Cebu City is brewing up a dynamic wave of new generation hip-hop artists, brimming with energy and a dash of personality. These young talents have a rock-solid style that screams hometown pride.
Mistah Lefty, whose name is lighting up everyone’s playlist in the hip-hop music scene, has one of the purest forms of art and self-expression that stand apart from the rest.
Challenges
“I often find myself recording until two in the morning despite having a class the next day just so I could figure it out and work on it. It was definitely fun and a torture at the same time to go through the ups and downs but I eventually found a way in to the Cebu hip-hop scene,” recalled the artist.
According to the 23-year-old, Cebu has always been a hotbed of talent. It’s a dynamic battleground of youthful, creative forces, with each one having an ace to show.
“I believe aside from the context itself, I think people gravitated towards my music because of how I present myself. And with that, I mean just how fundamentally sound I could get into the song. As a result, they always come back to admire the skill set that I usually showcase and to me personally, it’s all I need to feel appreciated and just keep doing what I do,” said Mistah Lefty.
After securing his place in the scene, Mistah Lefty also admitted about facing the dreaded writer’s block. Even though his rhymes flow effortlessly, the creative process would sometimes hit a roadblock in his mind.
“From time to time, we deal with this writer’s block phase which eventually goes away but there is no certainty on when you’ll start to get away from it since aside from the brainstorming phase of the songs which is aggravating at times, we still have to deal with the personal life and matters that might affect our creativity and energy. Taking it day by day is what I think is best for me personally, steady and slow,” said Mistah Lefty.
Creativity
Seeing the sweet spot of living in the moment and making track after track, Mistah Lefty gets candid about his creative process.
“I think the one contributing factor that really forced me to do certain sounds was the producers or beat makers that I was working with. It used to be just me adjusting to their sound, then eventually suggesting what I had in mind so I could put my ideas into action,” he said.
“Well it always starts with a beat, either I would pick a context depending on the vibe of it or pick a beat depending on the context I want to put out. And while I am in the midst of making a song, I usually divert my creativity by writing three, four songs at the same time, depending on where I could get my hands on,” he said.
With a whopping 65K monthly listeners on Spotify, Mistah Lefty boasts of a musical arsenal that’s nothing short of impressive. His music has that dose of authenticity of staying real, and having the guts to be in the game plus the sheer fervor of young rage.
“I couldn’t really pick a specific [song that resonates to me the most] since I do have a different view of my songs depending on its mood, either it’s the songs with personal stories or the ‘feeling good about yourself’ songs. But one thing for sure is that the songs I made would always bring me back to time when I was making it, what was my situation around that time, where I was recording it and who was in the same room with me... it’s the little things that really resonate through me,” he added.
It’s all about being unique and Mistah Lefty has established himself as a trailblazer in this regard. With his clever wordplay and lightning-fast rapping skills, he’s ready to ignite every stage he steps onto.
“I am always grateful for their support and how they got me to this stage of my music career. Though my songs will never be personally dedicated to them but it will always be for them. They will always be my fuel to just keep making music and do me.”