In this interview spotlight, I catch up with North Carolina based Hip Hop artist and multi-faceted creative C.Shreve the Professor to discuss new projects and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Time moves extra fast in the internet age. It’s been about a year and a half since we last talked—what’s been going on?
That it does—more of the same I guess. Putting out projects and singles. Doing shows and touring in new regions. Just really trying to make it happen and put the systems in place to keep it happening.
What’s it like to release music and to be a rapper in 2019?
It’s kinda stressful honestly. The way that platforms can shift, and all the sudden nobody’s really checkin for your soundcloud even though you’ve built up a following of over 7K on there. And you have to reset to a new normal with spotify being a tastemaker. Sometimes, you think you figure it out—like you have a bunch of blog connections and good venue contacts….but then the paradigm shifts and your venue contacts get out of date and you can just feel like you’re back at square one.
How did your upcoming project “GROWN” come together and what do you have planned for the album roll out?
It started with me just making a few songs that I was really feeling. I think I started off with All That I Feel and Gone and from there I just kept making songs. I wasn’t really developing a larger concept—I was just feeling the creative vibes and making art. The name of the project is essentially refering to that process of me growing these songs. It’s also a refelction of where I’m at in my artistic journey (a state of maturity) and of me growing my skill set slowly over the years. GROWN is really just a collection of songs that came to be in a very natural way, they were grown.
Some folks are being introduced to you for the first time, how did you become the artist you are today?
Trial and error. I don’t really know what I’m doing. And never have. I’m just doing the best I can to learn as I go and live my experience out, while conveying that in lyrical reflections over the best beats I can get my hands on.
You have shared the stage with so many legends—what are your top 3 show experiences?
One that will always stand out was a New Year’s Eve show at The Orange Peel in Asheville with Talib Kweli & DJ Enuff. That was the first time I ever had a thousand plus people in the palm of my hand. We had the full squad plus the band out and Kweli told me we sounded like a modern day Fu-Schnickens. Last year we played Downtown After 5 with The Pharcyde and got to rock in front of 3000+ Asheville locals. I had never seen something so huge from the stage. Lastly, I’ll go with Big Boi and Sleepy Brown. We played their afterparty last year with our band and did an Outkast tribute set that they showed love to. That was kind of surreal for an OutKast fan like myself.
We know there are a whole bunch of internet rappers that are gonna read this. What advice do you have for the aspiring MCs out there?
Watch and learn what successful folks are doing. If you wanna be like J.I.D. (or whoever) then you should study what he’s doing and what he’s done to get there. Who are the best up and coming rappers in your city? What are they doing and how can you find your own version? There are blueprints all around you. Study what’s going on and move accordingly.
Where is the best place to keep up with your tour dates, new music, videos, etc?
We just launched a new website: ShreveRaps.com. I’ve got stuff everywhere but that’s the main spot now.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I love vinyl. But I came up on CDs as a youth and then MP3s in college so I have resonance with all of them. I approached this album as if it was gonna be on vinyl. My goal was to make two 20 min sides that would go together and yet both stand alone and by themselves. Playing a record is like playing a 15-20 minute playlist. Cuz it’s gonna actually stop, and they you either flip it or run it back. So I’m hoping to print up a short run of vinyl, but just starting with digital and CDs first.
What was the last song you listened to?
Sacrifices. The last song on the Revenge of the Dreamers 3 album.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
As an artist, I like Bandcamp a lot because they’ve been there consistently and it’s really straight forward. I honestly really miss the Soundcloud days (when it was poppin), but in in terms of current user experience, I think Spotify does a really good job. I enjoy the algorithm choices more on Spotify than other platforms for some reason. Just been my experience.
Any last thoughts?
Much love to y’all for the light you shine on independent artists like myself. Check out GROWN when it drops later this month and be ready for some ridiculous videos. Long live indie music!!
