Off the Record

Ewan Pratt 0:00
Let's get everyone you're listening to WKNC 88.1 FM HD on Raleigh. We are a student run nonprofit radio station based out of North Carolina State University. I'm Ewan aka DJ off belay. And this is the alt rap pipeline deep cuts where we're interviewing some of the up and coming at talent out of the art rap underground. Today, I'm here with Ernesto Birmingham. Let's good man. How's it going?

Ernesto Birmingham 0:25
I'm doing great. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, we can jump right into it, I guess.

Ewan Pratt 0:32
Yeah. So maybe for some people that are listening that haven't really heard you before. Once you give yourself like a little intro, what kind of music you make? Yeah, how long you've been making music stuff like that.

Ernesto Birmingham 0:43
Um, I would describe the music I make as alternative hip hop. kind of akin to you know, where Tyler the Creator sits in the mainstream sector and then also I was very influenced by the whole odd the whole Odd Future group growing up and also Chicago's whole save money group so I think you can hear those influences in my music and my contemporaries are you know, also influences so like if you know Yun Wabo and Jonah love those are two two of my corroborate hers Yeah, with with with my music, and then acts like God, the arsonist and all these these really cool underground people who are just like waiting to bubble up. I feel like I'm, I'm really taken from, yeah, no,

Ewan Pratt 1:43
definitely sit well, within that sound that you sort of described. Like, nowadays, music doesn't really have sort of an emphasis on location, it's more about like, the certain sound you're trying to emulate. I feel like you brought up a lot of the people that play on my show and stuff like that. So those influences you'd say definitely are sort of like intentional in terms of like your contemporaries, or is it more just like, you like making this kind of music? And it's sort of just works out that there's already sort of a sound there.

Ernesto Birmingham 2:15
I mean, it's, it's both because, you know, I think what we all like to do is, essentially just take bits and pieces of stuff that, you know, we're not really supposed to, and then kind of, like, distorted into something that's really, like, way cooler, than you'd hear on. I think, traditional, like top 100 Not to be pretentious about the underground because, you know, it's just like, there's, there's good music and bad music, just like in mainstream, but like, that's, yeah, I so I would describe it as I am intentionally kind of, you know, putting my style in that camp, but then also that's just arises naturally. Like, that's, that is how I understand being a creative, like, through this sense of like, distorting the the cool aspects that we hear in music before and then you know, turning into something else, if that makes sense. It's kind of word salad.

Ewan Pratt 3:18
Yeah, no, I like how you said taking stuff that you're not necessarily supposed to be. I mean, kind of hinting at, like sampling, obviously, like, straight up not supposed to be but also just like taking other genres.

Ernesto Birmingham 3:30
Well, 100% Yeah. My, no. Yeah,

Ewan Pratt 3:35
go go ahead.

Ernesto Birmingham 3:37
Well, I mean, like, I guess the latest example of that would be for I, my latest single was, everything is for free. And that was just like, I was listening to this one song called Nancy Drew by slipped face, I think I think that's how it's pronounced. And it was just like, so heavy on the guitar, and like the the bass and stuff like that. I was just like, I want to put that in a in a rap song. And it's, that's not like, it hasn't been done before. But like, it was just like that, that type of that type of energy. Just, I want to express myself over that type of energy. So

Ewan Pratt 4:21
yeah, would you say that's like kind of typical with how you make your songs. It's like, you find a sample, you're like, Oh, this is inspired me all of a sudden, or there's some times where it's like, oh, I want to make a song about this. Let me find the sample or maybe like, just you have a title first. And like, I want to make a song called this.

Ernesto Birmingham 4:41
I'm not even gonna lie, like sometimes. Sometimes the title comes first. Because like, it's, that is such an important part of the process. But the truth is, you know, I think when you get to a certain point in it, at least for me, it's not like trying to find a creative process is like processing creatively by what you're doing. Like I now I process music creatively. Like, I think about like a song that I listened to, like I've been listening to every day, the past two weeks, I was like, why she listened to the song and I investigated and I try to find exactly what I like about it. And in doing that, I I realized, okay, this is something I can take for, for myself for my next song, and that's how it be how it becomes like, I it's like, it's like a translation process, almost something in the world, and I use music to to tell other people about it.

Ewan Pratt 5:44
Wow, that's, I feel like I've never really heard it described that way. But it makes a lot of sense. Like, not necessarily has to be an active process of being creative. You can be doing it sort of like in the background, or you're listening to other music or in like, just like throughout the day, it's like, it's it's never off. All right, yeah. Like with that I sort of wanted to talk about so refreshing your freshman album, when you like, went about releasing that was their sort of a driving. I don't know how to say it. Like, what, what was the goal of the album? Did you want to like, have it be like a concept down? Do you want to?

