Timothy Bright: One Year Later
It’s been close to a year since I last checked in with rapper Timothy Bright for an interview. We’ve exchanged messages over Instagram quite a few times, but no real continual conversations. After the release of psych out in January, where was Timothy at?
Timothy Bright has had a quietly successful year since the last time I checked in with him. He’s only released one other song, outside the release of psych out, called “Infamous”, which had an accompanying music video. While we haven’t heard much from Timothy since the June 25 release of “Infamous”, his new song “Boosmobil” (pronounced Boost Mobile, like the cellular company), is his reminder he hasn’t gone anywhere.
Timothy shot me the private SoundCloud link to listen to it well over a week before its release, and I was blown away on my first listen. It isn’t a produced by Timothy beat, but it sounds all like his own. The heavy phonk inspired song is short, but it makes you come back for more. A siren-like lead synth, police sirens, harsh drums, rhythmic delivery over the beat, and a beat switch that’ll blow your mind. Like my favorite line from the song goes: “I’m feelin’ like Ye man, you can’t tell me nothing”, Timothy reminds us he isn't listening to that tough talk. And I felt the same way about this song like I did when I first heard “Knock Knock” for the first time: Mind boggled.
After I listened to the song the first time through, I told him how amazing it was, how stoked I was for more people to hear it, and I wanted to talk with him about the song, and about his life in general. If you’ve been keeping up with Timothy, he’s been spending a lot of time on Catalina Island in California lately. It’s been a bit since he last posted about it, and on Instagram in general, but he’s remained active. I wanted to talk with him about what life has been like with him, and what’s to come next for him. And about “Boosmobil”, which releases this Friday.
Since it’s been close to a year since we last spoke, how’s life? What’s it been like? What’s the situation?
Pretty good. I’m gonna be movin’ out to Virginia in the summer. Just live with some friends and keep doing this music shit. After spending time in California, I’ve come to the conclusion that I just don’t like it over here. I’d much rather pursue this shit in Virginia.
Back to the hometown.
Exactly. So I’m gonna go back over there, and try shit up there. Hopefully it works out.
I went to LA this summer too, thinking it was gonna be great, and I left thinking “I’m so glad to leave.”
Literally the worst part about it is fucking driving there, bro. Every time I finish driving there, I wanna cry.
It shouldn’t take that long but it always does.
Dude, and the people can’t drive either. It’s a combination of a bunch of bullshit.
Getting started on some questions now. The last time we spoke was right before psych out released. How’s it doing in terms of numbers, growth, and how has it changed you personally?
Um, let’s see. I’m going to my Spotify shit right now. psych out the EP, right now, has a million and five hundred [thousand] streams. The majority of them are from “Quicksand”, but I’d say about a hundred thousand of them are from the other songs, which is really good. I’m really proud of that EP, and when I get to where I want to be, I feel good saying that was my first EP. That’s a solid first EP. You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, but I’ll compare myself to someone like my inspirations and where they were at when they were my age, looking at their first projects, and it’s just like: “Okay, yeah. I’m better than them.” Not to sound like an asshole.
He chuckles.
That’s not bad at all. Get that confidence and pride going. But let me backtrack. One million, five hundred streams?
If you want the exact number, it’s: 1,593, 516 streams.
Wow. In a year. That’s insane.
Yeah, especially for a small artist, dog. Shit’s crazy.
You already kind of covered it, but what do you think of psych out a year later?
Dude, it’s solid. I still fuck with it. I’ll go back and listen to it and be like: “Bro this shit is hype as fuck.” The only song that I have grown not to like as much is probably “Dismay”, but everything else is fire. Even if I don’t like “Dismay” that much, it’s still a solid track. I still love the beat.
As I showed you, that was my number two song this year.
He chuckles and you can hear the smile through his voice over the recording.
Thanks man.
How has your production, in terms of beats and visuals, changed and is that progress good to you?
I’ve grown a lot, music and production wise. Especially when it comes to composing and stuff. I’ve gotten a lot better at that. The intro to the [“Infamous''] music video? That was my first time ever composing something like that, and I did a fuckin’ amazing job at that. So, let me keep trying this shit.
Wait, you arranged all that? That’s some Tyler [, the Creator] stuff right there.
He laughs.
