It's an HM Thing

I recently had a conversation with Hugo Anzoategui, a founder, producer and member of the Union City-based Honorary Music crew. I asked him simply: Why should we care about HM?

“A lot of people tend to overlook some of the real talent that lies in this small city. A lot of people are also quick to judge by what a person looks like or resembles instead of the actual content,” Anzoategui said. “In Union City, there’s a ton of people who all want to achieve some kind of major goal, or dream. The only problem is that everyone feels like it’s a competition, instead of coming, working, and supporting each other.”

The creative consortium aims to provide music with substance, he said.

“Unlike others, whose motivation is for the money, cars and beautiful women (although, don’t get me wrong, all are nice), ours is ultimately to satisfy our listeners and give them something real, something they can actually relate to,” he added.

“We know the people who listen to us are a younger crowd, and we’ve gone through all the fun, crazy, sad and angry times teenagers face. We hope to give our listeners and fans something that will enable them to just get away for a few minutes and know that they are not alone.”

Taking the lyrical lead for the HM crew are rappers and Fresco. Check out their latest music video by clicking on the thumbnail to the right. (Disclaimer: contains profane language.)

The artists' ability to relate to listeners stems from their life experiences of overcoming obstacles and struggles.

Rula was raised by a hard-working single mother after his father abandoned them when he was still an infant. With his mom working to provide a living for the both of them, he was sent to live with his grandparents. At the same time, he continues to battle ophthalmic and intestinal diseases. But he finds a way to make it past all that and keep a positive outlook.

“Music is what keeps him going,” Anzoategui said. “He channels all his emotions into his writing and knows it’ll help others who face their problems.”

The same can be said for Fresco.

“Fresco has been battling a bunch of different afflictions and anguish, but none as much as the recent passing of his young father,” Anzoategui said about his friend.

Fresco’s father passed away from lung cancer in January. In the two years prior, he helped take care of his ill father, channeling his frustration and sadness into song.

A producer for several years, “he learned to get deeper and connect with people on a more personal level” through the experience, Anzoategui said.

“His music comes from an art of story telling,” he said. “He loves telling people that anything is possible, and although things hit the fan sometimes, you just have to be true to yourself and what you believe in.”

The crew of local artists wants listeners to embrace that — the joy and the pain in life — as they do in their music. And the best part about it is that they’re doing it together, Anzoategui said.

“Dreams are meant to be followed, and there's no better way than to follow them with friends,” he said.