal, Lethal was already my DJ. Danny [Boy] was a friend with strong conceptual and visual ideas. The sound began when DJ Muggs and I started making demos right before Cypress Hill dropped, with Lethal contributing on the production side, too. 

AS: What was it like to experience such fame and to have your music like “Jump Around” last over the decades? 

Everlast: Was? It’s still everywhere—ha! That’s the crazy part. When something you made becomes not only part of the culture but, dare I say, the zeitgeist? It’s a strange thing sometimes to fathom that it came from a bedroom studio in Bell Gardens, CA. 

AS: I’m sure you could write a book about it, but what went into the decision to pick up an acoustic guitar in the late 1990s and perform as Everlast and what was it like to see a positive reception for it?

Everlast: Well, I had been playing guitar very poorly since I was young. I took a couple lessons, then I caught the hip-hop bug. Later, when making House Of Pain albums, I would lay a part here and there to save a sample fee. But mostly it was a hobby. After the group split, I was making a solo rap album when I started playing a song I wrote for my buddy who was producing and he insisted we record it. I was reluctant, but we recorded what became [the song] “What It’s Like”. The label’s response was not warm but thankfully the audience saw differently. 

AS: Today, there are artists like Jelly Roll who embody the connection between hip-hop and country or folk music. What do you think the connection is between the two?

Everlast: Well, I would use Yelawolf as a better example. Which is why he wound up producing this album. I think the connection is I never left hip-hop behind. Even in solo projects I always had at least three or four real hip-hop songs. I think it let some cats who felt trapped within the confines of a “genre” know that boundaries were merely a state of mind and there was a freedom there not explored yet for some. This is actually the first album without a hip-hop track but that’s for a reason to be revealed later. 

Photo via Shore Fire Media