Jake and John Cardiff, two brothers from Warwick, Rhode Island, have big dreams to share their music with the world, and they are rapidly soaring on the road to success. Just a few short years ago, the brothers started to rap together as a joke. Jake explained how they would just “throw on a beat,” and turn jokes into songs. He said that John motivated him, and after a little while, people started to hear what they were doing, and suggested that they should actually try making music for real. The brothers explained how their style offers a great variety. They vary between hip-hop, R&B and pop. “If someone doesn’t like our style, we will try to appeal to them and to their style,” John said. “No matter what we do, we need to keep expanding.” Jake suggested that their music could be described as “feel-good music,” since they cannot really classify themselves to one style. Two years ago, Jake and John had their first show in Cambridge, Mass. at the Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub, where they opened for Huey Mack. They said that the experience was nerve racking, but it definitely paid off. John and Jake began to promote themselves wherever they could. Their YouTube fans transferred over to Twitter, gaining followers each day. “You get out what you put in,” Jake explained. “That’s as an artist and as a fan. If you want to see your favorite artist move up in numbers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, you have to spread the word.” He said that they have fans spreading the word on all social media sites and traveling around to different states and promoting them. John said that they would pass CDs out for free, and try to talk to as many people as they could, since “this is a start-it’s just the beginning.” In April, 2013, the Cardiff Brothers opened for Kendrick Lamar at the University of Rhode Island, and it was only their fourth time playing for a crowd of people-so an attendance 3,000 was exhilarating. John said that night was just “a taste of being a superstar,” since three days after the performance, they paid to open a show for only 10 people. “We’re always out there like we have something to prove, and it’s going to stay that way-every day we’re learning,” John said. “There’s nothing we can’t do.” Jake and John have multiple covers of songs including “Headband,” by B.o.B. ft. 2 Chainz, “Paranoid,” by Ty Dolla $ign ft. B.o.B., and “Or Nah,” by Ty Dolla $ign, ft. The Weeknd, Wiz Khalifa, and DJ Mustard. On March 31, 2014, the brothers released their original song, “Big,” which reached over 15,000 views on YouTube. After the release, John and Jake played a few shows along the East Coast, hitting venues in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Last September, they released another original song, “Chill,” and then in November, announced their EP, “The Beginning,” including four original songs. John explained how they were approached by “26 Management,” the celebrity and talent management company of stars like Cameron Dallas and Nash Grier. The company asked the Cardiff Brothers to come to California and record in a full studio. They also said that Grier would tweet the brother’s new EP to his 4 million followers. Although the boys were taken aback from the offer, John said that they came to the realization that if they agreed to the offer, people would only like them because Grier or Dallas told their fans to like them. “We don’t want shortcuts,” John said. “I would rather build ourselves up from the bottom. Obviously that would be so cool, but a few months later, all of those new fans would be gone.” The Cardiff Brothers are working on an album, which they hope to release in March. Jake said that they are just about finished with the first eight tracks and claims that “this album is going to change everything.” “We’re pretty versatile,” John said. “We don’t want you to know what we’re going to do next. We don’t ever want to be predictable. Every song on the new album has it’s own sound and that’s the one thing that people are going to realize. It’s a step in the right direction.” When the album is released, they are going to have a tour, as long as people continue to support them and spread the word. John said that their dream venue would be to play at the Webster Hall Main Ballroom in NYC one day. Last Sunday, Jan. 25, the brothers headlined at the Middle East, just two short years after they opened there. “Seven months ago, we sold out at the Middle East upstairs, now this time at downstairs,” Jake said. “Now we’re making plans to get to the next venue-there’s always a next step.” The Cardiff Brothers can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and their new EP can be found on SoundCloud, iTunes and Spotify. The boys see a bright future ahead and offer the motivating message: “Never settle. There’s always a bigger goal.”
