Interview with Confidence: The Hip-Hop poet from Portland delivering a hot new EP and sound

20 year old Portland based poet, rapper and producer Confidence recently released his new EP L.I.F.E which the Underground Hip Hop Blog is already calling a “must hear”. The 8 track EP is a diverse mixture of quality music; tracks like ‘Postcards from Paradise’ and ‘Weekends/Growing Up’ offer a jazzy and early 90’s hip-hop sound. While, ‘’97’, ‘B.L.A.N.K.’ and ‘Crystal feat. Nikk Hxxxi’ are totally raw, combining crushing lyrics with AAA+ production quality that will give you chills and leave you wanting more. 

Interview: 

Cara: Congratulations on the recent release of your EP L.I.F.E! The response has been awesome; how does it feel now that it’s out there?

A: It feels great; I worked hard to make the EP a reality. Still to this day the capabilities of the mind are amazing to me, it’s crazy how a musician’s minds can take something from scratch and bring it into reality for others.

Cara: You said you wanted your contribution to the world to be music and sharing stories, have you always felt that way? Or, was there a moment when you realised this was definitely what you wanted to do?

A: It’s quite a mix of both actually! Since as long as I can remember I knew I was going to be a musician, I’ve been playing a variety of instruments since I was 12, it wasn’t until only a few months ago that I picked up the mic and blended my poetry, stories and memories together!

Cara: You also write poetry and said fusing it with music was ‘bliss’, do you still write poetry or have you found the combination of writing to music works best for you?


 A: OH YES, I LOVE POETRY! I’ll be writing poems till my time runs out. I’m always looking for new techniques or ways to improve my writing techniques; I think it’s important to always study and keep an open mind!

Cara: The EP has an impressive narrative structure to it which has a strong sense of story, as a writer where do you draw your inspiration from?

A: As corny as it sounds, everything ha-ha. The EP’s writing was heavily inspired by some of the past events I encountered as a child and growing up.

Cara: The tracks seem autobiographical and almost chronological, as if we are with you following your progression to the artist you’ve become today, did you intend for the EP to take the listener along your journey?

 A: Very much so! That fact you say that makes me giddy, as a fresh MC I wanted my entry into the hip-hop world to be me and as authentic to who I am as it could be. I want to take the listener from being 10-13, playing games and hangin’ with homies to the dark struggles a home can face. Ending to the 20 year old I am today.

Cara: Which poets or musicians do you think our readers should be keeping an eye on at the moment?

A: Poet wise, I eat up Edgar Allen Poe. Musician wise, keep an eyes out on Flawless, LockSmith and of course, myself ha-ha!

Cara: You’re currently competing in the annual Funk Volume and DMX.com’s ‘Don’t F[u]nk Up Our Beats 7’ contest. How did you select DJ Hoppa’s beat to compete with?

 A: They have a list of preselected beats produced from members of Funk Volume and DJ Hoppa’s spook to me on the big of the sinister side; I had to go with it.

Cara: Your track Crystal Nick Hxxxi has this great more mellow style but keeps the heavy hitting lyricism of rowdier tracks. Do you like to keep your style fluid rather than sticking to just one style of rap to express your subjects?

 A: I believe the more fluid and versatile the better! I couldn’t imagine having one style, I feel like that’s very limiting to your capabilities.

Cara: Your lyrics show concern for those struggling and the lack of prospects for young people, what advice would you give to any young people trying to make it in the world today?

A: Keep your chin up, stay persistent and dedicated to bettering yourself and the situation you’re in. Know that you’re worth more than anyone can pay you, and that anything can happen when you work towards it.

Cara: What can we expect next? Any tours or projects in the works?


A: Let’s just say I’ll be around for a while. Expect a new body of work to surface, something dark and extremely raw. If you enjoyed tracks like Crystal, BLANK and 97’ you’ll love this next instalment, I promise.

Having achieved so much skill, depth and creative talent at a young age, it’s clear that Confidence is the one to watch as he continues to expand as an artist. You can download his new mix tape L.I.F.E for free here.

Or, follow him on Soundcloud here.

 Cara Davies