We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tesla Chapman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tesla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

When I was coming up in Atlanta, I was always an eccentric kid. I loved basically everything about nerd culture (anime, video games, technology, etc.) and wasn’t afraid to let people know. All of my peers and contemporaries at the time had different interests and little to zero interest hearing me spout off about “lame ass nerd shit”. So, because I was different than everyone else, that made me the prime target for all the jokes and i became a social pariah. I ended up dealing with that up until about 7th grade where I met one of my best friends who was pretty much the same as me when it came to common interests.

At that point, I felt a feeling of acceptance and relief knowing that I wasn’t “weird” or “lame” for liking what I like. I then made it a point to not let others opinions of me run how I live and enjoy my life.

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 Joshua Madison, professionally known as Tesla Chapman. I was born in Atlanta, GA in March of 1996 and lived there the majority of my life before moving to Charlotte, NC and then to Fort Wayne, IN where I currently reside.

I am a music producer, rapper, songwriter and skateboarder by profession. On the music side, I began producing at the age of 15 due to a close friend introducing me to the music production app called Mixcraft. From there, I began to put loops together and over time learned to create my own melodies and drum patterns in FL Studio. I then began to curate my own sound and style from influences such as Pharrell Williams, Southside, Kanye West, Metro Boomin, Flying Lotus and Pi’erre Bourne. Partway in my music production career, I started to shift my focus towards rapping and creating songs. Growing up, I always listened to conscious and underground rap, which help to shape my lyrics stylistically.

In my career, I have obtained various placements in the underground industry, such as a few records with professional skateboarder Antiferg. I have also had the opportunity to create an original video game soundtrack for the upcoming game titled DUNJUNGUY by Aga Pito Studios.

Aside from achievements and creative influences, I would like for current and potential fans of my artistry to realize that at the end of the day, I make art that is similar to life. I want people who digest my creativity to look at is as a form of escape or release from the daily throes that life hands us.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’d honestly say the one thing driving me to keep going with my creative journey is my willingness to prove people who say that this can’t be done wrong. Not to say I’m motivated purely off of spite and vindication, but it truly bothers me when people talk down or belittle people who can find a way to survive off of their creativity. So, I guess I’m doing this for myself and the ones who don’t have a voice or tenacity to rise against the pessimism.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I believe that non-creatives have a specific mindset that can’t be deviated from, so they look at us as an anomaly or someone whose “wasting their life”. But in regards to that specific mindset, people usually fear what they don’t understand so I cant blame them for looking at someone like myself different, because they haven’t lived my life or experienced the things i have experienced which led me to becoming a creative.

It could also be, and I mean this in the least harshest way possible, they themselves don’t have the talent, capacity or ability to embark on, let alone begin, the creative journey we take. Everyone is different, though so I can’t use that rhetoric for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teslachapman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yungteslachapman
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeslaChapman