Talking to Mayowa taught us two major lessons on how to succeed in the music industry. Honestly, we learned way more than that. Patience, willpower, faith – all points were taken into account in this interview.
LESSON 1 – START SIMPLY
“I gradually got in this mode of just always making music.”
The first half of the interview was a lesson on how to start your journey in the music industry. It’s way easier for some people to start than others. The secret is NO PRESSURE!
A fun and simple way to go is with a parody song. One similarity between most great musicians is that they know how to have fun creating music. Keep things stress-free and use the process to put a smile on your face.
Mayo’s first song was just that! Writing a parody song for himself and his friend was the most simple way to start. So grab someone and get started.
LESSON 2 – NO EXCUSES | FOCUS ON EXPRESSION
“I think my sound is changing a little bit more now too because I started seeing it less of a release or this thing where you toss your negative feelings into and more of an expression overall.”
The second half of this conversation taught us that there are no excuses when you’re creating music. This takes the first lesson to the next level. You may have gotten started but how do you keep going? Pushing past distractions and writer’s block.
The answer: focus on expression!
It’s simple, whatever you’re feeling at the moment can be made into a song. In my experience, my best lyrics came from spontaneous, freestyles and writing sessions.
Most of us, idolize lyricists, like Mac Miller, Joey Bada$$, or Eminem but when you break down their success, you’d see that a good amount of their iconic moments and songs are spontaneous ones or freestyles.
Here are three of our favorite and most spontaneous, freestyles and songs, along with what we can learn from them and their artist.
Yasin Bay (Mos Def) – Brooklyn Park Freestyle
This is famous for a reason, and Yasiin Bey is one of the best for the same. Turning his feelings and surroundings into lyrics. Sometimes all you have to do is feel the vibe. Easier said than done.
Mac Miller – Highschool Freestyle
Remember our first lesson? Start simply. No matter your age you can start with a freestyle about nothing. Here, it’s just about eventually stringing words together and sounding decent. Keyword eventually it takes time to get good at this.
Joey Badass – Concert Freestyle
Joey Badass making a freestyle out of the crowd chant is clever and inclusive of the audience. It’s also an opportunity a lot of artist miss. Really, I’ve only ever seen it once in person and that was at an open mic. Maybe adding it to your set is a good idea.
Bonus – Jay-Z – 4:44
Jay Z said that he called this song for 4:44 because he woke up at 4:44 AM to write it. I guess this is what was on his mind. Either way, it became a dope song.
