M. J. Withers – Q&A Interview

Tell us a little about yourself. Where you are from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?

My name is M. J. Withers; I’m a rapper/songwriter/producer from Maryland. I’ve been rapping since I was twelve, however, I did not begin making music until I was fifteen. It’s been a journey but I have come a long way and still have much further to go. But I’m more confident with my music and what I have to offer more than anything now.

What influences you in making Hip Hop?

DMX, 2pac, Rakim, Kanye West and Eminem. The way they expressed themselves through their music and their artistry has shaped me into the artist I am today.

Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?

My music is true. There are no gimmicks involved and I draw from my own experiences and emotions to create. What separates me from other MCs is my passion. I love music. I love everything about it. I love creating the creation; building the song from the ground up and watching it come to life.

Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?

I’ve collaborated with a few artists from around the way: Tha Renegade, ceeMajor, CJ the Genesis, Konsept, Kwes, Mac, and Jasmine. I usually keep collaborations to minimum on my own work, however, I love working with others. I would love to collaborate with other talented, passionate, and dedicated artists such as myself. Anyone who is willing to create genuine music, I’m open to collaborating with.

Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

My definition of “underground hip hop” is anything that falls underneath the radar really. The underground scene has so many excellent artists. It’s just up to us as listeners and hip hop lovers to bring them to the surface.

Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production? And who would you like to work with?

My production influences are Kanye West, Johnny J, Timbaland, AraabMuzik and Q-Tip. The way they put sounds together is incredible and I would love to reach that tier one day. If the production is not done by myself, it is done by Xiom and/or Keishh.  Xiom is amazing when it comes to laying heavy drum patterns and piano runs down. Keishh can cook up a hype beat in no time. When the three of us work together everything just comes together naturally.

I would love to work with Kanye, 40, DJ Premier and Timbaland in the future. I feel as though my voice and my sound would mesh well with something they could come up with.

Any current or future projects you are promoting?

Currently I am promoting “Past Times & Hard Liquor”. It is an eight track EP that I put together, with the help of Xiom and Keishh.  It can be found here

STREAM:

https://soundcloud.com/m-j-withers/sets/past-times-hard-liquor

DOWNLOAD:

http://mjwithers.bandcamp.com/album/past-times-hard-liquor

Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of “Past Times & Hard Liquor”? Also/ what was the idea or concept description about your Album Art Cover.

The idea of PTHL came together a few months after I released my album “Cold Business”. I wanted to give fans and listeners something short and different from CB. CB was much darker than PTHL, which may have turned a few people away or made it harder for them to digest. Therefore, I wanted PTHL to be something that not only showed who I was as an artist, but would appeal to the masses as well.

The idea of the album art was to mirror “Cold Business”. The cover CB hides my face and shows me looking down, while PTHL does the complete opposite. It served as a metaphor of not only my confidence in the power of my music growing, but that I am looking toward the future more than ever with my music.

Where can we find your music and info?

Everything can be found here

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MJWithers

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/m-j-withers

Bandcamp: http://mjwithers.bandcamp.com

Don’t be afraid to hit me up on twitter; I respond to everything I can.

Soundcloud you’ll be able to find singles that are not on any projects, so follow me there as well!

Bandcamp you will be able to download and purchase physical copies of my releases.

 Any shout outs?

Shout out to all my fans, supporters, and loved ones. Shout out to Xiom and Keishh for helping me bring my visions to life. Shout out to Zig-Zag for making me sound excellent on the boards. Shout out to the UGHH fam for taking the time to interview and review my work. Shout Out to anyone who reads this and decides to follow my musical journey. You are all appreciated.