The Rise of Hunter Phay: Talks Never Giving Up on the Creative Drive
New York-based artist Hunter Phay, raised in a music enthusiast family, gradually got into the art of hip-hop and the music industry. He was heavily influenced by New York-based hip-hop artists. Initially, he started writing rap lyrics in high school. As a 20-year-old, he makes a unique sound by himself and creates a different vibe for today’s generation. One thing Phay discovered is not only his unique sound but also the way of expressing his emotions, and his thoughts to his audiences through his incredible skill.
We spoke to Hunter Phay, the hip-hop artist of his recent album “Serendipity” in collaboration with FRXNZO, to know more about his journey.
Tell us about your journey as an artist.
I’ve loved music my whole life and my father was really into music, my mother was really into music. Both as listeners, my father played music. and I eventually got into hip hop on my own and one side I was able to learn more about it and sort of, you know, a student of that genre, I was able to then develop my own sound and sort of carry out my own music.
What inspired you to become an artist? Is it your parents?
I would say not necessarily my parents more than it would be I don’t, that’s a tough question. I’d say it’s like a healthy mixture of being inspired by external forces around me like news, the world, you know, just things that are going on, a healthy amount of myself. I have to inspire myself to some extent to want to be myself and then a genre and just and everybody that’s been a part of hip hop history throughout. I’d say on a more granular note, rappers that have inspired me are definitely New York based. I’m born and raised in New York City, so Nas, Jay Z, Biggie, a lot of those guys are really influential for me.
How did you get into music professionally?
Well, I used to be an athlete. I was a very, very good basketball player, and I got nine concussions playing basketball, way too many. Somehow I can still write lyrics, but what happened was I had to medically retire from sports in high school, and then I had nothing else to do, so I started writing rap lyrics. And then eventually I got good enough at it where I felt like I could do it at a higher level..
Describe your sound and genre and has it evolved over the years?
Yeah, I’d say I make sort of the most broad base you could put it in is like boom rap. Something that is a little more old school, built with a new school vibe. I’m 20 years old. I’m not an OG, I’m not from the 90s or this. So it’s about taking what made that music so great for me. and then putting my own spin on it. So, it’s like my lyrics are from me, but the vibe is much different.
Can you walk us through your creative process?
My creative process, I would say things come to me at all times. People are always sending me beats. I don’t make my own beats. I just write lyrics. So, people send me beats and then I’ll be able to write over them. Usually I get four or eight bars down and then I have to take it to the studio. I find the flow first because the flow is sort of like the device I can fit all the words into. And if I don’t have a flow, I’m just writing words, aimlessly, I could end it at any point. So once I have the flow, then I put the words in. I usually get the beat first, and then eventually it all comes together into one song.
What challenges have you faced in your artistic career, and how have you overcome them?
The first challenge I faced was being more vulnerable. Understanding that I can have a skill, but, you know, there’s a difference between showing off that skill and using it to express new ideas and new thoughts and new things that I’m feeling myself. And sometimes I put a facade up that prevents me from displaying more vulnerable thoughts and more vulnerable things in place for having terrific skill. And in the future, one of the things that I’m working towards, especially in my next project, is to find the marriage between how technical and methodical I can be with my words, while also explaining more vulnerable topics that are more importantly pertaining to me.
How do you handle creative blocks?
Oh, that’s a very good question. Time. I just give you a very simple simple answer, and to explain that a little more, I’d say that nothing sucks more than getting there, right? So, you know, standard verses between 16 and 24 bars. I’ll get to 14 and those last two are sometimes spitfiring things in front of the mic until it works out. Sometimes you have to write things and cross the mountain till it works out. Sometimes you gotta write ten words that rhyme and put them in until it works out. It’s all gonna take time. Might take 30 minutes, might take two hours. It’s taken me months, sometimes to write two bars. But long story short, if I don’t give it the time, it’ll never get done.
What’s the most meaningful piece you have created and why?
I think my last project serendipity was incredibly meaningful. It was a collaborative project between me and a very good collaborator of mine named FRXNZO.
He spells his name F R X and Z O, the X is instead of A. But, it was not the work that I had the most presence on. Like I wasn’t rapping for most of the projects. He was, except I was able to do so much more than I’m usually able to. Having to write and get the album ready. This one, I was really able to focus on alot more things like the production and the arrangements, getting the tracklist right, selecting thebeats. And because I was able to increase my involvement in other parts of the project, I’d say that was the most meaningful. It really allowed me to explore a new area in my artistry that I haven’t been able to when I’m stuck, you know, making projects by myself, having to write all the music.
Do you have any new releases coming soon?
Yeah, we have a new album scheduled for the end of the year. We’re gonna have a few things, you know, along the way. I won’t reveal too much right now, but it’s gonna be really exciting. There’s gonna be a lot of, I’ll say more collaborative work. We’re gonna be doing more performances, we’re gonna be doing, you know, more of everything. I’ve been doing this now for about three and a half years and every year I look at my career and I say, is it time to stop? And if it’s not time to stop, it’s time to keep going. So, I’m focused on trying to get that new music out as soon as possible.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists?
To an aspiring artist, I have two pieces [of advice]. The one is the one that everyone else will say. Don’t stop. Because if you stop, then there’s nothing to do. There’s no artist to be. And number two, don’t doubt yourself, because the second you doubt yourself, you fail, even if it’s bad, even if it’s good, even if it;s great, even if it sucks, to doubt yourself is an admission of sort of guilt. You know what I mean? Like I shouldn’t keep doing this, but, you know, you can think something’s bad without doubting yourself. So just never doubt yourself.
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