Alexcusemy, originally from Houston, Texas, and now located in St. Louis, is a producer/rapper who will surprise you. Alexcusemy uses his creativity and skills as a producer to create unique rap songs with influences from various genres, including hip hop, electronic, and jazz. He focuses on darker, somber themes for his music, which also sets him apart from the majority of rap songs. In 2019, Alexcusemy produced his first single alongside producer/rapper Osiris Marshall, which has now reached 3k streams. In just one year, Alexcusemy has started producing his own songs and developing his own personal style.
Alexcusemy’s latest release “Vapormaxes In The Snow,” displays his non-traditional rap style. The song is quite short and attention-grabbing, and the influences of jazz and hip hop are quite prevalent. There is a heavy focus on piano, using unique rhythm patterns and fast runs, a different and funky accompaniment for a rap song. His lyrics deal with struggles of addiction, and the emotional side effects that accompany addiction. He sings “It’s just me up in the snow”, showing the lonely and depressive side of addiction. “Vapormaxes In The Snow” shows that Alexusemy can use his production skills to explore his creative side.
Listen to “Vapormaxes In The Snow” here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Alexcusemy! Tell us a little bit about “Vapormaxes In The Snow”, and how long is the production process for a typical track?
"Vapormaxes In The Snow" is a song that someone who feels alone could relate to. There's a lot of self-loathing, that I laugh about now, going on in that song. I wrote it in January 2019. A lot has changed for the better since then. It's a short and sweet song. I'm rapping around the beat instead of with the beat if that makes sense. When the piano is riffing, I'm not rapping or I'm rapping a long syllable. It kind of gives me that jazz room feel. I envision myself in a dark piano bar venting to the crowd when I listen to that song.
The composition stage of this song was typical for me, time wise. It took less than two hours to compose. Recording the vocals took 2 takes. I had to get the emotion right in my voice for this one. I needed the people to feel me. Everything after composition took about 2 hours tops. Shout out Ryan Ethos @ Bunkr. He recorded me. He was a part of the creative process as well.
Does “Vapormaxes In The Snow” draw influence from your own life? Where do you typically find inspiration for your songs?
"Vapormaxes In The Snow" came about as I moved to St. Louis from Houston. My social situation dramatically changed as I went from having a close-knit group of friends to knowing virtually no one in St. Louis. I used to have a bad habit of vaping and I was reflecting on my struggle with that in addition to the changes social scenery around me. Also, Vapormaxes are my favorite shoes and they are my go-to when I need to throw on a pair of shoes. So the title "Vapormaxes In The Snow" is representative of me being in this new environment, St. Louis, where it snows a lot.
I typically find inspiration from my songs internally. I'm not an outwardly emotional person, I'm more of an introverted thinker but the emotions are still very much there inside of me. Music, for me, is a creative and emotional way to get them out.
You mentioned that you produced your first single in 2019. Have you always known you wanted a career in the music industry, or is this something you recently began pursuing?
Music is in my blood as cliche as that sounds. My dad was a college radio station DJ and a member of a collegiate band. So, I got my love for different types of music from him. He tried teaching me piano as a kid. I had no interest as a kid but as I got older, I tried out guitar. My fine motor skills suck so that didn't work out. However, I obviously picked up making beats. That happened in high school when I heard the instrumental song "Wavriel" by Suicideyear. That beat changed my life. I dropped music for a while until I had a bad breakup in January 2017. I started selling beats on Instagram a year later and through Instagram, I met a couple people who gave me tips and tricks on music composition and mixing/mastering. They also encouraged me to take risks with music and to do things that haven't been done before or extensively. So this little run I'm having with music has been in the works since really 2012 or 2017, depending on how you count.
It was a pleasure chatting with you, Alexcusemy! Do you have upcoming plans for the promotion of “Vapormaxes In The Snow”?
Yes I have plans for promotion. I know someone who has a degree in internet marketing and we have something arranged. However, that doesn't mean that I'll exclusively work with him.