richmond’s Own Sneeze: Better than yesterday
Gulie Carrington: Nice to see you! Thanks for coming on today, I’ve been following you for a minute. I think I first came across you on a Richmond, VA Instagram account and been a fan since! I’ve always been curious about your rap name, tell me about that!
SNEEZE: One day I was freestyling, chillin’ with my brother and his friends, discussing what my rap name should be. Then, I sneezed (laughs) then they said “you should be Lil’ Sneeze”; so I was Lil’ Sneeze for a millisecond, and then graduated to regular Sneeze.
GC: That’s so dope! How did you come to be the artist we know today? Let’s do a deep dive of your journey. When did you decide to pursue a music career?
SN: I’m not sure if I decided or if music decided for me. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved music. My mom will tell you I would NOT go to sleep without some music playing. I started rapping with my uncles, just trying to figure out the craft when I was 7 or 8.
Then, I moved in with my grandparents and they were not into the idea of me rapping, so I did it on the low and it’s been 3 or 4 years since then.
GC: What kind of music did you like growing up? Is it different than the type of music you like now?
SN: If I go all the way back in my memories, it’s mostly listening to what my mom played in the car, which was a lot of classic hip-hip. I didn’t start defining what I liked until I discovered YouTube’s recommendations. I’ve always known of a lot of different music just from the people in my surroundings; my grandma put me on to Bobby Caldwell, we would listen to him on the way to church on Sunday. My granddad put me onto The Beetles, so musically I was all over.
GC: I relate to that too, my parents controlled everything I wanted to listen to. It wasn’t until I got an iPod (I’m talking about that huge white BRICK with the scrolling circle button) that I had any control over what I wanted to hear. I loved making playlists and downloading new music online (legally, of course). One of the first things I downloaded was 50 cent’s first album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, not the most appropriate but I loved it.
Stylistically, who would you compare yourself to?
SN: I don’t know. That’s hard. The position I’ve been in recently, to put it short, I haven’t been able to be the most modern version of myself in a while. The Number 4 EP is the closest I’ve felt to being myself. When you get to a certain side of making music, the people around you may try to stifle your creativity or change you, which is super limiting. I say that to say, it’s hard for me to accurately gauge who I’m similar to because I’m on a super lo-fi bedroom pop wave, and that to me is the purest form of myself. On the other hand, you might hear a track like Cyrax, which is totally different, which makes it hard for me to liken myself to other artists.
GC: I’ve listened to your music and I do get that ‘chameleon’ vibe; the previous song is nothing like the next. You are able to mold yourself and change into whatever it is you’re feeling at the time. I’m sure you can agree, true art is not copying something you’ve done in the past, but it’s creating something totally new.
Speaking of Cyrax, I see you’ve been heavy on TikTok. How have you used the internet to market yourself differently than you have before?
SN: Within the last month or two, I’ve tried to reinvent myself and reconsider my approach to the rap environment. It was hard to accept that I couldn’t go to shows and do this that and the third. Beyond the pandemic this year, I feel like it’s given me the motivation to do what I’m doing now. I’m just having fun on the internet, being as creative as I can.
GC: When you let your personality come through, people feel that because they feel like they know you.
SN: Exactly. To your point, I feel like this past year I allowed myself to get put into a box. I let people who were close to me put me into this box and I became too wrapped up into what I was trying to be, that I forgot to just breath and do my best to be liberated and feel more like myself and let my personality talk so I don’t feel like I’m a ‘product’. We’re all people and the art is a reflection of our humanity.
GC: Regarding performing, how would you describe your first performance?
SN: The first one I’ve ever done was an open mic at a library! I was 14. I had my eyes closed and just rapped the 4 or 5 songs I had! 3 years ago at The Camel in Richmond, VA.
GC: That’s awesome! At 19 to be pursuing this game is incredible. What’s next? What do you have planned in the future?
SN: We’re getting off the EDD Girl music video! I want it, the people want it. I’m working on songs off of the Number 4 project as singles that limited my promotion at drop. I have a lot of new music in the works, some stuff that people may not expect from me, and some of the more natural me at the same time. I’m really looking forward to fusing things into a project that is ME, that I feel good about. This spring or summer, you can definitely expect a new project from me.
Check out SNEEZE:
