24: Introduce yourself to everyone that doesn’t already know who you are?
MakingMagic: What’s up world, I am DJ Campbell. My artist name is MakingMagic. I am an unsigned artist repping Wilson , NC. I just started art school here in Raleigh so this is where I’m living until I graduate with my bachelor’s in Audio Engineering. My recent projects have been promotional so my newest work isn’t shown on self made production but I do most of my own producing, I direct and edit all my videos, paint and draw, and I am an interactive media outlet (Mixtape covers, Flyers, Promo etc.) for multiple artists in my area. Basically, I’m Lou Gehrig in the flesh…. I’m literally in the studio doing something art related everyday until I feel I’m out of it.
24: Before we get into your music, can you describe your history about how you got into and what inspired you?
MakingMagic: I honestly don’t remember the first rap song I heard and I didn’t even grow up listening to a lot of hip hop in the mid 90’s. I lived with my grandma in Prosperity, South Carolina. Not exactly the scene to be seen but anyways, I always heard blues, jazz, and what I would like to call “Soul Music”. In SC I never thought I’d be making or even liking music as much as I do. I attended a predominantly white elementary school when I came to NC and I can remember doing poetry in the 5th grade but I was focused on dancing I don’t know where the writing lyrics began. I remember my first freestyle battle in the 5th grade and that’s about the time it all set in that I could do what I saw on “8 mile” and “Rap City” at a upper echelon level even at that age so I just kinda stuck with that along with breakdancing (Turbo and Ozone lol).
24: What was the Hip-Hop scene like for you growing up where you’re from?
MakingMagic: What was the Hip-Hop Scene like in Wilson? Ummm… Let’s just say it was whatever was popping at them moment haha. Whether It was pop locking, females popping, bottles popping, guns popping its doesn’t matter… You were a part of it. If you weren’t on the scene doing what the hottest rapper was doing, you won’t doing a damn thang. You want to be seen, felt, heard, and understood at the same time then music is your voice, if not, it’s the voice you listen to that explains the way you feel about what you see, hear and don’t understand vs. what you do understand.
24: What makes you Unique as a artist and different from other rappers out now?
MakingMagic: I realized the difference between being an artist and being a “rapper” or “producer” or anything you would want call yourself. Every thing requires technique resides in the left side of the brain. Artistry comes from the right side of the brain, which is considered the creative side. When you can use the two to compliment each other theres not a rapper who is creative enough or a producer who is technical enough in the world who can do what you do in one thought process. Once you understand how to wash one side with the other you don’t have to pay the maid, you become made. Everybody here comes to me for everything to do with anything to do with music. The kids who “made it to the pros” played offense, defense, and special teams were im from. Got to play like you down in the 4th even when you ahead in the 1st, every play.
24: Tell us about what you are working on?
MakingMagic: Right now I am about to be ProTools Certified so I can have validation that can get me into studios everywhere without someone looking over my shoulders or having them do almost anything. That way I can manage my own sound in studios across the globe whether I’m traveling or unable to travel at that point in time but other than that I’ll starting up my own record label with a lot of the talent from my school being the foundation. I’m taking studio management now so it should be around 10-15 weeks before its up and running but I’ve got artists, a band, film production crew, etc. Other than that I’m working on the duo project with my favorite producer Nick Rio. ( NickRio.com ) We got a special project in store for anybody who is a fan of real music with good lyrical content, straight drop basslines, and ambient vibes then you should be itching right now because this is one of the most anticipated forms of artwork we have are waiting to see finished in our areas.
24: What producers have you worked with and who would you like to work with in the future?
MakingMagic: I haven’t worked with any “Hollywood” names but I have worked with a nice set of producers from up and down the east coast and even across the Atlantic Ocean. Nick Rio, ART Productions, Aztech Productions (Tyler Carroll), Larry Davis, 3rd Eye Entertainment (Divine Culture), The Real Santiago, ClokBoiz ENT, TheseKids, House of M.I.N. Productions (Chase Deli), and last but definitely not least my little brother B Haze. A couple producers I would want to work with somewhat of a regular basis are : AarabMusik (#1 of all time), Johnnu Julaino, Cool N Dre, SpaceGhostPurp, Cardo, Jahlil Beats, Mellowhype and definitely the IVY Crew.
24: Are you happy with the feedback you have been getting from people on material you have released?
