Popular Bay Area artist, Symba has proved himself to be one of the best conversational rappers of his time.
Extremely, intelligent and business minded, Symba has had his fair share of trials and tribulations, when striving to fulfill his dream as a rapper. Growing up, Symba faced adversity. Between his mother being in and out of jail or his father serving a life sentence in prison; Symba had every odd against him. He redefined what Rap, now meant for him; ‘responsibilities and principles.’ This new definition fit his experiences, but most importantly, his lessons. Having said that, Symba blessed the culture of Hip Hop with his voice. “I want to use the knowledge that I’ve gained to give you all something you can use.” Symba, called his testimonies, ‘Ghetto Literacy,’ educating the people of all walks of life.
What is your creative process when making music ?
It's different every time. Sometimes I write to a beat for a week, sometimes I do six songs in a day. It all depends on the production and what I’m trying to say at that moment. Sometimes I don’t have anything to say, so I end up making songs about nothing; which is cool because you have to make the bad songs to be able to get to the good songs. My process really depends on if I have something to say or not.
What influenced your upcoming project ?
This is my first real release, I’ve released small underground mixtapes but nothing of this magnitude. The project I’m getting ready to release is called “Don’t Run From Rap”.. The influence behind it is the name itself. I’m a very great rapper and a few years ago I stopped rapping and started trying to make trendy shit because I wasn’t getting support. I thought I had to make melodic music in order to be recognized. But once I started making melodic music, the few fans I did have would tell me they want to hear me rap more. From then on, I vowed to never run from rap.
Are there any people that inspire your work ?
Jay Z, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Meek Mill, and Nipsey Hussle are my rap influences. I also look up to people like Tyler Perry, Diddy, Bob Johnson & Aliko Dangote. These are great black business men who inspire me. I truly want to be a businessman, I know how to rap so I’m perfecting that shit first.
What message(s) would you want your listeners to receive from your music?
My message is simple... NEVER STOP! No matter what you’re doing; never give up on what you believe in. Even if what you believe in isn’t lawfully right, you can still find a way to make it work in your favor. There are real criminals that are millionaires because they turned their way of living into art. Whether it’s through Hip Hop, writing books or even movies; you don’t have to be a victim of your past experiences. You can find a way to turn your trials into triumph by never giving up on yourself. We all have a purpose, you just have to understand what yours is and never stop applying it to what you believe in.
Outside of music, what else can we expect from you ?
I can’t give you a clear answer because I’m still figuring this out everyday. What I do know is that, one of my main focuses is to make Bay Area culture, understood by the entire world through art. In the Bay, we get overlooked a lot for things we contribute to the entertainment culture. I will be somebody that helps us get all of our recognition.
- Georgette Smith