Today we’d like to introduce you to Micah Freeman.
Micah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I became interested in the arts very early, as a kid in Baltimore. Two of my older siblings were my earliest influences. My big sister could sing, dance, draw, paint, and act. My oldest brother was a singer, songwriter, and received a Grammy nomination for his work on India Arie’s first album by the time my family & I moved to Atlanta. So I was always around music.
I started out drawing, painting, playing guitar, writing poetry, & skateboarding, and wasn’t super into the idea of actually making music. Then, my friends that I was skating with put me on to underground & 90’s hip hop and I fell in love. We’d spend hours talking about the music in skate videos, listening to albums, and freestyling to MF Doom Special Herbs instrumentals.
While I was pursuing a career in skateboarding in high school, I met my good friend Ethereal in Geometry class. I passed on some of my musical influences, he began making beats in GarageBand, and later Reason, and we formed a rap group with our homie White Mike. We were called NWK (New Ways of Komprehension). We recorded our first songs, did our first couple of performances, and I began to entertain the idea of taking it seriously. By 18, I was conflicted between skateboarding, art school (I had been accepted into SCAD), or music. I eventually left SCAD, started at Georgia Perimeter, used my grant money to buy music equipment, and recorded my first few songs of what would become my first project, The Timepiece.
After being very active in Atlanta for some years, a group of my friends came together and would begin to collaborate, relying solely on each other for music production, videos, graphic design, engineering, etc. This eventually became Awful Records. We were rubbing elbows with ILoveMakonnen for some time early on, and after Father released their song, Look At Wrist. A the same time, Makonnen’s song Tuesday was remixed by Drake. He blew up, the hype spilled over into what we were doing, and things took off. We went to CMJ in New York, performed on Boiler Room, spoke with Nardwuar at SXSW, and much more craziness.
All the while, I’ve been in the process of reinventing and reestablishing myself. Aside from some features on other people’s records, I’ve been quiet for much of the duration of the Awful wave, until the release of my single Walk The Line that just came out. I don’t plan on stopping again any time soon, now that I know myself much better.
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?
Far from it. Throughout my life, I’ve seen a lot of death, financial, and psychological struggles. My father died with no life insurance when I was nine, then my grandmother (his mother) that same year. My family has struggled financially since then. My sister was then diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar disorder, and my household was a very tumultuous place for most of my adolescence. Music & skateboarding became my escape. My second older brother died when I was in college, right at the cusp of my crisis of decision about my career path. I’ve been through huge breakups, shitty friends, incompetent managers, people over-promising & under-delivering, and the struggle to continue to believe in myself after it all. I don’t think my story is a tragedy, and it could always be better or worse, but it’s where I come from. It’s all shaped me. I’ve learned to become very self-sufficient, wiser, and extremely resilient. I also really cherish the time I have with people I love because tomorrow is never promised.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m known to sing, rap, produce records, and write songs. But I also record myself, design & creative direct all of my cover art, I’ve done my own PR, curated & hosted events for myself & others, and have been self-managed for much of my career.
I’m proud I’ve been blessed with the various gifts that I have, and the drive to acquire other skill-sets, all in the name of executing my vision. I believe the style with which I do this, and the fact that I’m comfortable with vulnerability & just being myself are what sets me apart.
What were you like growing up?
As a kid, I was always shy & introspective, even more so after my father passed. But I never had any difficulty making friends. I always saw through the bullshit of social hierarchies and didn’t get caught in trying to be popular or conform to “what everyone else was doing.” I was a black skateboarder at a time when that was largely frowned upon. I’ve always been laid-back and made people around me feel at ease. Growing up has been a journey of becoming more comfortable in my skin and stepping into my power. I don’t think my personality has changed much. I’m not that shy now, though lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://micahfreeman.com/
- Email: micahfreemaninfo@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/micahfreemanism
- Facebook: facebook.com/micahfreemanmusic
- Twitter: twitter.com/micahfreeman
Image Credit:
Photos by Lourdes Sukari, Josephine Figueroa, & Autumn Harris
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