Rhakim Ali – Interview – A Hot Minute

Rhakim Ali – Interview – A Hot Minute – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: We all get into creative pursuits for different reasons. Some people get into music and the arts to escape; for some, it’s a natural outlet. Was was music, and creativity in
the larger sense, for you?

RA: Every day I realize more and more how destined it was for me to be doing this. I love being creative. I love inspiring. As a kid I wanted to do everything and fortunately for me the dream never died. This is definitely something I definitely did in a past life.

RRX: Music is both word and note, beat and measure, and message. If your music was laid out like a story, what’s the main character like? What’s the plot? And what’s one of the big moments that turned the story around?

RA: It would be a best-seller. The main character is a kid who turned his dreams into a reality. My story is living proof that anything is possible. One of the big moments would be the last two years. I feel like I went through the biggest changes in my life to get me where I am now.

RRX: Creative people move culture, especially musical performers. We have to thread the circumstances in our lives in a way to affect others. And this is sometimes a responsibility put on us. How do you, specifically, move culture?

RA: I express my individuality. I make shit look cool, my music sounds cool. It sounds authentic and that’s a reason why alot of people rock with me. I inspire a lot of people whether it’s admitted or not. That’s not important. But if I can see someone put something out that’s inspired by me, that lets me know I’m doing my job, I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose. I give it my all, but I’m still a mystery.

RRX: One of the biggest challenges musicians face is getting their name out there. There’s so much competition, and technology makes it possible for everyone to be out there with
a well-produced offering. What’s your favorite way to promote?

RA: I like doing things that separate me from others. Like “Oh.. this shit is like an actual commercial, i’m interested”. I do a lot of research and when I find something cool immediately I’m like “How can I apply what I’m seeing to my music?” That’s where a lot of my ideas come from.

RRX: It’s a joke that no one knows what a music producer does, but in reality, it’s a lot. Technically, a kid rapping to his own beats and recording it is a producer, but let’s talk about the bigger role. What do you do as a producer? What’s your favorite thing to do?

RA: I started making beats when I was like 9 or 10 years old. I love creating sounds. I like being able to turn samples into a completely different song. Being able to make things sound exactly how I want to do. Making beats actually got me into taking rapping more seriously. I like the fact some people will like me better as a producer than a rapper if they don’t already.

RRX: Seeing as how producers bring lots of people together, networking seems like it would be one of the more important aspects of producing music. And for some people, networking is tough. Can you give any tips on how to connect with people in music?

RA: First and most important rule is to be yourself. Get rid of that clown ass ego and be genuine. That’s the thing that is going to get you further in life. Cause your music can be cool, but if you’re a piece of shit to the world no one is going to like that. Most of my opportunities in life has been a result of just me being me. You gotta give respect to earn it.

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