Jackson rapper Stephen Brown, aka 5th Child, spends the majority of his time in his bedroom studio making music. When he has a show to rock, you can count on him being there and killing it. The rest of the time, you can count on the 24-year-old staying in Friday nights to dig for samples, make beats and write lyrics.
It was only fitting, then, that to talk about his new self-titled album due out later this spring, we met in his bedroom, "the corner studio" as he likes to call it.
Everything he needs is within arm's reach: a MacBook Pro, a turntable, keyboards and a microphone. Those are the tools of the trade for Jackson's double-threat rapper and producer.
"5th Child" is Brown's fifth album and the third in a trilogy including "Behind the Music" and "Pianos in the Dark," his previous two efforts.
"Each of them is concept driven and reflective of where I was as a person when I made them," he says.
"Behind the Music" was a complex examination and critique of the music industry, and found Brown in a "celebratory" mood, with college graduation looming. "Pianos in the Dark," with its gloomier soundscapes and darker subject matter, represented Brown's "transition into adulthood, where you learn that most things you were taught about the future were not true," he says. Brown began to question his role in the hip-hop game, wondering what it all meant and where he even fit in anymore.
"5th Child," the album, provides answers to the existential questions Brown faced.
"The new album is about self-actualization and not trying to find explanations for everything anymore. It is about realizing and accepting who I am wholeheartedly," he says. "I finally learned how to be 5th Child."
This is evident when listening to the record, as 5th sounds more confident and more grown up than in any of his previous work. In short, he sounds happier, and his swagger is back.
As he was coming out of his "Pianos in the Dark" funk, 5th decided to focus on music exclusively.
"I quit going out and just worked on music all day every day," he says. He had a bunch of beats lying around and thought about doing a mix-tape, but quickly realized that it was time to make a new full-length album. "Songs just started coming out like this," he says, snapping his fingers.
Brown produced many of the songs in a matter of a several hours each, but nothing on the album sounds rushed or forced.
"I wanted it to sound big and epic," he says.
The vast, yet ethereal horns of the opening track, "Introducing," set a cinematic tone for the rest of the album. He delves into first-person storytelling territory with "Bedtime Story" and even dies at the end, "just like in the movies." With "Breaking Point" and "Free," Brown steps out of his comfort zone to experiment with new drum patterns and novel ways of using his voice as an instrument. One "ridiculously hood "song, "Stand For," allows Brown to lampoon the funnier side of some radio-friendly hip-hop.
The sum total of "5th Child" is an album that sounds complete and represents for Brown, "a moment of acceptance where I'm not afraid to be that guy. I am ready to accept that role." He laughs.
"It's my Simba moment."
"5th Child" drops this spring. Visit http://5thchildmusic.bandcamp.com for free downloads of "Behind the Music," "Pianos in the Dark" and previews of a few tracks on the new album.
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