Ernesto Birmingham 6:22
So that's, it's a lot, it's almost a long story. I remember. I always wanted an album, name or a project called Soul refreshing. And at first, I didn't know why over quarantine, because it started, like in 2019. But and like that I just had that idea. So refreshing is before I even really finished songs like I, I produce all my work, and I write my own lyrics and all that stuff. But I didn't really make songs. I didn't record and finish songs for a while. But I always had this idea I was going to make an album. And it was either going to be called Catalyst, which is part of the name of my next upcoming project. Add a catalyst or so refreshing. I started making songs, like actually making songs during quarantine. And I kind of came to this realization that I wasn't good at it. So what I what I started to develop is like, Oh, the reason I want I liked the name so refreshing is because you get interviews with these up and coming artists and you hear somebody say, Oh, this, this record is just so refreshing to hear a young artists do this, or black artists do that, or a queer artists to do this. And I was like, I want that, you know, I want them for myself. And I kept making music was this in the back of my head. But I eventually got to a point where I was like, I this is still not sounding like the stuff that I listened to. This still is not sounding like anything that like I think should fit in that mode. And, you know, keep making music, but I kind of changed my attitude to it. So for most of those songs, I was creating them with no intention of releasing them, no intention of them going anywhere. It was kind of like, you know, the things that I made right before I was like, Okay, I'm gonna try to do something else with my life. Yeah. But it was at that point that I realized that that's what actually it means to be refreshing. Like so refreshing. Like, it's I had this moment where it's like, I just, I was creating just to create I wasn't creating to get the accolade I wasn't creating to get the compliment I was just creating just to make and that's the common thread between these artists who are called about so called refreshing. That's like I figured it out almost. And yeah, that's Yeah, no doubt I got the name.

Ewan Pratt 9:18
Definitely I feel like sounds like you really wanted to like defy expectations and yeah, like you said, be refreshing. I like how you also said a lot of people in this sound sort of came to the same like realization that you just need to create to create I feel like the space that you're in is full of like, a lot of genuine artists not necessarily playing characters. They're just Yeah, creating to create and being genuine.

Ernesto Birmingham 9:44
Yeah, it's I mean, and that's what I love about it. Like I'm I started like looking at the music industry before I was ever like anywhere close to it. I'm still not really in it right now. But like, you know, we all watched like Disney Channel is like, oh, like a jerk producer is like trying to scam Hannah Montana or something. Yeah, right. We all have that, that that image in our head and I was just like, you know, I'm not this isn't my world but you know, getting to meet all these cool people it's like this these are these are class X, you know, like I have people who I'm talking to now who like the way Ben described it was described to me like I was like, No, everybody's Hollywood. Everybody wants to big time you to, like, prove their position like to prove that they're the big fish in the small pond. Yeah, but it's, it's I'm so genuinely grateful.

Ewan Pratt 10:48
Yeah, yeah, that's definitely true. There's a lot. There's like no sense of hostility in the scene. It's a lot of collaboration and just like, working out together, sort of back towards refreshing you saying that, like, a title was sort of, honestly, like a big driving factor. Like, how do you think you did like reaching your own expectations with the album of like, it being so refreshing?

Ernesto Birmingham 11:14
I don't know. I feel I feel like it definitely has the impact that that's supposed to have, I think on on listeners, because I wasn't, I wasn't making it for listeners, you know, I wasn't like I got to it, I got to a point where I was just like, I'm making this because like, I'm just seeing what I can do, like I'm playing. And I'm creating because like it is making me happy to create. That being said, like, I've gotten so many so much good feedback. On the on the record, like people will say like, I've had people say, yes, so refreshing is my album of the year. And I was like, that's crazy. So refreshing isn't my but like, that is like, I mean, that's, that's always been something that I've wanted, like, I had somebody say that it was in their top 50 albums. And like, I was like, that's, that is insane to me. But it's all about like, I was just doing whatever I wanted. Because, you know, like, I'm not gonna if even if, even if it didn't reach anybody, like I could have. I could have had like, oh, the solace of like, Oh, I didn't try. So I couldn't fail. But then there's also the other thing is like, I didn't create, so I didn't get anything out of creation. It's just like, it's so it's such, it's the most refreshing cyclical thing, you know, like, where it's like, you don't need anything else was like you create to create, like, why did you create? Because I could? Because I could.

