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

Weston, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is “Who Got It?”. Who Got It is a weekly hip hop event and even more than that, it is a community. When I first stepped onto the Tampa hip hop scene I quickly realised how divided and unorganized everything was. The community was broken up into different pockets of creatives that would rarely crossover. I wouldn’t say the environment was toxic but I can say it was filled with drama and unnecessary tension. I wanted to create a space that left its door’s open to everybody and focused on building up creatives in Tampa. Through consistency and care we are able to see that happening only 6 months later. Every Tuesday we have an open mic where we are able to see our community grow. One of the most gratifying things is seeing creatives network and make new connections. The competition still exists but instead of pushing people away it is fueling everybody to get better.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is Weston Clayton and my stage name is “Notsew”. I am a 23 year old artist, rapper, and producer from Tampa, Florida. Since I was a child I have always loved to entertain people. Whether that was making skits on Windows Movie Maker in 4th grade or free-styling on the bus home from school in 6th grade, I loved putting on a show. I had a friend in elementary school and we used to use his dad’s yellow Korg Kaossilator and a 4 track to make beats. We rearranged his garage into a “studio” and used to write to those beats before the school bus came. That friend ended up moving to New York and we made an oath that we would reconvene in the future and live out our dreams as musicians. He would send me beats from New York for the next 3 years until we lost contact. Around the same time I started dealing with a lot of mental health issues and was taken out of school. At this point I was 14 years old and I started to teach myself to make beats on FL Studio. It quickly became one of my greatest tools of coping and I never felt the need to release it. I enrolled back into school my junior year of high school and It wasn’t until my senior year that I released my first song on Soundcloud. The feedback from my peers reminded me of how much I loved to entertain and bring joy to people. Ever since then it’s been pedal to the metal. I performed at my first show in January of 2021 and have been growing my brand to the best of my ability. I wanted to give people a platform to showcase their talents so I got together with some like minded individuals and the result was an event known as “Who Got It”. I want to build up the creative scene in Tampa as much as possible. I want the entire world to feel what we have to offer.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I believe there is a light in everybody and I want to do as much as I can to help bring that light out. Everybody has a part to play in society and our creatives need to be catered too. Creating art is a sensitive process that is often stripped away through the fast pace and overwhelming nature of our world. I know a lot of people who are amazing artists but don’t have the time or mental space because their energy is being drained by their environment. I want to create as many opportunities as possible to see creatives grow.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is having the ability to inspire as well as remove people from their current realities for a point in time. With so much negativity in the world, we all need somewhere to go to find peace. When you find your peace you also find inspiration. Whether that be a concept album or an open mic at a local coffee shop, giving people a place where they can remove their attention from the weight of the world and feel safe is something I can’t describe with words.

Contact Info:

• Website: Notsewgotit.com
• Instagram: Notsew: @n.tsew WhoGotIt: @whogotittpa

Image Credits
Personal photos: Camila Camacho (@camilasbeing) Who Got It Photos: Victor Maldonado (@sneakfitt)