Yeah, man. Big inspiration from him. Yeah dog, I’ve been doin’ that sort of shit. Recently, I’ve been trying to add on more to samples, instead of just straight up sampling, you know? So I can give it my own little pinch of salt, if you know what I’m saying. I’m still sampling straight off- and sometimes you don’t need to add anything to a sample, it just does it all for you. Just add some fuckin’ drums. But just doin’ more when it comes to that sort of stuff. These past few months, I’ve only been composing really. I’ve been making beats, of course, but they’ve mainly been for other people, or for practice. I haven’t really made any for myself, really.
Yeah, get those ten thousand hours in.
Right, right.
We laugh.
I wanted to ask about Catalina Island, since you’ve been spending a lot of time there. How has that environment changed you, and do you think that adds inspiration to your workflow?
Them niggas are not shit over there.
He laughs for a moment, then continues.
Bro, so I was working this job at this summer camp. I’m not gonna say the name, because I’m not trying to get in trouble or anything, but bro. They overworked the fuck out of me. ‘Cus I was there from June to July, and then I quit, because I was being overworked. Then in August, I was like: “Damn, I need a job.” So then I went back, because that was the best option for me. Then I went from the beginning of August, took a two-week break, then went back. Then I stayed there from September 4th to November 14th. Oh my gosh. Bro, it was horrible. Definitely had to face some issues head-on. It changed me a lot, because when I first went there, I wasn’t cool with telling people I wasn’t okay with something. If something happened, I’d just be like: “Oh, okay,” because I’m very introverted.
I’m very- I’m not confrontational unless I have to be. If I can avoid confrontation, I’ll do it. Because I used to get in trouble a lot as a kid for fighting and shit. It just made me stand my ground more and be stronger when it came to standing up for myself and shit. I can’t wait for them to hit me up in February, like: “Hey, are you coming back,” for me to just be like: “No.” I’m not going back. Other than that, I feel like it was a good experience, because it helped me grow as a person, and experience such growing pains. Sometimes you just have to do shit you don’t wanna do in life, and that was one of those things that I needed to do. Got some pretty decent money off of it, and they helped build my character. I can’t really complain about it at all. I mean, I can, ‘cus they were shit, you know what I mean?
It’s just beautiful there, it’s really beautiful there. It sucks that I had a bad experience there, because of how pretty it is, but lots of inspiration came from being there. I would just go up on hikes, look at the ocean, and make beats and shit, and smoke, or whatever. Yeah man. It was a pretty interesting experience, but I’m glad for it. I’m glad it made me the person I am right now.
So going onto visuals and stuff again, I really love what you did with the “Infamous” video. Talk about that work process. What was that like?
So I was with one of my homies that I was working with, his name is Grant, and he was like: “I have a drone,” and I said: “Oh nigga, let’s get it.” We went out one day, and I was wearing overalls, a Fubu hat, a Fubu beanie, and some [Golf] Le Fleurs. We filmed the music video, and we were like: “Nah, this ain’t it.” So then one night, it was about to be sunset, like bro, we gotta go film. We were still at work though. So I talked to the head chef, ‘cus I was workin’ in the kitchen, and I was like: “Yo, I gotta go do something, can I leave early?” And she said: “Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” So me and [Grant] grabbed his drone, and we booked it up- dude, I don’t even know how many miles away it was- for me, it was nothing. He was breathing pretty hard, and I felt pretty bad. We went out in the middle of nowhere, pretty much, and filmed next to the ocean. By the time we got there, it was basically dark, so most of the drone footage wasn’t super good, but we used some of it. That was- It was just a fun process. I had a good time.
I wanna do something like that again, go out filmin’, but on a bigger budget, you know? I think I paid him like, a hundred dollars, and even with that, he was like: “I don’t need all this.” And I was like: “Bro, drone batteries are expensive as fuck bro, you need this. Take it.” It’s a good investment, ‘cus if I ever start making some crazy ass money off of it, you know how it go.
Yeah, exactly. Support the people that support you.
Exactly.
I really like that shot you used, I think it’s the first one, of you dancing and kickin’ around. That’s like my favorite part.
Yeah man. I was goin’ fuckin crazy bro. I was two cigarettes in, I had so much fuckin’ energy.
Movin’ on towards what’s next: “Boosmobil” is out [December 17]. What was the process in making that song?