Ewan Pratt 12:57
Yeah, and when you're genuine about your creation, it's like, super easy to be about be proud of what you're making, as opposed to like worrying. Yeah, it's gonna come to light or something like that. You sort of touched on it talking about how it's like really nice to hear when people say like, oh, this album of the year, like, Oh, this is in my top 50. How else do you sort of like, measure your success as an underground independent artist? Like, how do you manage expectations in that way?

Ernesto Birmingham 13:25
Um, I really have appreciated how the how people will tell me, it's like I show I joke about how like, I hate this. But I actually it does mean a lot to me, like, my friends will play my album in their car, or at parties or like to their parents. Yeah. And I was like, don't play flowers don't play Ernesto at the function. Do not show Ernesto Birmingham to your parents. But, you know, it means a lot and like, not not just my friends, but the people like the people who listen to my music and the say I put I made everybody listen to your, to your song. And it's not even because like, Oh, I think this is gonna make me grow. But it's because like, they, there's something that's sitting with them. There's something that's you're making an impact I'm making. Yeah, exactly. And it's in and that's really it's just a great feeling. Because that's, that's deeper than, you know, success. That's like, that's like a network you're tapping into. That's the wave you're making.

Ewan Pratt 14:36
Yeah, as opposed to just being like, trying to derive your happiness off like, streams and numbers. It's like very intangible, but when you have people like playing your songs to their friends and stuff, that's very like real. Right? You said you did all the production on all your own production. So you did all the production on so refreshing. I did. Yeah. It's love to hear that. I feel like you had a really, really clean transitions between the songs especially like shillitoe pollack.

Ernesto Birmingham 15:12
Oh, yeah, people talk about. I remember, when I when I figured it out like I could do it was just like, because the other story about so do you want to like, can I get it I'm gonna try to like compress it a little bit but there's like more to the to the album than like meets the eye.

Ewan Pratt 15:33
I mean, I feel like just go for it.

Ernesto Birmingham 15:37
Alright, cool. So the so that the story, there's a story behind the album. It's about this kid named Buck who has his song blow up on SoundCloud. And subsequently, a bunch of terrible things start happening to him. But he's so busy like celebrating the success from like, you just all these all these listens on SoundCloud that by the end, when he's going off to New York to like, like meet somebody or trying to make something make that SoundCloud hit into something. He, you know, meets this tragic fate by getting hit by a train. And like, it's weird. And I came up with the story. I came up with the story after I finished the songs. But it just made me more confident about releasing the project for some reason. My favorite project of all time is because the internet by Childish Gambino, yes, yes. So like, it's like it just. And then also, all of Tyler's projects were the first albums that I really sat down and listened to. Because, you know, it was kid with ADHD, tiny, like, two second attention span, I had never was gonna listen to an album, but the story really gets you gets you into it. And I don't really talk about that part of the album that much. But like, it really, I think about it. And I don't even know what the moral of the story is. It just like it's supposed to be like a tragedy. But it allows me to look at a lot of the lyrics that I think I forget the meaning of and allows me to find meaning in them. Because that's just me, because if you take it down to its essential parts, this idea of like reaching success, like the climax of your life, dipping down into, like, an immediate stop is kind of like, just a compressed version of life. So you know, in a weird way, like I just, I'm just glad that it's up for myself, because sometimes when I'm going through something, and I listen to some of like the really wonky lyrics, it has like, its own meaning to me. I'm a really like, weirdly, like, almost schizoaffective person. So like, I'll find different meanings and the weird lyrics that I have on there. So

Ewan Pratt 18:18
yeah, I think you especially all this, this album, especially to, it's very dense, like, there's not really a point where you're not saying something, I feel like every time I hear your music and go back and listen, it's just like, How did I not hear this bar was like, very, like high replayability. I feel like I get something new out of it every time I listened to it. And now that you've told me the story, I'm definitely going to be listening back and be like, Oh, I see. I see.

Ernesto Birmingham 18:48
Yeah, I mean, and that's what Chile is about, too. Because surely, I made with the I think that was actually one of the only songs that I made with like a very clear intention of what I wanted it to be. Because the idea behind it is like I'm speaking from the perspective of like an, like a 19 year old, who's convinced they are like secretly like 80 something years old, like they're just living the same because they're living the same day over and over. They feel like an old man, they're at a party. They're like a grumpy old man just in a young person's body, which sounds like it's like a new chance at life, but it's really like, oh, I have to do this. So, so much more like I have to be next year I'll be 100 And then the year after that, I'll be like 200 it's so like you take out so by the end you're supposed to when the when the beat changes up a little bit. That's like that's like the character Buck beating up somebody at the party that he's at. Yeah, and that's how it ends

