College Smart – Q&A Interview

– Thanks for doing an interview with us here at UndergroundHipHopBLOG.com, for the fans who don’t know who you are, feel free to tell them. Where you from, how long have you been making music, and where did your stage name College Smart originate from?

Thanks for having me! I am from the south side of Rhode Island, the smallest state (and no, it’s not a part of New York). I have been rapping since I was 12 and recording since 15, so over 10 years now. College Smart is a play on the phrases “street smart” and “book smart”. It represents the maturation process we go through in college, whether we finish or not. I never finished, but I know I am way more equipped to deal with life’s problems than I was before those first few years on my own.

– Describe yourself as an artist? What type of music market is your craft geared towards? What separates you from other indie artists in your same market?

I always get stuck on these questions. Honestly, I just make music from my heart. There’s no box for me. Because I listen to so much music, I just find try to find sounds that I like and rap to them. On most of my projects, one song may have a very different beat from the next but the consistency is in the message. My market isn’t limited to Rhode Island or New England. My market is really anyone who wants to feel something when they listen to music. My fans may have been drawn in by a catchy hook or a EDM sample, but what keeps them listening is the story in my words. I think anyone who has been through some shit can relate to the things I talk about in my songs. I don’t think there is enough of that honesty in music today, and that’s why I stand out.

– Congrats on the success of your new project “Summer School Cool” we recently posted, how did the project come about? We notice that it’s a collection of many years of work.

Thanks! My team and I are super excited for it. I actually owe them a lot of credit for making it a reality. Last year, I was demoted from my job after a employee I terminated threatened to sue the company. I was floored by it, and for a while I was really depressed. My mother came down to visit me one week in February and basically talked me through what my next steps should be. I had put my music career on hold for my job because I needed to financially. Problem was, I never had a plan to get back to doing what I loved. My mom insisted I pursue my dream while I had the chance, and she convinced me my demotion was a part of a bigger plan for me. The day after she left, I called up my friend Pavli and asked him to help me figure everything out and lucky for me, he was all in. Right away, we began working on my upcoming album Part Time Semester. I went into my drive where I keep my beats and rhymes and wrote down every song I had written between 2010 and 2014 on a whiteboard. Pav was blown away by the amount of content. Our buddy Al came by to help out with some video work and he begged me to do a lyric video for this song “Stubborn Love” that I had showed him a few years ago. I was planning on scrapping it, to me it wasn’t good enough. I had over a dozen songs just like it that I had never recorded too! After seeing Al’s excitement, I said “fuck it” and began recording every single song I had on the board and posted them on my SoundCloud as I went. And so became the mixtape Summer School Cool, Circa 2010-2014.

– Drop some of the production credits on the project?

Kajmir Royale is a beast. He produced almost half of the project, including “This Is Me”, one of my personal favorites. “Jasmine” and “Monday Morning” were produced by the duo Best Kept Secret. I’m a big BKS fan from Wale’s early mixtapes, so their sound naturally resonates with me. I also have to shout out The Shah Bros! They’ve been inspiring me since my mixtape Everything You Wanna Hear in 2009. They produced “See Me Smile” and “Remember Me”.

– The artwork is dope, who made it? What was the concept of the art and how does it describe “Summer School Cool”?

I did the artwork myself. The photo I used for it actually inspired the title. Those are my feet in the picture; I believe it was the summer of 2013 when I took it. Often in the past, I would visit the beach to get away from whatever problems I was dealing with and just vibe out. The work I had to put in to actually deal with my issues was overwhelming. All I wanted to do was relax and just be happy. It felt like when I was in summer school after 10th grade. I failed Biology and had to make it up or stay behind. My father was never one to give hand outs, especially when I got myself into a mess like that. There was no busses for summer school, so instead I would ride my bike 14 miles to and from class each day. It was the middle of the summer and I would be sweating my ass off and doing homework while my friends were out having fun. It was embarrassing. Most days I would show up to class drenched from either rain or sweat or both. I hated it so much I would wake up and try to find every reason I could to skip out. But I knew though that I put myself in that position and there was really only one way to make sure I didn’t have to go back. I got a 98 in that class. Fast forward–this past summer I had that same sense of urgency. “Summer school cool” is the best way I can describe how I was feeling. It’s like when you know you have to work hard to get what you want out of life, but it’s way easier to skip out and go to the beach and play it off like everything is cool. All I ever wanted was to be successful in music, but every day for 5 years I would wake up and find reasons not to put in the work. I’m proud to say I didn’t renew my beach pass this year. I’m pale as fuck! Haha! But I’m finally making moves.

