Motivated by music
My songwriting process is based around how I'm feeling in that moment from the beat I'm listening to. My lyrics instinctively follow a storyline fuelled by personal experiences, the person I aspire to be, the life I wish to have and the dreams made possible through financial success. I'm TwentyPho Sevn, a rapper from Nevada in the United States and I'm motivated by music!
The ability to travel a message through sound
Like most writers I first got into writing as a kid in elementary school after my teacher set the task of writing our lives into journal entries. It allowed me to express myself and reflect on scenes collected in my journey. The true exercise of writing is to hear your literary voice for the first time and grow comfortable with what you have to say in written form.
Not long after I was chosen for the G.A.T.E program (Gifted and Talented Education) by second grade I was already reading at a high school level and writing just flowed on naturally from there. When you’re young you almost sense your creativity is at its peak and as I grew wiser it just stuck with me. Upon reaching high school I was elevated to English Honors and I have just continued writing creatively ever since.
Those early experiences awoke something in me and raised a question; how can I share my words with the rawest emotion in the purest form and that’s when I led into music. The ability to travel a message through sound and synchronise a feeling in pitch, tone and beat acts like an invisible cord we can’t see or touch but connects us all in one vibe. That’s what music is to me a mutual connection, a shared wavelength.
That's how you separate yourself from the rest...
When creating music you must be three things, patient, humble and always be working on new material. I’ve had days where I don’t feel like doing a single thing, but I kept pushing through and that’s how you separate yourself from the rest. There have been days I’ve broken down and cried through loss of loved ones, stopped eating and sleeping. Even through enduring all of that I refused to lay down! It’s not an easy journey pursuing your dreams and as long as you don’t give up, you will get to where you want to be in time. Every great artist had to fight for their creation it’s fundamental to almost every success story, I call it the underdog mindset. A will to overcome the odds.
Winners know how to win because they refuse to lose, that's not to say it can’t hurt or you won’t fail along the way and in hindsight that’s why I’m where I am today! I create music because it’s the best way for me to express myself. As a kid I was never able to draw or paint and writing was always my strongest skill. My earliest memory of creating music was around 9 years old. I made this little hook that I always rapped to my older cousin and when I think back on it, the song didn’t even really make sense, but we start by having a go.
When I realised was getting good at music the passion quickly followed. It’s like anything you stand out at you just keep doing it, you become it and want more of it. My family would tell me my music was dope and it grew confidence in me to share wider afield. Strangers I met thereafter said I had a skill that most didn’t, it inspired me and I ran hard with it. Sometimes it can take me awhile to come up with something new, I’m a perfectionist and I usually won’t drop a new track until it’s to a level that I love it. If you don’t love what you produce how will anyone else?
Lately I have been stepping out of my comfort zone
In the beginning I had a specific style on how I wrote my music but lately I have been stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. It’s been a challenge but it’s helping me develop as an artist and that’s why I push myself to expand on and seek out what works for me right now. Every five years we change, we evolve, our thinking shifts and artistically we follow suit.
Same for my influences, I’m from the West Coast so I grew up on artists like Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too-Short and overtime my taste matured. No artist finishes where they begin, Eminem performed alongside Marilyn Manson, Jay-Z collaborated with Linkin Park. What I admire the most about these artists is their longevity. Most of them were around when I was a kid and are still around to this day and that’s what type of artist I strive to be. They created timeless music and that’s what real artists do.
When I write songs it’s more of what I’m saying and how I’m saying it, that’s how I articulate imagery. I want you to feel what I’m saying, so I emphasize on certain words to amplify the substance living behind it. I want to reach as many people as I can through my music and by restricting myself to one genre or category this limits the amount of people I would like to get my message to, so becoming educated on other styles, learning about other cultures and listening to different music has helped me to level up on my own craft.
Currently I’m developing several singles that will be released soon and I’ve also released a few features for some artists that will be dropping in the meantime. I have a lot of projects going on simultaneously at the moment so I’m taking it one track at a time but everything is coming shortly so be ready. TwentyPho Sevn isn’t finished yet!
As creatives we must draw the line here!
Social media opened doors but WriteSeen breaks them down! For every artist connection is everything. It’s not just about being seen alone it about being seen by the right people, the decision makers, the ones who hold all the keys to all the places you long to be in. WriteSeen is game changing and I for one support this change, without it too many talents in unpopular places will go on to remain unfound and wasted. As creatives we must draw the line here, no further, so join the movement because the adventure to BeSeen starts here!
TwentyPho Sevn is a Rapper & Songwriter.
Check Twenty out through his social media & music streams below.
