Music Review and Interview with Trin$ic – Season Pass
The first thing you notice about this track is that the vocal is a little too far forward in the mix. The backing track sounds good, it’s a good beat, the vocal could sit far more comfortably among the music and each would compliment the other much more effectively if this were the case. Production elements aside, the artist has a lot of enthusiasm and a keen and creative mind to play around with words and vocal sounds and expressions. At times this sounds like a freestyle, in which case there are some impressive moments and stylish lyrics thrown in. The music in the background, the sitar riff or whatever instrument it is that adds that oriental flicker every now and then, is essentially the hook of this track, there’s no memorable vocal section or melody to hold on to, so again it would be better if the music and the vocal were working together a little more – rather than the voice just sitting on top of the music like this.
Towards the end the artist refers to himself as generic, so perhaps this was just a playful freestyle experiment. I’d still like to hear something with a bit more of a final polish and shine to it, as occasionally there was a glimmer of real rhythm and style in the delivery of the lines. Plus, that backing track is really smart sounding and worldly, which you don’t often hear these days, it would be nice to see it worked with rather than placed upon – using the music to drive the emotion and meaning behind the lyrics, and using the lyrics to compliment the music as well. The laid back style of the vocal delivery has the potential to give off quite a cool sounding and mellow lyrical presentation, which would fit nicely among a lot of chilled out and good vibes kind of music.
By Rebecca Cullen
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Trin$ic: My real name is Ryan Leonard. I am 21 and was born in Exeter, NH. I have always been musically inclined. I’ve been playing the saxophone, guitar and piano since I was real little and Hip-hop/rap has most definitely always been my favorite genre to listen to. Before getting real with it all, I had no clue how similar rap is to sports as practice makes perfect. I wrote my first rhymes in high school, but I didn’t begin to treat this as a career until my freshman year of college. I was a pretty decent soccer/lacrosse player in high school-that decent player with potential who makes varsity junior year just to sit on the bench for good moral support. I was accepted and enrolled into College of the Holy Cross. I was happy socially, but the rigorously old-fashioned studies of the school worsened my anxiety, which I have been trying to overcome since I was little. OCD takes over my life. I began to realize how the music would reduce all the stress and anxiety, so I began to grind 5-12 hours a day since then (past 2.5 years). There is no therapy for me that could possibly be stronger than rapping. I started losing friends, sacrificing/winging all my studies, taking on unhealthy living habits, all for the love of the craft which I was giving all my attention and heart towards. At the time, I was reluctant, but now I am more happy than ever about my decisions because the outcome so far is feeling/looking good. I ended up withdrawing from my second sophomore semester at HC as medical leave, and have been planning since to return fall 2016. Since this happened, aside from tutoring online and spending time with my loving family, I have been working on my dream every day. It has been about 4 years in the game for real and I am starting to realize how things are much more possible than how I used to think of them. I would never have imagined myself being where I am with rap right now in my life. I used to fear, to some extent, writing/recording because I was afraid I was wasting my time, asking myself: what if it doesn’t happen? people say its all connections etc. But now I rap for a passion so “making it” means a lot of different things to me. I no longer fear taking risks and I always push myself to try new styles/strategies. Trying something different is huge and that can apply to anything in anyone’s life. Success is not about chances. I believe good music is good music and, if exposed for long enough time, will find its way to sell. It feels like music promotion is more than half the battle. I am so grateful for the internet and thank God for everything I have been given and I am grateful for all the people who so far have shown love and support for my craft. I have always wanted to express myself in some way and finally found my niche to do so. Writing and rapping is an addiction now and I am beginning to find how “seeing my dream” everyday is becoming so habitual that I no longer need motivational tapes to get me popping.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Trin$ic: Trin$ic comes from the word intrinsic. I’ve always felt that rap and, music in general, was more of a talent rather than a skill for me. When I first started out, I always tried to be conscious of the beat and where I was in a 16’ for instance. Then I realized how the brain should just be focusing on the presentation of the lyrics and the sound of the vowels etc. and how feeling the beat comes from the heart. This came over time, but when I compare me to my former self I can’t help but notice how much more calm and collect I am on every track now-mainly because I’ve taught myself to feel rather than think. I have always been a huge numbers person, mathematically inclined. I think this is why music comes very naturally to me.