I’m from West St. Louis and I’ve been rapping since I was about 13. Rapping has never been a thing where I’ve had to do it to make it out. I mean, I was poor growing up and all that but it was never a thing that I had to do to “make it”. It’s always been a fun thing to do for me. It wasn’t until sophomore year in high school when I actually started to take this music seriously. I started uploading music to Soundcloud that year and it’s been a process but I’m finally starting to make something out of it.
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
I’d say that the biggest influences on my music is J. Cole, Lil Wayne, and 2pac. Some of the characteristics that made me want to do music less as a hobby but more as a profession is the fact that I’m a very social person and I love music and so I think that those two characteristics alone qualify me to be a potential profitable artist.
Very social, persuasive, chill person, love music, etc.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
I can’t really think of anyone that I can compare myself with because as an artist I’m just so diverse. I listen to all different types of music all the time. I draw my influences from all over so in this way, I really just don’t sound like the typical Soundcloud rapper.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
I was always poor growing up but I never considered myself as coming up from nothing. Rapping was really just a fun thing that I got into doing but it wasn’t ever really a thing that I was pressuring myself into in order to “make it out”.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
First, I’ll find a beat either from my producer (HittMaker) or I’ll find songs that I feel a connection to and do a remix to it. After I find a beat, I’ll freestyle to it and then write down whatever it was I liked the best that I said.
5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed?
Just getting myself, my name and what I’m saying out there for the masses. I already do a lot of promotion and I’m trying to get into paying for promotion because I know it takes more than just a link in my bio for me to get noticed. I know I’m good enough that I know I’m capable of blowing up.
6.) Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
It’s always been a big dream of mine to be signed to a big label like a TDE or a Dreamville. Just a big powerhouse in the industry. It would give me the opportunity to collaborate with a lot of talented artists and put me on a huge platform. And the connections in the music industry that it would give me would be super beneficial to my career and the future of my career.
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
I think that artists focus more on making catchy hooks and not doing straight bars and we are at a point in hip-hop where repetition is the key to making a hit song. There are a select few types of artists that can succeed that aren’t social media savvy but at the end of the day, artists rely heavily, almost solely, on social media. Fan bases are generated from social media and nowadays it all comes down to keeping yourself relevant.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
I don’t think that I can be a sell out because no matter what happens, I will always remain myself. I can’t be one of those rappers who get four or five ghostwriters to write a song for me. Anything that comes out of my mouth at all, is from me.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Really, I see it going two ways: either I’m out of college with a job and a salary or I’m a rapper and doing it for a living. But, if I don’t end up being a rapper than it is what it is.
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