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Hip-hop artist S7GMA’s latest single, “Now,” is a motivational anthem to remind us all to hold on — no matter what comes our way. S7GMA’s conscious single introduces listeners to the S7GMA sound.
S7GMA — pronounced “sigma” — is the solo act of an artist with years of prior experience in a group setting. The musician chose S7GMA as his moniker as a teenager because of its many underlying meanings.
“Sigma is the 18th letter in the Greek alphabet. When you turn 18, you’re free — it’s all up to you. Seven is also an important number in numerology. Seven is perfection,” explains S7GMA.
Originally from North Philadelphia, S7GMA relocated to Texas in junior high school.
“My uncle put me on old music,” shares the artist. “In junior high in Texas, I was allowed to express myself more. I started listening to different types of music.”
At that time, his friends began making parody songs (in the era of Weird Al and fellow creators).
“Then, my best friend (xiqt) dropped a real song and sent me the link. I was impressed in my head like, how did he do it? I thought you needed a million dollars in studio equipment to do so.”
After acquiring the software to get started (and a $100 microphone, courtesy of his mother), S7GMA was set.
S7GMA is a self-produced artist. Over the years, his sound has taken shape from experience and the influence of artists including Logic and Kid Cudi.
“My musical sound is in phases,” shares the musician. “It’s based on my mood. I have fun, commercial, poppy songs. Songs talking my talk. A love song coming out. But at the moment, I’m trying to stick with the S7GMA sound. My motivation is dark in a morbid-type way. My music is for people who have to learn the hard way.”
“Now” is about “welcoming listeners to your new forever.” The single is a positivity anthem, filled with affirmation. S7GMA hopes to remind listeners that pain does end and to hold on through the hardest of times.
To create the single, S7GMA began with a beat that took time to build.
“I had a beat that I started with a melody last year. At the beginning of this year, I was having thoughts about it. So, for the first three months, I locked myself in a room and opened the beat. I produced all the music from scratch. Piano, synth pads, strings, then drums. From there, I got to writing everything I was feeling in that moment. I was in the mindset of, ‘It’s been 11 years, so go ahead and stop wasting time. Time doesn’t wait for anyone. Get it now.’”
With his quest for sigma perfection, S7GMA learned to engineer his vocals to work perfectly with his unique sound. Over the past four years, he’s been mastering music production, first on FL Studio.
“I was tired of buying beats on YouTube and searching for this-artist-type beats. I’d like one of every 100 beats. I don’t rap about the same things others do. I got tired of looking for them. So, I got FL Studio and bought equipment, then watched YouTube videos to mimic what they do until I had the muscle memory down. It’s paying off one thousand percent.”
When he’s not creating new music, S7GMA is showcasing his talent to live audiences. In mid-July, he has a live show in Austin and another lined up in Houston toward the end of the month. He also plans to drop his EP, Mind Of Me, this fall.
Alongside “Now,” S7GMA has another single, “Sorry,” available on all streaming platforms, as well as a video for the single on YouTube.
Make sure to stay connected to S7GMA on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
ON THE RISE
Clinton Brand III – better known as CBIII – is a California-based rapper. His new single, titled “I Won’t Quit,” is a motivational and relatable message for everyone “going through it.”
The track, with a beat by Tunna Beats, has a Blurry Face vibe. It starts with a violin and the soft “ahh”s of featured singer Alex Brinkley. When the beat drops, piano, bass and drums enter along with CBIII’s lyrical meditations on “overthinking, contemplating, and debating” why he “won’t quit.”
As the final line makes clear, the song is a study in contradictory mindsets. There’s the fear of failure – what if I’m not good enough? – and then the contrast of relentlessness as stated in the title.
The lyrics of the song’s final quattrain are especially strong. Beginning with an example of CBIII’s wordplay (phenomenal and astronomical anomaly), the final message is one of inspiration: I’m tired of this, so I’m going to make it better.
This struggle with nagging self-doubt and overthinking makes “I Won’t Quit” very relatable. In the end, CBIII wants listeners to be inspired, to not give in when they find themselves in similar circumstances.
Brand’s inspiration for “I Won’t Quit” was intensely personal. Following the death of his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother and then was placed in foster care. A recent visit found his grandmother’s memory fading; this was painful, considering that she had once been his biggest supporter.
This episode left him feeling abandoned, in a dark place.
He says, “I wrote the song ‘I Won’t Quit’ because at that time I was suicidal. I didn’t have nobody else to turn to because my grandma didn’t really care anymore.”
The vulnerability expressed in the lyrics made CBIII unsure if he wanted to release the song at all. He says, “I actually sat on the song for like five months before even thinking about releasing it because it’s so close to home that I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have the courage to share it.”
Now that the song is out, its vulnerability is its strength. Brand’s struggle is real, and the general contours – missing family support, doubting yourself, knowing you need to persevere – will be familiar to many.
In addition to his personal desire to live up his dream of greatness, Brand has another reason not to give up: his younger brother, who is currently in foster care. Knowing his brother looks up to him, he wants to remind him that giving in to doubt is the easy way out.
Brand says, “I want to encourage him, to show him that if you set your mind to it, bro, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
In the end, CBIII wants listeners to learn from his pain, to ask themselves, “What if I don’t give up?”
Stream “I Won’t Quit” now, wherever you listen to music.
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