Hip Hop Hook/Verse Specialist

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I worked on a music video for a sound I collaborated with another artist (Joshua Q. Castro) on. This song was called I Believe. It was all about God's mercy and what He did in both of our lives. We ended up getting blessed with the opportunity to perform it in the church on Easter Sunday. And the footage was put in our music video on Youtube.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now I'm working on a dancing vibe. The song is finished and complete so now I'm focusing on planning the rollout.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: My sound engineer I believe plans on getting on SoundBetter. But his rates are great for the quality, and if you like the mixes in my music, I'd definitely recommend his services.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: My promise is to work to give you THE BEST end product as possible. Whatever it takes, I want to make sure you're happy with what you got back.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love lyrics in general. Painting a picture with words has always been my forte. Ever since writing poetry as a 14 year old, I've been in love with the process of writing. School never felt for me, but the storytelling part of creative writing has always brought me fulfillment.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That I can only rap. I'm very versatile, my artist catalog just doesn't reflect it yet. I've written some reggae, vocal songs, a rock song, and more in addition to the raps. If you want to give me a chance to bring any song idea (outside my norm) to life, I'd most likely be willing to give it a try.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I'd ask ... What’s the goal of the song? (e.g. emotional impact, club banger, storytelling, etc.) Do you already have a beat/instrumental? What’s the topic or theme you want? Any key phrases or words you’d like included? Do you want me to write lyrics, record vocals, or both? Who’s the target audience or artist style you’re going for? (Feel free to drop reference tracks) What’s the mood or vibe you’re after? (e.g. hype, sad, sexy, aggressive) Any deadlines I should be aware of?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Help me to help you. A proper briefing of what you want can go a long way. I'd rather not throw shots in the dark and hope they land. I can, but you might not be as happy with the result. And we can work together to make this product something you're happy with.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: I already live on an island haha, but the 5 pieces of gear I would take are my MacBook, my Scarlett Solo interface, my Rode NT-1, a solar powered generator, and a Bose S1 Pro +. To write, record, power, and perform / listen to music hahah.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: My career path consisted of being a substitute teacher for the past 3 years. I just made the leap to go full time with music though, since I just started my independent record label in December.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style can be high energy bars or emotional melodic vocals. Typically I do either of those or a mix of them. And my style is always as clean as possible. 90 percent of my songs have no swearing, and the other 10 percent have about 1 or 2 words to bleep out. I try my best to keep everything that I put in front of my audience pure.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I would like to work with LaRussell. I reflect a lot of his values of hustle and giving this music thing everything I got. It would be awesome to make an inspiring song with him, that can positively impact anyone that hears it.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: One music production tip is to try things. Especially if you're new in the songwriting / music space. You never know what might work. And even if it doesn't work you can learn a lot from it. So try that extra layer, try that tone / style. It can only help you in your musical evolution.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I usually work on an inspiring style of rap / hip hop. My own works are always positive messages aimed at the youth. However behind closed doors, I've proven I can make just about anything if I set my mind to it. Just last week I made my first rock song to a Linkin Park style beat. I'm not afraid to push boundaries.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill I believe is my storytelling. I can bring anything to life (preferably nothing too vulgar). I'm a poet at heart, so I really don't get too uncomfortable when it comes to writing about things I don't usually write about.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring lyricist storytelling, positive clean lyrics, and confidence on every song I tend to make. My own songs reflect the positivity and motivation vibes to my younger audience. But in general I can tell a great clean story, that also sounds great to the ear at the same time. Something I pride myself on is my versatility as a lyricist. The root word of lyricist is "lyric" so I tend to embrace that and push my limits with genre and what I create in my free time.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical work process as far as bringing ideas to life, is taking the topic at hand, and shaping the lyrics around that topic as I hear the beat. I tend to keep listening over and over adding to what I've already got while I practice it. Typically in my own songs my recording process consists of getting the main take down, then attempting harmonizing tones, and then adding upon empty spaces to add to the overall vibe. Usually in my own songs, I let the beat tell me what to say. But when I shape custom songs, I can really take any subject / vibe and bring it to life.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup is simple. It consists of my Macbook, my Scarlett Solo interface, and my Rode NT1 Mic. Although my studio isn't technically a professional studio, I pride myself on having professional sounding music with the help of my sound engineer that does all of my releases.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Some of the musicians I've been inspired by are Kendrick Lamar, LaRussell, Mac Miller, and Joyner Lucas. I'm a big rap head so I've grown to respect the lyricism, storytelling, and the overall hustle of each.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Right now I do mostly vocal recording in my own home studio. However, I've recently started diving in the space of writing custom songs for businesses. I'm finalizing a song I'm doing with a Dentist right now, to promote to their customers and have a special song to market with.