The Oracle: When did you start rapping?
Timothy Waymouth: I started when I was 12 years old and at that time it was just writing poems and having fun with it. I was living in Spain and it was hard for me to make friends since I didn’t speak the same language, so I had a lot of time at home and would write things down. It became a big part of my life.
TO: What type of things do you write about?
TW: Everything. Whatever comes to mind and inspires me. It depends on my mood and emotions at the time. I try to keep it positive because my music is a reflection of me, so if I do things that are positive, that will reflect back on me and make me a more positive person.
TO: What was it like to release [your first track]?
TW: I had mixed feelings. Going into it, it wasn’t completely where I wanted it to be in terms of music—but I had already told people I was going to release it so I just had to say, “All right, this is what I got,” and put it out. Especially afterwards, I had very mixed feelings about it, but as long as there’s at least one person who likes it and enjoys listening to it, I’m going to continue doing it, even if that person is myself. It’s just something I love to do; that’s why I do it.
TO: What inspires you to come up with music?
TW: It could be anything, just whatever I see that I like to talk about. I constantly write stuff down on my hands, all over my homework and on notebooks if something inspires me. A lot of great musicians that I like and listen to inspire me to make music, improve and just stay focused.
TO: What’s your creative process?
TW: It’s kind of random; I don’t have a set list of steps that I do. I like to go home and listen to music for a little bit, throw on a beat, freestyle and just do whatever comes to mind. I just feel the music and that’s how I feel I can be most true to myself and my music.
TO: What’s your favorite part about rapping specifically?
TW: The creative process, I would say. Just the creation and finding new ways to mess with the words and create new flows. I feel like rap especially has over the last decade kind of declined in its social standings. People think it’s stupid and they don’t understand what it was based on initially because there’s not very much knowledge. It’s also putting myself out there and expressing who I am. I want to change people’s outlook on the music.
TO: What artists inspire you?
TW: A whole bunch of people. I’m thinking Luke Christopher, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. I listen to Electronic Dance Music too, so Flume, Kygo, Disclosure, and Kanye West inspire me.
TO: How did you decide to express your written work in rap form?
TW: I’ve listened to rap music ever since I’ve been a little kid. It started with guys like Eminem and 50 Cent and it’s always been my favorite go to music. As I started to write poems, I thought I could see myself doing this. I started trying to write to beats and instrumentals, and it just eventually fell into place.
TO: What plans do you have for the future?
TW: I don’t have an exact plan I would say. I would love to just release music and see how far that can get me, see what happens. I’m obviously going to try and do my best to get it to as many people as possible, but as of now I can see myself putting out more music and doing this and mak- ing it everything. I feel like as long as I keep on putting out more work I feel is true to myself then things will fall into place.
—Compiled by Kaya van der Horst
