Interview: Flint, MI Rapper Graphene Discusses His Single "2 Shots" and New "BLACK BOY" EP
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“I want people to listen and relate what I am saying to their own lives and hopefully self-reflect the way I did for this project. Overall, I want people to come away with an appreciation for the art and with a hunger for more.”
Congratulations on the completion and release of your debut EP "BLACK BOY", which features "2 Shots"; what was your creative process for the development of the EP's songs and who provided the production?
Thank you. I really appreciate it. The creative process was truly a beautiful struggle. I recorded all of the songs at home with just my microphone and a computer. Between finding times where it was quiet enough to record and doing everything myself, it was extremely challenging.
Each song has its own story of how I wrote it and the space that I was in when I wrote each one. Overall, I just tried to set the mood for whatever song I was making at the moment, whether that be a candle or listening to R&B or anything else. I wrote some of the verses in my journal sometimes and transferred them to my phone to record just for a different feel. I never had a linear process.
I would sometimes already have the verse and find the beat to match, and sometimes I would find a beat I liked and think of a sample or skit that would go well with the beat and write from there. It sounds chaotic, but I feel like it led to great art. I view all of my music like art, and I feel like that is reflected through the music.
There were a few different producers on the project. The producers who are credited are: PKbeatz, GMP, Chris Bryan, Burton Beats, Pink, CorMill and Chegela. I got my beats either from YouTube or Instagram, so I have never actually met any of the producers.
When someone listens to "BLACK BOY" for the first time, what do you want them to take away from the experience?
I want them to understand the major theme of the project which is life as a beautiful struggle. I want people to allow the music to make them feel something. I want people to listen and relate what I am saying to their own lives and hopefully self-reflect the way I did for this project. Overall, I want people to come away with an appreciation for the art and with a hunger for more.
You're a graduate of an Ivy League school where you also played football; did you have time during your tenure there to write and record any music?
My friends and I would freestyle all of the time, but there wasn’t much time to really dive into music. I was so focused on football that I never made time really. I did still write poems and raps here and there to pass time, but I never recorded them.
When the coronavirus stuff happened and kind of messed football opportunities up, I turned to music more so to pass time and as a release. I ended up rekindling the passion I had for music in high school and in my childhood over quarantine when making this project. One of the verse on the project was mainly written sophomore year in college.
How would you describe the hip-hop music scene in Flint, MI in regards to local support of artists and fan base development?
The hip-hop scene in Flint is really on the come up. There are a lot of Flint rappers that are getting a buzz like Rio, YN Jay, Ysr Gramz, etc.
There is a lot of support from the community for the artists, but there is definitely a particular “Flint” sound. I feel like I rap so differently from everybody else that it is harder to grow a fan base in the city. Since this is my first project, we will see, but the city does always support their own.
With the EP now released, what are some of your goals musically for the rest of 2020?
My goal musically is to continue to work on my craft and to continue to push out high quality works of art. I want to get my name out there and grow my following of people who want to hear something different. I am excited to follow “BLACK BOY” up with even better art.
Stream and Share “BLACK BOY” on Spotify
Connect with Graphene: Instagram