By DJ Apollo
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
For those who didn’t get the news, it is very official, so expect to see much more from the movement on Hip Hop Vibe. The South Carolina hip hop scene is buzzing and Matt Monday is one of the ones out here doing it on a big level. Right now, he is working on his new album, Philthy.
Matt Monday has a lot in the works and his buzz is picking up on a big level that goes well outside of South Carolina. The Columbia native is presently up there in New York City getting work done. In some ways, this work can be compared to what J. Cole did early in his career.
Earlier this week, Matt Monday called into Hip Hop Vibe and he properly introduced himself to the audience. With the Philthy album coming, there was no time better than the present to talk. Matt Monday was open and honest when it came to his take on South Carolina and optimistic when talking about his album.
Read the entire interview below:
Alright, Matt Monday, can you tell us where your name comes from? For the bulk of my serious career, I called myself Righteous, but I spelled it differently. Back home, people always called me Monday anyway, because I had my music lessons on Monday. So, I decided to go with Matt Monday because it’s easier for people to relate to.
Can you tell us a little bit about the new music you have in the works? The new album is called Philthy and this is the first time I get the chance to put my own production out. It’s me working with some in-house production from Charleston. This project is really dope and I’m excited about it. We have a lot of good visuals for it.
The South Carolina hip hop scene is just beginning to emerge, as someone who is coming from the area, how do you feel about the scene? I feel like there isn’t enough effort from the other talent. I am not a lyricist, I am a producer who raps, but I put in effort to write my lyrics out to make my weakness into my strengths. But, there are a few people in the area who are trying to step out of that. But, me I get inspired by other creative people and maybe they are around people who sucks, so this is why they maybe lack creativity.
In this new hip hop scene, coming out of South Carolina, would you consider yourself the leader, of sorts? Ah. That’s a wild question. I don’t know, what would classify you as a leader? But, there are people down there who have a buzz way bigger than me, but outside of it, there is no buzz for me. Then, there are people I have more buzz than me, but I feel like are better than me. You know what? I am, I’m not even going to front for you. Leadership is your way of thinking and how you move, my idea of putting a project together is hiring the right team, having visuals done, and getting the project distributed, without all of that, music is a hobby, in my opinion.
Speaking of inspiration, can you talk about what inspires your visuals? What inspires my visuals is several things I am inspired by my personal experiences and the people around me. Knowing the situation I came from, me and my friends went to Art School, nobody understood it in my area. But, going to art school exposed me to so much and this is what helped mold me. Having these experiences provides a responsibility to go bigger and further. See, that’s how my dude, Lomax, came up, there’s like twelve of us guys and we talk every day with each other. All of us are young, successful, African-American guys and that is amazing because, statistically, we could be doing anything else. Instead, we are here and we want to touch girls, rap, make money, and have fun. This summer, alone, there were killings of three people I personally knew and I’m thinking like I could be back home getting shot and I’m not.
Who are some people we should expect you to hop on a track with? On this project, I didn’t really search for features, because I have done some before. Vinny Cha$e was one of them and we’ve had some pretty notable features in the past. But, this time around, I wanted more focus on production. No features this go round on the actual project, but I might get some on some singles or the next project.
What are some of the things you do like about the South Carolina hip hop scene? When it comes to that, I really just do my own thing. So, I do my own thing, because it can become negative when they’re not really accepting you. I do my own thing, because I know my own potential. But, there are several people who I know and who I want to see make it because they are really trying to get it and they are bringing something positive to the South Carolina hip hop scene. But, for any state to have a movement, it takes much more than one person to do it. I can’t put one state on, myself, just like how North Carolina isn’t on, on, because of J. Cole, they still need a little more.
What’s your opinion on J. Cole? I think he’s great because I know how hard it is to be a producer and a rapper and to get respect at doing both and he’s getting a lot of traction, so I have to support that.
Where can we find you on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Instagram and Twitter @_MondayMusic. Facebook is Facebook.com/MondayMusic. Site is Swimclique.com.
Follow DJ Apollo on Twitter @KarolinaPOLLO.