MakingMagic: I know everybody is gonna get up here like yeah I get good feedback and people love my stuff, they asked why I signed yet, and so on and so forth. I’d rather tell you a real story about when I first started doing music. I’m a black male from a dying city. I found life in music when I was 15, I made a song to Playaz Circle’s “DuffleBag Boy”. At my high school, my life a mix between my predominantly white elementary school and ALL BLACK (basically) middle school. So I was going to kick it with a boy from my elementary school who I hadn’t seen in years (White Dude) and I go all the way across town into the “Rich Neighborhood” called Country Club. Never been here before this happened. I pull up to this big ass house (like they got 2 garages big) and as I’m getting out the car this little white boy I had never seen before walks out the garage wearing only basketball shorts, shoes, and a Carolina football helmet. Right before I start walk up and ask him if my friends home or anything I hear him singing this rap song looking like the 2006 Beastie Boys. As I get closer I realized I knew the lyrics. Then I realized those were my lyrics to the first song I recorded to show people. So I walk up and ask him “Yo who made that song you singing?” he replies “My boy DJ!!” I almost cried that moment will never forget it. Then I say “Yo… Im Dj dude” and I can promise I have never seen somebody so astonished to see me before in my life. I was 15. I’m 5 years mature from that moment. That was the best high I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve spent almost 6 years thinking about my first music high and just like any fiend, for anything, I’m gonna do what I got to do to get back to where its all began each and each time that red light comes on inside this studio. Took me 5 years to realize that it doesn’t matter who likes your movement. It’s the reason that they like your movement that counts and all my fans are my family. Much like #BNF and Bassnectar, we are one big family.
24: In today’s free download age, what do you need to do to make yourself a household name?
MakingMagic: This is how I’m gonna break this down. We didn’t have Tom Kukoc T-shirts or Danny Ainge billboards. We didn’t have A.C. Green lunchboxes or Eric Snow sneakers. We had Larry Bird Moustaches. We had Magic Johnson’s smile. We had Allen Iverson Sleeves and we STILL GOT JORDANS!!! To become a factor in global popularity or even on a international level you need to be a household name. We have even have reverse popularity in social rankings in today’s society. Its doesn’t matter what they are saying about you as long as they are saying something so to separate yourself from up and down talks about who is hot and who is not you need to be establish yourself as a household name.
24: How do you feel about the current state of the Hip-Hop scene?
MakingMagic: I think a lot of people are confused on life. When you’re an artist, you are selling your personality as a whole so if what are selling isn’t selling you feel as if you aren’t living life. That’s why people trade the life they have for they have for the life that selling on the market. (ex. NWA made all rappers wanna be gangsters in someway, shape, or form)(including me haha) I just want to get to a point to where I can name 10 relevant groups that are out in today’s music scene. Or atleast hear something different coming from the big wigs. Money is making music 1 dimensional. I think we should b paid less and taken more serious. There ain’t a person in this world who can honestly say they don’t like any kind of music. No one. NO DISRESPECT to religion but even religion is questionable in some people eyes but EVERYONE listens to music. Even if it only a heart BEAT. Realize power.
24: Outside of the music, what else are you currently working on?
MakingMagic: I’ve been shooting a lot of videos lately. Im backed up on footage but I got a couple more productions about to be up on youtube and other social networks that have quality far beyond the time I taken to study this craft. I been mainly getting my bricks and cement ready for this record label to be up and running. I been working on compositions for film and many different attacks and approaches to moving this entire business in another direction.
24: Where do you see yourself going in 2013 and how do you plan to separate yourself from the other artist out today to get the recognition you feel you deserve?
MakingMagic: I honestly see myself being recognized as one of the prototype artists of the future. My recognition will show artists that you shouldn’t limit yourself to words or notes because you might not ever be able to do it all on your own but at least you can do most of it yourself. Knowing that you made it yourself and the way you want to do it makes a world of difference. I just want people to realize as a whole we can only go as far as we take us.
24: How can fans go about contacting you?
MakingMagic: Email me at canumakemagic@gmail.com
Follow me on twitter : @canumakemagic
Follow me on Instagram : @canumakemagic
Subscribe to my youtube : LOUDMakesMagic
Friend me on Facebook : Campbell Soup – Raleigh, NC
Mixtapes on Datpiff : MakingMagic
Mixtapes on Datpiff : L.O.U.D.Ent
24: Thank you for providing 24HourHipHop with this exclusive interview, do you have any last words for your present and future fans?
MakingMagic: Ya’ll stay safe! Be ready for what we bringing in 2013! Thank you for reading to get to know me but u could have already been playing the music and meeting the same person u just spent an hour reading about haha LIVE LOUD…. And LOUD is .Living.Out.Ur.Dreams.
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