Hiatus Rap

Metaphors. Word play. Punchlines. Flow. Style. nakEdtruth exhibits all of these elements on his new and random mixtape Hiatus Rap. After taking over a year to put out any music, this project served as an introduction to what the wait was all about.

This project came together on a whim. On the night of December 29, 2017, I was sitting with a fellow creator/entrepreneur at our usual hangout, where we happened to be sharing music we liked. Somewhere in the conversation I teased about putting out a mixtape for New Years, and my friend supported the idea. Eventually the joke became a reality, and I headed home with the inspiration to write, record and release a random mixtape.

To make a long story shorter, I hibernated with the success of completing the collection of songs in approximately 48 hours. The projected release date was altered due to the fact that it sounded better than expected, so I decided to take extra time to polish it. Although it was "just a mixtape" I didn't want to totally sacrifice quality for being too hasty. Not to mention, I needed all those bars to be audible. Additionally, I engineered some graphics that were cryptic yet simple.

The bulk of the delay just so happened to be technical difficulties. Now, if you know anything about creating music, you're aware that the biggest headache can often times occur right at the finish line. So, ultimately it took more time to package this idea than it did to create it. Still, I got it done. Now to the songs....

"Rapstar" - The first song was done with parodical intent. The gag was to start the project not rapping. So, one would be overly critical to critique my singing ability as this tape was meant to display lyricism. Surprisingly, it's still a fan favorite.

"Rhyming" - Self-explanatory.  This song was designed to give the listeners what they actually expected from the first track based on the title.

"Raw Talent" - My obvious frustration for industry standards exuded in almost every line. For those who aren't pursuing a career in music, understand we are always being told how to walk, talk, dress, and post, to say the least. I do understand being marketable, but a lot of artists lose themselves in the plight to be what "they're supposed to be." The Russell Westbrook skit is my exact sentiment.

"Spit Down" - Raw display of punchlines. The verse starts comical, gets competitive, and ends on a more serious note.

"Highweigh" - This is where I dig a little deeper into my personal life. Using my past experiences I offer everyday wisdom on the ever so nostalgic track.

"Best Life" - Using socially conscious references, I explain why life isn't always as easy as we'd like it to be. Howbeit, we have to thomp our chest and get through it.

"Dear Supporter" - This is an obvious backstory on why I stepped away from the proverbial spotlight. I briefly explained the setbacks and hurdles I encountered during my hiatus, while managing to squeeze in an apology to all my supporters. I'm back though!

Networking at SxSW

SxSW 2015 was an experience I will never forget. I attended the conference partially blind being it was my first time attending, and I hadn't known anyone personally to register. That said, I acquired the badge which gave full access to the conference, festival, and tradeshow events associated with the music portion.

Equipped with 100-plus hard copies of my mixtape I soon realized that even that was not enough considering the high volume of music lovers and contributors that were all around. So, instead of quickly distributing my CDs, I kept them on reserve for any influential people I encountered. In short, the CD served as my business card. Using the lessons I learned from last year's conference, I printed actual business cards for this year. These cards are also flyers to promote my social media accounts and newly created website.

Unlike my first rodeo, this time I will reduce cost, distribute more, and travel lighter. A secondary benefit is it will be easier for people to accept and retain my paraphernalia. With so much going on it can be awfully easy to get lost in the shuffle. I have seen this from the perspective of an artist and a fan during this massive event. So, the big question is: how do you get remembered? There is no perfect answer to this, but I plan to try my luck with this new method of mine. SxSW, here I come..

Still Young. Still Grown. (the mixtape)

Released on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, SYSG is a short story told literally and subliminally through confessionals, story-telling, lyrical rants, and even an ounce of comedy. Thematically, the project represents people that are young enough to pursue their dreams, yet mature enough to be realistic about certain aspects of their goals.

SYSG was conceived between December 2013 and January 2014. At that time I was less than one year out of college working in my field of study. Having put my music career on hold to pursue that piece of paper (degree) I couldn't help but to reflect on the time lost. On the contrary, I had a lot of time to actually experience life as a young adult which gave me content for this project. So, it's important I note how true-to-life most of the songs are (i.e. Closure Pt. 1, Bossman). In contrast, songs like "Side A: He Loved Her" are merely based on references of true stories that are not directly related to me. Moreover, songs like "Stay" are metaphorical narratives of my real life events. Specifically speaking, "Stay" best serves as a theme for the mixtape. Whereas on the surface one may think the song is about a relationship with a person, it is actually about my relationship with music.

As your average artist does from time to time I questioned kick starting my music endeavors after the long break. "Rock Out" spells out my epiphanic moment where I realized everyone won't support immediately - friends included. So, I focused on my core following that genuinely endorsed my art, and the rest is history.

So if/when you get discouraged about any positive endeavors you wish to pursue, remember: you're still young, still grown.