We recently connected with Kamal Williams and have shared our conversation below.

Kamal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a professional path in music was around 2007, when Soulja Boy was taking over the internet. I know what you are thinking, Soulja Boy of all people? But when he dropped his song “Crank Dat,” I saw the influence in real time; it showed me that through the internet, I can make a career out of music! Before that, I did not know how to get into the industry or create some buzz other than freestyling in rap cyphers. Also, I was always into music! As a child, the car rides I had with my dad exposed me to various radio stations. One that stuck out to me was WSMJ 104.3, a smooth jazz station. Furthermore, coming from a Trinidadian background, carnival and cookouts introduced me to dancehall, calypso, soca, and reggae. Thus, making my musical palette all over the place, as I was always around it! Lastly, when Kanye dropped Graduation, it gave me courage. Even though I was different and not from the streets. Kanye and Soulja Boy gave me the confidence to pursue music and have a career despite my image!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kamal Williams; I go by $hadoe (pronounced Shadow). I am a producer, songwriter, and artist as well (have not announced that yet). I got into the industry by meeting one of my cousin’s school friends, Dom Carter, who was also an artist. He had an idea to organize a writer’s camp/session with local talent he’d sourced on Instagram, and hosted it at an Airbnb. From that event, I connected with multiple artists and producers, including TWOSEVEN. After that, we established a long-lasting connection by working/collaborating, and networking with individuals in the Baltimore music scene. The services I provide are producing beats/musical arrangements, songwriting, and engineering.

What sets me apart from others is my approach and care for music. I will not give half or low energy to anyone, especially when someone requests a service from me. I immerse myself in whatever creative project that I am a part of, notably when working with TWOSEVEN. In her upcoming projects, I dive into her creative world, which has a dark atmosphere; the beats I provide mirror the world she is creating. In addition, I get to know the artists particularly by asking questions about their character and details about their stories. I take pride in being part of what makes their ideas come to life.

Two things I am most proud of are the songs “I Don’t Like Your Music” by Kay LA and TWOSEVEN’s “Muggsy,” in which I helped produce. When I first sent the beat over to Kay LA, I was so scared she wasn’t going to like it because I thought the kick drum in the arrangement wasn’t knocking hard enough, but that thought soon fled after she reassured me that she loved it and was writing to it. After that, history was made! It became one of her lead singles in her project “This Ain’t Pussy Rap.” About a year or two later, she appeared on the radio station 92Q, and the next thing I knew, I was seeing Instagram stories of it being played on the radio! I am forever grateful because that moment was so surreal for me, and this is the same beat I was not sure she was going to like. I appreciate her so much for that opportunity! With TWOSEVEN’s first single, “Muggsy,” the fact that she trusted me to be a part of her introduction to the world as an artist meant the world to me! It is such a privilege because before she was an artist, everybody in our tight circle kept encouraging her to put herself out there. It was courageous to take this career path, and choosing my beat to launch it was nothing short of a blessing!

The main thing I want potential fans and followers to know about me is that I care deeply about music. As I stated before, I do not put low effort into what I do; this is something I bleed, breathe, and am totally immersed in. You will quickly identify this if you follow my journey.

If you care about music, you will care about what I am doing, who I am working with, and who I am surrounding myself with. Also, for anybody who is neurodivergent, has autism, ADHD, or any of those diagnoses, and is struggling to operate in this world. I do this to inspire those individuals as well.

Because I understand the struggles just trying to navigate this plane, there are a lot of things automatically set up for neurotypical people. I just want to give hope to those who are going through it, just as I am on a day-to-day basis.

You can be somebody! You can do what you want to do, whether it is creative, administrative, or the food industry, whatever! Once you create a system that helps you and apply it to what you want to do career-wise, you can go past what the eyes can see!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is the mindset that I can pursue a music career all by myself.
I first started learning as much as I could, from how to make beats, engineering, and video editing. I isolated myself while taking on all those tasks and burned out; I did not build any community or network at all. I did all these things for a long time until I hit a point where I felt like I was going nowhere, until I met TWOSEVEN in 2018 and collaborated with multiple creatives for the first time. It showed me how beneficial it can be to have people you can bounce ideas off, build relationships with, and enter rooms you never thought you would be in. As you learn and grow together through the music industry.
Also, as a neurodivergent person, sometimes it’s hard to navigate through social situations, but it’s rewarding in the end. Especially when you find similarly minded individuals and build your own community. As well as finding people with skills you may not have or are more advanced at the skills you have, learning from them and vice versa.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love the process of creating; for me, it is a form of therapy. To have what is bottled up inside you, if it is trauma or happiness, you have an outlet to express these things. Once these ideas are put out into the world, you get that feeling of accomplishment and an out-of-body experience like “I really made that?!”

I compare it to a caveman who created fire, because you are telling me that if I rub these sticks or rocks together, I can generate fire? I did not know any of this was possible, amidst doing it, and once it happens, it is like wow, I created this living, breathing thing! It is exhilarating, electrifying, especially when sharing that experience with others and seeing the impact.

One example of this is when “Muggsy” was released and accumulated 12K views on Instagram. I was going through one of the hardest times of my life. My brother passed away at the beginning of that year, and I took a hiatus from music. But I remember sending TWOSEVEN the beat prior to my hiatus, not knowing what would happen afterwards. Then I came back and saw what it did. I was shocked by the impact it had, and I am appreciative of everybody who enjoyed it!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsth
• Twitter: http://x.com/shadowsthmusic
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shadowsth

Image Credits

Tamira Slade, Blake Thomas, David Barmer, Geoffrey Raspberry