What’s your stage name and where are you from?
My stage name is Graphene, and I’m originally from Flint, MI (originally from Indianapolis, IN), and now I live in NYC.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
I had a job where I couldn’t use my real name, so I started googling what the strongest material in the world was—because that’s how I felt. “Graphene” popped up, and I liked how it sounded, plus the fact that people didn’t know what to do with it yet. I resonated with it.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
I’ve always rapped, but I didn’t take it seriously because The NFL seemed more direct, realistic, and formulaic. In 2020, I replaced football with hip-hop, and that’s when Graphene came on the scene. Now, I’m in the seed round of my startup, “Graphene,” and I’m still creating and figuring out my path as I go.
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
I’m always on to the next thing, so I’m creating all the time. However, when it comes to my latest release, “Superstar Outro” from “Life’s A Bar,” I wrote it while in Mallorca. We didn’t have good service, so I could only listen to the first 30 seconds of the beat and wrote as much as I could based on what I thought it would sound like. It worked out!
What message do you want to convey through your music?
I aim to convey duality and contrast in my music. Coming from one world and existing in another, I challenge myself to show every side of the coin—even the ridged side that never lands. From an energy standpoint, I aim to evoke real emotions; whether they’re positive or negative, they have to be real.
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
I’ve recorded everything at home, so I encounter different challenges. The biggest one with my last project was that part of my vocals for “Concrete Rose” got deleted. If all of them had been deleted, it would’ve been easier, but I overcame it by re-recording the other parts over and over until it all blended together.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
That answer changes all the time, but right now, I’d say Andre 3000. He’s a huge inspiration of mine, and I think it’d be cool to see his process. Plus, I’m confident I could get him to rap again!
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
In the next year, I see my music taking me to different cities, platforms, and audiences. It’s tough balancing startup life with my music career, but I know that with the right moves, my influence can scale tremendously.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
Collaboration. There are so many things I want to do visually, sonically, and otherwise, but I can’t do it all myself. The next big step is finding collaborators I can grow and build with.
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
You can find my latest project on Spotify here. It’s available everywhere!
What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?
Instagram is the best way to contact me: @whoisgraphene. I also check my email actively at whatsgood@whoisgraphene.com.
