Saint Even is a rapper based out of Atlanta, Georgia, but is originally from Brooklyn, New York. He’s always been a performer, and his appreciation for music is something he developed when he was a kid. In his own personal style, Saint Even enjoys guiding his listeners through an experience and says that all rappers have their own way of doing so.
Saint Even spoke with rolling out about what inspired him to start rapping, and what kind of style he’s bringing to Atlanta hip-hop.
What inspired you to start rapping?
I’ve always been a performer and an entertainer, I started out as a child actor. I’d say around nine or 10, I was just going through a lot in my personal life. I felt like hip-hop was that outlet that saved me. Listening to hip-hop, finding the music that I connected with on a deeper level as far as the lyrics talking to me, or whatever the case may be helped me. I had already rapped before in the past, but I hadn’t written my own things, I just performed other people’s songs. There were even a few songs that my mom wrote for me. Around that point is when I really started penning my own rhymes, and ever since then, I just fell in love with the culture. I became kind of a hip-hop historian who wanted to study the classics and history of the music because I figured if I’m going to be a part of this, then I’m going to give my all to it.
What kind of style do you bring to Atlanta rap?
I’m from New York, and I spent 13 years there. I’ve been in Atlanta for 11 years, and I got this dual vision of these two immensely important and popular cultures in America, but especially Black America. I think that perspective is fresh and is different. I’m going to give you bars, storytelling, and quality music. I grew up a student of music and of the arts, so now I’m giving visuals and I’m giving you concepts. I’m giving you full experiences, where you’re not just putting on an album and just hearing a sequence of songs, but you’re hearing a story be told. You hear the narrative move and you can see specific themes … addressed. I think that I consider myself a storyteller and an artist, and a performer at my core.
I’ve been compared to so many different people that [you] can’t even compare to one another, and that’s how I know that I’m giving something that’s unique and different. It’s just going to take me getting to that certain point for people to be like “We were comparing him to all these other people, but really he’s Saint Even.” That’s what I think I can bring to the table at the end of the day.
