Photographed by Eric Williams.
[TMG FRE$H](https://www.instagram.com/tmgfresh/?hl=en) is getting raw in his debut album _Margiela Language_. The Oakland native’s 11-track project is multifaceted, much like him. _Margiela Language’s_ lyrics tell the story of his glamorous lifestyle and the less glamorous reality behind it.
He tackles themes of betrayal, letting the emotion in his voice show peak through at times. “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none,” a quote from William Shakespeare that appears front and center in the first track of the album, “VLONE”’s music video. A quote that reflects the song’s lyrics and a common theme throughout the rest of the body of work. Emotional lyrics are paired with catchy tunes, making it a soundtrack you can’t miss.
Read _Flaunt_’s conversation with the rapper below and check out the album, out on June 4th!
Photographed by Eric Williams.
**How long has _Margiela Language_ been in the works?**
_Margiela Language_ has been in the works for about a year and change. It’s gone through many different versions, initially it was a five or six song EP but it kept growing. I thought it was going to come out some time last year but when that didn’t happen and the project continued to develop, it grew into a full length album.
**What was the motivation or the inspiration behind your debut album?**
My life, really. I wanted to throw all my feelings, emotions and life experiences into a complete body of work that could really encapsulate everything. _Margiela Language_ is the language and reality of my life. Margiela is some fly upper echelon shit, so there’s that aspect of it, but there’s also the flip side which is the pain and the mistrust and betrayal that comes with that lifestyle. I really wanted to create a project that showed that duality. From the outside looking in, I think most people only see the glamorous side of my life, but they don’t know about the other side, they don’t know about the times I’ve been betrayed by people I loved, they don’t know about the trust issues that I have from never knowing if someone is genuine or just trying to gain something from me, or how I always have to watch my back. This project is where I really let people into my world and allow them to see it from all sides.
**Do you have a favorite track or specific lyric from it?**
I would have to say my favorite track on the project is “No Tears”. It’s just such a raw and emotional record. It’s one of those records where you can just really feel the pain and I love that, it’s so real.
**The full album is out next month, how are you feeling?**
I’m excited. It feels like I’ve been working on this forever, all the obstacles I’ve had to work through, all the people with bad intentions I’ve had to side step, all the fake shit and finesse I’ve had to avoid, let alone the actual process of making all this music come to life; it’s been a real journey, that’s for sure.
Photographed by Eric Williams.
**“VLONE” is the first song on the album, was it the first song you wrote? What makes it the perfect album intro?**
It wasn’t the first song I wrote, but it’s a very personal song. I touch on some of the things I’ve dealt with over the past year or so. Had people who I had let close to me who really were not for me and I learned the hard way that I had to change up how I moved and make sure I moved with a lot more caution and much more protected. When you have a lot, there are a lot of people who will try to take what you have, either out of desperation or simply out of jealousy and envy. I had people in my life that I gave a lot to become mad when I was no longer giving to them, rather than them being thankful and grateful for my generosity. So, when I say in the song, “I can’t move how I used to move,” I’m talking about those lessons that I had to learn the hard way.
**In the first seconds of the music there is a quote from William Shakespeare that reads, “Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none.” Did that quote come to you before or after writing "VLONE"?**
That quote was inspired by the video. In the video I chose to make reference to an incident that happened in real life where someone set me and my girl up to get robbed at my home. I show the double cross in the video and show the flip of that karma turning around to bite those who crossed me. I felt like that quote embodied that message.
**You also directed the music video for "VLONE", how did you conceptualize that?**
I felt like there was this big public incident that happened with the robbery, it was on all the news stations in LA, and I never publicly addressed it. The video seemed like a perfect time to address that in a creative way.
**Can we expect to see more music videos from tracks off _Margiela Language_? Maybe directed by you again?**
There will definitely be more videos from _Margiela Language_. We shot a great video for _No Tears_, also directed by the Chacon brothers, who shot _Late Night_. I also plan on shooting more. I’m not sure if I will be directing any of the other videos from the project but that’s definitely a possibility.
**How would you describe "No Tears" to someone who has yet to listen to it?**
It’s very real, very raw. You can really feel the emotion in my voice on that track. I think the theme of betrayal and dealing with fake people is something a lot of people can really relate to.
Photographed by Eric Williams.
**How did you develop your fashion sense?**
When it comes to fashion I always just try to do something different, a little bit outside the box. I like to find pieces that I haven’t seen other people wear before, I don’t like to use recycled looks you know. So, I usually look for a piece that stands out, kind of like a statement piece and then I build my outfit around that. I also have a lot of tattoos that I love to show off, so I try to find pieces that let me show my ink.
**How do you show your creativity through your clothes?**
How you look is always gonna be the first thing that people notice when they see you, so I look for clothes that stand out, pieces that are different that make people take a second look. I’m not big on wearing shit that’s designer just for the sake of it being designer. Like I will wear designer clothes for sure but I’m not gonna wear a shirt that just has a brand name on it just so that people see the expensive brand name. I look for pieces that are exciting and different and look cool, not just expensive.
**Can we expect any projects centered around fashion in your future?**
I think music and fashion go hand in hand in a lot of ways. I think in my videos you will get to see a lot of fashion elements. I try to push the boundaries and wear things in my videos or photo shoots that really compliment and complete the overall art.
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