Brain Rapp

Brain Rapp dropped his new EP Roller Coaster on August 16—the official date of “National Roller Coaster Day,” and he created a tightly woven project brimming with crisp wordplay and clever punchlines. The roller coaster is used conceptually throughout the seven-track EP as a metaphor for the ups and downs and twists and turns we face in our everyday lives. Brain Rapp takes us on a thrilling expedition as he examines the meaning of his existence intellectually, artistically, and romantically. By the final song, “Thanks For Riding,” he arrives at the proper conclusion: “On a quest for a connection who has the Wi-Fi to lend?/ ’Cause in the end all that really matters is family and friends.” - Washington City Paper

This local hip hop artist is becoming increasingly popular for his range of hip-hop, varying from thoughtful and narrative to big and bombastic, and he aims to get listeners to really think about what they hear. - Culture Trip

I’m absolutely in love with the Hip-Hop renaissance taking place in the D.C. area. Here’s the latest: enter Brain Rapp, who’s utilizing his trials and tribulations to create great, multi-layered music. Led by the single “Protect Your Neck” comes a new 7-track offering titled Roller Coaster, which sees production from Steven Padilla.

The short play release is the culmination of a man who’s dealt with everything from a close one having cancer to the gain and loss of friends and loved ones — essentially, something that all of us can relate to to some degree. Rapp’s flow is intrinsic throughout; at times, he even reminds me of a young Pimp C from a lyrical standpoint (the subject matter and cadence is something else entirely, all his own). - Respect Magazine

Broccoli City is back and we are producing the second stage again, the locals stage. We have filled this line up from top to bottom with primo talent from the best city in the world. - Tortoise and The Snare

Brain Rapp and Nature Boi Perform at Sold Out Jadakiss Show - Baltimore Soundstage

"5 Finger Ring Rap" features a sample of Jay Electronica's "Exhibit A" as Ezko shares the track with his Dope Music Village brethren Brain Rapp and Nature Boi; "Free Candy" samples MF Doom's "Burdock Root" instrumental; "Sucka 4 Luv" nods to Tupac's "Do For Love." And that's just on one project. - Noisey

Toting a great beard and an energetic vibe, Brain Rapp as a newcomer, seems to have a unique trajectory. - Brightest Young Things

Maybe the best thing about rap in the Nation’s Capital these days is how disaffected and unconcerned about mainstream hype these guys are. It’s as if everyone’s watching Wale go ballistic over everything while Shy Glizzy and Fat Trel get left on the fringes and said, “Well then.”

Logic appears to be the dopest rapping ascetic since Jay Electronica. GoldLink improved upon Wale’s formula and is kinda hanging in the balance waiting to blow up and be bigger than DC, the US, and probably even the world, too. And Oddisee is somewhere in a diner in Williamsburg getting WhatsApp messages confirming tour dates from European promoters.

Into this bizarre fray enters Brain Rapp’s “Not Today”, a song about getting old and feeling fine while still at odds with what it means to try to be a “rap star” in a world where far worse things are happening both personally and in culture that make all of this feel so secondary. This is maybe the best anthem of the year for everything right about the transitional era at-present for local rap, it’s the quietest grand-slam of the year. - Brightest Young Things

Brain Rapp opens for TDE's Jay Rock at Baltimore Soundstage. - Baltimore Soundstage

"In the four years since Raupp began performing, he’s made significant headway: He’s released three full-length projects, played regional venues and gigged at the A3C Festival, a major hip-hop gathering in Atlanta. True to his background in science, Rapp’s approach to marketing himself is methodical: He realized the value of moderation early on, and now he mainly plays shows that put him in front of new eyes. (He also knows how to make a clever promotional video.)" - Bandwidth.fm

With much excitement, I’m pleased to highlight Brain Rapp, an aspiring Hip-Hop artist from Columbia, MD. He has been pushing towards his dreams by not allowing anything or anyone to stop him from conquering his goals. He has also been able to graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland. Which means he has a high appreciation for the environment and everything that ties this crazy world together. That’s literally the closes you can get to being Captain Planet in real-life.

I managed to gain an opportunity to sit down with Rapp and hear his thoughts on overcoming the fear of failure, falling in love with Hip-Hop, and developing himself as a new artist. I’m hoping that this feature will inspire you or anyone else that has ever doubted themselves and/or have been putting off their dreams for the daily grind.

How did you gain an interest to pursue creating Hip-Hop music?

