Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Telopath Hamilton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Telopath, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Honestly the idea has always been a childhood dream as I have loved and been doing music since a tender age of 3 years old. Still it was never seen easy or achievable coming from where I’m from. As a Entertainer and business owner, you start thinking or dreaming of the things you want to do early. I started my first label young in the island of Jamaica where I was born, called “Prophecise Entertainment” and a group of Hip Hop rappers “Black Prophets” So after migrating and also transitioning from a Artiste, to a club promoter, club, radio and tv host. I had now became older, more experienced and moved around some of the best Entertainers and moguls. With that said and done in a short space of time after becoming a club host for one of the hottest Showcases in the D.M.V (Dc, Maryland, Virginia) Metropolitan Area, called “Smoke House Theater” I met Javion Hall better known as Jaydawg 301 artiste and so much more now to the label. He somehow after years of performing at my shows winning numerous prizes etc and just seeing how I did business and integrity texted me in my inbox just a lil before Corona started in 2019 or 2020. Saying hey if you ever started a label I would rock with you. At the time most may not of knew it but I was feeling my worst in life and just needed or wanted a way to feel happy plus do what I loved best. I was currently living in Queens New York at the time he texted although I still did events in DC. I had currently split from a relation of ten plus years with my fiance, and left my daughter Shiloh with her mom at time which ate me alive. So to compensate the pain I overworked myself running a million dollar plus retail stores in Long Island New York as and Assistant Manager in the week, and club host and promoter on the weekends while still doing music honestly. It was then though after his words and I agreeing to possibly taking on the role as his manager, he had sent me back a mixtape/album cover I think of saying “Time Is Now” “Every Dog Has It’s Day” abbreviated E.D.H.I.D. Somehow he had realized I used the saying in anything right after my #nowornever would always say #timeisnow. Which I had planned to call one of my upcoming Albums. Somehow I took that as a sign and ran with it because it also showed me he was paying attention and was loyal, With that said and done I quickly went to online schools, did my research and registered “Time Is Now Records”
Telopath, 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 was born David Hamilton aka Telopath in Kingston Jamaica, I have been doing music since I can remember. Most my family would say i have been holding a microphone since the age of 3. As for my name which comes from telepathy I had pretty much taken on the name after reading a Literature book “Chrysalids” and stuck with it since the 9th grade of high school. I started music professionally in 2007 after being heard on a friend’s freestyle record at the time. Endre aka Marveldust had became a close friend to myself after meeting one day in St. Catherine, Jamaica Spanish Town. Long story short a multi platinum engineer and producer David Kennedy, heard my verse on his record and said he loved my verse and style. I was one day took to the studio, where I was tested on rhymes, doing mostly freestyles on East Coast beats, since the producer had lived there most his life as well. Somehow in that freestyle session he had played a beat and i started rhyming a song and really just started singing about my life saying “Whats Life” and my possibly meanings on it. He looked over at me and said that’s it rap that again. Luckily i remembered the words because I was mostly free styling off the top of my dome that day. Months later with some hard work and dedication I had my first profession recorded, mixed and mastered single “Whats Life” which broke many barriers for myself being a Jamaican Rapper residing in Kingston Jamaica at the time. From there I started recording more music, shooting videos and doing shows all over Jamaica and even got a opportunity to perform at Worcester Massachusetts shorty after, This quickly had opened my eyes and also created a new sound quickly. Opening doors to having my first music video ever being aired on numerous Tv stations in the Caribbean. Along with getting popularity in the United States especially in New York which is the home-state for most my family and myself up to this day. As a child I learnt from a old saying “Early Birds Catch The Worms” so that has always been one of the saying that stuck with me even to this day as i woke up from 4 am this morning February 23rd trying to complete this. I have always been athletic since a child and played many sports on many different teams for Soccer mostly and Basketball. So that has always kept me grounded and also knowing that training or being persistent with consistency that anything is achievable. Nothing come easy and with that I have always keep a mind-frame knowing the race is not for the swift, but for those who can endure and it doesn’t matter how skilled or talented you are if your not self motivated and dedicated there is always someone there ready to take your spot. So after starting out as just a writer, rapper etc. I migrated to United States at the age of 21 and started studying the culture of Hip Hop, Fashion etc then and now at 36 I can honestly say I Am Music. I’m a promoter, radio and tv host, event planner, manager, Executive Producer, DJ, Fashion Designer, Stylist and Social Influence. So honestly if you need a space to shoot a video, video vixens, a club to keep a party, showcase or pop up shop I’m the man to call or more and likely the one referred by many. I have very great relationships with club owners and built a lifetime rapport with most, which gives me access and the availability to provide different platforms in the D.M.V, New York, and more. Over the years I have also became a booking agent for many, until focusing on my own artiste and self. My record label provides production, mixing, mastering and even promotional and marketing skills for upcoming indie artiste who need artiste development and more, I’m also club dj, so if you got a hot record any want it broke in the clubs just let me know, or if your looking for a tour dj that understand what a artiste is looking for while