Papi Profa

Hailing from the DMV, Charles Jordan Jr., also known as Papi Profa, takes his ideas of realism, emotion, and expression and releases it through the music he shares with the world. Aside from studying at Xavier University, Jordan has dedicated his life to the art of music and his goal to express life’s situations through his raw lyricism and concepts.

Q: Thanks for wanting to be a part of Freelancer Magazine, we really appreciate it. So, for those who may not know you, how would you address yourself to the audience?

A: For those who do not know me, name is Papi Profa. I’m 20 years old, birthday February 25th, and I’m an artist from the DMV. My music acts as an expression of myself or things that I’ve been through. Regarding stage presence, I primarily focus on energy, crowd interaction, showing as much of my personality as possible. Not only do I express myself through music but through fashion as well, often wearing eye catching clothing like Jeremy Scott or Adidas both casually and on stage. Music has always been there for me through both the positives and negatives so my main goal is to use it as an expression myself and a tool to connect to the rest of the world.



Q: How long has music been a part of your life?

A: Music has always been a part of my life, first being a listener then becoming a writer. I’ve been writing music and poetry since I was in 6th grade, but I didn’t start taking music serious until I turned 17. I never had anywhere that I could record consistently and to the quality I wanted so I continued to write every day, storing good songs and dissecting others for lyrics. Music in general has always been a part of my life, but I couldn’t truly use it as an expression of myself until the summer of 2016 when I found my ideal studio and producer/engineer.



Q: Did you know that you always wanted to do music?

A: I’ve always had it as a hobby, but I didn’t realize how much I could do with it until I seen how many people were using the internet to market their music. I didn’t know how to market myself so I didn’t think of it as an ideal career. As a young adult, I’ve realized how much I could actually do with it which is why I push myself so hard, continuing to write on a daily basis.



Q: Where do you currently reside?

A: My permanent residences is in PG county in Maryland, but I also attend college in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Q: What are some of your best accomplishments from 2016 and how do you plan to make 2017 better?

A: My best accomplishments in 2016 were having my first performance which happened in Atlanta, finding a consistent studio and producer/engineer that I have a connection with, and getting over my past relationship which has inspired quite a few of my songs. 2017 definitely brings more music and hopefully more performances. I can guarantee several new projects this year, one dropping in January and one in February. I want to collaborate with more producers and acquire as much exposure as possible. I know my music has the quality so my main focus is building a cult-like fan base.



Q: What background can you give us on your single, EVOL?

A: I wasn’t in the best place mentally when I wrote EVOL. I felt like a lost the love of my life to a person who didn’t deserve her. I knew I couldn’t mope about it so I decided to put those feelings into what I do best, music. At the time, I felt like love was no longer for me so I decided to do away with it altogether. I usually don’t go into making a song with set ideas in mind so the hook for EVOL just flowed with the beat and I went with it. Spoiler alert, EVOL has visuals dropping soon as well as a remix which will be on one of my up-and-coming projects, debuting one of my artists.



Q: What’s the message behind EVOL?

A:To me, EVOL acted as the transformation of a negative into a positive. If love wanted to turn its back on me, I was willing to do the same. Not only would I say “Fuck it,” but I’d encourage others to do it too. I know I’m not the only person that had their heart broken in 2016 so instead of listening to sad songs, why not listen to music that actually helps you get over it while still being true to yourself. EVOL carries a lot of pain because of what I went through, but it was therapeutic at the same time and I hope it can help anyone else going through something similar.



Q: When Ghetto Singer Boy was created, where did the idea for this project come from?

A: The title “Ghetto Singer Boy” didn’t come until the project was nearly finished. I noticed that all my songs were somewhat melodic, but not actually like a singer. Shakespeare Delaghetto was a contender for the title, but I wanted I wanted something people could label me as instead of an actual name. I have a name, Papi Profa, and didn’t want to confuse people in any way. I am Papi Profa, the Ghetto Singer Boy, so as melodic as my music can be, it’ll always have that urban twist to it.



Q: How long did it take you to develop this project?

