In hip hop’s modern era, the quality of lyricism is decreasing, and the quantity of new music is increasing. Only a remnant of artists now manage to release projects rapidly without sacrificing their pen games.
Jered Sanders is among those artists. Since Aug. 2015, he’s put out three strong albums, an EP and numerous singles. That’s a new project every 4.5 months.
Sanders just dropped his latest LP, Nobody Famous, in January. Read Rapzilla.com’s interview with him about the project and his influences below.
Rapzilla.com: Why title your album Nobody Famous?
Jered Sanders: It was really just about keeping myself “low” (a connotation for humility), not taking yourself too seriously. Despite the fact that I do music, I still get home, feed my daughter sweet potatoes and black beans, take out the trash and brown turkey meat when the wife’s not at home yet (laughs). I ain’t nobody “famous.”
Well, not to boost your pride if that was the concept of the project, but the lyricism on Nobody Famous was exceptional. How did you sharpen your pen game to reach this point over the years?
Thanks man. I honestly just studied the MCs I respected through the years in order to find my own voice. That was the basic crux of it. I study cadences, rhyme patterns and flows more so than bars. Beyond that, though, I think it’s good to leave just enough “low-hanging fruit” for the average listener to catch and weave in my own reality to build a connection.
Who did you study the most?
Phonte, Black Thought and Nas … a little Lupe too. But Phonte’s the reason I wanted to rap. That dude’s got it all. I paid attention to a little Kendrick of recent as well.
Now, many lyricists take their time releasing new music, but you’ve been able to drop new projects at a quick pace. How?
Honestly, I have no idea. Bro, I had a goal to put out a song a month just to stay sharp. What ended up happening is I was getting so much inspiration, I started writing two albums worth of work (maybe three), mad features and just random bars. I don’t know how it happened aside from God giving an increase of words. Praise God for that.
Wow, so does that mean there’s more new music on the way, or were Nobody Famous and Hope Is Dope those two albums?
There’s absolutely more music on the way — no question. You can take that to the bank and cash it. Nobody Famous was one project, but I was working on another at the same time. Now, since NF is out, I’ve already started working on another one.
I thought you were talking about the rapper NF for a good second. Was there a most memorable moment creating Nobody Famous or a favorite song?
Truth be told, I actually hate recording. I love the writing, mixing and performing aspects of music. So the first memorable moment would be finishing the album. The second one would be playing it for my wife and daughter. They’re tough critics, man (laughs). My favorite song changes daily, but as of today, it’s the title track. Dee Black went bananas on that one!
What’s the toughest criticism your daughter has given your music?
When she gives no reaction at all, I know I’ve gotta keep working at it. She’s a pretty attentive and engaging kid. She lets you know if she likes it pretty quickly. For her to give no response at all can be a bit discouraging. She’s tough, bro.
Sounds brutal. Now, it felt like there was a lot of purpose behind this project. How do you hope Nobody Famous impacts listeners?
Honestly, I just hope it encourages people to keep pushing despite their outside circumstances and reiterating how God loves them. Regardless of our political, socioeconomic or religious grievances and differences, we’re all just human and trying to figure this life/faith-walk out at the end of the day.
Buy Nobody Famous on iTunes.