So I made that back in like July, honestly. I was staying with my friend, he’s an indie artist, his name is Will, he’s known as autumn boy. I was staying at his house for a few days, and he was like: “We should make a song,” and I was like, okay. So we made the first part of the beat- this one day, I freestyled on it, it was okay. Then the next day, he woke me up, saying, “Yo, I made something crazy,” and he played me the beat switch. I was like: “This is crazy, oh my fuckin’ god,” and I freestyled on that too. We forgot about it, we didn’t even touch it again. Then in September, I was gonna do this other song called “buggin’”, but I ended up not liking the beat that much. I was reading the lyrics, and I was like: “This would go perfect over ‘Boosmobil’, bruh.” So I called [Will] up, like: “Yo, I’m gonna record over this right now. With an actual, written verse, and I’ll send it over to you.” He was like: “Alright, fo sho.” So, we’ve been sitting on it since September, and I think that’s the longest I’ve ever had a beat and worked with it. It’s been half a year we’ve had this.
I will just say, when you shot it to me, I was driving home at night from whatever I was doing. So I figured: “I’ll listen to it on the way home.” Then I heard it, once that beat switch hit, the nasty face came over me, you know what I mean?
He laughs.
Oh my god, yeah bro.
It’s not much different in terms of elements you added to it, but that simple change of more bass and a different drum pattern? Oh my god.
I remember I sent him the sample: “Flip this bro,” and he was like, “Okay.” He made it, and showed me, and I was just like: “Jesus Christ, you’re fuckin’ insane.”
I’m so stoked for other people to hear it though.
Bro, me too! Thank you so much.
On that note, what’s to come from you next other than “Boosmobil”? More visuals? More songs?
I definitely wanna do more visuals, but that’ll probably not happen until spring or summer-ish. Right now, I’ve been sort of conceptualizing an EP, but not fully: “Okay, this is an EP.” I’ve just been makin’ beats on beats on beats. Just figuring out what I want it to sound like. I don’t want it to sound like psych out, but I don’t want it to be too different from psych out, you know? It’s a process, for real. So I’m just trying to figure this shit out. One day I wanna do this, and the next day it’s nah I don’t wanna do that, I wanna do this. So I gotta find a way to combine everything I wanna do and make it cohesive and pretty as fuck, and the hardest shit.
Getting that sound of yours [fully] established.
Right. Exactly.
So last time we spoke, you had about two thousand followers on Instagram, and you’re at 4,300 right now. How has that growth been?
Yes. I love everyone who follows me on Instagram, and who likes my posts. So I am one of the most insecure people you will ever meet, and I’ll- I don’t know- just that validation, I guess, is nice to know people fuck with me. Like at the end of the day, if they don’t, they don’t. But it’s just like, okay, this is cool. It feels nice. I fuck with all my followers. I still answer all my messages at some point in time, if it’s not some bullshit.
Yeah, I’m fuckin’ with it. I’m hopin’ this song helps me grow a lot more. But you never know, a lot can happen. You never know.
The cover for “Boosmobil”.
Although it was Kevin [Abstract] that shouted you out, have you had any contact with him lately, or is it just kind of under the radar now?
I think the last time I talked to him was when I deleted “Knock Knock” and “Turmoil”. ‘Cus he was like: “Why are you deleting these?” ‘Cus nigga, I don’t like them.
He chuckles under his breath, then continues,
Yeah, that’s kind of it. I haven’t talked to homeboy in a break.
I remember last year, you were working on- I forgot how you said it to me exactly- but you were saying: “I don’t want to be completely associated with him,” you know?
Yeah. I don’t want people to see me as a nigga that he cosigned, I want them to see me as my own person, you know?
Right, be your own person instead of being reliant on him.
Exactly. I don’t know, I see a lot of bad relationships. This is an analogy for any relationship, but I see a lot of bad boyfriend/girlfriend, boyfriend/boyfriend, girlfriend/girlfriend relationships. I see a lot of those crumble because someone is too dependent on the other. That applies to any relationship, because you don’t want to be too dependent on someone. And I’m a very independent person. I’ve always been like that. So it’s like, I gotta do what’s best for me, you know?
Exactly. And I know me and you touched on this one-on-one, but why did you delete “Knock Knock” and “Turmoil”?
