Life & Work with Hilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilson.

Hi Hilson, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up in Massachusetts, I used music and dance as an escape from home in poverty and to uplift my self-worth as it was one of the only things no one could take away from me. You could make fun of my hand me downs or the neighborhood I lived in but you couldn’t say I could sing or that I wasn’t a talented writer. I began writing my feelings at 14 years old and when I realized how I could channel my inner demons into a tale that people could relate to outside of my situations, I realized why music was so powerful and why it had such a hold over me. Soon I began creating and recording music with collaborators and at 19, I found myself in South Florida with nothing to come out of it except a stronger desire to succeed.

By 2015, I was on my way into Los Angeles finally with a manager, a team and a prospective label and after many creative conflicts all contracts were dissolved. This was the best thing to happen to me as I was in Hollywood without anyone telling me how my music was supposed to sound or who I was supposed to be and I found my aggressive style of melodic hiphop experimenting with producers who didn’t care that I wanted to rap about my flings with men and women. No limitations allowed me to write and release my first west coast project Restless which details my struggles with the Hollywood scene, the music industry and everything I was exposed to in my initial journey here. It is raw, aggressive and unapologetic and as I continue to evolve, I have learned to embrace the vulnerable unapologetic Hilson.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been difficult as I have struggled with understanding who I was as an artist and as an individual. These two concepts didn’t always blend into being the same person but that is the beauty with self-discovery and the beauty of making decisions and mistakes that lead you to who you are confidently. I have slept outside, I have wondered when I would eat again but I have never wondered if I was in the right place and if my music would reach people that needed something to take them away from their darkness. I always knew there was something beyond the struggle, I haven’t gone viral yet…

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known for having an aggressive shout rap typestyle, writing all my own rhymes and signing all my own hooks. I am most proud of being a one-stop talent like Lauryn Hill. I am happy to collaborate with other artists and make cool music but I can and do write my own raps and hooks, arrange the song and record without fly ins. I think my melodic approach and my insistence on delivering a verse without fly ins to ensure that a performance is not neglected beyond a studio record is what makes me so different and so proud.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
There are not many in my personal life that have been my cheerleaders and supporters but those who have, have been so impactful and integral to my standing now. Fawn McKibbins, Maya Carter, Kev the Wiz, Ana Garcia, Lee Ann Rudolph, Gal Bushy have been major players in my perseverance and artistic journey as these are the people who listened to my wild ideas at 3am, let me practice my range with them and gave me perspective unfiltered.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @hilsonhollywood
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilsonhollywood
• Twitter: @hilsonhollywood
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/-Aa6MiICeIg
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamhilsonmusic

Image Credits:
Photographer – Maya Carter Editor – Niya Ounchith Make Up Artist – Niya Ounchith Hair – Rhodela Castillo