Q: When did your career start? What sparked interest in having a career in music?

A: I have been rapping since I was in 10th grade, but I want to say my career started during fall quarter of first year of college when I performed for the first time. Up until that point I had released a few projects with my friends but it did not feel real to me until I got up on stage.

The feeling of performing in front of a crowd was equal parts intimidating and exhilarating. Once I saw and heard how the crowd was reacting to my songs I felt like I belonged.

Q: What can you tell the public about PENDULUM? What is your favorite part of the song?

A: Pendulum came together pretty quickly. This producer named Kenny Ryu DMed me on Instagram to see if I would be interested in jumping on one of his beats. He sent me a few but I was drawn to piano on the one that went on to become the beat for the song. I sent it to my homie and sound engineer Chxll because it sounded like a beat he would body. I wrote my verse, he wrote his, and we put it together.

My favorite part of the song is the realness of it. I do not often rap about the tougher parts of my music journey but the beat Kenny sent me brought it out of me. I’ve been working on being more open in my music so I think this song was a step in the right direction.

Q: What would you consider the best song you have created? What makes you say it is the best song you made?

A: I think Cloak is the best song I have created. I typically do not rap about political/social issues because it is difficult for me to express exactly what I feel about certain things while also fitting the parameters of a rap song. Sometimes it is tough for me to articulate my thoughts on race, but what makes it even tougher is to clearly lay out my thoughts with attention to flows and cadence and all the other things that make a rap song enjoyable to hear. And also, socially aware raps are usually contrived and uninspired.

I was hesitant to write it at first, but at the time, the country was engulfed in protests ignited by the police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tony McDade, among others. I told myself that if I were to release any music during this time, I had to address what was going on. It could not just be a random apolitical song. So I wrote it. It took longer than it had ever taken me to write a song. I sent it to a bunch of people before I released it to make sure it was not corny. And then I released it. People really liked it.

So I am most proud of Cloak because I did not think I could make a song like that, and I proved myself wrong.

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Q: Why do you think it is important to keep your fans engaged? How do you keep them engaged?

A: Fan engagement is important because they are the people whose support got me to where I am right now. It is the least I can do as an artist to talk to my fans and remind them how much I appreciate them.

Lately, I have been posting a lot of Instagram stories in which I will ask my followers to rank random things (favorite fast-food fries, for example). A lot of my fans respond with their rankings and it is cool to be able to talk directly to them about stuff that has nothing to do with rap, just on some cool shit. Talking about rap is good too but I think it is important that people get to know who I am outside of rap. I also try to answer people’s DMs and talk to them there, but admittedly I am pretty absentminded when it comes to that. I am trying to get better though!

Q: How did it make you feel when you reached 50,000 Streams on Spotify, for one song?

A: It was a wild feeling. Bleach was my first song to hit 50K and after months of uncertainty about the future of my rap career, seeing those streams made me think I could make something happen for myself.

Q: What excites you the most about what you do? Why?

A: The most exciting thing about rapping to me is saying things in ways they have not been said before. The lyricism is my favorite aspect of rap. Everything you could possibly say in a song has already been said hundreds of thousands of times. The challenge is to say those same things in a way they have never been said. That is where wordplay and imagery and similes and metaphors and euphemisms come into play. I get very excited when I come up with inventive lines.

Q: What do you like to do, besides make music, in your free time?

A: I love playing basketball, it is honestly possible I love it more than I love rapping (I am just nowhere near as good at basketball). I also really like eating. Food is crazy.

Q: What does "consistency" mean to you?

A: Consistency means steadiness, reliability. It is a good trait to have, especially when it comes to releasing music. The Spotify playlist algorithms love it.

Q: What are your likes and dislikes about social media?

A: I like how it allows people to easily connect with other people in ways that they would not be able to wear it nonexistent. I also like how it facilitates the spread of good information. Conversely, I dislike how it facilitates the spread of misinformation. Also, it is troubling that today’s rappers (typically) need bustling social media profiles in order to be noticed by the industry. I am aware that rap has never been a meritocracy, but I get the feeling it was closer to being one before virality was such a sought-after precursor for success. I could be wrong though. And that’s no shade to the rappers who have leveraged their social media clout into money and opportunity. It is just unfortunate for the rappers whose music styles and personalities do not lend themselves to high social media engagement.

Q: If you had the opportunity to collaborate, with anybody or any team, who would it be and why?

A: MF DOOM. My brother Myles told me to listen to Madvillainy a few years ago and it changed the way I listen to rap. DOOM is an insane rapper and a mythical creature. If I were able to impress him enough to draw him out of his hermitage to get on a song with me, it would probably be the biggest honor ever. Rest in peace, Myles.

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