Today we’d like to introduce you to Sin.
Sin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been writing ever since I was a kid.
I remember teachers pushing me to share in front of the other classes in elementary school.
By the time I got to high school, I was writing mostly poetry; but I didn’t start to get consistent with it until I was nearly 18. I used to work nights at a fast food restaurant, and I remember this older gentleman used to always come in and I had heard he was a writer.
So I asked him for advice.
He said “write everyday” So that’s exactly what I did.
After a year of that I finally went to my first open mic.
I wrote and rehearsed and performed, and eventually ended up at almost every poetry open mic in DFW.
I got my first couple of paid gigs after about a year on the scene.
Since then I’ve released a couple of projects, and organized a couple tours of the open mics I had performed at.
I have also always been into business,
I used to sell candy in middle school and do lawn work around the neighborhood for money in high school.
So my focus as of late has been building the business around my art.
I’ve booked a few college shows, and have been co-hosting the first open mic I performed at (@DockOpenMic) for over two years now.
Creatively I have been taking some time to get away from the scene a bit to write.
I’ve always wanted to make songs as well; and now that I have met some musicians on the scene,
I plan on seeing where that path takes me.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has its ups and downs.
In the beginning, I spent a lot of time wondering how I was going to fit all the pieces together.
There is no defined path really; and so much conflicting information when it comes to the entertainment business. I’ve asked myself “was that a waste of time?” a million times.
I’ve asked myself “Do I suck, or did the crowd suck?” a million times.
I’ve also been working most of the time that I’ve been pursuing this.
Anyone that has done that knows that your schedule looks a lot different from most people, and not everyone that comes into your life will understand that.
And you can’t tell them “look, I know it works” this isn’t like going to school and landing a job, you’ve got to figure it out/make it up as you go along.
But, what’s kept me going has been the advice and support from other artists and friends in the scene who were willing to give me feedback, advice, guidance, and hell even gas money at times.
There is also the weird feeling you get when you realize someone is actually a fan of yours.
It always feels surreal when people tell me they’ve listened to/shared my work, or that I put what they felt into words, or when a younger artist tells me they look up to me, or when anyone buys tickets just to see me.
Tell us about your work – what should we know?
I am a spoken word artist. I write a lot of pieces that sound like raps. I try to touch every aspect of life in my work, but I’m also not afraid to talk about making some money. I feel like, at least for poets it’s still not cool to talk about wanting to get paid but I am not ashamed of it. I work hard, I should be paid. I believe that all artists should learn about business and not just leave it up to chance that they have some success.
I also cohost one the best open mics in DFW.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
More people than I can name, probably more than I can remember right now.
But a few that come to mind are
– My English teachers all throughout school
– Keith Thomas Walker , thank you for coming to Metro Opportunity High school and reading poetry that sounded unlike everything in school textbooks
– The Dock Bookshop, and all of the dope artists that I met there
– Mike Guinn for the early advice and opportunities, and for all the connections you helped me make
– Annika Michelle for showing me the scene, and all the countless things you did to support me
– William Shelton for booking me for my first ever paid gig, and the continued support
– Brenda Randall for booking me for my second ever paid gig, and always keeping me in mind for shows
– Ty Foard for welcoming me on your platforms always
– Rage Almighty , thank you for teaching me early on that the show must go on, and for answering all my questions all of the time. Also for showing me that even the greatest poets get nervous as f*** before a show
– Sherrie (Candy) Zantea thank you for the support, for the business advice, and for doing big things
– Wayne Henry for the artistic advice, business advice, and general life advice. Thank you for showing up to my shows, and letting me open at yours.
– Martell Holloway, you gave me some solid advice during a rough patch in my life and have always been fun to hang and collaborate with. Thank you for the continued support
– And to everyone I’m forgetting, thank you as well
Contact Info:
- Phone: 8178124036
- Email: sin.apolloentertainment@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/SinSpokenWord
- Facebook: Facebook.com/SinSpokenWord
- Twitter: Twitter.com/SinSpokenWord
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcgrUHGgcQ8cLZrHxvH53PMsI9uwW_81R
Image Credit:
Charles Jai
Mycah
Travis A Smalls
Gary Mufasa
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