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Trin$ic: I don’t expect to have people pay for my music, or at least not yet. I still need more of a fan base and I think it’s ultimately up to the world to decide if they like my music, and until I get a wide, concrete answer to that question, I plan on releasing mixtape after mixtape. “Free” is the new standard these days. I am sure that most the money these independent artists are making comes from advertisements anyway. The internet has changed the game completely; network now equals net worth. Honestly, I’m not one to complain about this because it seems as though the internet has allowed there to be more artists be heard while offering them revenue without even having to sell the music traditionally. Thank God for the internet. So in short, I love giving music away for free and intend to do so for a long time.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Trin$ic: Spend much more time/energy/budget on your online exposure/promotion because if you put all your focus on local gigs and playing out in the real world (offline) then your going to get a hundred times less exposure/trafficking then you would from social media. Also, twitter is the most important*
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Trin$ic: Every time before I write, I make sure to get inspired from youtube videos of the greats. Mac Miller, J.Cole, Chris Webby, and Ty the Creator are my top inspirations. I first either create a beat or have one produced by an underground producer. I usually listen to the beats front to end before even brainstorming words in my head, meditating sort of. I form melodic beats and rhythms and then freestyle to get the creative juices flowing. If I’m not creating any song of worthy lyrics by doing this I then get the pen to the pad and start grinding lead. I feel as though I’ve gotten my best lyrics from the free-styling at the beginning; however, because this usually ensures good natural/organic synchronization between the words and the instrumental, whereas the writing sometimes creates detachment from the beat when I sometimes let my brain do too much thinking. This is something I have overcame though however. So now, I equally freestyle and write to create my work. I also put large amounts of time into perfecting my rhyme scheme. I love how rap is like a puzzle when it comes to fitting in syllables and knowing when to emphasize certain phrases.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Trin$ic: Yes, I have my own website because I don’t want to risk losing fans on social media platforms which I don’t personally own. Look at what happened to myspace! Network equals net worth but network doesn’t mean twitter cause what if twitter dies (it won’t but still that would be losing everything I had worked for.) I have facebook, sound cloud, twitter. I’m currently working on fan capture pages to start creating my personal network for direct contact to fans. I currently use sound cloud to share my music and you can find me on twitter and Facebook. I have a personal Instagram and snapchat but I will make my official accounts for those in the near future.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Trin$ic: I would spend it carefully and wisely on effective, laser targeted music promotion. I would hire the smartest mentors, music promoters and a manager to help me stay organized and professional.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Trin$ic: Twitter is the number one platform for social media, which I use. Facebook is good for advertising with groups, but there really isn’t a sufficient amount of active flow of users, so time spent on twitter promoting my sound cloud mixtape is time much better spent. I do not spam people. I even consider those automated DM’s on twitter spam, even if they are for recent followers. My message box is always lit. I believe in pulling fans in, rather than pushing my work up in their faces. This is much more professional and you come off as more attractive. Not going to lie its like “playing hard to get” as lame as it sounds. Almost every time I am on twitter or sound cloud I make sure I am finding new friends/artists to talk to and collab with because relationships and interactions are the upmost important aspect of music promotion.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Trin$ic: I am currently working on two music videos for “seasons pass” and “DMT “and I am about to drop two more singles on sound cloud which I think will be received really well!
“season pass” sound cloud EMBED CODE:
“DMT” sound cloud EMBED CODE:
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Trin$ic: Putting all my effort towards getting an economics degree. But I wouldn’t be nearly as happy as I am right now. Not only do I love/listen to my own craft, but I love myself for being self-made (to some degree at least). No one can ever take that kind of credit away from you, when you established something from the ground up all on your own. I feel more alive than ever and my anxiety/depression has been at an all time low. My success so far actual motivates me further to stay consistent with my other responsibilities.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Trin$ic: I stay consistent and plan each day out the night before so I don’t run into decision making questions in the morning to save myself from the anxiety. I embrace the fact that this isn’t an over night thing, so when there are days where I can only rap for an hour or so I remind myself how a little bit each day versus binging is more efficient and healthy.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Trin$ic: Current Trin$ic on steroids. (metaphor)
