One of my close friends blew me away when, after his first year of college, he could freestyle rap over any beat. He told me that I was capable of the same with just a little practice, and he encouraged and coached me through the awkward first learning phases. After several months, I had quietly developed a love for the artform, and I felt like I could keep up with him in a cypher. I took my new skill to UCLA and joined the Bruin Rap club, where I trained with a bunch of incredible rappers who encouraged me further. They suggested I write and record some original songs, which would supplement my raw freestyle skills with a more constrained and deliberate form.
At the end of 2015, I was determined to write a short mixtape or EP, just to prove to myself that I could. Since it was my first release, I called it “Alpha”, in typical software engineering form. Now I’m just another SoundCloud rapper.
I did 100% of the writing, mixing, and engineering. The instrumentals are not mine; they are borrowed from the likes of J. Cole, Vince Staples, Paul Hardcastle, and Madlib.
While I still enjoy freestyling, I don’t have concrete plans to release another project anytime soon. However, if I do, it will definitely be called “Beta.”