1. What first got you into music?
My parents would always play a lot of classic records at home and in the car whenever we’d have to drive somewhere far.. I can remember being excited to hear certain songs whenever we were driving.. The Third Eye Blind self-titled album was always my favorite to listen to and, to be honest, I think those songs were the first ones I ever learned the words to.. My older brother put me onto a lot of my first Hip Hop records and he also showed me a few underground rappers like Immortal Technique and Vinnie Paz.. The moment I heard those first few Hip Hop records I became obsessed with Rap music as a whole..
2. Who inspired you to make music?
To be honest, I’ve been inspired by so many artists throughout my life that it’d be hard to put it down to any one person.. With that said, Kendrick Lamar has probably been my greatest inspiration since the start of my career.. The year Good Kid, m.A.A.d City came out was a pretty hard time in my life and I can still remember how much those songs helped me.. Earlier that same year Joey Bada$$ released a Mixtape called 1999 that I downloaded off Datpiff.. After listening to that tape, I officially decided to start making my own music.. Whether it was the instrumentals, samples or Joey’s lyricism, something about 1999 made me decide to start rapping as well.. Once Kendrick put out Good Kid, m.A.A.d City later that same year, there was no looking back in regards to making my own music.. I was so inspired by the depth of expression on that album that I started obsessively writing songs..
3. How would you describe the music you typically make?
This is a tough question for me to answer cause I make a lot of different sounding records nowadays.. First and foremost I try to always put an emphasis on having a high degree of lyricism on each of my songs.. Lately I’ve been applying my lyrical ability into more melodic spaces to create some really unique records.. The lyrical content of my songs are usually very personal so I often end up on more emotional, piano and guitar driven instrumentals.. They’re unreleased right now, but lately I’ve been applying my style over some New York/UK Drill beats and I really like how they sound to be honest but only time will tell if I drop them.. With all that said, I guess the best way to describe my music would be: usually melodically driven rap records that maintain an emphasis on bars..
4. What is your creative process like?
Usually I’ll always roll something up, brew a cup of coffee and start listening to music that l like.. I hear a lot of rappers say they don’t listen to any other artists but themselves but I really don’t get that.. It’s hard for me to get into a space to create if I haven’t been listening to music in some way, shape or form first.. Whether it’s my own records or another artists’, I like to get my ears listening to sounds I enjoy before I create something new.. At the end of the day, I need to be excited to start a new song.. It’s hard to go from 0 to 100 if I don’t have a vibe to create..
5. If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
This is a tough question to answer and to be honest I haven’t put too much thought into it before.. Like I said earlier, Kendrick Lamar has probably been my biggest inspiration throughout my career so I’d definitely love to open for him one day.. Immortal Technique was one of my first favorite rappers so I’d be really cool to open an underground type show for him (I think he’s still touring so it’s a possibility!!).. The more I think about it though, right now I’d want to open for Lil Durk above anyone else.. I feel like it’d be amazing to open for Kendrick and Technique but opening for Lil Durk would make the most sense given the types of music we both make.. I’ve been a fan of Durk for the longest and he’s continuing to kill it release after release so I’d love to open a show for him and, to be honest, I got a feeling it won’t be too long before it happens..
6. What is one message you would give to your fans?
It’s okay to be in pain. I spent a lot of time in life thinking that I couldn’t go further because of the pain I carried.. What I realized is that it’s always going to be there in some form, I just need to continue growing despite it.. A lot of the issues we see in our communities and the world as a whole come from people not knowing how to deal with the pain they carry.. Some pain fades, other pain stays with us forever, but you have to keep growing. You can’t let the pain stop you from becoming more. Use it as fuel for change rather than an anchor that keeps you down.. We live in a world where everyone feels like they need to present themselves as the optimal being at all times; you can’t be scared, you can’t be sad, you can’t be vulnerable, but the truth is, we all feel these ways. I’ll always carry some of the pain I feel but through expression and family and music, I’ll be able to continue growing. It’s okay to feel pain, you are not weak for it. Keep growing at your own rate, you’re destined to reach far greater heights than the pain wants you to believe are possible.
7. What is the best advice you’ve been given?
When I started making music I basically stopped going to school right away… My parents definitely weren’t happy I wasn’t going to school anymore but my Dad told me if I was serious about making it in music then I shouldn’t listen to what anyone else had to say about my decision.. He said I would have a lot of people tell me I couldn’t make it and that I should never stop and listen to them. As I’ve grown older he’s always reminded me that I need to maintain my self-belief strong enough to never let others doubt effect me while also not letting it be so strong that I never stop and listen to others’ opinions.. As Hip Hop has developed over the past few years and different styles have emerged and faded, he always made sure to remind me to stay true to my own sound and skill-set, not to let others success have an influence on the type of music I make.. In the end, I think the advice he gave me at the start of my career is the best I’ve ever been given; never listen to those who said I had no chance because, if I did, I would’ve never even gotten started. It seems cliché but that ‘head down, keep working despite the doubt’ mentality he instilled has been a major asset to me throughout my career..
8. If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
Honestly, It’d be awesome to see a shift back to narrative driven, sonically confluent albums again.. I know not every artist approaches projects in the same way but lately it feels like “albums” are just a collection of singles.. There’s definitely been something lost in the listening experience during the switch to streaming.. I heard someone the other day say they listened to an album for the 1st time on shuffle.. I know that consuming music has become faster and easier than ever before with streaming but I fear its making listeners not want to listen to full albums/projects in the same way anymore.. I guess it’s now incumbent upon us as artists to create content that still contains the same purposing/direction as albums but in a more digestible way for the current streaming platforms, however, if I could change anything I’d definitely love to see people enjoy whole albums again, rather than just constant singles and projects which sound like a collection of them..
9. How do you feel about working with Big Wall and Address The Culture?
To be honest, I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity.. Big Wall and I chopped it up during an interview on Address the Culture back in March and I knew right away that he was building a special platform.. The conversation we had was authentic and thought provoking throughout and you don’t really see that a lot on these different media platforms today.. A lot of the time you see interviewers who have ulterior motives or are focused on negativity for the sake of views.. With Big Wall you can tell right away bro is just out here for the culture and the art.. We really do need more of that these days so to be apart of the movement is an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait for the work we’re going to be doing..
10. What’s next for you?
I got a LOT of new music on the way very soon.. I’ve been working on my unreleased catalog for well over a year now and I think I’m finally about ready to drop most of it.. It’s been a while since I’ve dropped a full project cause I’ve spent the past year and a half progressing and expanding my sound but I think I’m going to drop a tape in July called “Justify The Means Vol.1”.. I’ll definitely be dropping some singles with music videos before hand in Mid-June through early July, then the tape will drop sometime in mid to late July.. Be sure to follow me @chanomigs on all Social Media platforms to stay updated on all new releases and information about the “Justify The Means Vol.1”.. Until then, go listen to my newest single “Composure” out now on ALL streaming platforms and be sure to watch the music video on Youtube!!