I initially got started creating music as a form of therapy and as an outlet to escape some of the hardships I faced early on in life. It’s hard to really even call it music at that stage, I just loved writing to beats. Writing allowed me the opportunity to channel my energy and turn negative situations into positive ones. If I felt some type of way I could write and if I came up with some clever way of talking about whatever my problem was, it made me feel good. At that time I didn’t see music as a means to an end so I never really went out of my way to make lyrics that appealed to the masses. My writing was (and still is) purely an expression of my emotions.

When did you decide to get serious about creating music?

I didn’t decide to pursue music seriously until my final years of college. I looked at the direction my life was heading and realized that this was something I had to do. Hip-Hop isn’t something you can just pick up during your midlife crisis and expect any level of success, it’s time sensitive. It was a now or never situation.

What took you so long to decide to pursue music as a career?

What held me back from being serious about music earlier in my life was fear. I was afraid that nobody wanted to hear what a white, middle-class kid from the suburbs had to say. I felt as though my story wasn’t important, that my voice in Hip-Hop didn’t have a place. I was afraid that putting all my time and effort into that endeavor would never get me where I wanted to go.

As a child and a teenager, I was held back by fear. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I learned to use a different kind of fear—the fear of regret—as a fuel. I figured that trying and failing was not as bad as never having the opportunity to try at all. I envisioned myself at forty years old wishing that I at least gave music a shot when I was twenty. If I continued to fear failure then I would never try and if I never tried I would always fail. By not pursuing my dreams I was living in failure.

When putting together music do you anticipate which crowd will enjoy it most?

As I get deeper into the business side of music I do increasingly consider what will resonate with a particular crowd. That being said, it’s not the main driver behind my creative process. The balance I always try to strike is saying what I want to what I think people want to hear. It’s a give and take relationship that always requires compromise. It’s scary sometimes trying new songs out for different crowds. I’m always surprised by what people like and don’t like, I can never predict it. There’s songs that I’m sure people will like and then they’re just kind of “ehh” about it.

What are some of the things that influenced your music?

My parents divorced at an early age. As you could imagine this was a very traumatic experience for everyone involved. Trying to wrap my head around something so complex and intricate at six years old really shaped who I am which would later influence my music. To make sense of the situation I had to think a lot, I had to understand what was going on. The thoughtfulness, the caring and concern for others, and the ability to look at one thing from multiple angles are all things I learned just trying to make sense of my life. Because my music draws from my life experience it necessarily reflects my character traits, most notably my thoughtful nature.

What do you want people to know about Brain Rapp?

I want people to know that Brain Rapp is just kind of a regular guy, I’m human. We tend to put artists on a pedestal and while that’s cool for our egos, it’s kind of weird at the same time. I just want people to see me for who I am. I want to be able to make music that reflects the fullness of my humanity. I want to share stories from my life, things I’ve been through, reflect on Hip-Hop through the lens of a kid from the suburbs. I want to be able, as an artist, to talk about the environment, education, under-served communities, and all the things that are important to me as a person. If I gain any financial success with music I want to give back to the communities that created the people that I look to as heroes and heroines. I hope my music makes people think and feel good. Hip-Hop is beautiful because it’s all-inclusive.

I hope people listen to Elevator Music and appreciate the diverse soundscape that me and my brother, Nature Boi, put together. Nature produced the entire project—infusing it with elements of soul, trap, and EDM. We made a project that truly takes listeners for a ride. - Stereo Champions

Columbia, Maryland native Brain Rapp has come together with The DJBooth to premiere the Guru Media Group-directed visuals for Where You Been, a single from his recently-released Elevator Music EP. The first set of visuals off the project, Where You Been follows Brain’s travels as the emcee will stop at nothing to make it to his release party on time. Does he make it? Press play to find out. - DJBooth.net

Thought we’d let you go 24 hours without introducing you to a talented new artist or two? Not Today, my friend. The first fresh face to hit our front page this Friday is Columbia, Maryland’s Brain Rapp, with a brand new promo single. Not one for small talk, the unsigned spitter delves deep on the lyrical tip, lacing the Jazz Liberatorz’ headphone-ready sample work with eminently relatable reflections on aging and mortality. Does this insightful jam leave you craving more food for thought? Then stay tuned; Not Today is just a loosie, but we’ll keep you posted on Brain Rapps’s plans as we learn more. - DJBooth.net

The story of the underdog is not one new to rap culture, in-fact it’s one of the fundamental pillars hip-hop was built on. With his latest iTunes liberated body of work, Maryland emcee Brain Rapp sets out to beat the odds and shatter all stereo-types associated with your typical “white rapper”. Backed by production from frequent collaborator and Dope Music Village label mate Nature Boi, the 7 track EP proves to seamlessly outline a well constructed coming of age audio-biography.