Ewan Pratt 19:58
was like you just saying that it's like clicking with a few of the bars like the Vietnam bars

Ernesto Birmingham 20:07
Yeah, but it's

Ewan Pratt 20:09
and then the Weezer like reference it's just like jumping all over the place

Ernesto Birmingham 20:14
I say Gladys play some Weezer okay like that's like my sunglasses my wife or my girlfriend kid one nine feeling eight nine. Not a heartbreak no way to wake cosine. Sorry, saying that's one of my favorite lines that I've written. Like in 1989. I know a two way cosign a two way that heartbreaks Yeah, Kanye. So it's like I'm referencing the Kanye Taylor beef in that.

Ewan Pratt 20:45
Okay. Okay, that went over my head until you just said that. Yeah. Yeah. So, you said you started making songs in the pandemic? Was that sort of like from scratch? Because, I mean, your production is so clean now. Is that all just like two years of walking in? Or did you have any sort of like music background before that?

Ernesto Birmingham 21:10
So I had been producing since my freshman year of high school. And I've been rapping since like, I was like, in seventh grade, okay. But like, I just want to say this, I was like, I was terrified to record because I remember, like, how my brain works is like, I'm very, um, I try it's like, I'm in a process of unlearning perfectionism, always. But I remember I would record I put my vocals with like, using my MAC, laptop, and I would get like, like, frustrated on like, sorry, on a level that you will not imagine like, it was like, it was almost like I would have a breakdown because I just didn't understand anything about how to how to record or how to mix or anything. And instead of learning about it, I just like I would just write and I would just imagine, okay, one day the song will be done in one day, the album will be done. And I will, you know, a lot of people like I've just so much in my head about it. I realized, okay, if I can't record a good song, then you know, just just get it done with to, you know, release to so you can stop thinking about it, but like, you can't you can't be in your soul in your head about this. That's what I told myself. My quarantine.

Ewan Pratt 22:37
Yeah, okay. Yeah, that makes sense. I feel like I have a relate to that. Sometimes if I'm like, trying to do something and it's not exactly how I want it the first time I'm like, never gonna have Yeah, just why try. But then I feel like it's got to be so satisfying once you like, get those skills and get the ability to actually like, take what's in your head and make it into music.

Ernesto Birmingham 23:02
Right, exactly.

Ewan Pratt 23:06
Like, a lot of your songs are pretty long in terms of like, like, nowadays, all the rap that surrounded with especially in this scene is like super short. Is that intentional? Do you feel like yeah, Is that intentional? Trying to get away from trainers just

Ernesto Birmingham 23:27
um, I think it wasn't intentional. But, you know, if you listen to so refreshing like you'll know that I do have an affinity for bridges. Like I really love like putting on like a little extra part at the end and I like to make the verses you got to understand I'm getting off like six years of raps that I've just been sitting in my head yes, I'm just like, you know, I my initial idea when I made because the album was made over like three distinct periods. One was like a year ago like a year ago where I was just coming into college and I was finishing like three songs that was get along, pop off and one other I forget. Then over winter break my winter break that was in January, I did in this order, blue pan flutes. Eveningstar bead O box and I all in four days in a row. That's how it went and then finding something I think was right after that. And then I got back to campus in margin. I did the other songs on it on just like in a mad rush where I was just isolating for that entire period. Good, but God I almost forget the clothes question

Ewan Pratt 25:08
are you trying to like intentionally? Like go against like a trend? Yeah.

Ernesto Birmingham 25:15
So no, but the way that I, I was creating I was like, I was like, kind of painting on the walls in my own head. So I was just like, I wasn't, I was just trying to, like, get everything out of like, this, whatever song I was on, you know, like, I was trying to get everything I was trying to pull everything out of it. I was trying to like, see, oh, what can I do with this? What can I like, I was really kind of overcomplicated overcomplicating it in a unnecessary way. But like, that was just so exciting for me, because it was the first time I was making music that I actually like listening to. So that was that I think that that probably had something to do with it.

Ewan Pratt 26:03
That honestly sounds like it was the opposite. Like, trying to a lot of the work was like cutting down everything you're putting down if you're just making so much like holding back.

Ernesto Birmingham 26:16
Yeah, I mean, it was. It's it is there's a lot of like, there's a lot of contradictions in like, everything that i Everything I make like I don't even know where I was going with that seeing.

Ewan Pratt 26:37
So how do you feel that like social media and stuff impacts how you make music or how you like, go about creating or like sharing your stuff? Do you think it's like overall good overall bed?

