Cam Carter is a brilliant songwriter and recording artist from Memphis, Tennessee, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of The University of Mississippi and is the definition of an Ole Miss Rebel. An outlaw with a purpose, guided by love and respect, that’s not corrected by fear. Carter is building himself as an excellent lyricist whose artistry and skills can blend and defy genres by fusing southern hip-hop, pop, and rock elements in a way that’s creative and fun, without losing his signature flow and distinctive sound. He is on a mission to flip the narrative and bring hip hop to the next level by honoring the greats and paving new roads while helping other creatives along the way.
“Hip-hop is about culture, not clout. It is up to us as pioneers to tell the truth to the streets while the news lies. Artists now are using ridiculous antics to trend trip as a way to maintain their version of so-called success. Once they achieve a fraction of it, they become something they are not and continue to chase a form of relevance that rarely attains longevity because of the animated characters they build. All money is not good money. It is time we lead by example and create the forms of entertainment that carry the next 100 years, not the next 100 likes,” said the successful independent songwriter and recording artist. His rap style caught the attention of One West Magazine in March 2019, Hip Hop Since 1987, and Hip Hop Weekly Magazine in February 2020. Since then, he has been featured in The Source, and other highly reputable media outlets such as New York Weekly, The Hype Magazine, and This is 50.
Cam Carter is preparing to release his highly anticipated project, “Make Love, Not History,” an epic poem rhapsody dragging people through hell towards love, which is inevitable to become an anthem of hope for thousands and thousands of people of all walks of life.
The entire piece rhymes for a reason, and there are a lot of hidden messages throughout the text. That is Cam Carter’s story and long journey through hell towards love, and whoever he drags along will definitely have some fantastic stories to tell.
“I wrote this piece because I had a vision in 2015, and when I woke up from a dream, I was sweating. So, I immediately grabbed a pen and a legal pad, and it didn’t stop until three pens were out of ink and there was no paper left. I feel like something inside me wrote it because I’ve never experienced a fierceness in writing like this before. I believe it to be one of my greatest works because it stands for something a lot bigger than myself, and this year, I’ll have it out for the world to experience,” said the well-rounded rapper and artist.
“Make Love, Not History” samples the writing styles of the greatest writers and poets: Alighieri, Emerson, Shakespeare, Dickens, Thoreau, Frost, Dickinson, Hemingway, Faulkner, Shakur, Whitman, and Poe.
“I studied the greats for most of my life, so when I started writing, all of their art seemed to have flowed through me in waves. I simply channeled some of their styles and blended my rhyme schemes to learn to relate and intrigue professionals in the liberal arts field. In my opinion, it has the potential to instill peace and shine a light on our youth to inspire and sharpen hope. Using hip-hop and poetry to lead is an incredible responsibility, and I feel it is my time to utilize our differences to make a difference,” he said.
“Hip-hop was always just the beginning. I’ve always been a songwriter that enjoys creating other genres of music. That is what sets me apart from the rest of my peers in this industry. I am driven to become one of the greatest,” he said.
What fascinates Cam the most about music is how an artist can capture a moment in time and immortalize it. It took a while to pursue what he has always wanted, however he promises to make up for lost time by creating quality hip-hop music and content with substance.
Here’s an excerpt of “Make Love, Not History”:
“Many dreams will diminish, even some will disappear. Make sure that you won’t follow that sleepy smoke inside each mirror. All our elegies will cry, and all our teachers will revere, and all our students will seek illusions and we’ll recycle how we’re here. Seek whom the crime shall profit, let justice reappear, not severe to an innocent on an immanent frontier, but be honest to constituents, not blind them by their fear. Don’t dazzle with what sounds good, adhesive there and near. Be more visual and evident, not as viscerally clear. We are everything that’s backward because we’re accidentally weird.
Using adverbs as adjectives while holding back a cure, stealing from our parents when we never were that sure, branding luxuries in lyrics, promoting Pyrrhic splurge, creating what is cool just to get on someone’s nerves, using guns on people, demonstrating what we learn, watching what we see instead of showing more concern, shielding demagogues to poison us to buy off an urge, impulsive with their interests but deceptive with their words, depleting population, paving the way by thinning herds, the more and more we do, the more and more we seem absurd.”
He continues to sharpen his sword and teach as he learns. His music can be heard on all platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Revohloo, and YouTube. You can follow Cam on Instagram.