Chris Malcolm – Q&A Interview
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?
I was born in Panorama City, California but I lived most of my life in a near city called Reseda. All part of the San Fernando Valley, it’s unbelievable that a single drive down the region can take you to different settings, and cultures.
I’ve been making Hip Hop by the time I hit High School which was around the ages of 13 and 14. At that time, I was still trying to come up with a particular sound so I never really had a voice for myself since I followed whatever trend that came across. It was around my 11th grade year of High School when I began taking it more serious. By time, I found a direction so I just rolled with it which led to what I am now.
What influences you in making Hip Hop?
For me, my influences can come from anything that impacts me on a personal level. Whether it is my family, friends community, or the things that I see on the television screen, I always find Hip Hop as an outlet to document my memories and ideas.
Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?
For one thing, I always try to expand the sound of the genre and see what I can experiment with. Production for me always comes first since it’s like a backdrop to a setting. There isn’t a definite sound that I want to describe my music as, but from what I’ve been working with lately it has been influenced by dream pop, electronic music, and a bit of cloud rap.
As an MC, my lyrics have been driven by the fact that I am a young Hispanic male from the United States. As of 2015, it still seems like my community has not been given the proper light, nor have we been welcomed positively by the media and public. Needless to say, I don’t want to say that I am the ultimate voice for my generation. But what I do want to say is that my topics have not been covered frequently in the genre.
Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?
So far, I’ve collaborated with rappers Jyln Jml and Michael Kim. I met these individuals long ago but I kept in contact with both because I saw potential. Jyln Jml assisted me with where I wanted to go in terms of vision, style, and sound while Michael assisted me with the technicality of things. Without these two, I probably would not have gotten this far with my music. Not entirely sure about who I want to collab with in the future.
Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?
Underground Hip Hop back in the past seemed like it was about staying away from the more trendy; commercial side of things. As the internet arose, everyone now has the ability to achieve commercial/mainstream success. Not to say that the Underground it has lost its meaning, I just feel like time has given the public the power to give a voice to certain artists and individual. Underground Hip Hop is still about being yourself as an artist which is why I appreciate it all.
Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production? And who would you like to work with?
RZA, Kanye West, Q Tip, Madlib, Chris Coady, Timberland, Just Blaze, Boi-1da, Bink, Pharell, Soundwave, Pink Floyd; the list is endless to who my influences are.
I handle 100% of my own production. For one thing it’s because I did not know anyone who was willing to produce for me as i was staring out, nor did I have the budget to pay others to make it for me. By time I taught myself how to produce so I can now say that it paid off.
I’d like to work with Kanye West. It seems pretty far-fetched at this moment but he always showed me that the impossible was indeed possible. As people rejected him as a rapper, he proved them wrong by paving his own lane for himself and many other artists along the way. Even as people reject currently him, I personally believe he is inspiring.
Any current or future projects you are promoting?
Jyln Jml’s “Outlandish” is one that I have been promoting lately because he is a friend and artist that I’ve worked with for a very long time. Great guy so you should peep his music when you can.
Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of Adolescence? Also/ tell us a little bit about the concept and idea behind your Album/Mixtape Cover Art.
Like I said in question one, 11th Grade was when I began to pave my direction for my music. It was significant that this album had its own unique sound and theme. I wanted to make this album as personal as it can get so I began writing songs about the struggles of having an identity. I feel like that was my main trouble throughout my life since it has always been something that confused me. I felt like certain actions that I made reflected back on myself and my community; that was something that always got to me. You can really see that under the hazy, bright production there was a conscious kid who likes to retrospect.
The artwork was done by a friend who I admire as a painter. Her name is Samantha Chung and she is honestly the biggest contributor in terms of visuals and image. I wanted her to be in full control of her direction as well so all I did was show her the album and the rest was history. The television screen was inspired by the track, “Contradiction” where I state, “The television is teaching nothing but straight dilemmas”. For her, it had a significance and I can appreciate that 100%. When I see the album cover, I interpret as a source of an influence. I believe that our influences contribute to the way we act, whether it is positive or negative. Shouts out to her.
Where can we find your music and info?
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/chris-malcolm-music/sets/chris-malcolm-adolescence
Bandcamp http://chrismalcolm1.bandcamp.com/album/adolescence
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHvdcxUyPceiFJqUybBOjqQ
Any shout outs?
My pet dog.
