Siete7x on Finding Your Sound, Choosing Mentors, and Staying Humble

Siete7x came to The Keep Going Podcast on our West Coast trip to talk about his journey from Compton, his album Stuck in a Hole, and the moment he found out his name was on Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning album. This one is a great example of what it looks like to prepare for a chance before it arrives.

Where the name and the music came from

He built his name from the street he grew up on and the year he was born, and he grew up in church with his godmother, where he loved the drums. "I was raised by a older woman... she old school." That's where his love of soul and R&B started, which is why his sound blends rap with melody.

Finding a sound that's your own

When people looked at him sideways for it, he told us: "The goal is to sound different. The goal is to be unique, to have your own sound." He says he learned that early. About critics, he said, "I just take it in motivation."

Mentors and the right people

He talked about his manager as someone who tells him the truth. He said he wasn't always able to hold a conversation the way he can now, and that being around people who had been places changed his vocabulary and his perspective. His other big point: it doesn't always have to be about the streets. Ask instead what a person learned and what they're experiencing and seeing.

The Kendrick session

He got the call to come to the studio after ignoring an earlier phone call, then drove six hours back to make it on time. He told us it showed him what professional standards are: pronounce words clearly, and do it again until it's right. That session changed how he approaches recording.

Advice for young artists

He was direct: "Get on your grind. Find you something productive. Find you an avenue. Whatever you love." He also said to "go look in the mirror and just talk to yourself... What can I do? What could I contribute to the world?" On competition: "It's more like iron sharp iron. I don't be on like competition with nobody."

His keep going moment

Siete7x told us about a low point when he felt he had let everyone down, including the people who had invested in him. He kept praying, made a promise to God and to himself, and has kept it for years. His message to others is to find something you love and to stay busy with it. As I said at the end: it's never too late.

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