Cop Elevator Music on itunes, which features Ezko, Jake Sinatra, Ashley Alexander as well as Nature Boi, below and if you’re the least bit skeptical about buying it before hearing it first, hop on SoundCloud and check it out below! - The Source

Repping the East Coast and Maryland, Brain Rapp drops off his new single, “Where You Been.” The track serves as the introduction to his upcoming album, Elevator Music, and gives insight to the struggles of a rising artist. Check it out below and grab it over on iTunes. - Karen Civil

As one of the rising artists coming from Maryland Brain Rapp is making himself a staple with the use of lyricism and an honesty that is refreshing to hear. A seemingly tireless worker Brain Rapp has broadcast his artistry with consistent releases including 2012’s More Than I Am, 2013’s Feels Good and his Throwback Thursday series at the top of 2014. This year won’t be the exception for the MC as his fans were presented his latest EP Elevator Music in late June. With the EP making waves throughout the internet we found it a fitting time to be able to discuss the project with the artist himself as well as an other few topics. - First Day Fresh

Brain Rapp: “Not Today”

Does it feel like everyone you know is either getting married, having kids, or whatever it is that they do on Facebook? You can certainly relate to Brain Rapp’s “Not Today” if you’ve finally come to the realization that you are getting old and there’s no way to avoid it. On top of Jazz Liberatorz production, the suburban Maryland rapper spits about the future, and reminisces about the past while dealing with his present.

MARCUS: Sometimes when I hear this song I get this vivid image of Brain Rapp being the white guy down with Artifacts in ’94 that crushes this random, made up in my head, B-side smoothed out remix to “Wrong Side of The Tracks.”

Other times, I hear this and I think that we need more “best friend raps,” and by that I mean that Brain Rapp comes off as ultra-relatable here, as in no pretense of swag, hype or whatever – just your really good friend who’s really excellent at rapping good.

In an era where everybody wants to lie, murder, steal and rape on records (still), it’s good to get someone into the mix who’s just really trying to have a conversation about how mundane life is when you’re getting old and feel completely out of touch. Similar to what Atmosphere did on their last album, I have a soft spot in my heart for this one.

AARON: This beat is immaculate, but, Christ, is this what we have come to? Dudes I never heard of making coulda-shoulda-woulda rap is not a good look. Do you even Old, bruh?

You know who gets to complain about all the shit that never quite went down as planned?! ME. That’s who. Regular, old people that listen to hip-hop and don’t understand why kids are so stupid.

And maybe Masta Ace. But that’s it.

And maybe anyone that hates the police or the government. But seriously, that’s it.

And I guess dudes that treat hip-hop like a culture and not a product and maybe walks the line between Swag and Humility.

And anyone who speaks the real on the ills of society and finding a way in this crazy world.

OK fuck it. I like this song. Whatever.

CLYDE: This song is mad literal. Like, I don’t think there’s a single metaphor on this track. Dude actually says “I got a lot to say” and “they don’t really notice all the real shit that I’m spittin’” (hey, a metaphor!) which, to be fair, is true because this is the first time I’ve heard of Mr. Rapp.

Also, my 30th birthday is next month, and I had planned on spending the next few weeks avoiding introspection, but, fuck, this dude for making me confront my thoughts and feelings.
PHIL: “Not Today” is solid from balding head to mysteriously discolored toe. - Brightest Young Things

After advising us to “Get Down”, Brain Rapp is back with with some more food for thought to kick off the new year. Though the weekend will begin in a few short hours certain situations have us thinking simply “Not Today”.

Stream the boom-bap heavy cut from the DMV native after the jump! - Hip Hop Since 1987

This local hip hop artist is becoming increasingly popular for his range of hip-hop, varying from thoughtful and narrative to big and bombastic, and he aims to get listeners to really think about what they hear. - Culture Trip

Brain Rapp dropped his new EP Roller Coaster on August 16—the official date of “National Roller Coaster Day,” and he created a tightly woven project brimming with crisp wordplay and clever punchlines. The roller coaster is used conceptually throughout the seven-track EP as a metaphor for the ups and downs and twists and turns we face in our everyday lives. Brain Rapp takes us on a thrilling expedition as he examines the meaning of his existence intellectually, artistically, and romantically. By the final song, “Thanks For Riding,” he arrives at the proper conclusion: “On a quest for a connection who has the Wi-Fi to lend?/ ’Cause in the end all that really matters is family and friends.” - Washington City Paper

As he continues his well received Throwback Thursday Series (12.4.14), DMV native Brain Rapp delivers the official visual to his rendition of Artifacts’ “C’mon Wit Da Git Down” he simply calls “Get Down”.

Watch the fresh video above and be on the lookout for more new music from the budding emcee dropping soon! - Hip Hop Since 1987