Introduce yourself
Yooo my name is Matt Muse. I be rapping & stuff & i’m from the South Side of Chicago, the greatest city in the world.
How was life growing up?
Life was cool. I grew up in a church family that also loved music. Both my parents played various genres of music ALL THE TIME, my life was like a house party 24/7. My dads produced & write house music & my mom sang in the choir at our church. My siblings and I were best friends growing so as long as I had them, my parents, & some form of music I was happy.
When did you begin to witness you had creative talents?
Ummm I’m not sure. I also was into art, mostly drawing as a youngin. My dad got me a drum machine for my eight grade graduation gift & that was when I really started making music. The raps followed & i’ve been creating ever since.
Before we get into the music, lets discuss a few things first. You are a Donda House Alumni, when did you first get involved with Donda?
I got involved in Dondas house when I auditioned for & performed at the 2014 AAHH! Fest! I officially became a member/alumni when I completed their Spring 2015 ‘Got Bars’ class.
My time with Donda’s House has been simply amazing. I’ve built a new family with them and I truly love it. It’s good to have family in artists & to be able to lend my helping hand wherever I can to make DH continue to grow & flourish. The biggest thing I’ve taken away from DH is the importance of family & support & how to truly accept constructive criticism.
You are a current teaching artist at YCA. How did that occur? How has it been working alongside Kevin Coval at YCA?
I was hired as a teaching artist at YCA in the fall of 2016. Being a teaching artist & working with Chicago’s phenomenally talented youth has been nothing short of a blessing. Kevin is a true mentor and a big brother. He truly believes in the work of words & he pushes me to be a better artist & teacher day in & day out.
Now, lets dive into the music. When did you first start getting involved with making music?
As I stated before, I first first started after 8th grade. I seriously started making full projects once I got to college and allowed myself to be heard by others. After graduating last May I’ve taken it even more serious & worked to spread these tunes as far as possible.
A few months back, you decided to put out The SiKK tape. Lets talk about the concept behind this project. (meaning behind name, concept story of the project, favorite song)
The SiKK Tape is a 5 song, sci fi EP that tells the story of a group of guys who escape from a quarantine facility for everyone infected with the ‘S-I-K-K’ Virus. The virus allows you to express yourself freely and wholeheartedly, & the governing body of Chicago doesn’t want it to spread in fear of the people ignoring their rules & pursuing true mental & expressive freedom. Each song represents a different step in the escapees journey to escape the facility & get back to Chicago & infect the city. My favorite song is Crewzin.
Follow up with why Crewzin was your favorite song
Crewzin is my favorite because just hearing it makes me happy & I’ve seen how happy it makes others. I think it’s the best rapping I do (along with Turn Me Up) on the project & it’s just a perfect song to me. I’m happy with how it turned out.
Although SiKK tape just came out three months ago, can we be expecting some new music throughout the rest of the year?
Absolutely, I’ll be releasing new music very soon actually.
I call this the question of manifestation, if you could choose three artists to collab with on a song, who would they be?
I like this question. I’d say Kendrick Lamar, Smino, & SZA.
When it’s all said and done how would you would like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as a person who had a positive impact on people’s lives & self-esteem through everything I did. I would hope the music does that, but if there’s something else I’m doing that does that I’ll be happy too. The ultimate goal is to change lives & make people feel good.
Chicago Creatives 