He's a new kind of rap / hip-hop artist - thoughtful, multi-talented and confident. With his debut radio single ‘Back From The Dead’ running up the charts, Pharoah YT is in a unique position to re-define the genre.
Generally speaking, rap / hip-hop artists are highly dependent on clever lyrics and tight production to succeed in the market, and Pharoah YT is well-positioned to excel in this regard. Perhaps that's why critics had this to say about the rap / hip-hop artist's award-winning work: ‘Pharoah YT's nonchalant elocution bespeaks a formidable command of the craft - 'Back from the Dead' has a special allure that arises only where an artist is well-situated in the circumstances of art.’ Now that his new radio single ‘Back From The Dead’ is catching fire on radio, it's clear that we'll be hearing a lot more of him. Reporter Lauren Scott recently caught up with Pharoah YT to learn more about this intriguing new rap / hip-hop artist and what inspires him to create his music.
LAUREN: As an artist on the rise, what is one thing you are most excited about and one thing you are most afraid of happening in your career?
PHAROAH YT: I guess you would say for me as an artist on the rise, the one thing that brings excitement to me is being able to do music.
Now as far as my fears are concerned, I guess the only thing that would "shock" me would be a dramatic rise and fall of my career for no reason.
LAUREN: Your song 'Back From The Dead' is receiving a positive listener response on radio. What was your initial reaction when you first heard your song playing on radio?
PHAROAH YT: My heart jumped for joy once I heard my song playing on the radio. I immediately contacted all my friends, family, whoever I can get in contact with. I told them hey guess what, I'm on the radio. Yeah it felt really really good.
LAUREN: What was the inspiration behind your debut radio single?
PHAROAH YT: What brought me to this point on this debut single, Back From The Dead, was a life threatening experience. I was actually on my deathbed and one day I just got up and said you know what, this is it! And Back From The Dead was done.
LAUREN: It is often said that great art arises from difficult experience. Is there something in your life experience thus far that you would describe as the ‘catalyst’ or ‘fuel’ for your desire to create music?
PHAROAH YT: I would agree that my art arises from difficult experience. In my life, I would say that my catalyst was me being born blind.
LAUREN: How would you characterize yourself as an artist/musician? (Ex. Down-to-earth, serious, fun-loving, complicated…)
PHAROAH YT: I would characterize myself as down-to-earth, serious when needing to be, and fun-loving always... and complicated only to those who don't understand me. :-)
LAUREN: What has your experience been like working with the other people on your team?
PHAROAH YT: The whole experience with my team has been a pleasant one. From day one it's been all about honesty and I do believe that is the key to any relationship, good or bad.
LAUREN: Did you come from a musical background? Are there other musicians in your family?
PHAROAH YT: It would have to be my mother and my aunt. My mom did doo-wop plays when I was young and my aunt participated as a violinist in symphony orchestras around the globe.
LAUREN: What do you find most rewarding about being an artist? What do you find most challenging?
PHAROAH YT: The most rewarding thing I find about being an artist is being able to speak my mind, but the most challenging thing about being an artist is wondering if what I said reached exactly the audience I wanted to touch.
LAUREN: Who are your role models in music?
PHAROAH YT: Well, it's my mom, Jai Dyer, and my aunt Enola Akpon who recently passed away.
LAUREN: Describe your best or most memorable performance.
PHAROAH YT: It's extremely hard for me to describe my best performance considering it's totally up to the fans. So far though honestly I haven't received any complaints. Now if it's the most memorable performance, well I would have to say it was a performance I did in San Francisco about two months ago. The crowd was small but the response was large. People actually knew the words to all of my songs which brought a great joy to my heart and made that performance even more electrifying.
LAUREN: What advice would you give to young, aspiring artists out there who are unsure and need guidance?
PHAROAH YT: My advise to young, aspiring artists out there who are unsure and need guidance
1. Believe in yourself wholeheartedly. There will be those times you feel like the whole world is against you but that's OK, those times will make you stronger.
2. Practice your craft daily.
3. Educate yourself on all aspects of the music industry. This is a poor, ever- evolving industry so you have to evolve along with it.
LAUREN: What's next for you as an artist? Is there a new single in the works? If so, what can you tell us about it?
PHAROAH YT: Well actually I'm in the middle of working on my next album "Infinite Rhyme". I should be releasing the single very, very soon.
LAUREN: I look forward to hearing your new work! Thank you for letting us get to know you better as a musician and I wish you the best of luck and continued success.
http://www.pharoahyt.com
