We were lucky to catch up with Von Excellence recently and have shared our conversation below.
Von, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
When I turned 12 years old, I started getting into beat production on a website called audio-tool. That website was a start-up to everything I know today, and everything and every personality on that website got me to where I needed to be today, so I appreciate my love for music as if it were destined. When I caught on to making music work I started posting my beats to YouTube, which in return the videos would rack up 1 to 2 thousand views, and sometimes 3 on a good day. I would go on to produce for a few underground artists and dive into making my songs and music videos. All the hard work paid off and got me where I am today which is SAE, a place I’ve dreamed of being in since my freshman year of high school. It’s truly a blessing to come from where I’ve come from and be able to become successful.
To speed up my learning process, I could’ve obtained more information and invested a little more money into the learning process. Most essential skills were my social skills because I was able to communicate better when it came to working with other creatives. Obstacles that have gotten in my way were my inability to speak to others, I was depressed, and not sober but now my mind is clearer and ive gained more knowledge and wisdom.
Von, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
At the beginning of my life, my family always took care of me well. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t go without a meal or clothes. Sometimes small things came with the good, like how I couldn’t sleep in my baby crib because of the roaches, or the sound of arguing neighbors in the apartment complex. Overall, I wasn’t old enough to process the life that was shaping me into the artist I am today. The one person I always looked up to for inspiration though was my father. Before rap was popular in Atlanta at the time, my father had a rap group that consisted of him and my uncles. His group was a little well known at the time and had a few studios around Atlanta. What only caught my attention though, was the studio inside the barbershop on Bankhead. That place in general was known to have many of Atlanta’s faces there and was the only place where I had first tapped into something that I knew I’d truly love. Being there was like a learning experience before I put my heart into music.
My dad and I would casually be there for haircuts and my favorite thing was the studio. My uncles would have me in the studio either listening to the music or playing around on the soundboard. Being around this environment enhanced my mind, and pushed me into that door of music. I had CDs of songs my dad did back in the day, and studied his flow and wordplay to be able to finish what he started. When I started writing my first songs they were trash, but over time I started to appreciate the pen, and I started letting the thoughts come to me. A method that most helped me write was the art of putting imagery and what you’ve been through onto the paper.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My whole mission is to show others that being different is not a negative thing, doing your own thing is what makes you an artist..having that outline and vision of what you’re gonna be years from now is what makes you an artist. This lifestyle isn’t for anyone who thinks it comes overnight so if you’re one of the creatives that understand the process and pain that comes with this then keep going, the future is bright for you.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being creative is the fact that I can put anything together almost like an abstract painting. You take whatever you’ve known your whole life and put it into the music all while being able to make a different sound.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @vonexcellence
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCberFKZwUCbqUWy_A8nlWoA