Editor’s note: With live music and concert reviews on hold due to COVID-19, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is focusing on how Georgia musicians are spending their time in our feature, Mic Check.
His rap moniker comes from the time that night turns to day, signaling the last moments of darkness into the untapped hope of a new morning.
On 2019′s EP with producer TM88 — “5:88” — as well as recent songs “Automatic” and “Pull Up,” rapper 5AM blends old-school bounces with Future-inspired technology for his slick productions.
Born in Tifton, the rapper born Blake Hicks moved to metro Atlanta in second grade and eventually attended South Gwinnett High School while always working on music, first as a beat-maker and producer before turning his interests to the other side of the microphone.
On Friday, he’ll release the follow-up to “5:88” called “You’re Going to Be Fine,” which he recorded at Atlanta’s Triangle Sounds Studio with producers including Romano.
In a recent chat, 5AM talked about delaying his album because of the pandemic and the thrill of hearing that a major NBA star appreciates his music.
Q: Your album, “You’re Going to Be Fine,” is arriving Jan. 29. Was it always the plan to release it this year?
A: No, we finished it late 2019, around November. I planned to start everything early last year but then the pandemic hit. So we decided to wait until we could get everything out visually. You want give everybody the full experience.
Q: What is the meaning behind the album title? It seems as if you’re trying to project optimism.
A: That’s pretty much what it is. This album is a ray of hope for me. I wanted to make sure my fans felt the same way. If you’re going through something or even if you feel good, you have to remind yourself (that you’re going to be fine). With everything going on in my life personally, being a first-time father, this is my first project that I can stay a little more busy with. And now with the pandemic and last summer with the police …I’m trying for one inspiring message a day now.
Q: You’re referred to as a hybrid artist because you started as a producer before switching to singing. Where do you see yourself in the producer space now?
A: I wasn’t too fond of my voice, but I kept rapping to keep up the skills. I thought I’d focus on both but I wouldn’t mind being an artist over a producer at this point. (Producing is) always something that I can go back to.
Q: You were born in a small town in Georgia, but Atlanta is where your music really took shape. What — and who — did you draw from here to find your sound?
A: For me, Atlanta really inspired my love for beats and my love for melody as well. Future, (Young) Thug — there’s a lot of melodic rap and I drew from all of that. Atlanta broke so many stars; you could pick an influence every day.
Q: What was your reaction when (Brooklyn Nets star) Kevin Durant started talking about your music?
A: It was surreal. It was like, “This person knows my music?” When I started to have a conversation with him (on Instagram) and he dissected the song, I realized he’s really a music fan. That was really cool.
Q: What have you been listening to lately?
A: For the earlier part of the year, mostly my stuff; then the Lil Uzi (Vert) and Future project (“Pluto x Baby Pluto”) and Playboi Carti’s new record (“Whole Lotta Red”).
Q: You got your first keyboard at 13 from your great-grandmother. How supportive and influential was your family in your pursuit of music?
A: I had one aunt who used to be in a rock band when she was younger and I was always at her house when my mom had already moved to Atlanta. My older cousin was doing music and I was around it all day long. When I moved to Atlanta in second grade I thought about music every day. I recorded myself on a tape cassette. (My great-grandmother) passed away three years ago, but she got to see me make music.
Q: What are your plans for the next few months?
A: I’m working on a short film — a horror movie that I’m reshooting — so that’s my main focus.
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