Interview: Mr. Tim Discusses His New Video "Bright Side of the Darkness"
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Major thanks to Colorado based rap artist Mr. Tim who connected with us for an exclusive interview to discuss his new single and video “Bright Side of the Darkness”, featuring Afterlife, as well as his upcoming album “Bittersweet” and much more.
After reading our Q&A with the talented emcee, be sure to connect with him on his social media and stream “Bright Side of the Darkness” on Spotify.
Congratulations on the release of your single and video "Bright Side of the Darkness". What motivated you to write the song and how did you connect with Afterlife?
Thanks. I met Afterlife over a year ago when we were both submitting entries for the “rerapped” competition for Australian artist Smizzy. Smizzy re-released his album “The Cover”, removing a verse from each track, and used the competition to highlight unknown talent. I liked Afterlife’s melodic and poetic style, whereas I have a darker poetic style. He conveys a very positive message in his music and has a great singing voice. Our collaboration was intended to be a mix of good and bad or light and dark. We each took a narrative role in the story. I depicted the gritty realism of the dark situation and Afterlife showed a shining ray of hope throughout. Suicide is a hard topic to write about, but we wanted to show that there is beauty in almost any situation if you look for it. Something incredibly devastating can become oddly poetic in time. I can’t thank Joshua Thomas and Cassanova Media Group enough for the incredible work bringing the song to life with such a powerful video.
Tell us about your upcoming debut album "Bittersweet". Who handled the beats and do you have any featured artists appearing?
The beats for “Bittersweet” were produced by Daniel Gong (Dansonn). Dansonn Beats is a music production company based in Los Angeles, CA. Credits: RZA (of the Wu-Tang Clan), MC Jin, M.O.P., Kool G Rap, and Sticky Fingaz (of Onyx) to name a few. I love the classical influence he brings to his work through the orchestral instruments used. You will notice a lot of piano and violins mixed with a more urban feel. “Bittersweet” was written during an extremely hard time in my life. I use writing to help me deal with the hardest parts of life. Instead of blocking them out, I try to capture them forever in a song. I have songs that are unfinished because it is very hard to return emotionally to the place I was when I started writing them. Although I rap about how bitter life can be, I also show a “sweeter” side to the album. There is always hope or a silver lining no matter how dark the situation. I don’t have any more features scheduled for the album, but I have a few collaborations that I am working on now that will be happening right after “Bittersweet” releases.
When someone listens to or watches "Bright Side of the Darkness" for the first time, what do you want them to take away from the experience?
Life is very fragile and shouldn’t be taken for granted. It’s scary to think that the unthinkable could happen in the blink of an eye and your only hope at life is in the hands of someone who threw away theirs.
How are your life experiences, both good and bad, reflected in your music?
I have experienced the shattered pieces of an eight year marriage slipping through my fingers. I’ve dealt with self-destruction and the loneliness of despair, felt the rebirth of love, and the pride of being a father figure to kids who affectionately labeled me Mr. Tim only to have it ripped away. Not every track is about me, but the feelings that I went through are there depicted on each track. The album has many powerful tracks that convey a positive message to rise above grief much stronger and more vigilant. I hope to help people through my music who have felt the pain of loss or even the joy of life’s every breath.
Finish this sentence - "Music fans should stream/download "Bittersweet" because..."
People should stream this track because it is an amazing performance from Afterlife and the song tells an extremely powerful story. People should definitely see the video because Joshua Thomas and Cassanova Media did an incredible job bringing the vision to life. The video is very captivating and is oddly poetic like me.