Today we’d like to introduce you to Imp.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m an Atlanta-native who can’t sit still too long without doing something productive. I’ve always been interested in creating visual art. As a child, I would draw comic books and design characters, occasionally passing them out to other kids in the schoolyard to read. This later progressed to making graphics in Adobe software, light video edits, etc. I went to university specifically with the intent in mind of being a visual artist, thinking it would serve me better than my other passion: being a musician.
I began doing music as a teenager. A classmate my Freshman year of high school began freestyling out of nowhere and decided I would be his target. I promised myself to never let that happen again and learned the ropes of battle rap. I soon decided making songs with substance would probably serve my own desires better than aimless battles; making my own production followed shortly thereafter. I combined these facets with my graphic design abilities and developed into the creator I am today. As of today, I’m a member of the collectives Sober Addicts and African Space Program.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My “father” (I struggle to even refer to him as such) was a God-fearing man who used a warped view of religion to beat my mother (and therefore me) for arbitrary and vague reasons. My mother and I were homeless for a few years after leaving his reach. My mother would work tirelessly to make sure we could eat and get around in her van. Even today, my childhood traumas have had a lasting impact on my character and irrational fears that I’ve slowly been unlearning through therapy and being patient with myself.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a freelance audio engineer, rapper, music producer, and graphic designer. As part of Atlanta’s creative economy, I find my myself at my best when finding inventive ways to critique the milieu in which we live. As a visual artist and a musician, everything from the discussion around politics and current events to social norms are fair game to be scrutinized, for it is through criticism that we can improve as people within society.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Golly, I feel like my answer to that changes every day. At the moment I’m pretty proud of a show I got to book this past July; I got to bring together my collective the Sober Addicts for the first time live and in person at a venue called Kite High House. We’re a group of musicians spread out across the South, so successfully getting the bulk of us together to perform made me genuinely jubilant.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/theuncannyimp
- Email: theuncannyimp@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theuncannyimp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUncannyImp
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheUncannyImp
Image Credit:
Zackary Campbell, Jomar McCray/Mrshamoozoo, Helen Souris, Ben Griggs and Aubrey Deane
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