interview: a conversation with fun loving atlanta rocker fontez brooks, frontman of baby baby

Take a listen to any of Atlanta’s own Baby Baby’s songs and you’ll learn that they love to party. However, even party people know how to hustle. Between being immortalized as street art in Atlanta, getting placements in Journey’s stores in malls across the country, and rocking out at this year’s Vans Warped Tour, Baby Baby’s hustle makes them the ones you need to watch out for. Turn up. Check out AFROPUNK’s interview with Baby Baby vocalist Fontez Brooks below.

By Carina Browder, AFROPUNK Contributor

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AFROPUNK: You guys are currently on Warped Tour, playing the Kevin Says stage. How has the tour been so far?

This tour has been awesome in so many ways both expected and unexpected. We obviously expected to be in a position to meet a bunch of people, but we didn’t expect to be greeted with some love, which is great. We party for sure, but it’s also a lot of work. I love it though! Honestly I’d say that Warped Tour is Rock n Roll Boot Camp.

How does it feel to see your music be used in placements with Journey’s and Logitech/Ultimate Ears?

That’s sooo random and fuckin awesome!!! Also I got some sweet birkenstocks from Journeys, so shouts out to those guys!!

The band’s social media presence is incredibly entertaining, especially Colin’s callout videos. Is there a story behind that?

Yeah, Grant handles a lot of the social media when he’s not napping like a big ol’ walrus. The call out video happened when Colin was ‘tying one on’, if you know what I mean. (AKA when he gets drunk, he turns into Randy Savage.) And let me just say I think Colin can take RIFF RAFF.

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You are currently a Red Bull Sound Select artist. How did that come about?

I was getting my haircut and I ran into Chris Williams of Red Bull. He was like, “Waddup,” and I was like, “word?” And he was like, “swag.” Also we’re awesome.

How did the approach to “Quarter Life Crisis” and “Teach You How to Dance” change, if at all, from Big Boy Baller Club?

Those songs are definitely more mature, and overall, just better and catchier. Shouts out to Rob Schnapf who produced them.

The Baby Baby mural in Edgewood is becoming one of my new favorite pieces of art in Atlanta. Did the band have any say as far as design goes? How did the idea for the mural come about?

That design was all the artist, Brandon Sadler. HE’S THE SHIT. I don’t even wanna talk about it because I’m so butthurt we’re stuck on tour, and I can’t go look at the badass piece of artwork featuring my face and the woe. I JUST WANNA STARE AT MYSELF!!!

Did you ever go to Warped as fans? What bands stood out the most for you back then?

I went to Warped in ‘06 and saw Paramore right when they were about to blow. Shouts out to Paramore that shit was siq.

How does the preparation process going into Afropunk shows differ from the Warped Tour experience?

If there’s a stage and a place to plug in my guitar I’m gonna rock. We once played the parking lot of a froyo shop in the suburbs and a snowboarding competition in Tennessee. WE GIVE NO FUCKS. SANS FUCKS.

What are you anticipating the most about the Atlanta Afropunk festival?

Hot chicks. just so I can run up to them and respect them while legitimately listening to what they have to say because I’m genuinely interested!  

What can we expect from Baby Baby in the coming months?

A hit record or 29. New video just came out for Teach You How to Dance. It’s on Vanswarpedtour.com

Swag.

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Buy tickets to watch Baby Baby on the remainder of Warped Tour, or see them at the Atlanta AFROPUNK festival.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Dylan York