Exposed Vocals Interviews Afro X
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Afro X: I was born In Queens, New York in 1995 to West African Parents (Senegal and Burkina Faso). I spent a small part of my childhood in Ivory Coast then moved to Burkina Faso after my mother’s death in January 2000. At 7, we moved to Canada, which is where I currently live and spent most of time during the past 13 years.
It’s funny because I didn’t like music up until I was 16, I used to think listening to music was a waste of time, but I got exposed to great stuff and quickly changed my mind. I started seriously getting into rap at about 18 and helped some of my friends with shooting their music videos and everything so I slowly started realizing it was something that I could do too. The rappers who inspired me most to start making some track are Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Tyler, the creator. I started looking for beats about about a year ago and would just write random lyrics over them for fun. But I started taking things a little more seriously after seeing Tyler, the creator’s rise to fame and how something fun could become something enjoyable for others, so I made a Twitter account and started recording my lyrics. This is still very new and I am doing this all by myself for now with no professional equipment so I believe the tracks I have out right now aren’t really doing me justice. I’m still just trying to get a following, receive feedback and see where it all goes.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Afro X: As an african born in america, it pains me to see the injustice that my race still has to go through in this day and age with all the shootings and the unnecessary deaths. The name Afro X is inspired from Malcolm X and Cassius X (Muhammad Ali before he officially changed his name) who were black rights activists part of the Black Muslim Movement. They were confident, charismatic, and changed the life of black people in America. I look up to them. Afro is just a reference to the fact that I am african, and to be honest, it just sounds cool.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Afro X: I think it’s a great way of being discovered, we live in a time where everyone can be exposed to your content by a simple click no matter where they are in the world. It’s crazy.
Yes, I would give my music away for free because it would be a great way to get a following and get noticed. I am new, so I can’t expect to be making money off a product people don’t trust yet.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Afro X: Well I am still a start-up now, so I am still trying to figure it out, but I’d say patience and persistance are key.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Afro X: I talk about what I know, what I feel, and what I have experienced, I consider myself very creative and have no difficulty coming up with lyrics by just looping the right beat enough times, provided I know which direction I am trying to take with said track (Dark, Fun, Trap, etc…)
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Afro X: I promote my music using Twitter, YouTube and Soundclound, here are the links:
http://youtube.com/user/
https://soundcloud.com/
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Afro X: I would probably go back in Africa and try to start a few businesses there, I have many ideas of what I could do there that would be enjoyed by the youth. Since I was lucky enough to grow up in North America and be exposed to many different environments, I believe I have what it to takes to bring something interesting there in various areas. I am keeping these ideas to myself for now though, Haha.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Afro X: Twitter has been the best way as of yet. It is very easy to find people with the same interest and start networking and getting a small fanbase. That’s how I found out about you.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Afro X: I’ll be dropping new content for sure just to keep a flow of fresh followers, nothing “special” yet, I’ll start thinking about that when I feel like I have a decent amount of people aware of my presence + I have to focus on other stuff as well, so I’ll keep it simple for now…
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Afro X: Well the thing is, I am not only making music, frankly I don’t even consider it my main thing. I am a pilot student but I have so many different ideas in my head that I need to let out and that I am convinced could work that it would be a waste to pass on them.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Afro X: That’s a tricky one to answer. I am the kind of guy who does things out of impulses, for example, when I feel need to do something, I trust myself to just do it. I don’t plan much unless it’s mandatory, when I have ideas I act on them. I believe the key to success is doing exactly what you enjoy so that you don’t ever have to “motivate” yourself to “work” and this is exactly what I do, with my piloting, my exercising, my music, and much more.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Artist: They should expect more original tracks, a nice blend of darkness and happiness, and depth in my music. Once in a while I’ll release the occasional trap song but most of my records will be a little more constructive. They should make sure to follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/
