90's Nostalgia Commemorative Issue April 2017 | Page 24

MADEMUSIC
MADEXXXX
MADE: When did you develop a passion for
music? feel like music is therapy. So the songs are a
reflection of everyday life for Rhino.
Rhino the Neurosurgeon: I’ve always had a love
for music. I never knew where to start. I always
used to write poetry and songs, a lot of different
things. But I guess it grew when others heard my
music and they told me I was natural at it. I was
always kind of curious about it. So I went and
ventured towards it and I just had a passion for
it. It gave me a voice. MADE: What was the inspiration behind creating
your stage name?
MADE: When did you begin creating your own
music?
RTN: It actually started when I was in college.
I took a sound design class. I got to use a
Grammy award-winning engineer/mixer, and
I guess he noticed that I love music, I love the
approach, and he actually taught me how to use
pro tools. And ever since then, everyday I was in
the studio.
MADE: That’s such a big step to put yourself out
there as a solo artist and really commit to that.
RTN: It really is. I never thought that I’d get
to the places I’ve actually gotten. I’ve always
started somewhere and I’ve performed at the
House of Blues, Double Door, etc. so the music
has been coming along well. It’s actually pretty
scary.
MADE: What’s scary about it?
RTN: I was always quiet growing up. I was always
an outspoken person but I stayed to myself. It’s
just crazy to think that I walked down the street
and somebody said, ‘Yo, what’s up Rhino, when’s
your project dropping?’ And I do not know the
dude. That kind of hit me hard. Because I didn’t
realize it until it actually manifested, it just hit
me. I have people emailing me, talking to me,
saying how much they love the music . . . I feel
that music is your voice and I feel like a lot of
people have voices that aren’t heard and when
they hear somebody with the same kind of
intellect and view as them, it kind of makes them
feel like they’re not alone.
MADE: How would you describe your sound?
RTN: Honestly, I’d describe it as thought-
provoking, probably relaxing. My music
describes me as a person. And Gene Therapy
is everything that I’ve thought and I’ve been
through and realized throughout life. And I
RTN: (For “Neurosurgeon”) I was always a
smart kid. I was always, according to others,
intellectual. I always looked at things in a
different way. I love psychology, I love observing,
seeing why people do the things they do,
picking at the brain, and usually people who
pick at the brain are like neurosurgeons, so it
kind of incorporated itself within my name. (For
“Rhino”) For some reason, (when I was younger)
everybody called me Rhino, even when I got to
high school. I’d tell people my name was Ryan
and they called me Rhino.
MADE: So it’s about showing people who you
are.
RTN: Exactly. Because I don’t drink, I don’t
smoke, I’m not really a party guy, but I can
party. I have fun and whatnot but, a lot of
people have this perception of me like I’m
this person who keeps to themselves, in the
house all the time. . . like I live in a box or
something like that, like I don’t know anything,
until they actually talk to me. It’s just crazy
how they think about me but once they get to
know me and hear my music, I shock them. .
. The world only knows this random guy who
just put out this music. A lot of them don’t
even know I made a book for the kids. I did a
32 page quotable book because right now I
teach graphic design to kids at school. A lot of
black kids, I notice, have social and emotional
problems, they grew up in bad neighborhoods
where they’re not learning how to deal with
life properly. All they know is music, and
not even the right kind. All they know is the
struggle. So I put together a quotable book
for the kids just in case they ever get lost or if
they need to go back and look at something to
see how to handle (issues).
MADE: What are main sources of inspiration for
your music?
RTN: My Dad, he used to rap in circles, that
always used to amaze me and has had a huge
impact on me. As I started getting older, I just
started listening to more influential rappers, like
Kid Cudi, Nas, Lupe Fiasco. I’ve had so many
influences that have given me a kind of thought
process for how to make my music, but when it
made-magazine.com |
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