Thornbro is currently a junior at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in Political Science and minoring in Education. Thornbro didn't start making music until right after he graduated high school and then ended up getting his first show in September 2012.
Since then he's been doing shows around Chapel Hill and North Carolina at various events and venues as well as opening up for The Kings Dead (formerly known as The Dean's List), and last week he opened up for hip hop legend Ras Kass. Thornbro - tells us that his ultimate goal with music is to use it to help others the way that music has helped him through his toughest times. He would like to fuse his passion for music and education into one career in the long run.
OK:
How did you get the name Thornbro?
Thornbro:
Well funny story actually… My friend Alex and I were joking around one day about starting a hip hop group called Vinyard Rhymes and this was also around the time I created my Twitter name @thethornbro. Then once I actually started taking rapping seriously I just carried over my twitter name, which is a play off of my last name, but initially there was no actual intent to start rapping.
OK:
So what initially inspired you to jump into doing hip hop?
Thornbro:
Middle school is when I started to become intrigued with hip hop. I became a HUGE Lil Wayne fan and then discovered that most rappers release legally free mixtapes so I would just always spend my free time trying to discover new artists and mixtapes. Then, on a deeper level, I was in a state of depression in my middle school years and hip hop helped me get out of that. However I didn’t even start rapping until I graduated high school and I instantly fell in love with the whole process. I guess my passion stems from the fact that hip hop has helped me so much in my life so I want to be able to do the same and help people with my music.
OK:
Who would you say is your biggest supporter and why?
Thornbro:
My biggest supporters would have to be my parents. They’ve always told me that I can do what I want and be who I want to be, but at first I was skeptical that they would be okay with me rapping since it does take time away from my academics and other things. But after they came to one of my first shows and saw how much I loved doing it I think it hit them that rapping is really what I love to do. And the fact that they allow me to have the freedom to pursue what I love and always support and love me no matter what is what makes them my biggest supporters.
OK:
What’s the hip hop local scene like in Chapel Hill, North Carolina?
Thornbro:
It’s growing. When I first got here two years ago it wasn’t too relevant but with the whole No9to5 group movement and then the emcee, beat-making, and DJ lab classes it’s become a much more cohesive community with more hip hop opportunities in the area. We’ve got some amazing venues here for hip hop, and it’s all just starting to grow and materialize. Basically, the local scene is awesome now and continuing to grow.
OK:
Who or what inspired you to write "Summer Breeze" feat. Spence & Quikhanz?
Thornbro:
It was inspired by a girl I had a huge crush on at the time. I’ve always been very very personal about my love life and I’ve been trying to venture out more and put it all out on the page and get it out there.
OK:
Which one of your tracks do you find yourself listening to the most and why?
Thornbro:
Right now it’s definitely my song “Rollin” which is currently unreleased but will be one of the lead singles off of my upcoming project. It’s a hype song that features my good friends and great artists The Koolest and Gabriel Stark. Basically the song is about all of our crappy cars that we love so much, and I just jam out to it all the time. It’ll be released in the near future!
OK:
Do you ever get nervous before a performance?
Thornbro:
Always. Getting up on stage is so nerve-wracking to me at first, but once I’m up there and my music starts playing I just get in my zone and go. I feel that the day I don’t get nervous before a show is the day I lose my passion for music. And I promise that day will never come.
OK:
Through this hip hop journey of yours what has been your top accomplishment so far?
Thornbro:
So far I would definitely say getting on your Top 25 artists of 2013 list. That sort of came out of nowhere and I was surprised and it still seems so surreal. Knowing that other people feel and see the movement is the most gratifying feeling ever. I guess my other top accomplishment so far is just being able to do shows in cities around North Carolina outside of Chapel Hill. Doing shows in other cities and towns is still extremely surreal and rewarding to me.
OK:
If you had the chance to work with any artist of your choice, who would it be and why?
Thornbro:
Kanye, all day. Kanye has been my biggest inspiration musically. One of the reasons is that he is such a visionary and musical genius, which inspires me to no end. Also, the main reason I love Kanye is that he, to me, is one of the most authentic people in the world. I don’t always agree with how he carries out some of his public opinions, but I love the fact that he is always going to give you Kanye West and no one else. I don’t agree with all of his life choices/decisions but his work ethic, authenticity, and genuinely positive outlook on the human race is why I admire him and would love to meet and work with him if I was ever given the chance.
OK:
How would you define your style of rhyming?
Thornbro:
Hmmmm this is a hard one because I’m still really honing in on my own style of rapping/rhyming. I’d say lately I’ve been doing more a stream of consciousness type of rhyming with a focus on have a good rhythmic cadence.
OK:
What else has your focus besides hip hop music?
Thornbro:
Well, being a student at Chapel Hill I constantly have to focus on academics, having a social life, and still finding time to pursue my music. My ultimate goal is to be an educator. Whether that’s just teaching or teaching through my music I want to help improve the overall education system of America. In my opinion most of the problems in the world, especially these systems of oppression that have unfortunately become so ingrained in society, stem from a lack of education. So in a broad sense I’m focused on trying to break down these systems of oppression and using my own knowledge and experiences to help people as much as I can.
OK:
If you could perform anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
Thornbro:
I would love to perform at some major music festival like Coachella, Bonnaroo, etc. I just think that would be such an amazing and unforgettable experience.
OK:
What are your views on the state of hip hop in today's era?
Thornbro:
I think it’s amazing on a local, micro, underground level and it’s improving as a whole movement. However, I feel that the public still has a very negative outlook on hip hop, but most of the negative views seem to stem from the older generation. I think my generation appreciates it a lot and by the time we are all old it will be very appreciated by society as a whole. So I think on a local level it’s thriving and the macro level is getting more love every year. Slowly but surely it’s all improving.
OK:
Hightop sneakers or Lowtop?
Thornbro:
Lowtop for sure.
OK:
What's your take on the college radio over at UNC?
Thornbro:
I really enjoy it! However, they don’t have an exclusively local hip hop show as far as I know, but I know a lot of the DJs for it and they do a great job.
OK:
What's your top 3 movies of all time?
Thornbro:
The Dark Knight, The Prestige, and Monsters Inc.
OK:
Are there any dope up n coming artists that you would like to give (shout outs) to?
Thornbro:
A few are The Koolest, Gabriel Stark, my Emcee Lab fam, the whole No9to5 movement, Ben Lemmen, Goods Wrapper, Ryan Knott of Acoustic Truth, Sky Blew, Will Wildfire, Kourvoisier, Smink, Fourth Shift, DJ DCM, Kid Slim, Dirty Up, among many others! It’d take me forever to name all the dope artists I love. Much love to everyone out there grinding and inspiring me!
OK:
Do you have any music projects planned for 2014?
Thornbro:
Yup! Got one that I’m getting out this year, potentially two projects but one for sure. I’ve got some big plans that will be announced in the near future.
Thornbro:
Lastly, I just want to say thank you to OK-Tho for giving me this opportunity and always showing support! Also I want to say thank you to all of my friends, family, and fans who have given me the confidence to keep pursing what I love. Yall are the people who inspire me more than anything else in the world. Much love to everyone.
OK:
No-Doubt - keep making that real music - Big UPS to UNC!!! - Respect from the OK-Tho family - stay up.
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