Q&A With Rising Houston, TX Based Hip Hop Artist T. Hayes

Yo T. Hayes!! We are blessed to be able to get exposed to your great Hip Hop music!! Much respect on pushing your debut album! Please tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from? And how long have you been making Hip Hop?

I am from Houston, Texarkana, and Flower Mound, Texas. Now residing in Houston attending Prairie View A&M University. I have been making music for 3 years now, not too long in my eyes. Usually I don’t consider me making “hip-hop” but that’s just me, I don’t like labels.

We noticed that you combine spoken word, poetry and long nature samples throughout your debut album, sounds super dope! Please describe your original sound in the simplest way possible!

Haha, yeah it did kind of have that feel didn’t it? The sound came from the idea of really engulfing the listener in the world of the mockingbird character. I wanted people to really feel like the album was an actual story of a literal mockingbird rather than myself because that’s what a good entertainer/actor does. They make the lie the truth.

Tell us about the underground Hip Hop scene out there in Houston, TX? Is it growing or is it stagnant! What is you take on this…

I honestly don’t know much about the Houston hip-hop scene, I don’t really care to dive into that world, and I realize how that may be holding me back right now, but I’m an introvert at heart. You don’t see me doing a bunch of features neither. My whole brand is really edgy and weird so my charisma may not mend well with the typical hip-hop culture. I’m just hoping I can find my own path somehow, I’ll make it work if I can.

Texas is really known, popular with the southern, trap Paul Wall type sound!!..LOL If you know what I mean……Can I ask you if you ever considered rapping like that???… Not hating on that type of Hip Hop, but I’m not a fan of that style…

That’s funny ‘cause I don’t really care for that stuff neither. I just really make whatever my heart wants me to make, no matter what the sound is. That’s also the true beauty of art; the ability to express one’s self without limits.

Let’s face it, social media since 2015 has grown tremendously, especially IG!!! Tell us how is your IG grind looking, and how have you been able to keep up with the high demand on social media?

This is funny because I recently got banned from Instagram, which is unfortunate of course, but like I said, my brand is real edgy and unconventional, and Instagram is really strict about censoring which is the mortal enemy of artistic visionaries. That’s okay I still have Twitter, and Snapchat is also much more useful for promoting your music than people really realize.

Please breakdown the creative process of your debut album “Kill The Mockingbird”?

The whole idea of “killing the mockingbird” comes from the book “To Kill A Mockingbird,” which the identity of a mockingbird is innocence, so it’s the idea of killing one’s innocence. And killing my innocence was killing my false sense of self, my arrogance, my pride, my ego, which was something that has held me back in life. Kendrick’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” also inspired the idea of a metamorphosis. My metamorphosis was my path to humility and understanding. You see, this all happened during my freshman year of college. I experienced my happiest moments in life, as well as my darkest times. During this time, I was in the process of making a really dark and twisted album, and I’m really glad it never happened. After I cancelled that album I realized I had a serious problem, so I isolated myself from the world and decided to make an album solely produced by me while I was trying to figure out my life with a very grey, confused, and gloomy headspace. Trying to make that second album I realized I was onto something, but I didn’t realize it yet. I couldn’t visualize it so I cancelled that album as well. The only song that made it out of that album was the critically acclaimed “Prima Donna.” I released Prima Donna as a stand-alone single and people went crazy for it, it did more for me than I ever imagined. So I sat down and told myself, “ok you still got it, you’re talented, and what you’ve done has created a perfect window to take advantage of.” After that, I got started working on what we now call “Kill the Mockingbird.” This album follows the story of a young tyrannical mockingbird who experiences love and heartbreak which eventually makes him the honorable king he was always meant to become.

How often do you guys perform live?? Any indie DIY tours in the works?

I perform every now and then. I’m really hindering myself by not performing as much as I should, but it’s harder to get booked than people think. If you don’t have hella clout, nobody’s inviting you to perform anywhere. The best that artists in my position can do is pay hundreds of dollars for miniscule set time in front of 20 or so people who don’t even know who you are, or go broke funding your own venues. It’s rough out here, and that internet clout is where it’s at, but I don’t make trendy music so none of that clout is heading my way. I just gotta stay on my slow-and-steady path, they always have the best reward anyway; a loyal fanbase.

How do you feel about the whole XAN & LEAN trend these kids nowadays are on!!!..LOL??? Be honest, do you use some of that stuff??..LOL

Really the only thing I care about in life is seeking revenge for Harambe. I don’t really understand how our justice system just swept his murder under the rug. Where is the morality?! Is this what America represents?!

What you got cooking next? Anything special for Summer 2018!!??

Oh yes, I’m definitely working! I can’t say what, but “special” would be the perfect adjective to use.

Our most popular question, what is your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

When I hear “Underground Hip Hop” I think about 8 miles of mom’s spaghetti, knees weak Mom’s spaghetti. There’s Mom on his sweater already: Mom’s spaghetti. To drop Moms, but he keeps Mom’s spaghetti.

Where can fans find your music? Drop all links!!

My website: thayesraps.com

“Kill the Mockingbird” smarturl: http://smarturl.it/ktmb

Any Shout Outs??

Dicks Out For Harambe

Somebody tell Steve Irwin we still don’t fuck with stingrays

Don’t cross me shoutout to Jesus

All Hail Prince Carter

Haytion Entertainment shawty!