Before the members of hip-hop collective Made Grøceries took the stage at the Build The Fire event Tuesday night, they relaxed inside “The Shop,” a place that serves as headquarters and workspace for the artists that comprise Small World International, a local art collective.
The trio, which goes exclusively by their artist names, sits in the middle of a small office belonging to its leader, University alumna and former women’s basketball manager Ebonie Mathews.
Mathews plays a big part in Made Grøceries — she’s not only the group’s manager, but she also plays the role of big sister, helping the members maintain the goals they set. 
“She is like Master Splinter so to speak to our Ninja Turtles. She keeps us grounded,” Mauley Sincyr, a member of the trio, said.
The idea for Made Grøceries came from Mauley Sincyr and the members’ need to express ideas and a certain way of living. The name of the collective happened when the three members were walking down the street brainstorming for ideas. Mauley Sincyr suddenly stopped and looked at a sign that said “Groceries.”
For the trio, comprised of Mauley Sincyr, LandLord and University graphic design junior OeauxNeal, the name “Made Grøceries” fit the mold. The group thought that, when shopping, people need many types of individual items that later will come together to make one meal.
“It’s a part of our everyday life in New Orleans, something that is everywhere across the city,” OeauxNeal said. “It’s because it is a vital part of our life, not only in the south but everywhere across the nation. You need groceries to live [and] sustain life and to survive.”
The members of Made Grøceries met each other at Edna Karr High School. OeauxNeal, and Mauley Sincyr wrote the first three songs and invited LandLord to put everything together. They were impressed with the outcome and had enough chemistry to finish the album, which was released on May 15, as a collective.
Made Grøceries chose its album drop date because it’s the same day it lost a close friend who also went to the members’ high school, when Donald Isadore “Beezle” Barge Jr. died in New Orleans.
“We did it in tribute to him, to honor his name,” Mauley Sincyr said.
For the most part, Made Grøceries sings about realistic topics, and the group tries to bring a new perspective to many matters. 
It’s influenced by southern hip-hop and the east coast. Because everyone grew up together, their tastes are similar, and the artists they are influenced by range from Tupac Shakur, Biggie and Nas to Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Bow Wow.
The message the trio likes to give its audience is to not be afraid to change or grow.
“A lot of people wonder why artists change once they get older or why their sound changes,” OeauxNeal said. “Remember everybody grows. You got to be able to adapt, especially these days.”
Each individual works in separate fields: OeauxNeal is a visual painter and illustrator; Mauley Sincyr skates and is looking into working on a children’s book with manager Mathews; and LandLord puts 100 percent of his focus in music.
Despite all of its members being from New Orleans, Made Grøceries is stationed in Baton Rouge, where OeauxNeal currently attends the University and Mauley Sincyr attended Southern University.
“School brought me here, but music kept me here” said Mauley Sincyr.
To stay current, Made Grøceries adapts its creativity with time. LandLord said it’s easy to stay fresh as long as one steers away from things that lead to a stale way of living.
“It’s almost like second nature to stay fresh because we don’t want to fit in, we understand that as a human you are meant to be like a snowflake, everyone is different and most people just don’t get it,” Mauley Sincyr said. “Everything expires, everything parishes, but you don’t have to stay in a comfortable state.”
The name of the album, “Infø Vol. 1,” stands for “ILL Nu Feel Cipher.”
To LandLord, “ILL Nu Feel” is a way to expand to a new sound, something that hasn’t been heard before, and the “Cipher,” the character that takes the place of the “o” in “Groceries” in the group’s name, is based of how people used to converse with each other and build knowledge through conversation.
The lyrics of most of the songs come from personal experiences and the impact life has had in the members. Some of their songs, like “Abrakadabra,” play on the reminiscence of past times and the recollections on recent events but at the same time preaching about the present fight to reach longevity.
OeauxNeal said the group is also working in different projects, and it has a blog, called “The Grøceries,” coming out soon.
The group’s tape can be streamed for free through SoundCloud, and hard copies can be bought in places around town like Sneaker Closet and Rukus Board Shop.
Made Grøceries is currently touring until the end of July, and its main focus is on local shows in Baton Rouge and New Orleans but also plan on traveling to Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Javier Fernández

Made Grøceries performs at the event Build the Fire on Tuesday, June 6, 2015 in Baton Rouge.