RESPECT. Interview: Ben Wiegman Discusses Why He Looks Up To Tory Lanez, The Difference Between A Rapper And A Performer, His Upcoming Single, And More

1. How long have you been doing what you’re doing and how did you get started in the first place?

“I have been rapping for the past 4 years, however, things have started to pick up within the past 2 years. I have always loved music and would rap for fun, but I never had the money to be able to pursue it the way I wanted to. It started with a $30 microphone off of amazon. Now I am blessed to work with a Grammy Award-winning producer.”

2. Who were the first influences on your music and style?

“I would always listen to guys like Futuristic, Hopsin, and Token. I don’t mind some of the mainstream artists, but I love the wordplay that these guys use. Listening to them for so long helped me learn a few things when it came to making my music.”

3. In your opinion who is the most influential and successful artist in your genre today and why?

“Some people may disagree with this one, but I like Tory Lanez. He is inspiring to a ton of independent artists that feel pressured to sign to record labels. He is extremely versatile and makes music with 3 different styles of vocals and he has proven that you can do it all by yourself without signing your life away.”

4. Do you think your music is mostly enjoyed more for the beats or for the lyrical flow and content?

“So far a lot of my songs have been mainly for the feeling you get with the beat and everything put together. For my new single coming out on the 5th, it is definitely for the lyrical flow and the message. I love making “hype” music, however I want to branch out as well and make songs that my fans can connect with and relate to.”

5. Do you write your own lyrics? If yes, what do you think about artists who use ghostwriters?

“I have been and will always be writing my own lyrics. I will be the last guy to judge someone for getting a ghostwriter, however, I would consider them to be more of a performer than a true rapper.”

6. If you could choose to work with some of today’s established artists or producers, to move your game to the top, with whom would you like to collaborate?

“I would love to make music with Hopsin and Torey Lanez. I was able to make a song with Futuristic that did over 100k streams within a few months so to be able to work with those 2 would amazing. You learn a lot from working with guys like that.”

7. Which latest songs, videos, or mixtapes releases are currently available to your fans and where can they be heard or downloaded?

“Go on google and look up “Money Marathon” “GG’s” “On My Soul” all by Ben Wiegman. You will find them on all platforms. On June 5th I am releasing my favorite track so far featuring Matt Corman on all platforms as well.”

8. Which ingredient do you think is most essential in making your sound and style the way it is?

“Energy is key. There are times when I will be in the studio and hear a beat that I like but the energy isn’t there so the vocals sound off. When I hear a beat I like I start to freestyle to it and I usually will be able to figure out if it’s the one or not.”

9. Which emotion more than any other, currently dominates your music? Joy, sadness, anger or passion, etc. and why?

“I would say excitement. Most of my songs are extremely hype, but I am also releasing some passionate and chill vibes soon.”

10. What aspect of the music-making process excites you most, and what aspect discourages you the most?

“The most exciting part for me about the music-making process is when I finish a song and see everyone’s reaction. I have a good awareness of what my fans would like and wouldn’t like so I usually can tell what their reaction will be like. The other side of that is with how the systems work in Spotify especially; you can make a great song and it just doesn’t click with the algorithm.”

11. How involved are you in the recording, producing, mastering, marketing, and other processes needed to make and sell your music, and do you outsource any part of these processes?

“I do all of the recording and all of the promotion by myself. I work with producers for the beat and I have an engineer who mixes the whole song but other than that it’s all me.”

12. Do you think the advent of the internet and all the new technology has helped your music and independent musicians in general, or do you think it just creates a mass of mediocre “copycats” who flood the web, making it difficult to distinguish yourself?

“Both for sure. Without having the technology we have now, most of the major artists out there could very easily never have been discovered. It is way better for artists now to market yourself, however now everyone is trying to copy everyone’s flows which gets annoying at times. It just comes out to who can start their own new wave of hip-hop and even just have a new flow.”

13. What in your opinion is the biggest barrier an artist like yourself, has to face and overcome, to gain any commercial success?

“I am also a baseball player that is an MLB draft prospect and I am signed to play at the University of Louisville for baseball. Most people that know me, know me from baseball. I am passionate about both so I need to start changing the persona of being a baseball player that raps for fun because it is way beyond that”.

14. In closing, tell us something about any projects and ideas you have in store or are already working on as well as where people can find your music.

“I am releasing a song called “My Life ft. Matt Corman“ It will be released on all platforms on June 5th. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @benwiegman for updates and see a little bit about my life.”

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