Artist Introduction
What’s your stage name and where are you from?
Steven Cong. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
Back in high school, I went by MC Cong. I gravitated towards music because it was one of the only the places I could express myself the way I want at a time when I rarely felt seen or acknowledged for who I was. Over time, I realized this, and decided to use my actual name as my stage name, because I wanted my music to represent all of me. While I still see MC Cong as the part of me that’s an artist, I’m fully confident in who I am as Steven Cong, and I want my music to represent all of that.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
I resonated with rap and hip hop because it was a genre that came from marginalized communities that validated marginalized experiences. As one of the only Asian American youths in the towns I grew up in, I often felt marginalized, myself. Because of that, my journey with rap felt natural and enabled me to fully come into my own as both a musician and a person.
Fan Engagement
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
Growing up, I rarely shared more intimate parts of myself or how I think with my parents. Days Weeks and Years is based on my experiences with family’s journey with aging. At some point, I wanted to be able to share my music, which represent deeper parts of myself, with my mom. I was never sure how I would do that, or if I would make the leap, until I created this song. I invited my mom to an open mic where I performed this song, which represented an important milestone for me.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
While my music touches on different topics, I want it all to be founded on honesty and vulnerability. It’s not easy talking about aging, or identity, or loneliness, etc., but I want to normalize experiencing these things. I want to show that it’s okay to be vulnerable and that it’s okay to be honest about the struggles we have in life.
Behind the Music
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
The flow for Days Weeks and Years is in double time, which is one of the more challenging things to do in rap. The first verse in particular comes with a lot of variation and a section that features very few breaks for breathing. Being able to accept punching in as part of my process and give myself more time to strategize breath control for live performances represented a moment of growth for me.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
My inspiration was Magnetic North, which was an Asian American rap duo whose journey and music inspired mine. Their lyrical honesty and smooth flow inspired my technique, and anecdotes they shared like how they’re often mistaken for sound engineers at shows they performed validated the importance of our presence as Asian American emcees.
Future Aspirations
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
I hope to secure a set at San Francisco Pride this year, so I’ll just name that here to manifest it into the universe!
Recent Work & Contact Info
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
You can find me on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/3zPrTgwmx8R5DO6tl1ChaA?si=on16WbxYReOxFVHrTkO8JQ
What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?
You can DM me on Instagram! My handle is @mccong