Ernesto Birmingham 26:52
Social media is great for. For me, I hate social media personally, like, just in my because, you know, you're supposed to be like, serious on there. Yeah. But then it's like, it's how am I supposed to take it serious? Like I like. Like, but the reason you're supposed to take it serious is because that's how people interact now, you know, that's just that's just like, the mode of communication, but on terms of promotion on the terms of like getting your music out there. It's, it's like, you know, a dream, like, I'm sure so many artists would have loved to have that we might have, we might have an entire different repertoire of artists. If you know, we had the same type of social media in the 90s That's versus versus now. But also I mean, you know, because I can I can connect with so many different people this that's how I still connect with my the circle that I had before I was promoting on Tik Tok because and I got a I got a shout them out right now that's my my my boys camp serve. That's Trevor cook summer Roman notion and and James Cochran like, because we met we met at a at a summer camp. And we haven't seen each other since then. But we connect through social media, and we would, you know, collaborate through the internet. So I mean, it is it's a completely invaluable tool for for music. Production and, and sampling and everything that it has to do with it's, it's, it's great.

Ewan Pratt 28:49
Let's definitely try like the point that you said that we might even have, like, an entirely different, like, set of artists back in the 90s. It was different. Oh, yeah. Because I feel like back then it was so reliant on like, labels and being tapped into like the industry. But nowadays, you just have people recording on their phones, making whole songs and just pushing it out with no middleman.

Ernesto Birmingham 29:11
Exactly. I mean, like who like, right now somebody can post a video post a reel, from like, their, from their house in Wyoming. And, you know, in a month, there'll be like, there'll be everywhere. Not only in the 90s you had to live in either, you know, LA or New York, or be able to get out there and then do some stuff to some guy with power. Which I won't say what it is, but like, like, you know, it's like, it's

Ewan Pratt 29:48
not you just got to make seven tiktoks a day. I mean, like,

Ernesto Birmingham 29:52
exactly, post post, like, one real seven story posts and seven tiktoks and you're good.

Ewan Pratt 29:59
Okay, right. Get that done. I gotta write this down the spot.

Ernesto Birmingham 30:01
Yeah, write it down, write it down, write it down.

Ewan Pratt 30:06
What was sort of like the difference between how you approach so refreshing versus how you were approached your EP Nevada Robinson

Ernesto Birmingham 30:15
Nevada Robinson was just like I was doing, like, I was kind of doing whatever, in the same way initially. But then I was also finishing the projects with like, a little less like, intensity. You know, I just feel like it was just like I was I wasn't really like, because you know, on so refreshing, I go into, like, kind of some weird, deep, dark topics a little bit. Like, even if it doesn't, you don't know what I'm talking about at first. Like, it's still kind of like, I feel like the the mood is a bit different. I remember, I was making the Vita Robinson writing off the high of shilly like getting a lot of listens and stuff and playlist streams and all that. And I was just like, I'm gonna make some music that like, that's kind of happier. And even the well God, I forget what it's called. I forget the name of my own song, but like the one with the Guitar strums and I say no regard is I wouldn't called. I've been I

Ewan Pratt 31:36
just think if you said guitar, I'm only thing

Ernesto Birmingham 31:39
I don't know. No, it's well, it's no regard off for Nevada Robinson. That was a those were lyrics that I had wanted to use for since 2019. So,

Ewan Pratt 31:54
no regards. I'm not saying you know, no bad rabbits.

Ernesto Birmingham 31:57
I got don't kind of got Oh, in the dark in the dark, dark. Okay. I cuz like I changed the name of a song like several times throughout. Yeah, so it's in the dark in the dark. Why did I name who doesn't seem to seem to see that's, yeah, that's when I will. That's when I wrote the all the lyrics. Okay. Okay. So yeah, and I was my junior year of high school, when I was writing, it was like, I'm talking about, like, a real experience that I had. When I was dating. I was dating a girl. And this I'm talking about the arcade. I'm talking about, like, my grade slipping and all that stuff. And so, but it was like it was it was kind of like symbolic of like, okay, now I'm finally in the place where I'm getting this stuff off my chest I'm getting, I'm being able to express myself in this way and people can hear it because people would hear me rapping always sometimes freestyling with my friends and people would hear my beats and then I would never release a song. But it's it was just some it was something for myself, like a lot of the stuff are like just easter eggs for myself, symbolic symbolism for myself and my own progression. So I think that's what Nevada Robinson was about.

Ewan Pratt 33:24
And you said earlier that you have sort of like a something coming out soon. Is that going to be more like Nevada Robinson or it's like an EP, kind of just less serious? Or is it gonna be like album type stuff?

