Rising Stars: Meet hunnaRIP

Today we’d like to introduce you to hunnaRIP.

Hi hunnaRIP, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My life has always been heavily influenced by music. It seems as if it’s genetics for me. Los Angeles was the first stage I set foot on. All kinds of different music floating through the air, and then there’s a young Jaime taking it all in at the age of six. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how to use these instruments being played in songs.

My great grandfather was a musician. He played the bass & keyboard. He had his own music venue in his backyard called “Georgie’s Place” which artists all over LA & the country would come & play. He’s who comes to mind when I think ‘live music’.

My stage name ‘hunnaRIP’ comes from my great-grandma who I was really close to. She didn’t make music, but she helped make my childhood memorable. She passed around the same time I started making music. Her last name was Hunter. So I combined the Hunter & RIP & came out with ‘hunnaRIP’.

My father was a DJ, in which he would play at different venues where I picked up some pointers. I would also shadow him from time to time which strengthened my craft.

I was birthed from music but began to give it full focus at the age of 17. I jumped into recording music, songwriting, & engineering. It was a dream. My vocals paired with loads of music equipment all at my disposal. I took advantage of the fact and started making hits. I formed a group with a couple of like-minded others. We named it ‘Flight Crew’.

My first era of music came from a recording studio in Pasadena. That’s where I found my sound & learned who I would become as an artist. I eventually built my own home studio from scratch which set my sound in stone. Learning how to engineer has been the latest skill added to my arsenal. At this point, my songs are gaining lots of traction, and the momentum is higher than ever.

“Stay the course, & do what it is that you do. Grow while you’re doing it. It’ll come full circle.” I can stand by that.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a complete obstacle course, which was expected. What I didn’t expect was for these obstacles to be so dramatic & eventful. I can vividly remember each rough patch in great detail. I went from almost throwing in the towel to giving up on everything/everyone in search of peace of mind and much more. But, the bumps & bruises are what makes the journey worth it.

With not a single clue of how things would pan out, I took the chances that were there. I spent heaps of money on studio time, I wrote thousands of songs, I booked pay-to-play shows. I was a first-timer to it all. No one really showed me the ropes. I kinda just latched on and hoped for the best in terms of reaching my goal. I wasn’t sure I was doing it the right way. Things became overwhelming. Discouragement crept through my soul. I was unhappy. I put everything aside for a full year. And if you know anything about the music industry, that’s far too long for a break. In reality, it’s what I needed. The time away helped me. When I returned, I was happy & able to genuinely enjoy the craft again. One step backward, two steps forward.

My support system is stronger than ever, so that’s a road I will never traverse again.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a recording artist. I make hip-hop/rap music from scratch, meaning I produce my own beats & write my own lyrics.

In my songs, I say things that are unheard of.

My music is quality and can range from an upbeat morning run to a night of unwinding. I can be charming or a complete monster.

I can do it all, it depends on how my fans & I are feeling.

I’m always trying new things but at the same time staying true to myself.

A lot of the time, I make myself proud.

I’ve met a lot of established artists I’ve never dreamt of meeting.

I’ve performed on stages where legends have made their mark.

I’ve accumulated hundreds of thousands of views on my YouTube channel/major streaming platforms.

I’m on a never-ending mission.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid-19 has taught me how to be my own boss. It’s also given me time to strategize & learn how to market myself as an artist. It’s helped me slow down, stay in the house for a bit, and find the right crowd to market myself to. I figured out how to engineer my own tracks. I learned how to DJ at a higher level with a new app I downloaded on my MacBook.

Aside from music, I learned about my family a bit more. What comforts them, what hurts them, etc.

Covid-19 has given me lots of spare time. I’m not an avid movie watcher or anything, but I’ve been crossing some top picks off my list. I have tons of ideas for my future projects from watching some of the best movies to ever hit the big screen.

Contact Info:

• Email: jamievincentfc@gmail.com
• Website: https://hunnarip.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/hunnarip
• Facebook: facebook.com/hunnarip
• Twitter: twitter.com/hunnarip
• Youtube: youtube.com/hunnarip
• SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/jamievincentfc