There’s a wealth of artistic prowess and industry experience behind Baby T. The talented rapper champions unfiltered lyricism and honest, authentic songwriting, allowing him to offer a listening experience that is pure, unfiltered, certainly a rare feature nowadays. In an era obsessed with pursuing trends and overpolishing records, the American creative unveils an impressive body of work, his latest album ‘Prodigal Son’.
In it, the keen music lover will find seventeen gems built on traditional and old-school hip-hop, spanning boom-bap and G-Funk elements. Baby T’s charismatic and engaging flow crowns the record perfectly, really supercharging the lyrical offering.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with Baby T to find out more about his artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Baby T, how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with you and your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
Well, for those who don’t know me I am an Emmy-winning audio engineer, hip-hop artist and producer. I released my new album the “Prodigal Son” on March 29th of this year which was celebrated with an in-person and live stream concert where I was surrounded by friends and family. That concert is still on YouTube right now.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; What first drew you to making music?
The first thing that drew me into music was my ears. I learned early on in my life that I could hear imperfections in music and other things around me and I wouldn’t stop searching until I found out why. And somewhere down the line it all leads back to music and audio and I’ve been happy ever since.
You boast a long experience in the music industry; if you were to give one piece of advice to an upcoming artist, what would that be?
The one piece of advice that I tell an upcoming artist is to “NEVER GIVE UP”. There will be long days, there will be long nights, and you will sacrifice birthdays and holidays during the journey, but never give up. The good times will out way the bad and those who love you, understand you and support you will be there to celebrate your victory. So, keep your head down and press forward. It will pay off in the end.
You recently released a long hip-hop record, ‘Prodigal Son’. We love the boom bap, traditional vibes in it – what was your main goal when writing the record?
I actually didn’t have a goal while recording this project, It sorta happened by accident. I woke up one night and couldn’t sleep so I grabbed a bottle of water and sat at my desk. Before the night was done I had written and recorded 4 songs. The process comes very fast sometimes and I just record songs, verses, hooks, or just write down tons of words that I will eventually turn into one full song. This is my favourite project next to an older album I called “Dear Hip-Hop”.
Did you produce the tracks yourself?
Yes and no, I began collecting productions and MP3s for this album from producers all over the world and when it was time to purchase the multi-tracks I had an idea already of how I wanted to alter each production to fit the mood of the song. For example, the single “MISUNDERSTOOD” technically didn’t have a hook. The way that you hear it now, is different from when I first heard it. I often do that with a lot of my songs, even when I used to make the beats myself I could hear where the hook, bridge, Pre-chorus or verses needed to be and if the production didn’t have it I would move key instruments around until it all worked.
Do you feel more confident writing music alone, or within a team?
I honestly feel more comfortable recording alone because I never know when the mood will strike. If I have to sit in a studio and I’m not inspired then it’s forced and nothing comes out. But if I go home and start mumbling around the kitchen I instantly run to my computer and lay down my thoughts before the idea goes away.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
That’s actually a good question, because the last 2 years of my life have changed a lot as I am now back into mixing sports audio full time and things were a bit of a struggle at the beginning. I was unsure if I had made the right decision to get back into the freelance business as things don’t always pan out. However, I never gave up and everything worked out which led me to be inspired to record again.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
The next steps or PHASE 2 as I like to call it will focus on a major marketing campaign which involves billboards, radio / Spotify ads, festivals and shooting some type of content for every song off the album. To stay in the loop visit www.itsbabyt.com and sign up for my FREE VIP list.