Ernesto Birmingham 33:36
It's, um, well, it's five tracks. Okay. So it is an EP, but I kind of took this one a little bit more serious than Nevada Robinson. I think the music is better like everybody I know. Every artist is like this. This is my best stuff. But like, I think this is like I tried to mix the vocals better if I remember so the reason I the reason I made this project was because I I just got chilly had been put on a lot of people's discover weeklies one one day, I just got like, like 5000 6000 streams in a day. Which hadn't happened since like, that didn't even happen when the Tick Tock first blew up. But I was like, Oh, my God, this is momentum. I'm gonna like try to release something so to you know, do so. So this will do something.

Ewan Pratt 34:41
Yeah, just add for people checking out your like page coming to it from Chile just to see more like, oh, new release.

Ernesto Birmingham 34:47
Make sense? Yeah. Ironically, though, it's not like surely at all like it's, it's more sample heavy. It's more 90s 90 BPM kinda Have I, if you listen to, I keep saying, if you listen to so refreshing, a lot of the BPM is around 120. So it's like, we don't know, we make sure I get this, right. Like that like that, you know. So it's like, not finding something when you never know it's clear the world and gaining big or even when they're gonna really work on my zone, like I really like 120 BPM, and I don't really do that as much on this. I do it a couple times, but I'm really trying to experiment with a different flow. And that's because I heard the some of the playlists that I was on. That was like an exercise I was doing. So I was like, okay, so what are what are they listening for? You know, like, I'm gonna keep doing me obviously, but like, I'm trying to see like, the people who liked me what are what are they? What is the common thread between me and the other people? Why is surely on this playlist but unwise isn't wise flip a penny on this playlist. But you know, pollack isn't that's Thank you. And I was like, and so I'm thinking so I'm I realized I'm one of the only people who's not like, who only has like a couple songs that are sample based by that point. Mostly, like on so refreshing. You only have finding something and blue that are like, clearly, you know, samples. Yeah,

Ewan Pratt 36:45
yeah.

Ernesto Birmingham 36:49
And I guess Pollak to because but that's like a sample that's my friend playing.

Ewan Pratt 36:54
Yeah, that's like a loop. Almost. Like guitar.

Ernesto Birmingham 36:57
Yeah, it's just but um, I realized, okay, so this is kind of like a world that I want to step foot because I love sampling. But I just didn't. I didn't do it that much. So that's, that's what to expect. I was preview previewing brother with sub, which is going to be the single that's coming out on the 21st. It's like a week. that'll probably

Ewan Pratt 37:21
be be out by this. By the time this airs.

Ernesto Birmingham 37:25
Oh, great. So you can check it out. At my Spotify, Ernesto Birmingham. If you don't know how to spell Birmingham, learn it. Like come on.

Ewan Pratt 37:41
Yeah, probably leave for I forget. How did you get the name Ernesto Birmingham. Like where did that come from?

Ernesto Birmingham 37:46
Oh, I love this question. Because I don't know. I don't even know. I changed. I changed my and I shouldn't know. Because I know. Throughout my throughout the past few years, I've had so many different aliases. Yeah, like the first alias that I ever had. That was related to rapping was zero G's. Because I saw it in a Vsauce video once I was like an eighth grade and I was like, and Michael Stevens, he was like, Hey, Vsauce isn't that he's talking about? It's like zero G isn't like a face does all that weird stuff. I was like, yeah, um, zero G's. Then it was for a while was Amos Othello. For a long time. It was Eric fauna. And I just was like, you know, I don't like this and that now. I'm Ernesto Birmingham, which is the worst of all of them. By far, like

Ewan Pratt 38:42
when I tried to put people on do I'm like, you guys check out Ernesto. Like, what kind of music is that? Like?

Ernesto Birmingham 38:51
It's just like, I decided to stick with it. Because like, I kept I kept having this problem where it was like, Oh, I I have this really cool name. But like, Oh, I just started this other cool name. The sinuses sounds way cooler than the last one. And Ernesto Birmingham, I'll never have that problem, because it's not cool. It's just kind of weird. Like, it has to become cool, you know? Yeah. And I think it's a good, like, I remember things like, Okay, everybody has a problem spelling Birmingham. But once they learn it, that's like, oh, you know how to spell Birmingham? Because he listened to Ernesto Birmingham.

Ewan Pratt 39:39
Like, yeah, I feel like all those names you rattled off are very, like, iconic sounding, you know? Even like Mr. Robinson

Ernesto Birmingham 39:49
I'm, I'm good at making names. No, it just does not show in that one. I every every group that I've been in, I've given that I've done the name like what was the was the final one you said? Eric fauna. Which was was was dope.

