Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samuel Gibson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samuel, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The first time I was paid directly for my art was for a feature I did earlier this year. A producer contacted me on Instagram and told me he enjoyed my music. I checked his page out, and he had good production quality. We started talking, and I was fully sold on doing a verse for him after he sent me the beat. I did a record for him that I hope drops soon because I believe it’s one of my best verses.

Throughout my process as an artist, seeking acceptance was a primary motivator for me, so having someone seek out my craft and solicit a verse from me was surreal. I would get people to stream my music in high school. Still, the money that accumulated since 9th grade was stuck in my distributor, so funny enough, my first earnings from music ended up meaning more because I worked myself into a space where I was talented enough to sell myself to others on a one-on-one instance. I still had to get past the validation seeking I gained from being paid, though. The collaboration from that work is fantastic, but I think the relationship I earned from it was more valuable.

Samuel, 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?

I’m 10KNYX (pronounced ten-kay-nicks) from Columbia, South Carolina. I’m mainly a songwriter and rapper, but I also work in graphic design and film. I aim to showcase meaningful music and content from the state of SC. I want to cut through some of the vapid and meaningless processes shown by others around where I grew up.

I started writing songs and enjoying creative writing in general in my later middle school years, but I took making music seriously after I started recording in 9th grade. As adulthood approached, I gained more technical skills to make a name for myself. As a rapper, I pride myself on producing inventive lyrics and making the South’s stamp in hip-hop span past Atlanta and Texas. I hold myself accountable for what I say, and I hold my pen and mic with more pride and dedication than anyone from where I’m from. I promise you that.

I hate how much artists from SC force themselves to conform to the most successful music being released by perpetuating violence. For example, I’m releasing new singles throughout September to combat some of that. This included my solo music and releases from my musical duo with my brother JrWorm, ’10 Wormz.’ I feel like my experiences in life have made me more accustomed to talking about my struggles in my music and trying to turn them into a positive message, which has helped me stand out from the rest of these newer artists who glorify the struggle and violence that plagues my community.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A producer approached me about doing a joint EP after working together previously. The first song we did was great, so I was entirely down to work with him again. I knocked out the four records we agreed to do as he sent the beats, but finalizing the cover art and mixing slowed the process. As an artist, I’ve been through many dry patches where the landscape of hip-hop feels dry or uninspired, and this was an opportunity I thought would get me out of that space. I found myself not being able to get in contact with him, and it was frustrating to have a whole project halted like that. I made some progress on the project, and it should be ready to go soon, though. I genuinely feel like this is my best rapping to date, and I’m so proud of the concept and everything.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to learn a lot about accountability as an artist since I started. I hit a substantial stride after I started creating with one of my best friends, JrWorm. In that process, I had to find my footing with collaboration. I initially hesitated to make songs with even Worm because of my anxiety about expressing myself. Then, my confidence increased with more practice, but I started getting complacent and inconsiderate when it came to certain 10 Wormz songs we would record. I learned how to formulate songs with others more effectively, and I fully credit my brother Worm for helping me develop that mindset for our work. He makes me a better rapper and person in general just from knowing him.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hyperfollow.com/10knyx
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenkaynicks/
• Twitter: https://x.com/10knyx
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@10knyx
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/10knyx
• Other: https://10knyx.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits

Photography by Andreu Maynard for Gutterball Media
Cover Art Design by yung nyx. & JrWorm