Formerly known as 'Cinco', Joe Quinto has redefined himself as an artist and a creative. Quinto is a multi-talented recording artist, songwriter, producer, curator, and performer that has continued to prove himself in the Milwaukee music scene for years. Feeling the need to distinguish himself from the crowd, Joe felt the need for a full blown rebrand in Summer 2016. With the release of his first official visual "Black Magic" alongside fellow M3 member Diaz, Joe Quinto quickly garnished the attention of many new fans, as well as regaining the following of many old 'Cinco' faithful.

Upcoming Hip Hop: Why the name change?

Joe Quinto: I had been doing music under the moniker 'Cinco' since I was 17 and looking for a name other than my legal one to put on my music... Throughout the years, I grew to dislike the name because I felt that it didn't accurately portray who I was or how I sounded as an artist. I always felt as though I was too far in to change my name, but when 2016 rolled around I told myself that I would make the leap from Cinco to Joe Quinto. Quinto, meaning "fifth" is a more literal translation to my name (Joseph William Albert V) and I brought 'Joe' into it because I feel as though, as of lately, my music directly reflects who I am as a person. You hear more JOE in my tunes, so I wanted to bring more of myself into my new stage name.

Are you approaching music different now?

Yes and no. I still have the same artistic process and motivators behind what I do, but I feel as though I'm going about my 'gameplan' with more a more aggressive and speedy pace. I've got a lot coming. You'll see what I mean soon enough.

How has Attic Jams affected your career?

It really hasn't a whole lot. It's affected my persona in the hiphop community as a curator and knowledgeable source of Milwaukee music, but as far as my personal gain goes it hasn't really done much and I wasn't really looking for it to. I mean, I'm sure i gained a few new fans by playing most of these shows, but nothing too crazy.

Are you planning on continuing that? What charities?

Yes, but in a different way. The attic space we used is not available to us anymore so we're working on other ways to keep these shows going. Trust me, we're far from done.

How is the local hiphop scene in Milwaukee?

Hands-down the best scene in the country. I know that's a bold statement, but if you REALLY look at what these artists are doing and who we're working with, it's crazy. We're quite literally making something out of nothing. Historically, Milwaukee has been a very slept-on city and we're finally beginning to change that, I'm super excited to see what these next few years bring.

Can we expect more "Black Magic" quality videos?

Definitely. "Black Magic" has set a standard for how my future visuals are going to look like, There's no backtracking now. I plan on concocting some dope visuals that are all very different from one another. The team at Take7 Productions is extremely talented so watch what we do next.

How important are quality visuals?

Extremely! People's attention spans nowadays are shit. We're all so used to instant gratification to the point it's ruined our ability to even listen to a song all the way through before we skip to the next one. Quality visuals help to keep attention on the song behind it. Not to mention, it helps to put a face to the music and showcase additional artistry.

Whats next?

Expect the next track to drop towards the end of September. I'm hoping to get a little EP out to the people by the end of this year but I'm not gonna rush or force anything so we'll see!

Connect with Joe Quinto
www.quintomusic.com
Facebook.com/mustbequinto
Twitter.com/mustbecinco
Soundcloud.com/joequinto
Instagram.com/quintomusic