HappyBirthdyCalvin is an up and coming rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He's only 17 years old with a name that holds weight, and dope music to back it up. He's most known for his song "Kari's Song" on the soundtrack of Netflix's movie "Beats". This interview is about his fast-paced come up and what made him the artist he is today.
How Old Are You?
17
When did you start making music?
I started making music probably like when I was ten. I was already in real studios recording shit as a youngin.
What pride do you hold due to being from Chicago? How has your city inspired you?
Chicago is a hustler city, so I have that "work hard" mentality. I also got a lot of inspiration from Chicago legends like Kanye West. I love Kanye and grew up listening to him.
Besides Kanye, who did you grow up listening to?
Besides Ye, I grew up listening to artists like Lil Wayne, Tyler the Creator, and Asap Rocky. But the inspiration is mainly from Kanye and Lil Wayne.
Your music has isn't like a lot of other Chicago rappers? How do you make sure it stays unique and true to you?
I don't listen to a lot of other artists I just listen to myself, I'm not really fans of other artists like that. I'll respect it, but never really consider myself a fan.
Where did you go to high school in Chicago?
ChiArts High School.
Did going to an arts high school actually help you grow artistically, or did you sort of figure everything out outside of school?
It taught me how to write anything form books, novels, to poetry, I'm actually a published writer. So yeah, I guess you can say it helped with writing and I write my own music.
What can we be looking forward to in terms of your future music?
My album is dropping in October. I'm having a listing party in Chicago and LA, so that'll dope. I'm just going to start dropping hella content and I'm super excited.
How has it been adapting to the "fast life" of a known artist?
It's been fine for me because I'm a very simple guy. It gets hard for people who follow trends and fall under these spells. I just stay true to myself, Imma OG.
Listen to some of HappyBirthdayCalvin's music below:
HappyBirthdayCalvin's Social Media:
Instagram: @HappyBirthdayCalvin
Twitter: @HappyBirthdayCalvin