Ewan Pratt 40:10
sorry not to cut you off. Yeah, you said you're in a group.

Ernesto Birmingham 40:13
I was in a group camp serve. We don't really make music as much now, but we met at Berkeley. They all make they were also big influences for me because, you know, you get in the first time you like, enter a new creative space and you hear everything like the people who are like right next to you are making is like such a, like, mine's F word.

Ernesto Birmingham 40:39
Come because you're like, Okay, it's actually not an excuse, that I'm just sitting in my college dorm. And you know, that artist is, you know, in somewhere in Hollywood, because this person is doing something better than I've heard. Like, anything on my playlist. Yeah. And they're in the exact same position as me, you know, maybe even worse. Maybe they have like, less like, options than I do. Yeah. Which was the case sometimes. But, and so but I was with Cam serve. And this other group of people and back in Philadelphia, where I'm from, where we call it, we called ourselves noble infamy and Kansai grotto for a while that didn't really catch on. But I both by me both of those names.

Ewan Pratt 41:38
names again. infamy.

Ernesto Birmingham 41:44
Yeah, none of y'all listening but it take that we don't have a coffee. Don't take.

Ewan Pratt 41:53
Yeah, yeah. Are you? Like, do you have any sort of like, I don't want to say this, what's like the roadmap you have, like, the next few months next year? Like, where do you want to be? Or like, what are you building towards?

Ernesto Birmingham 42:11
Um, you know, I try to do everything in this area, like, without expectations, because it's just so flux, there's so it's so fickle. I know, even where I've been at this point, like, you know, you'll have people who you think you're gonna meet up with or that you think they're gonna, like, give you a verse and they don't like that goes to where like, there's like, everything is like, left in the hands, the foundation is left in the hands of creatives, which is like, not good. If you've ever worked with creative people. Yeah, but but I, you know, I'll say, I think the right people have been listening. I am getting attention from people and places that I want to be. So all I know is that, you know, regardless, I'm going to be investigating the opportunities and seeing where they lead me. My goal always is to, is for stability. You know, I'm not, I'm not about like, having like a hit song at all. But having a connection that allows me to, like, tap into a dedicated fan base, or having like, something pop off that, like, makes people interested, or getting into a space where I can actually make money. That way, it's not contingent on me making another chili. Yeah, that that is those are my those are my goals, because I'm not I'm not really looking to be get to the top. Like, I know, rappers aren't supposed to say, I'm not looking to be the goat. I might, you might hear me say that in the song later, but like, I'm not. It's it's just seeing the leads and draining them of everything possible at this point. And I think I'll have a lot of chances to do that in the next coming months, because I've been talking to people. So

Ewan Pratt 44:24
where are you? Where are you based right now?

Ernesto Birmingham 44:27
I'm in Massachusetts. I am. I'm in college at a Amherst, Amherst College. So

Ewan Pratt 44:39
do you have any sort of like needs for like live shows or anything like that live performances?

Ernesto Birmingham 44:47
Um, yes, because I will. I mean, there is a place where a friend of mine organizes live shows like this right in town, but then also I've been getting offers from people on Instagram, like saying, like, come to New York, come here and we'll, we'll pay you to do a show or like, some stuff like that. And I have, like a person kind of acting as my manager who's like, really tapped in. Everywhere he goes talking to people. So I have I've definitely have things lined up. I'm just like, still in Massachusetts. So it's like, it's just more difficult. And it would be cool to like, you know, have at least a few people. A few more people know my name before. I'm really diving into that. Although that is the way you get people to learn your name. So but

Ewan Pratt 45:51
yeah, it makes it. Yeah. It makes sense. sort of back to what you were saying before, like, you want to have like a dedicated fan base that you can tap into with new stuff. I feel like a lot of that could come from like, where you're based, like local listener, like you said, Massachusetts. I'm not sure how far Amherst is from Boston. I know. Like there's big live shows in Boston and stuff like that. I mean, New York's not terribly far, like, consistent shows there would be nice.

Ernesto Birmingham 46:22
I can get there. I can get there. Yeah.

Ewan Pratt 46:25
I mean, you got North Carolina is pretty pretty far but trying to pull up we can put you on the lounge.

Ernesto Birmingham 46:32
A I will definitely go to North Carolina. I have some. I have some friends there. You know that. Oh, where are you guys? Like, near Durham?

Ewan Pratt 46:43
Yeah, we're in Raleigh. So we're in the triangle. It's like 35 minutes from Durham.

