Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Ellison.
Sean, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve been rapping since I was ten years old and started taking it seriously when I turned 16 or 17. While taking it seriously, I joined my high school poetry group Prometheus Bound and really started making a name for myself back home in Durham, North Carolina, doing spoken word. I was also in a rap group called “So Beyond” with my best friend at the time too.
In 2009 when I graduated from high school, I decided to go solo and do my own thing. I wasn’t really thinking about college. I just wanted to do music. So I took a semester off and got a job working at BJ’s Whole Sale as a cashier/loss prevention employee. Even while I was working, I couldn’t stop thinking about music. I was writing full songs during breaks on receipt paper/paper towels and while checking customers out. In 2010 I originally planned to move to Atlanta, GA, because I wanted to be where the music was at, however, at the same time I was hearing a lot of stories about an artist getting into bad contracts and not being able to get out of them ending up being shelved. That’s why in the Fall of 2010, I decided to attend Full Sail University and graduated in December of 2013 with my Bachelor of Science degree in Music Business.
In 2011 I released my first mixtape entitled “Live to Tell” that gave me a local buzz around my hometown. “Live to Tell” set me apart from being a spoken word artist to fully being known as a rapper who had substance in his music. In addition, all the songs that I wrote on receipt paper/paper towels were released on “Live to Tell”. I got to be featured in so many live shows with the major artist during that time from Big Daddy Kane all the way to J. Cole when he was coming up.
In 2016, I solidified my transition leaving home and pursuing my dream. Growing pains really do hurt! However, it builds character as you access things within yourself that you never knew that you could do. In 2017 I started working on my EP “Two Weeks Notice”, and at the time, I didn’t know I was going to give the finished product that title. I stayed up many nights writing my heart out talking about the pain and struggles that I was going through knowing that many can relate. I recorded so many songs in my closet and cut it down to 4 tracks, which was hard to do, but I knew the four tracks got straight to the point allowing me to release it in the Spring of 2019.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Noooooo! When I moved to Atlanta, GA, I experienced financial struggle working temp jobs and not getting paid much. I believe the biggest test for me was in December of 2016 when I was involved in a fatal car crash. I don’t remember much about it, to be honest. I just know that I walked out of it unharmed when many who witnessed it said the light pole that I crashed into was leaning and was suppose to land on my car crushing me inside of it. I was ready to give up after that because things weren’t going right that year at all. People that I was networking with were giving me the run-around, and I got a lot of unanswered phone calls and emails. It made me think for a moment that this wasn’t for me. I started to experience writer’s block during that time. However, I had to turn my struggles into songs.
Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about you and your career so far?
SAE Music Nation is my indie label founded by me. Right now, we specialize in music genres such as Rap and R&B. My clothing line Two Weeks Notice is a street fashion line that is mainly influenced by Skate Board culture. What I’m most proud of as the founder of these two companies is that we relate to the creative who may be afraid of stepping out on faith taking that leap because they’re afraid of the unknown. Trust me, when I say before moving to Atlanta, GA, I was afraid of the unknown. However, I had to wrestle with that fear to get it to push me from behind. What sets us apart from the others is the substance that we provide through our music and the street fashion that we create. I consider myself to be a “Trap Conscious” artist who is able to talk about the streets and create quality/identity clothing for the creative/streets.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
When it comes to music my plans for the future is to keep releasing quality and not quantity. Right now, I have a Proud 2 Pay Campaign for my EP on my BandCamp page. If you purchase a t-shirt and/or hoodie you will be able to get a free download of my “Two Weeks Notice” EP. However, if you want to give more and not purchase a t-shirt/ hoodie you can still buy the EP for $10 on my BandCamp page and give more upon checkout. In addition, you can still traditionally stream and buy my EP on all major digital platforms.
In the fall of 2020, I’m planning on releasing another EP. Probably might be part 2 of “Two Weeks Notice”. On the clothing side, I’m planning to create more than just t-shirt and hoodies. I want to be able to collaborate and have my name up there with Virgil Abloh of “Off White”, Nicky Diamonds of “Diamond Supply Co” and Jerry Lorenzo of “Fear Of God” just to name a few. I’m also a big sneakerhead and want to collaborate with shoe brands such as Michael Jordan, Nike, Adidas and Vans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://smnr3al.bandcamp.com/
- Email: smn.r3al@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smn_r3al/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SMN_R3AL
- Other: https://music.apple.com/us/album/two-weeks-notice-ep/1461482845
Image Credit:
Meshach Chavis, Dani B, Nikon Don Harris, Ruben Rodriguez
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