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ON THE RISE
Emerging hip-hop artist, Saint Tatum shines light on his truth in his latest EP, Are You Awake Yet. The young rapper seeks connection with listeners by telling his stories authentically—and set to a solid beat.
Hailing from eastern Canada and raised across multiple households, Saint Tatum is a bold storyteller eager to share his stories with the world. At only 16 years old, he is on track to continue developing his unique sound as he puts out EP after EP.
Even when he’s at school, Saint Tatum is thinking up his next hit. “During free time, I’m trying to find my next beat and write my lyrics to that beat. I don’t really stop at school. I just like doing music.”
“I want to spread my love and all good intentions as other artists have done for me,” adds Saint Tatum, who is set on creating a style uniquely his own. He finds inspiration in hip hop, particularly mumble rap, but his homegrown sound infuses a variety of styles.
Saint Tatum has loved music for as long as he can remember; the confidence to make his own, however, took time to develop. “I never thought I had talent because I didn’t like my voice. But then I came to a point where I realized that everyone has their own voice and a different way to tell stories. You’ve just got to find it.”
When it comes to crafting his songs, Saint Tatum always starts with the beat. “I don’t write unless I hear the melody,” shares Saint Tatum. “It comes from my heart—it’s authentic. I have inspirations but I try and sound the furthest away from them and more of what I sound like—more like myself.”
Currently, he produces his music from a home studio. Working with a MacBook and Focusrite Scarlett Interface, Saint Tatum captures his sound and produces each track. As for software, he prefers BandLab because of one effect he loves using time and time again.
Saint Tatum’s new EP, Are You Awake Yet, contains six self-produced tracks. “I think they have their own sound. They’re similar, but not all have the same vibe—there’s different emotions to them.”
The first two tracks, “The Mirage” and “Love It Like That” have what Saint Tatum calls a “more nonchalant vibe.” “The Spot” explores a more psychedelic sound, leaning on vocal effects to set it apart. “Abominal” returns to the “nonchalant” chill of earlier tracks.
Saint Tatum’s favorite track of the bunch, “Don’t Ask Me Why,” is based off pure emotion. “I layered my voice with a negative state of mind. Every time I listen to it, I can feel it,” explains the artist.
In terms of sound, “Pretty Boy Life” shares a similar beat with “The Mirage” and “Love It Like That,” which has become a fan favorite. Overall, Saint Tatum’s voice and musicality ring true across all tracks.
“I want listeners to feel connected when they listen to my songs,” tells Saint Tatum. “When I listen to songs, it’s like some artists are explaining your life. They’re relatable. I want that relatability. Not everyone will feel that way, but certain people will see we’re the same.”
Ultimately, Saint Tatum wants listeners to know he’s made a community for them. “Feel free to check it out and see if it’s a space you resonate with,” he adds. “You can’t know about me unless you want to find out what the space is like.”
Make sure to stay connected to Saint Tatum 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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