In the music industry, there are always rising stars.
One of them is a rapper from Bloemfontein in the Free State, a youngster who began her musical journey in Grade eight and has been honing her skills for 11 years now.
Tammy Carson might just be the next best thing. Fair enough, she has been hard at work for years now, but this could definitely be viewed as the year things really get going for her.
“When I was younger, I used to listen to Willow Smith, Nicki Minaj etc and I was very into hip hop dancing, so I decided why not make hip hop music. It’s been from a very young age," the reserved rapper explains.
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Her handle of this vocal style is exhibited fantastically on the single Looking Different. At a glance you would be forgiven for thinking that she was in fact from the UK.
"It was a single I wanted to pop off with a bang. It’s basically to say that the Queen is back … stepping on necks for sure. Just reminding myself that I am that girl, and anyone else can be too. It’s the confidence you have within yourself. And who better to feature than the king of Drill, Roiii.”
She has a rugged style that lends itself well to the U.K cadence and lingo but also sounds very local when she decides she would prefer it to sound that way. She enjoys the work of Nasty C, Blackie, A-Reece, Emtee as well as Central cee, Nicki Minaj and Young MA from abroad.
Tammy tends to build her work from the beat up and has a meticulous delivery that you might expect from a way more seasoned wordsmith.
“I usually sit and listen to beats in studio and come up with a rhythm. After that I’ll record the humming or mumbling to hear how it would sound and from there, I write lyrics in that tone and there we have a hit.”
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She claims this is a simple process and it is a widely used one, but the process yields stanzas with an aggressive potency about them and in these times of timid lyrics, Tammy provides refuge.
“I like to work with the producers and tell them exactly what I want to be done on certain parts of a song too,” she elaborates.
Her career has been short with many experiences yet to come but, “one memorable moment would be seeing myself on the big screens. I never imagined I could be watching my music videos pop up on TV. that was a very proud moment I had considering I am an independent artist and everything I’ve worked for I’ve done on my own.”
She has already had to grapple with the strains of stardom, “Sometimes it’s difficult to stay motivated as an artist. We deal with and face challenges daily, but you must go back to why you’re doing what you’re doing and remember how far you’ve come. The constant support also keeps me going.”
She will have to find a way of carving out some kind of longevity in a game where the audience moves on to the next thing almost weekly.
“I hope to achieve as much as I can. I never really plan too much because I know there’s always greater out there, but I’d like to start winning awards, touring overseas and working with many different artists and helping other artists with their careers.”
A point of particular importance for her is the development of female talents in rap locally.
“I would like to show young girls that no matter where you come from you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. Small town to big dreams.”
Hip hop has not always been kind or understanding to white rappers.
“I don’t respond to it. If I give it my time and energy, I’m allowing it to affect me. They know my name but not my story.”
We might have to wait for a full offering as this is still under construction. “I want to work on an album for 2024. I want to give the people a huge piece of me showing off my versatility in the industry as well.”
She has ties to rappers like Maglera Doe Boy whom she has worked with and a few others like Emtee and Nasty C, but she doesn’t give away anything as it pertains to the collaborators she may enlist for her debut album.
“Collaborations are something I like to surprise people with.”
Away from her exploits as an exciting new rap talent, the laid-back rapper likes to spend time to be with her family and friends.
“I like to make time for my loved ones but luckily people around me understand my grind and most times I include them in things.”
She preaches consistency as being the key to realizing a dream, “Don’t stop grinding. Someone will hear you. Someone will see you even when you feel you’re not going anywhere. You’re always a step ahead as long as you work hard.”
She has high hopes for local hip hop despite the sea change in sonics.
“I see more females talking their talk, doing their thing and being fearless and confident. We need more females to step out and show them how it’s done.”
