Straight Official Sit Downs: T Barz

T BARZ stopped by the Straight Official Headquarters for this edition of Straight Official Sit Downs. The official one-on-one with The Worldwide Fleet DJs. @klassikceo served up the questions and their vibe was indeed dope. Check it out down below and click here for more of the Straight Official Sit Downs.

Q&A WITH T BARZ

What is your Name? Where are you from and what first got you interested in the entertainment industry?

T Barz from Mobile, AL. I got started around 2013. I was writing poems & spoken word pieces but that quickly become half pleasing & me growing up watching/listening to Hip-Hop/R&B artists like Biggie, Missy, Common and MC Lyte. It was easy for me to determine I wanted to put my words to instrumentals & it started from there, not long after that I would get in contact with a local engineer & record in the studio.

Who and/or what inspires you to create?

Life inspires me to write, the experiences of myself & others around me. As long as I’m breathing I think I’ll have something to say even if I’m only saying “turn up” on a track I always got something to write or a story I can come up with & tell.

How would you describe your sound?

My sound is early 90s Hip-Hop mixed with the now. Balanced. I like to think that wasn’t by mistake. I’m in between 2 generations to where I understand the older crowd but I also understand the young crowd in ways so that made me very versatile, I can create whatever sound I want. My beats can range from slow to fast to piano to guitars.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

What is your creative process like?

It differs, but mostly I let the instrumentals create the tracks for me. If you’re an artist or even have a strong love for music then you know music have moods/emotions attached to them if you listen. So for me it’s when I listen to a track it’s easy to tell if it’s going to be a conscious track or a party track or some “raw raw” (laughs).

What artist(s) would you like to collaborate with?

To be honest, too many to name. J Cole, Common, Missy, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, School Boy Q, The Game, Dave East, Lil Baby and Remy Ma.

What is one message you would give to your supporters?

Always hold me accountable for the things I say. If I rap about pushing drugs in the hoods then I come on social media & talk a completely opposite game call it out. I don’t like when fans are so stuck on an artist they look over their wrongs & even make the wrong be right in their eyes knowing it’s not because it’s “their idol.”

SHIFTING GEARS

What is the most talent/skill you have that most people don’t know about?

Dancing. Some people know but that was my first love. Self taught growing up watching MJ & Usher back in the day. Any artist that would choreograph dance back then in a music video I would be a little girl standing right in front of the TV learning every move doing exactly what I saw.

What would you be doing right now, if you weren’t doing music?

I would probably be an actress or in the criminal justice field.

Who are some artists/people you admire and why?

I admire artists like Queen Latifah & MC Lyte because they didn’t stop at music. They were able to cultivate every other talent they had & that’s what I want. I’m not just talented in one area so I want to be able to scratch on everything I can actually do.

IN CONCLUSION

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

I’ve been giving such good wisdom in my life I don’t think I can narrow it down to the best because I needed ALL the wisdom I’ve ever gotten equally. I always say this quote sits with me always “A smart man learns from his mistakes but a wise man learns from the mistake of others” & in that he avoids more pains than the smart man.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

I would change the over-saturation. Needing talent isn’t the main thing or even needed anymore as an artist as long as you got popularity. I believe we’re missing out on great talented artists because for whatever reason they might not have the popularity or motion as one who is not as talented as them.

What’s next for you? Where would you like to see yourself next year?

On TV screens & radio stations all over the country. That’s my goal. To saturate every market me & my team possibly can with “T Barz”. The talent is there we just have to put the work in.