He raps in a way that will grab your attention and will make you start nodding your head, but still holds your focus with his heavy rhymes. It’s this force that rapper Staxx has been blessed with. Like many rappers, he was brought up in a broken home following a turbulent life, but despite his struggles, music seemed to be his only way out. Hailing from Taunton, Massachusetts, United States, we caught up with the rising rap-star to discuss his brand new single, ‘Turn You On’ featuring Brian Angel of RnB boy band Day26 and to find out a little bit more about him.
From reading about your background there maybe a few people who can relate to you in someway because, not only were you brought up in a broken home, but you also dropped out of school and spent sometime in prison. How would you describe your journey to where you are now?
My journey has been crazy I pretty much laid everything on the line I didn’t focus in school so my education wasn’t something that I could not fall back on. It was either go hard or go home. I had the choice to put my all into my music as well as compromising pretty much everything in my life to make things happen or on the other hand, end up as a nobody.
Is there anything that you would change, if you could about your upbringing?
If I could I would have definitely paid more attention in school, I would have done all my work and not instead take it for granted. I didn’t really care when I was in school because I always knew I wanted to be a rapper, but because I couldn’t learn that in school I therefore, didn’t pay any attention. What I didn’t realise at the time was that if you didn’t get the grades then you won’t get many opportunities in life. You might have a career where you don’t even ever have to think about anything you’ve learnt while in school but everything you learnt back then has made you who you are.
How are you hoping to share your life experiences through your music with everyone?
That is my main goal and people tell me all the time that my music is really different as I talk about my real life. I don’t make up a character and pretend to be something that I am not because who I am as a person has lived a life that people are intrigued about. A lot of people who grew up alongside me tell me all the time they have no idea how I ended up as the person that I am coming from the place that I came from. I am not a boy anymore I’ve grown up and have matured in to an adult.
You’re new single ‘Turn Me On’ features Brian Angel from (Day 26). How was it working with him?
It was awesome working with Brian as he is a great person. I was really pleased to have worked with him, especially as he’s got an amazing voice; I look forward to working with him again in the future.
Currently, there is great competition in the hip hop genre, how are you hoping to stand out?
Nowadays, no one is really themselves anymore so I’m hoping to remain myself, how can I be happy trying to be someone else? I do not understand why people have to be fake and talk about things that they have not experienced. When you press play on my album, the first song will let you know that I mean business, I do not want to be a one-hit wonder, and I really hope that I’ll be able to get a hit because once I am there I won’t be going anywhere.
How is your debut album ‘Writin My Mind’ coming along?
It’s coming along great. I’ve been in the studio over the last couple months updating it, so when it comes out it’ll surely be a hit. It’s just me in a nutshell, I like to speak to people with my music, which was something Michael Jackson did. I want people to keep expecting the unexpected.
If you were to write an autobiography, what would be the title?
It will have to be maybe not quite right in my mind – to simply reflect my album title… [Laughs]…
The single ‘Turn Me On’ featuring Brian Angel is out now. For more info check out www.facebook.com/staxxhiphop