Interview: Charlotte Based Artist Rex White Discusses His Latest Single and Video "Who's Hiring"

Salute to Rex White, a talented artist based in Charlotte, who we've connected with for an exclusive interview to discuss his recently released single and video "Who's Hiring", the release it appears on, "The Sidney C. Project", and much more. 

After reading our Q&A with Rex, stream and share "The Sidney C. Project" on Spotify, check out his website and follow him on social media. Definitely stay tuned in with Rex because we expect big things from him musically in the future.

We are all really feeling your new song and video "Who's Hiring"; as a college graduate myself, I can truly relate. Did you write the song out of frustration?

Thanks you for watching, and yeah I often find that many college grads are able to relate to this one a bit. The song "Who's Hiring" was written out of a place of confusion and frustration. I graduated from UNC Charlotte in May 2017 and released this project in September 2017. During that time frame I was faced with decisions on which route to take in regards of my future and whether or not to follow my passions or follow the corporate route that pleased my family and friends.

I decided to not return to my hometown (Clayton, NC) and decided to remain in CLT to pursue my passions; I registered my photography and videography LLC a week after graduation. I quickly realized how difficult it was going to be to meet all of my financial obligations with that being my only source of income so that's when I began the job search. The song really just originated from me being transparent and coming to terms with my situation.

As someone who is from Clayton but based the Queen City, how would you compare the rap music scene in the Triangle to that of Charlotte?

I can't say there is much of a difference. From my personal observations, the times I've performed in Raleigh and CLT have had similar attendance overall. I feel like people don't support independent artists showcases often but it's still a great networking opportunity and practice.

As far as other artists, I feel that Charlotte definitely has some talented individuals that will go far in the game, I am not as connected with Raleigh artists to know who's hot and who not in the area.

Tell us about your album "The Sidney C. Project". How long did it take to record overall and why should our readers head over to Spotify to stream it?

"The Sidney C Project" is really just a summary of life during my senior year of college. I got kicked out of my apartment junior year and basically was homeless in school during that time at the end of April in 2016. Then I found a group of people who had a room available in their house because one roommate was moving out, so I moved in. The house was on a street called Sidney Crest Avenue which is where the name of the project comes from. I was living with 6 people total but I had the master bedroom and was only paying $400 a month. The closet was a good size so I made it into a studio and that's where I recorded every song on the project. I purchased beats from YouTube producers and engineered my entire project. 

Of all the songs you've recorded, which one would you say is most representative of who you are as an artist?

"East Ridge Ballad" for sure. I honestly don't like how I sound vocally in the song but the story is the most organic in my eyes. I grew up on a street called East Ride Circle in Clayton and lived there all 18 years before school. I have the lyrics on Rap Genius for the album so that's one I recommend the people tune in.

What advice would you have for someone right now who is a talented artist and wants to be make money from their music, but also aspires to go to college? 

Do both. College will give you a lot of content for one, but it will also expand your network. One thing you can't do is get distracted though, and if you go, you need to be mentally ready to finish. But at the end of the day, even when I'm a renowned artist, I'll still be a college graduate. I will likely pursue the Master's one day, but I want it to be when I can cash out the balance in one payment. 

Stream and Share "The Sidney C. Project" on Spotify

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