By the title itself, you know you’re about to embark on a journey through music. Boston rapper CSpring released his EP titled “Growth” and this project was mesmerizing. The EP begins with an opening song called “Memories”. “Memories” begins with an opening dialogue that sets off a thought-provoking vibe before the uptempo delivery comes in. the lyrics behind “Memories” felt super authentic and personal to the journey of CSpring. The aesthetic of the beat had this smooth-sailing soulful trap vibe that you won’t hear in most songs. The next single that transitioned in was “Radio”. Radio had delightful energy and a raw lyrical arrangement. CSpring continued to show us his hunger, passion and drive he has for success through the songwriting of “Radio”.
However, one of my personal favorites on this EP was the next song “Lake House”. “Lake House” was a memorable record for me because the hook was melodically beautiful. The orchestration of the vocals in the hook was just simply gorgeous. The passion for CSpring’s delivery through the verses helped emphasize the importance of the record. Not to mention the title of the song was highly imaginative and played with our imagery. The next song completely compelled me. “Movin’ On” begins with a gorgeous acoustic guitar that strummed so riveting. The entire melody of the hook itself was captivating and bewitching. “Movin On” was the song that fully reeled us into the EP and song. You escaped your day to day thoughts and placed yourself into the scene of the song with the detailed lyricism that CSpring projected. The next song that comes into the EP was “Right In The Middle” and I felt as if this record was perfectly coordinated at the right measure of the album. Just like the title, the song fits smoothly into the middle of the chronological order of each of these heart-rendering tracks.
What I appreciated most about this EP was how CSpring didn’t give us one dimension with this project. He fused together with the soulful elements of smooth R&B with the hard-hitting bars of classic vintage rap. This fusion is highly noticeable in the song “Mirrors”. Another component to “Mirrors” that I thoroughly enjoyed was the trendy punchlines incorporated in the songwriting. CSpring ends this album off with the song titled “Growth”. “Growth” was the perfect closer to this project because it resembled the opener. In the opener, CSpring gave us a dialogue that felt like he was searching for a reason and for more.
What I’ve learned is that throughout these songs on this EP, CSpring takes you onto different meanings and lessons that he’s personally experienced. It’s like by the time you reach the closing song “Growth”, you feel spiritually cleansed, more mature, and elevated. CSpring released an EP that makes you feel multiple different emotions. He makes you think, he makes you feel, but most importantly he makes you understand him through his lyrics. Not many rappers have this skill. In fact, there’s only a select few like Kendrick and Jcole who does this for me. CSpring has undeniably proved to us that he is the next rap great and we’re excited to see him take over the industry!
You can listen to “Growth by CSpring” here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic CSpring! What were some of your early inspirations if you can remember?
Honestly my mom and dad. I was super lucky to have two very cool and different parents who liked a wide variety of music. My sisters also liked a lot of cool weird stuff that would get passed on to me. I was always an analytical listener. If music was on, I was dancing and singing, literally, since the day I could talk and stand. But my biggest musical hero growing up was for sure Michael Jackson, everybody in my house would agree with that one.
Tell us about your EP “Growth”. What was the main theme you were aiming for behind most of these songs?
I kind of split my writing styles between singles and projects. Singles are always just bars etc, but when I do projects it’s always a story. This is basically just a continuation in my life off of my last project Thoughts From Dreams (2017). While my last project dealt with discussing a lot of childhood trauma and relationship issues this project was all about self-growth. The title is quite literal and details about a two year period in my life of intense change. Each individual song is really about dealing with a specific issue I felt a lot of people could relate to. I really just wanted to show everyone in their late 20’s that they aren’t the only ones feeling the pressure of growing up.
Which song from “Growth” would you consider the most challenging to create and why?
Oh, definitely Lake House. That’s one of the weirdest songs I’ve ever written. My extended family has been taking a trip to this lake house in New Hampshire the last couple of years and it’s one of the few vacations I allow myself. It’s been a yearly place of reflection and release from a lot of the stress I deal with. They have a piano there and the whole song is built around an iPhone sample of me playing it. The beginning is actually my dad making fun of me before I played the portion I sampled. From a production and vocal standpoint, it’s a bizarre arrangement and production style. I wanted to do something that had a sort of tribal rhythmic feel backing it up. It definitely took a while to feel confident in the song but it’s ended up being a favorite of a lot of people and I’m glad a wrote it.
Which song on “Growth” do you feel has the biggest impact on you as a listener from your artist’s point of view and why?
Definitely Mirror. It’s one of my favorites, and also the last track I wrote for the project. The song really is dealing with shame and self-hate. I’ve dealt with severe depression my entire life and it’s something that despite massive growth, I still struggle with daily. I’m a very confident person when it comes to my abilities but often get caught in the reflection of my past mistakes and trauma. Dealing with hating my own reflection is a constant battle and this song really captures that better than any I’ve ever written. Though it’s very painful to listen to. it’s also a constant reminder that all of that pain is in my head and I have the power to change that.
Which song was your personal favorite on “Growth” and why?
Probably the City of Angels, I think most people would agree. I had a blast making that song and then taking that whole trip to LA to shoot the video and network was so much fun. I’m blessed to call Kyle Bent my friend, we’ve made a lot of music together the past 2 years. Dudes are really doing a lot to help me out as a smaller artist in New England. The video came out great thanks to my homy Sir Casanova, my manager Chris Davis, and Mind Flex A&R Laith Rajab. Honestly watch the video and documentary, it will explain how much fun we had so much better than I can with words.
What’s next for you in 2020 CSpring?
So much more music. I got two more videos for Growth coming out, another track with Kyle and a surprise artist. Then a project with my bro Reggie Hue, a bunch of singles and videos. My band The Lost Collective has a project dropping soon. I’m producing a lot of other people now. Most importantly I got a release show January 31st Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA more details coming soon. The biggest thing in 2020 is to learn from my own project and keep growing!