We recently connected with Cameron Venus and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cameron, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Return of the Flytrap, my 7th and highly-anticipated studio album, is set to be released on my birthday, August 31st. This project has been in the works for over five years now, delayed by a two-year period of detention in federal custody. As is the case with all of the discography for the Flytrap series, Return of the Flytrap has an extensive tracklist featuring 23 songs. Consider it as compensation for such a long wait.

Cameron, 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?

My name is Cameron Venus. For years, I have gone by the stage name C. VENUS a moniker derived from my high school and college basketball days. Can You C. Venus? was originally my entire alias, which spawned from a poster made by fans/students at Valdosta High. I was born in London but my hometown will always be Valdosta, GA. I have been gracing the microphone since about age 9, when the most we had was cassette tapes and walkman CD players. I recorded in a professional studio for the first time at age 19 and that is the year that I began my career as an independent artist. What distinguishes me as an artist is that I enlighten and educate my listeners, a skill that many call “putting medicine in the candy”. Since I began establishing myself as a master of spoken word in 2011, I have won numerous talent shows, participated in several cyphers and showcases, and I’ve been booked for dozens of gigs throughout the state of Georgia. After being incarcerated for two years, I have stockpiled my writings and I am more than ready to share them with the world (including my first urban street fiction novel). It’s only up from here!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the mental connection you establish with your listeners. Hearing strangers enthusiastically recite your lyrics or seeing someone listen for the first time and watching their reaction to the punchlines has always been my favorite thing. Of course, getting paid to do what you love is always satisfying, but the mere act of expressing my thoughts and emotions through the beat and spoken word is the ultimate therapy for me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2016, I was playing my senior year of college basketball at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, FL. I was living with my teammate’s grandmother at the time and my Chevy Impala was parked outside her house when two delinquent neighborhood kids broke into my car and stole all three of my spare cell phones. Thanks to our extraordinary athletic ability, my teammate and I chased one of the kids down and retrieved my headphones and game shoes ( I had a game later that day) and I, having a kind heart that seemed to betray me at times, let the kid go before the police arrived. Unfortunately, his partner in crime had escaped with my devices and I lost so much written material and soooo many beats that day, I could have cried. Starting from scratch, that instance inspired me to come up with even better material than that which was lost, and it spawned the birth of Secrets of the Flytrap.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.riseoftheflytrap.com
• Instagram: cflytrap
• Twitter: @CanYouC_Venus
• Youtube: Welcome 2 The Flytrap, C. Venus, 229HoodTherapy