Ernesto Birmingham 46:46
Oh, yeah. Robin. Okay, cool. Cool. That's, that's sick. I've actually I've heard a lot of good things about that part of North Carolina. I'm not even gonna lie to you.

Ewan Pratt 46:56
Yeah, no, the triangles like, it works out well, for us. The radio station because like the triangle, it's just like three big college towns all pressed together. And Raleigh, which is like the Capitol, and our radio station reaches all the little cities. So we're like, a little boost in viewership just because we got a big what's it called? The frequency range, a big tower? I don't know. I love live shows. I feel like there's just an energy you can, you can't get from even just like watching live recordings, you just can't get the same energy as being in person listening to the music. Right? Yeah. And I feel like you're saying with like stability, that's got to be one of the more consistent ways artists nowadays can make money off of their art.

Ernesto Birmingham 47:41
Yeah, and that whatever that looks like, I mean, being able to, like, have positions in the industry, like being able to like do consultation for production. That's why I'm so like, vehement about doing my own production. So like whatever people listen to, they're like, oh, he also produced this, like, he also knows, like, I'm, I'm, I'm really trying to make sure that my feet are studying that world. Because I know that's, I think the most stable jobs come from from from that area, I don't want to have to ride off of like, my personal image being popular. And tell people I want to just like, sorry, I want to do like, like, I was just, I mean, I always want to, I always tell people like, the end goal. Like when I'm older, or something I could, I want to do like film scoring, you know, because it's just whatever, whatever works and is like, I can get like and make a salary off of I guess that's not even really a salary job. But like, you know what I mean? Like,

Ewan Pratt 48:56
that actually reminds me of something. I feel like I saw on your story recently, someone was asking about, like, the film version of your album, just wondering what that what that was.

Ernesto Birmingham 49:06
Oh, yeah. So I said, So refreshing has a story. And I wrote a script for it. And it's the way I wrote the script. It's almost like, I was like, I was really taking like, an entire not more than it pays more like a whole chapter out of because he ended up with it like it's like, but, you know, I was just inspired by this idea of like, an album having like a visual component to it. And I was I was thinking, you know, what if I could actually make the movie that you know, because the Internet didn't really get get to become in full. So it was going to set a standard script originally, but I have this I have this friend, who actually really He made a movie like, went to France. They, it was actually two friends, they made a movie and they went to France and they filmed an entire movie. They just did it. Like, I mean, they got I think they got some count what's it called? They got it. They just got some money from our college, but it was I was just like, Okay, so, again, I just have to keep learning, I can just, you know, even if I think it's gonna be hard, like, I can just do it, you know? Like, no matter how stupid the first attempt is, like, just do it. It's a good idea.

Ewan Pratt 50:41
Yeah. And, yeah, there's just so many ways that you can express yourself, be creative, especially like, not even just music, like surrounding music. Like, because the internet was a great example. I feel like a lot of people realized with that, like, so much more that can go into an album than just the music.

Ernesto Birmingham 50:59
Right? Right.

Ewan Pratt 51:04
Um, so we're reaching the end of my prepared questions here. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?

Ernesto Birmingham 51:12
Um, you know, I'm, that's, like, I think probably most, most of what I want to say, I want to give a, a big shout out. Like, I know, I'm not. This isn't me soliciting, obviously, like people like, but I kinda want to give a shout out to the people who, you know, other artists who like should also be interviewed in the future who will be interviewed in the future. Not necessarily by y'all. I mean, obviously, but like, but like, we'll get there one day as like, I just wanted to shout out survived and ran cinema and Miles remote in you live froze. All my friends in Philly. And, you know, everybody else who I mentioned in this interview, that's it. And if you want to follow me, you can at free diavolo that's free D I A LL. O. I'm allowed to say that right. Like if you said that if you want, right. Great, thank you.

Ewan Pratt 52:21
And then Ernesto Birmingham, on all streaming services, that's e r n e s t o, B IR m i n g h am

Ernesto Birmingham 52:35
just look up Shelly and the person who made it is me, Shelly. I'm I am him. I am the guy with the white eyes and like half the face cut off. Yeah.

Ewan Pratt 52:54
Thanks again, guys for listening to this episode of The Art rap pipeline, deep cuts. I was here with Ernesto Birmingham. If you'd like any of these songs we talked about today and he sort of stuff with him. I have a show on 88.1 FM Mondays at 5pm. Eastern Standard Time. Once again, thanks Ernesto Birmingham.

Ernesto Birmingham 53:17
Thank you so much for having me.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai