An Interview with Music star “Trap” (Trapismyname)
Q: Great to have you on Medium. Please, introduce yourself? (artist/band name-any special meaning to it and where you’re from).
My name is Trap (Trapismyname) & I’m from the Bronx NY. There’s quite a back story on how Trapismyname came about. When I finally started taking music serious I knew I had to stand out from the rest and be noticed. Trap stands for The Real AP, The A stands for my first name and the P for a childhood nickname my mother gave me when I was a baby. The cool part about my name is that AP has other meanings like Anything’s Possible Always Prepared, my first EP was Title American Psycho.
At first, I just wanted to be AP but with a quick google search, I realized that there were a lot of APs out there. So I said back to the drawing board I choose the Real AP and ran with that for a little while before I did another google search and realized that there's just as many The Real AP as there was APs, so at this point I’m like I need a name that’s going to stand out and be easy to understand.
I took The Real AP and turned it into an acronym TRAP, yet with another google search TRAP was a very popular rap name as well, I quickly realized I was going to need a name that was unique that no one has ever had before , so I chose Trapismyname, I was able to get all the social media handles trapismyname so it worked out perfect. This was very important in my branding.
Q: What got you into music and made you realize that it was your chosen path?
I’ve always had a love for music since an early age, I loved how the energy of song would touch people. I started playing around battle rapping the older kids in my neighborhood when I was 10 years old. That feeling when you drop a fire bar and the crowd goes crazy, those are the moments that first got me started in my music.
After that I started writing raps to battle kids from my school I would stay up all night right the most clever bars I could think of, just so I could show what I could do. From there I did a few talent shows, nothing beats that feeling of you being on stage performing your heart out, after that the music kind of died down. There were a lot of problems at home, I’ll rather not get into at the moment, I was not focused on music any more I was sleeping in my best friends basement, failing school and getting in trouble with the police.
Then I moved to New York with my mom we were homeless for a few days before we got into the shelter and I learned about this program called “The Door” it was a program for homeless / shelter kids that gave them a place to go to be creative. It was my first time stepping into a studio, then I fell in love with the recording process. I started high school and I continued writing but failed to find any studios to record the music, I performed at my high school talent show the beat wouldn’t work so I had to do it Accapella and I still killed it. For the rest of my high school days, I didn’t do much music-wise.
Even after I graduated I ousted continued to write. Eventually, I would meet John Keefe, he is a producer/engineer of King Studios in the Bronx, one day he heard me freestyle then brought me in the booth and we cooked up a few tracks. We didn’t do anything with those tracks they’re just memories now, but the point is that inspired me to build my own home studio. That’s when I realized I really could do this myself and this was my chosen path.
Q: Tell us about your new music (Song/EP/Mixtape/Album)? And what’s the story behind it?
The Trap Story EP is the second EP I’ve released since I started doing music. It is a quick 5 track EP. In this tape, I go into detail about my accomplishments failures my surroundings basically everything that I’m going through now is what Trap Story is about. As a kid, I loved toy story and I thought wouldn’t it be cool to put a twist on one of my childhood favorites? Trap Story is 1 part of 4 projects I’m planning to drop, Trap Story is MY Story. Just give it a listen the music speaks for itself.
Q: What makes your music unique? And how would you describe it? (genres/sub-genres)?
My music is not unique. People say everyone is unique if that’s the case nobody would be unique, with that being said I think I make good music. I don’t want to be unique I’m okay with that. How I would describe my music would be relatable lyrics mixture of beats. The genre, of course, would be a Trap. Trap Story wasn’t supposed to be the next project I dropped but it felt right so I dropped it anyway.
Q: Do you play any instruments? And why do you love it?
I’m learning to play the piano, it’s pretty cool.
Q: How is your creative process when recording music? And what makes a good recording session?
Good energy and good vibes. My creative process is very simple I throw on a beat and start trying different flows on the beat until I found the flow then I analyze the beat to find the song structure, once I figure that out I begin writing. Whenever I run into writer’s block I’ll open another project and begin working on that. Finally, when I have the skeleton I open a new project and record the finished product.
Q: How is your creative process when recording music? And what makes a good recording session?
R.I.P Big Pun R. I.P Mac Miller R.I.P Nipsey Hussle. They were big musical influence not only in music but in life also. I would’ve loved to had done a song with one of them. Other influences included Wu-Tang Clan Biggie Pac Jayz Nas Jcole Drake Lil Wayne Wiz Khalifa just to name a few.
Q: Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of? (awards, projects or public performances etc)
The best moment of my music career is when I was able to go on google and type in Trapismyname and I actually pop up. I worked so hard on branding myself to see myself as a top result when you google search me, another thing that was pivotal was that first check I got from people actually streaming my music.
Q: How do you balance your music with other obligations — family, friends or work?
Stay humble, make time for the people you love and if you love something you will find a way to balance music and other obligations. I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s possible.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Never Give up even when it feels like no one is listening to your music and you’re just wasting money and time don’t quit that is what separates the average from the great. Learn to use hurt and pain and turn it into productive habits.
Q: If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
I love all my fans, I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for your support, remember always follow your heart.
Q: What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects or tours?
I have a series of singles I’m working on, and Trap Story 2 is already in the works. At this time I’m also working on visuals for my YouTube content I plan on dropping a boatload of music I owe to my fans.
