16-year-old Ramone Hamilton is an actor, voice actor, and singer born into a long line of entertainers. Known best for playing the leading voice of George in the Dreamworks Animated series "Captain Underpants," Coop in Disney Jr.'s "The Chicken Squad," AJ in Nickelodeon's "Blaze and The Monster Machines," and Crash Watkins in Ludacris's animated Netflix series "Karma's World."
Ramone Hamilton began his career in the footsteps of uncle and jazz icon Chico Hamilton and grandfather and actor Bernie Hamilton, also known as Captain Dobey from the popular 1970s series "Starsky and Hutch." At age 5, Ramone recorded an anti-bullying CD with jazz icon Patti Austin and, by 7, had performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. Quite the accolades for someone at that age.
Now, teaming up with NYC artist, producer, and music manager Dax Mpire on the launch of the wistful single "Antisocial," these two work side by side to create a heartfelt and melancholic atmosphere professed in the latest release.
Ramone Hamilton's supple croons speak words of vulnerability and truth - in a rather poetic manner through the soothing grooves of the musical arrangement. As he sings, "I'm antisocial, I don't know what to do. It's 3:00 AM. I'm wondering if I should call you," there's a whirlwind of our nostalgia that rushes back from moments of weakness in love.
Within the sparse guitar chords that emanate warmth and guidance for Hamilton's poignant timbres to glide upon, the simplicity of this arrangement bursts with an elegance that further propels the heartrending nature of "Antisocial." Singing lulling lyrical motifs that tell a story of Ramone Hamilton questioning his current environment due to the fall out of a once adorned relationship has us feeling the familiarity of the emotions conveyed.
It's beautiful to see how both Ramone Hamilton and Dax Mpire conjure up this graceful concept which emphasizes the rich narrative present. Hoping to see more from this dynamic duo in the future, "Antisocial" has just what it takes to get us through the night.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Ramone Hamilton, and congratulations on your latest single release, "Antisocial." We love the depth and emotion you portray in this song as you sing from the heart. Was there a particular moment or story responsible for the creation of this song?
Yes. I wrote it at the beginning of 2022. And during that time, I was going to school online, so it wasn’t in person like it is now. And while doing school online, I felt a great sense of isolation because I wasn’t in class with any other kids. So through that isolation and a feeling of loneliness, that came out. I feel that’s pretty relatable to many kids my age who are growing up during this pandemic, where there’s a lot of isolation and even death. I think this is affecting people a lot.
Bringing forth such an elegant atmosphere with Dax Mpire shows the chemistry between you two. What was it like working together to bring this song to life? How did this collaboration come to be?
It was great working with Dax. I’ve always felt great synergy working with him. This was not the first time working with him. We worked together back in 2019 when I was thirteen. We recorded some music that was never released. But this time, we knew we had something special with “Antisocial.” It was a song that I wrote. I came to the studio with it and already had a plan in mind, and he helped to facilitate my vision.
Being a multifaceted entertainer such as yourself, you branch out into many creative expressions. What similarities and differences do you find between the world of acting and music?
There are a lot of similarities. One is the preparation aspect of it. With acting, I’m big on preparation and my process and doing character studies. It’s the same when I go into the studio to record music. I go in with an idea, and all my songs are already written because I pay for all my studio time. And time is money. You don’t want to be creating on your dime. You want to be creating on your own time. Also, since I’ve spent so much time in the recording booth doing voiceover work, being in the booth feels very natural for me.
The story you dive into can be a familiar topic for many listeners. What message would you like them to take away from "Antisocial" that has hopefully helped you along the way?
There’s a quote. “Hard times don’t last; tough people do." You might be going through some trials and tribulations. You might be going through a period where you might not have many friends, or school might be weighing you down. You might have some fears about your future. This is an exciting time for a lot of teenagers growing up. It’s special because this is the only time to experience stuff like this, like the pains of growing up. But it’s important to know that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t bog yourself down. While these may be some trying times, especially coming off the pandemic — us being a "quarantine generation" — I’d say to try to find things that you enjoy doing and try to make friends. Just start talking to people. Try to become the person that you want to be.
What are you most excited about in 2023?
I’m most excited about releasing more music, which will come out later this year. I’m excited about writing and creating some more short films that I’ll be releasing on my YouTube channel Ram One Productions. Also, film school. I’m also going to a cinematic summer program at USC. And I have a big animated project that will be coming out soon. I can’t speak about it now, but it’s something big in the pipeline.