they’re performing with a hype-man. I aspire to be a radio dj one day and also have my own radio/tv show on fm radio, sirius xm, or national tv. My radio/tv show “Time Is Now” ran through the plugged in network has been aired even on roku tv through the plugged in network until launching independently to just youtube where I gained thousand of subscribers and followers. What separates me mostly from others I think is the genuine love I have for the music and any and everything that comes with it. I have created my own lane being myself and showing versatility and growth in every aspect or any challenge I take on. So the resilience, consistency with persistence showed by myself through it all gives many I think a sense of hope and faith, that if he can do it, then I can do it. I have showed the world it’s ok to be different, and always be the best version of yourself with no limits. When i started rapping I had no vision of becoming a host or dj, but somehow it also came natural. Same thing with recording and mixing music, which I do mostly just to release tension. After High-School I went as far as to get voice trained which they said I seemed to have been for years at Edna Manley School of Arts. Then enrolled into Creative Productive Training Center and got certified for Video Production, Editing, Graphics, Animation and Web Page Development. So to be honest I always knew I would be in this field just didn’t know what position and also once life starts to happen with kids etc some dreams and things seems a little harder and unattainable. Still I say I am music to say its in my dna, and honestly I really dont know anything that makes me happier or prouder other than my two beautiful daughters Shiloh and Cadence. So what you see is what you get, and I just want all my fans, followers, and potential clients to know that I put my all in anything I do, If I was to do over my life tomorrow I’ll still being doing what i do now. Giving you my heart and my Jamaican Soul in every song, performance, radio interview, dj set etc. I’m always reinventing myself but never to follow trends but to make my own. Time Is Now Records, Radio/Tv Show, Clothing and so much more is consolidated under one umbrella currently to give everyone a one stop shop. I’m currently remodeling, re-designing a one stop shop website that can incorporate everything I have going on all at the same time on same page. Since its seems to be so much going on all the time and I’m solely managing. I have one of the best parties/concert which I kept weekly until my schedule got tedious as a dj. So now its kept once a month no more than twice and it include Reggae, Hip Hop, and Afro Caribbean Music with elite performances from some of indies best in the game like even Iamyungp who I wanna thank for so much like introducing me to ya’ll and also introducing me to my fashion manufacturer in Pakistan Amin. I have known him and many great artiste like him who have accepted and introduced me to some great people and opportunities and just wanna take the time out to thank you all. I can happily say I’m most proud to see all the growth from my artiste like Jaydawg 301, my producer and so much more now including dj “Amazing Make’m” who I have helped mentored and gave my time and effort to become a apart of my team, a leader of their own and just overall stand up men. Almost three years in and I can say it seems like a dream still. I have made a name for self and have sold many clothing items, and received many booking since starting my business, What makes me even happier sometimes is the fact that I can rent or just have someone run my equiptment and still get paid from it. Or the fact that there is so many streams and residual income now coming in after so many years of stress and turmoil. Now I’m literally the life of the party, the one who starts it and ends it off on a great note every-time. I dont do this or anything for money, but I’ll be honest it does feel good getting paid to do what you love especially after so many years after second guessing or questioning myself.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I think what helped built it honestly is the fact that I was never stuck on just being a artiste and working a regular job after selling cars for five years just didn’t make sense to me anymore as it was just taking up too much of time and energy. So I started a Web Show called “Telo’s World” highlighting music, videos and just talking about the business of music. Which from there honestly and some life changing moment I decided to try to look a internship or job in media, This is where I started really evolving and seeing all the different sides of music business, With that and many sleepless nights reading, studying and practicing everything from social media marketing, radio hosting, shooting videos, event planning I started meeting and also just being at all the important events around the city. So with that said and done after a brutal passing of a partner Trust Lo-Key in a car accident. I decided to move back to Maryland from New York at the time and start my own events. With that i created “international Fridaze’ which has been going two years plus strong. Also i think the fact that I dont hide my origin and i’m still able to switch from Jamaican English “patois” to American English effortless amazes most.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
The initial capital for my business came from having a job at Jos A Bank, initially which after being closed down due to the pandemic allowed me to get a nice sum of money from all my vacation, and overtime hours worked. Along with getting commission from all custom sales, and wedding arrangements I had made previously in the year while being a club promoter and host at night plus a store manager at day allowed me to get unemployment after the pandemic hit. So instead of partying or taking vacations I decided to invest it on online classes and a LLC I could be proud of. So that March on the 26th which is also my first daughters “Shiloh” Birthday i followed all the steps on legal zoom and started my own business.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @telopath @timeisnowrecords
- Facebook: @telopathda1andonly @telopath @timeisnowrecords
- Linkedin: @telopath @timeisnowrecords
- Twitter: @telopath @timeisnowrecords
- Youtube: @telopathtv and Real Yaadmantv
- Yelp: @telopath @timeisnowrecords
Image Credits
@leonetphotography @fire_toons14 @timeisnowrecords