A: Writing the project took no time because most of the songs were already done. I knock out one to two songs on a daily basis so just picking which songs went on it was the more difficult part. If I could stay in the studio and only focus on music, I could probably drop a project every week, but I don’t have that luxury yet.



Q: Is this a self-produced EP or did you have some help?

A: Everything I say on the mic is and will always be 100% me. I refuse to ask for help because no one can tell my story better than I can. At most, my producer will tell me to say something a certain way so it sounds better or he’ll tell me to dub verses, but writing-wise everything comes from yours truly.



Q: Is Ghetto Boy Singer your first release?

A: Yes, Ghetto Singer Boy was my debut project, but it wasn’t the only project I had at the time. Since I write every day and only get to record when I’m home, songs pile up. If I stopped writing today, I have music that could already last me years because I easily have over 300 songs written and ready to go.



Q: How would you describe the music that you make?

A: To be honest, the only solid traits I could give my music is genuine and melodic. I don’t preplan what I want to talk about so whatever I say when I hear the beat gets developed into the songs I drop. I just use music to express myself because I’m not really the best talker so whatever comes to mind is what develops into tracks. Of course I could stick to a certain topic if I want to project to lead the audience in a certain direction, but single-wise whatever my mind comes up with is what comes out in the booth.



Q: What goals do you hope to achieve in 2017? What are some things you want to accomplish/do in 2017?

A: I want people to know who I am. Of course fame is on the agenda, but I mainly want to continue grinding in hopes that I can grab the attention of someone who could actually change my life or at least make a real difference. I don’t have a major platform or label pushing these projects so everything I do pretty much comes out of my and my manager’s pockets so promotion isn’t always easy to get. I do know, once I do build a buzz, I’ll have no problem keeping it because this is what I love to.



Q: Will you be dropping any mixtapes/albums in 2017?

A: No albums in mind as of yet, but definitely mixtapes and EPs. I have and EP dropping in January as well as February. I want to drop an actual mixtape in March, but only time will tell on that. Summer is usually the best time I can focus on music so I do plan on dropping several projects during that season, whether it be projects I’ve already written or something new entirely.



Q: If you could describe the future of your music in one word, how would you describe it?

A: In one word, mysterious. I develop and adopt new flows on a daily basis while keeping the sound I’m known for so I can’t say what I’ll sound like tomorrow let alone in the future. I can guarantee it will still be melodic and genuine though because I am “the Ghetto Singer Boy” after all.



Q: Is there anything you would like your supporters to know?

A: Don’t just push artists because they’re already famous. There’s a lot of talent out here that gets neglected because the artist is trying to come up instead of already being rich or having a cosign. Also, when that time comes that I reach fame, please don’t let me switch up. Keep me down to earth because the last thing I want to do is become “Hollywood” because that’s not where I came from nor was it what got me there. Keep me humble because I’m no better than the people I perform for regardless of my money situation. We are all human, for better or worse.

Also, follow your heart. People won’t believe in you until you show them something to believe in, that’s just how the world works. People will bet on a guarantee rather than potential so show and prove in all aspects of life.

Lastly, love what you do. I don’t do music simply because I want to get rich, I love this. I would choose perfecting my craft over going out to parties. Whatever the reason that drives you to do what you do, make sure it’s genuine because at the end of the day, people who are actually genuine about something can tell when you’re not. - Stephanie Moore

Papi Profa is a new artist out of the DMV area. Just recently dropped his first project entitled “Ghetto Singer Boy” on August 29th composed of eight tracks. Each track has its own unique sound and conveys distinct messages from “Never falling in Love” to “Doing doughnuts in a UFO.” He separates his self from different artists with his organic sound and outlooks on music as a whole. Unlike many of rappers that are classified in the same area, Profa does not fall into the category of a “trap” rapper, but more of a feel-good, “backpack” kind of rapper that incorporates humor and poetry into each song. He focuses on an original message that can be incorporated in a number of ways while providing music that can turn up a party or provide a euphoric vibe.

Listen to Papi Profa's new single from his mixtape "Evol" (Love spelled backwards) - OnPoint