While most college freshmen are spending their spare time learning the layout of campus, studying for classes, and bonding with hall-mates, McCormick freshman James Brooks is spending his time doing something slightly more artistic – finalizing his soon-to-be-released record.
“I started rapping when I was seven years old, but I didn’t get good until I was 12. That’s when I started recording,” Brooks, whose rapper name is 3-D, says.
The first song he wrote at that young age, “My World,” was about what he considered important at the time.
“I kept saying the same thing: playing with my toys and playing with my brother,” Brooks says.
When he was 12, he recorded his first song, “All Over the World.”
“It was about getting my name from the west coast to the east coast,” he says. “It had better rhythm and I was getting more versatile.”
Though the sophistication of his music has increased, Brooks continues to rap about topics of significance to him.
“It’s therapeutic. It’s my get-away from the world. It’s my way to tell the world my perspective with my lyrics,” Brooks says. “I put my heart and soul into my music and, whether you like it or not, you have to respect that.”
That same year, Brooks met his first producer from Noc On Wood Records in Seattle.
“I performed at a party when I was 12,” Brooks says. “The producer saw me there and took me under his wing and helped me work on my skills.”
When Brooks was 16, he met another manager, Eric Williams.
“We recorded at his studio and developed my music,” Brooks says. “I honed my skills and made a persona for others to remember me by.”
Williams encouraged Brooks to enter talent shows and contests and from there, Brooks signed with his current record label, Fresh Music. At first, Brooks thought that this was too good to be true.
“I have had so many producers promise me the world and give me nothing,” he says.
But soon he was booking shows in his home town of Little Rock, Arkansas, and also in Texas, California and Chicago.
Brooks’ music is also played on his local radio station and some stations in Louisiana.
“The first time I heard it, I was like, ‘wow,'” Brooks says. “It was 6:05 p.m.
It was an unreal experience. It was really me. It sounded like a real radio song.”
Even though he has had a great number of accomplishments with his music in his hometown, Brooks is not completely satisfied.
“I want to be bigger than Little Rock, bigger than Arkansas, bigger than the United States. I want people to say, ‘Who’s that new artist coming out?’,” he says.
Brooks’ record, which will be released in December, is titled Real Recognize Real, and will include over a dozen songs, including his single, “Get Like Me.”
“That song is a personal motto, an attitude. It’s telling haters that I have my own style. That I’m a leader, not a follower,” Brooks explains. “It’s my favorite club song. I have gotten a good response to it.”
Another song, “Get Throwed,” which has a sample from Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” will be featured on the album and has a more serious tone to it.
“A friend and local rapper, Squady, who I was going to do a song with passed away the Wednesday before we were supposed to record a song together,” Brooks says. “I am celebrating his name through this song.”
He had already recorded three songs with Squady at the time of his death. “I was close to him, but he had a life situation and had to let go,” Brooks says.
Brooks recorded around 40 songs and picked his favorites to include in the album.
“I had to keep from being repetitive,” he says. “I will use the other songs in later CDs.”
Brooks aims to release his second album next June, and already has at least 25 songs he can include.
In order to publicize his upcoming CD, Brooks has been distributing samples to students at Northwestern. He also shot a video for “Get Like Me” and created t-shirts. Brooks expects a positive reaction from his CD.
“Whenever I introduce new songs the response is good,” he says. “I also have a mix of R & B and hip-hop, so everybody is satisfied.”
Brooks was also an opening act for an Alpha Phi Alpha ritual earlier this school year, and will be performing at a talent showcase in Norris.
“I want people to know about me,” Brooks says. “I want everybody to like my music. That’s what is motivating me. I see my music worldwide. Whatever it takes, I give it my best.”
Medill freshman Emily Laermer is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
