Today we have the pleasure of interviewing Vincent Jxmes, a rising artist from Louisville, KY/Rochester, NY. Vincent has a deep passion for music and has been pursuing his dream of becoming a hip hop artist since the age of 16. He has released several tracks and has gained popularity in the music industry.
Q: Vincent, can you tell us about your early beginnings in music?
A: From a young age, I was always in love with music. My early beginnings of interest began as a kid in the car with my mom and with my aunt. At first, I wanted to be a rockstar but as I got older, I began to transition into more of a hip hop fan. My older brother dabbled with rapping, so I was always joining in on freestyles, and at 16, I decided I wanted to pursue this fully as there was nothing more I felt passionate about.
Q: Can you describe your creative process when it comes to writing and recording music?
A: When it comes to the creative process, I need to be alone when I write. I can’t even really get into it when I’m in the studio setting. I usually come with pre-written material or I’m freestyling. There are certain songs that when I’m in the studio, it’s something I can just feel, and it comes off so natural that we can record it without having to write anything. Other times, I can tell when I need to sit down and reflect on certain beats and really make sure I’m articulate with what I want to say. When we get down to recording, I’m locking in with my guy Fil Vidak and making some magic happen every time.
Q: Who are your major influences in your career, and how have they helped shape your art?
A: My major influences in my career have been J. Cole, Belly, Notorious BIG, and Mac Miller. After countless hours of studying and listening to the discographies these guys possess, I just feel like the way they’ve portrayed their stories helped shape the confidence I had in making sure I got the thing I wanted to say off my chest with no remorse, completely free and open on each and every song for the most authentic experience you could get.
Q: Can you tell us about your newest single “ANOTHA 6” and the creative process behind it?
A: For my newest single “ANOTHA 6”, we were locked in with Fil Vidak of Crescendo Studios in Rochester, NY. We were initially trying to build a beat from scratch and make an entirely new song, and I had been sitting on this song for months in my notes. We were trying too hard to find a vibe that felt right in the moment, but we were struggling to capture the feeling. I remembered the song, and we pulled up the file, and immediately knew that we needed to start working. We recorded it almost effortlessly, and Fil immediately heard what he knew would make the song sound as clean as it is. It was a 4-hour session, and when we left and we listened to the first initial mix in the car, we knew that this one had to be the next drop.
Q: Can you describe your live performances, and how do you engage with your audience?
A: When I perform my main focus is crowd interaction. People paid to come out, show love, and enjoy the show, so it feels wrong to not make sure they’re having fun, to let them know the energy they’re giving you is fueling you. So I like to make sure I’m lively, I’m moving, I’m actively aware of the crowds reactions and we all have fun. I make sure I stay connected with my fans through social media. I’m a reclusive person outside of my small group but I make sure the fans know that no matter what they’re appreciated in every aspect.
Q: What has been the most memorable moment of your music career thus far?
A: Most memorable moment of my career so far came last summer, I traveled to NYC with my friend and fellow artist JK Baby, and we performed in Quad Studios, which is an established studio in the heart of Times Square where people like Biggie Smallz, Tupac, Jay-Z, and many more have created. The energy there was off the charts, the experience was amazing and I can’t wait to make it back there to lock in and make some music down the line.
Q: Tell us about any challenges or obstacles you’ve faced in the industry and how you’ve overcome them
A: The industry of music is a maze, there’s no direct line to the top. There’s shady people, there’s fake fans, there’s fake friends, people who only come around incase you make it, it becomes a rat race and it’s very competitive. I used to get lost in it all but I found that disconnecting from all of that and directing my focus into making the music that I want to hear and making sure that I present it when I’m ready has made things easier to navigate. When you feel like you have to do things in a certain time frame because someone else is, you’ll compromise your own work just to have something to show, taking the time to make the music how you want it to genuinely sound still leaves you with something to show, and you’ll be prouder to present it.
Q: How do you stay motivated and inspired as an artist?
A: Motivation for me mainly comes in the shape of my daughter, I didn’t have a whole lot growing up. I was blessed to have what I had and I’m thankful, but I want to make sure I can give her the entire world. Establish generational wealth so that when I’m old and I have grandkids, I’ll know they’re taken care of. Family in general is my motivation really. I’d love to be able to make sure my whole family is taken care of. Money can’t buy happiness but I just want to be able to take the thing I love the most, and use it as means to eliminate the financial stress I’ve seen my family go through for years.
Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
A: My advice to anyone who’s thinking about releasing music is to do it. Put it on SoundCloud , make a distrokid account and start releasing music on the major platforms. Shove that shit down everyone’s throats, if you believe in it, don’t show anyone a reason to think that you don’t. On top of that, just make sure the music you make, is the music that you feel like you need to make so that your new audience can connect with you.
Q: What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry and where do you see it headed in the future?
A: I think we’re blessed to be a witness to where the music industry has come too. There’s so many tools for upcoming artists nowadays, so many networking opportunities available, and so many ways to make a name for yourself. I’m not sure where the futures going to take us, but I feel like the direction we’re heading is going to be an artistic explosion and we’re going to see so many different ways to do things that we didn’t even know were possible. The next generation already is paving the way, it’s only a matter of time.
Q: How do you balance staying true to your artistic vision while also appealing to a wider audience?
A: Making sure that when I have my finished product, it’s something I would put on. I have a diverse music taste and when it comes to some of my old music I hear it and just cringe, it’s like I was trying to hard to be someone I felt people wanted me to be and when I took a year off of music, I focused on what felt the most natural to me as an artist and I haven’t looked back since and I can tell the people who are tuned in have felt the shift as well.
Q: Tell us about any upcoming projects or collaborations you have in the works.
A: My newest single “ANOTHA 6” is out everywhere on April 7th. We are currently working on my next project titled “VIN DAWG”. More will be made public about that in the next coming months but it’ll be my first project release since 2019, it’s been a long process creatively but we’re in the home stretch now.
Q: What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
A: I hope anyone who listens to my music walks away with some confidence, a self esteem boost. I hope it makes them feel like they’re gonna conquer whatever task lies ahead. We have so much fun making the music, I hope the fans can take some of that energy from the song and translate it into their lives.
Q: How has your music evolved over time and where do you see it going in the future?
A: We started with a mic that didn’t have a stand, didn’t have a shield, didn’t even have a windscreen. Working our way up with a better home studio setup, all the way to working with established engineers in studios I used to dream of being in. The passion I have for this, I can’t see the future going anywhere but up. I want to take it everywhere, I want to connect with the fans on the road and make sure throughout any and all trials and tribulations, authenticity never is an issue. I know what I’m capable of and in the future I’ll receive my flowers, and if it’s up to me it’ll be before I’m long gone.
Q: Finally, what can fans expect from you in the coming months?
A: In the next coming months more info will be out in regard to the “VIN DAWG” project we’ve been working on since 2019. My newest single “ANOTHA 6” drops April 7th. I have features I’ve done for other artists coming out in the next coming months as well. Before the “VIN DAWG” project drops, there’s a small EP I plan to release with album throwaways, the name and date of that EP will be released in the next coming months.
Follow Vincent Jxmes below:
https://www.instagram.com/vincentjxmes
https://m.facebook.com/VincentJxmes
https://m.youtube.com/@vincentjxmes