I deleted “Knock Knock” ‘cus the only part I liked was the outro. None of those lyrics resonated with me anymore. And then “Turmoil”? I just didn’t like it anymore. It didn’t sound like me at all. It was obviously me just going: “Oh, I have a Romil beat, I have to make a song to it.” No you don’t bro, it’s okay. Not every song you make, you have to drop, you know? It was one of those things where it was just- these things don’t feel like me- I want my discography to feel like me and be very cohesive, so I got rid of them.
As much as I loved “Turmoil”, it didn’t sound coherent, or like anything else you put out up to that point. Although it was good, it was different. I wondered if that was gonna be something going forward.
But it wasn’t.
He laughs.
It literally wasn’t. It went “Quicksand”, “Knock Knock”- which is pretty similar in sound, like phonk wise, “Turmoil”, then “Dismay”, then “Entanglement”. It doesn’t fit. It’s the odd one out.
It didn’t work.
Yeah no, it just didn’t work.
Last year, I asked you a question kind of towards the tail end of our interview last time: Where do you see yourself in five years? You said: “Do not be afraid to let people know where you come from. Everyone comes from something different, and you gotta have pride in that.” Do you hold those things true today?
Dude, hell yeah man. I met so many people these past few months, whether that just be musically, or at the place I was working. There’s so many different types of people, man. It’s crazy.
It’s a strange and small world we live in.
Dude, it literally is! I was trying to think of a scenario where it was like a “it’s a small world” thing, but there’s so many of those, I can’t remember them all.
I then tell him this story of someone in one of my classes I took this past semester where someone was talking about a show I was invited to go shoot. I then brought up that I was going, and thought that this guy was the person sending me the DM asking me to come to that. He stood up and shook my hand and started telling me how great my photos were. (Malik, if you’re reading this, this story will be one I tell forevermore.)
Timothy laughs. You can hear the smile beam across his face over the audio again.
It felt so odd having someone do that. I was never expecting that to happen in my life.
Exactly bro. It’s shit like that man, it’s crazy.
On that note, is there anything else you would say to yourself in the future at this point in your life?
Don’t be afraid to cut niggas off and don’t fold. And keep being you. I dunno, man. Just make cool stuff. Don’t do anything just because you feel like you have to do it. Do whatever you want. As long as it’s legal and not stupid.
I like that first bit a lot, I won’t deny that. You have to get those bad people out of your life so you can be a better person.
Literally. It’s gonna hurt in the beginning, but sometimes it’s just necessary.
That first pain is gonna bite, but you’re gonna forget about it three months later.
Exactly. Exactly!
Last question: Anything else you wanna say to people reading this?
Don’t listen to old white men.
He laughs.
Be you. Don’t care what anyone else thinks. And if they don’t fuck with you, fuck ‘em bro. You’re gonna be successful no matter what. Once you put your mind to something, there’s literally nothing that’s gonna stop you. Look at me, bruh. I told myself I wanted my first EP to have over five thousand streams, and every song has ten thousand streams, man. You can do anything you put your mind to, dog.
If you have that will and motivation, you can do anything.
No, literally! If you keep telling yourself that you can do something, you’re gonna be able to do it. Of course it’s gonna take time, ‘cus great things take time, but you’re gonna get there dog, it’s okay. And it’s okay to not be okay too! Make sure you talk to your friends about your mental health. That’s very important.
Well that’s all I have. This has been great. Thank you so much.
Dude, of course. Thank you.
Before I hang up, he tells me the story of how he messed up the connection he had with this band I discovered a while ago, called Buggin’ from Chicago. He casually mentioned the story to me over DM, but he finally tells it to me. A classic story of a friend messing with another friend. Telling Timothy, while he was opening for them, that Buggin’ was another band called Soulcraft, and he thanked Soulcraft instead of Buggin’. We share a laugh over that, talk about how wild Buggin’ is as a band, and our conversation ends there.
Thank you again Timothy for talking with me again. It’s always so fun talking with you and I know we’ll stay in touch throughout like we did this year.
You can listen to Timothy’s new song, “Boosmobil”, which is now available anywhere you stream music at the time this interview is out. Timothy is on Instagram , as @timothybrght, and Twitter as @wherestimothyat. Thank you for reading, and go stream that song right now. It’s worth it. Also go watch the “Infamous” video again to hear that composition at the beginning, all done by Timothy.
-M