– Any promotional highlights & plans since the project dropped? (Radio, Blogs, Tours, Shows, etc)

I have been doing shows around the Northeast since July and I am going to continue that into 2016. I’m doing an on-air interview on November 30th at 4PM on 90.3 WRIU FM, the University of Rhode Island radio station with DJ King Ruckus. Speaking of radio, I just got word my single “Down” will be playing on a major mainstream radio channel! I will be announcing the details of that on my website very soon. And of course, I am very excited to be featured on UndergroundHipHopBLOG.com!

– On a music tip, we are wondering who are your influences? Who is the artist that influences you the most if you don’t mind saying?

It’s always hard to pinpoint one, but there are a four that have consistently had an influence on my music- Kanye, Em, Nas and Jay Z. Maybe I’ll give the edge to Nas- as much as I love to mix it up and try new sounds, when I’m really going in–venting, attacking, whatever–my mind seems to tap into that first time I heard him on I Am…. At that point, it’s obvious how much he has influenced me and I’m proud of that. He’s one of the greatest, maybe the greatest. I should also mention J. Cole and more recently, Big K.R.I.T.. How Krizzle isn’t at the top of the hip hop charts is just crazy to me! I’m so inspired by his consistency and quality of work. And Cole, well, it’s obvious. He’s just killing it right now; doing it the right way and doing it his way. I respect him so much for that.

– What does the future hold for you? Anybody you would like to work with, or are you focusing on more solo stuff?

I am so excited for what’s next. I look at what my team and I have accomplished this year and I feel more determined than I ever have. For years I’ve battled depression, probably longer than I realize and I’ve always allowed it to bury me. This year I came out swinging. I stopped worrying about things that didn’t matter or didn’t add value to my life. I reached lows I never thought I would and it put a lot of things into perspective for me. So right now, I’m just making music and enjoying it while I still can. My album Part Time Semester is on pace for early next year. I am open to doing more collaborations, too. I’m flattered anytime someone is feeling my shit and wants to work with me. But even if that doesn’t happen, I’m good- I’ll be in my dojo plotting my next moves anyway.

– Now! Our highlight question we ask every artist, what is your definition on underground hip hop? And how does in relate to you?

Underground hip hop is the foundation of hip hop culture. Without it, rap would have been like many other genres of music that get monetized and fade out. Great rappers, b-boys and graffiti artists put no limits on their craft and imagination because they don’t have to. Take a look at rock and roll though- it isn’t Little Richard and Nat Cole anymore, it’s John Mayer and Fall Out Boy. It’s not even the same genre! “Rock and roll” is now just “rock”– a new genre almost entirely influenced by the mainstream. Hip hop has sustained those same pressures because it is rooted in the community. Die-hard fans become die-hards because of the honesty and legitimacy of the art form. Rockstars get passes for not writing their own songs and stepping into pop music. Hip hop artists who conform to trends, media and commercialization fizzle out and have become a dime-a-dozen. The true legends in hip hop deliver a consistent message and rarely step out of their lane, and they almost always grow from the underground.

– Drop some links so fans can easily find you?

Anyone can hit me up anywhere! I’ll hit you back at any of these places:

Official Site – CollegeSmartMusic.com
Facebook – facebook.com/collegesmart
YouTube – youtube.com/collegesmartmusic
SoundCloud – soundcloud.com/collegesmart
Instagram – collegesmart
Twitter – @CollegeSmart
Snapchat – collegesmart
Tumblr – collegesmart

– Lastly, feel free to shout out the people who have helped you throughout your musical journey. Especially the ones who helped with the new project.

That’s a very important question and I’m glad you asked. Shout out to my Mom and Dad who have always supported me- I can’t even try to measure how much you two have done for me!!! Special shout out to my right hand and manager, Pavli- Couldn’t do this without you bro. Also, Liz, who has been ROD since day one- at times you have literally saved my life!!! I will always love you for that. And last but NEVER-EVER least, my fans! I remember when I would kill just to have someone listen to my music. To have you all behind me means so much to me!!! Thank you!