callmevince Shares His Name Origin, Future Plans & Ideal Pokémon Team

Intro:

callmevince is a talented rapper & performer from PA that’s been building a buzz around his name. His chill meditative style & delivery has made him a unique artist in comparison to his peers. After releasing the project STARS. with producer 2CK, he’s now working on a new project for 2023. With that said, there’s still a lot casual listeners can learn about the young MC. Read our brief conversation below:

Summary:

Me: What first got you into making music?

Vince: My family was never too big on music. My dad only really listens to hard rock which I could never really find appreciation in. I didn’t discover a true understanding and passion for music until I was 13 or so. My friend and I used to ride the bus together on the way to middle school basketball games and find new music to listen to. Early on it was Acid Rap and Because the Internet. Once 2014 Forest Hills Drive dropped, though, I was hooked on rap.

Where does your stage name originate from? And what made you move on from “VZN”?

I was getting tired of VZN. That originated from the RZA & GZA from Wu-Tang and my admiration of them early on in my writing. Once my writing and work began shifting I realized VZN did not encapsulate who I wanted to be & what I wanted to deliver through my music. callmevince will hopefully one day be shortened to just ‘vince’. That name came out of me wanting to express the honesty and openness of my music. It reminds me of a name like Chance the Rapper or Tyler, the Creator. Their names are upfront and tell you what you need to know.

How would you describe your style? And how has it evolved throughout the years?

Earlier on I was heavily influenced by boom bap. Joey Bada$$’s 1999 and Wu Tang’s first couple albums really made up a large portion of my influence. I was heavily focused on lyricism which actually helped in the long run when I started learning how important flow and delivery were to making solid songs. If I had to describe my style now in a couple of words I’d say cozy, pretty, and therapeutic. That has really been only the past six months or so, so I’m excited to see how that will continue to change.

Nice! Do you remember the first song you ever made? If so, what was it like & how does it compare to your latest/best releases?

I hate my old music more than anyone else probably does. I’m my own biggest hater, there’s music that I dropped in the last couple years that I can’t stand to hear played. All the music I have dropped in 2022, though, I have really enjoyed. I am proud of that. The first song I ever made was called ‘Expo’ which dropped in Spring of 2020. It was just two and a half minutes of straight bars. I hate it and the mix was awful, but it is neat to see how far I have come.

The way I approached lyricism back then was very thoughtful, although now I think I am just as thoughtful with my lyrics, but there is a different intent. Back then, I was just trying to make metaphors about how good of a rapper I was. It is neat to see how my content has changed from then to now. I can listen to my second project, ‘Elevator Music’ and understand exactly what I was feeling or going through during that time. These projects become time capsules for me.

What other interests do you have outside of being an artist?

I really like fashion and want to keep exploring that. I would also like to continue approaching music from an executive production standpoint and make a difference in the industry aside from my personal work. It would be cool to create a label and orchestrate/curate a sound through other artists, and really make an imprint on the landscape of music.

I know you’re a big Pokémon fan too. How different do you think the world would be if they were real?

I’ve had plenty of conversations about this with my friends back home. We would see Pokémon in every part of media and life. Quite similar to the games, we would see specialized Pokémon in different professions (construction, health, farming, etc.). Of course it would probably be the biggest sport in the world. I would take training pretty seriously, it would be cool to make a run for the Elite Four and the Champion but I wouldn’t really trip if I couldn’t. I would definitely have a fire team though. Give me Porygon, Greninja, Scyther, I'm not sure what else but those three for sure. The game is a pretty accurate representation of how society would be for sure though. It’s pretty realistic.

Who are some of your favorite artists/producers to work with? And who are some people you’d like to work with in the future?

I got a friend back home, he goes by Matty Bearo, that’s who I came up learning how to rap and produce with. He hasn’t dropped anything yet but keep an eye out because he has a lot of great music coming - I’m really excited for people to finally hear his work. Elli Bands, Oryah & SAV are people that I kick it with at the studio and make some great records with. I love my collaborations with the Neverending Mixtape as well, there was such a variety of people involved with different styles - my time that I was heavily involved with them was when I really grew the most as an artist.

Long-term, I would love to work with the Alchemist and Monte Booker. Artist-wise I want an Uzi feature so bad. I’d love to also work with Smino, Isaiah Rashad, 070 Shake, Pink Pantheress, Still Woozy, Denzel, Earl. The list is endless. I have ideas for all of those features when they eventually come to fruition.

Love your work with producer 2CK! How did you guys meet & start making tracks together?

That's the goat. And thank you, STARS. is easily my best work to date and that has a lot to do with the fact that 2CK produced all of it. We met through the Neverending Mixtape. I had recorded some verses on beats that he had submitted and he hit me up afterward and was like “yo, you always kill my beats, let’s do something”. It went from two songs to the idea that we just make an entire collaborative effort together. I had so much fun with the entire process and it was a unique experience of making music (fully online through Discord). There is much more on the way, he just keeps getting better and I think we heavily feed off each other’s energy even though we live thousands of miles apart. He puts me in a pocket that I can only reach on his beats. It just makes me want to rap different.

How would you describe the upcoming project you’re working on now? Are you able to share any details with me & the fans? 

I’m working on a solo album right now and it's just about done. I want to really focus on the promotional side of things so I’m glad the music is done now. I’m gonna spend the next handful of months planning how I’m gonna get the most possible people to hear me out. This is the best music I have ever made, I really want people to listen and see what I have to offer. 

It is really different. I’m making music for myself and I’m glad this album has come out the way it did. It is an experience. If I had to sum it up in one word I’d either say that (experience) or therapeutic. I just can’t wait for people to hear it.

Additionally, do you have any advice you would give to someone that is thinking about getting into music?

Make music for yourself and everything else will follow. Let your work speak for yourself. Don’t be a dickhead and don’t be self-conceited. Spread love!

Also, who are some of your favorite artists this year & in general?

This changes a lot, especially songs. I’ll give a few of my favorite joints from this year but I wanna talk about albums. In terms of artists, Isaiah Rashad, Mac, Smino, Still Woozy, Uzi. This year specifically I loved Denzel’s album, 070 Shake’s album, The 1975’s album, Steve Lacy’s, Destroy Lonely’s, Black Thought’s, Smino’s. I liked a lot of music this year.

Future Plans?

Rapping gets boring sometimes. You’ll see that on the next album. I’m not satisfied very easily so I really wanna push myself and see what I can make. Discographies like Tyler’s, The Grateful Dead’s, Kanye’s - they changed their sound with each album. That is definitely what I want to do. I got some crazy ideas and a whole lotta time to put them into action.