Sycosis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sycosis.

Sycosis, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Today, I’m an educator, an artist, and a business professional. As far as music goes I was 12 years old when I wrote my first verse and song. At that time the goal was to show how good of a lyricist you were by having complex word play and rhyme patterns which is still what I love most about Hip-Hop. An artist who could use both of those to tell a story was even better so I studied as much as I could of everything I could get my hands on from tapes to CDs. My older cousin Skeet told me one day that I could be a better writer if I read the dictionary to build up my vocabulary. After reading it for a few days I came across the word “Psychosis”. It said a state of mind where a person who was detached from reality and could no longer be sure of what was real. Basically like when you are the only one who believes what you believe. That really stood out to me because I remembered always being the person who would argue the unpopular opinion like “Big Pun is better than Biggie” or “Lil Wayne is the best Hot Boy” or “Canibus’ 2nd Round KO is the best diss of all time”. Stuff like that haha. So I decided to go by Sycosis and just built from there doing freestyles and talent shows to doing mixtapes and albums. Eventually I was able to start my own company called Gr8er Than Self Entertainment with my business partner and friend LDorado Jonez, a fellow writer and artist, and we just haven’t looked back. We did our own tour together called “How The Midwest Was 1”, we’ve had songs placed in TV shows and commercials on networks like NBC, and this year we are both releasing albums first quarter. LDorado’s album “Medicine In The Candy” dropped last week and my 3rd studio album “Mostly Me II” will be out in March. My single “Meet Me In The Sky” will be available on all music outlets February 1, 2018. I’m really excited to have fans hear a new sound from me and see how far we can go. It’s been almost 7 years since my last album “Tripolar” and I promised myself I wouldn’t make another one until I felt like it would make it out of the underground. I believe this is that project.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think anyone in the entertainment industry has a smooth ride unless they are like created to succeed. But organic artist will always have a harder path because we don’t have any interest in walking on the path that is already there. We like to create a new one and sometimes that works instantly and sometimes it’s a slow grind. But I think as I’ve gotten older the biggest hurdle is time and figuring out the best way to use it. You can’t look back like “man I should have done this instead of that’ but you just start wanting to multi task and do 100 things at once that you care about and love. Of course funding when you are independent you don’t have tons of money or resources. So it’s a challenge finding them but it’s also the journey that makes it fun. You literally build your own doors and then walk through them. 1 by 1. People generally write you off based on popularity, likes, views, etc. Not knowing that their favorite artist have a lot of those things paid for to create the perception of being hot. I think convincing people it’s all smoke and mirrors is part of the battle but at the same time you like the magic show too so you can’t focus on ruining the illusion for everyone. You just have to make better, more creative tricks.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Gr8er Than Self Entertainment – what should we know?
Our company is dope because we are all song writers recording artist but we are multifaceted and do so much more because we wanted to be self-sufficient. I personally do everything from photography and film music videos to license and publish music. As a company we also do graphic design, fashion, and much more. What sets us apart I think is passion and talent. That has gotten us through everything we have done so far. - Voyage Chicago

While technical instruction is important, the class also reinforces skills for dealing with tough situations, said Erik Roberts, an education liaison between Chicago Public Schools and the county jail, who aids Ablan in the course. “Many of the people here have talents, but they don’t have a tangible way to get there. We’re also teaching life skills at this class,” he said.

Roberts, who was recruited as an educator in the program, is himself a rapper known as Sycosis and has produced and performed raps since his high school days as a way of coping with his own father’s imprisonment. In the class, Roberts patiently listens to the inmates’ ideas while offering his own lyric and sound ideas. - Chicago Tribune

"Lyrically, Sycosis continues to develop as well, delivering a track littered with creative metaphors, tight rhymes, and lines like: “God blessed me to spit like I’m hell’s own archangel/ earned my stripes like I’m part bengal.”"
- SuperStarr, Mic Hype (Jun 02, 2009) - Mic Hype Hip Hop Blog

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I make Hip-Hop music, but I’m also an educator, a mentor, and a small business owner who is looking to provide Independent Artist with the tools to move forward without the need of a record label. I think when you hear my music you will hear passion for the art-form, you will hear dedication to lyrics and word play, but you will also hear vulnerability and you will hear my story, my life, my fears, my doubts, and my triumphs. Hopefully all things you can connect to. - Voyage Chicago