“Art is always supposed to be a reflection of life.” Those are the words of Christian Fedison, a freshman at Clark Atlanta University. Christian’s musical persona is Spadeknows, but he is better known as Spade around campus. Spade is a rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana and if you don’t know him, you definitely need to. After putting out three bodies of work, Spade put out his EP titled “Spadeknows”over a year ago on his eighteenth birthday. Spade has performed at the House of Blues in New Orleans and been nominated for a NOLA music award. Since its release, the “Spadeknows” EP has done really well. Her Campus CAU was lucky enough to have a conversation with Spade about him and his music.
HC: If you had to describe yourself using one word, what would that word be and why?
S: Groovy. If you’ve ever looked at a quarter, it has a bunch of small little grooves around it. It’s like 119 I think, actually. They make it very hard for things to get stuck into it. The things that do get attached to it, it’s very hard for them to get unattached. So, I’m like that. I’m a person who has an acquired taste. With my music, not everyone will get it. But, the ones that have have been fans forever and will be. Or as far as my personal relationships, I’m rough around the edges, or I have grooves. But once there’s a connection it’s all love.
HC: So, speaking of your music, how long have you been a music artist?
S: Well I’ve been writing raps since sixth grade. I don’t know how old you are in sixth grade. I’ve been recording since I was 16. I got a job at Baskin Robbins to buy music equipment because no one else would help me. So, I would say since sixth grade.
HC: What sparked your passion for rapping?
S: My mom only played Gospel in her house and my dad only played R&B and Jazz. It wasn’t until my mom got with my step dad that there was ever rap music in the house. One day I remember going through all his stuff and I went through his CD collection. I saw a couple CD’s and I put in an Eminem CD, actually. As soon as I pressed play I was like “Woah! This is really great.” I started listening to rap like nonstop throughout that summer. It came to a point where I was like, “Okay. I love this so much. I don’t want to just be a listener. I want to make this.”
HC: The job of an artist is different because your work requires you to be honest and vulnerable in a way that a lot of people don’t have to. How did you overcome your fear and get started?
S: I think the whole mask thing is cool because no one can see me. The stories I tell and what I try to convey is very personal, but at the end of the day, there’s a facade that’s going on. The facade is that that’s Spade. That’s Spadeknows. He’s telling the story. So, when people see me on the street,you know, it’s a little different. So, I feel like I have the courage because people can’t really see me when I’m doing it.
HC: Usually when young people decide to do art or music, there’s backlash from people in their lives who say it’s not a reliable or promising career. So, what do you say to people who doubt you?
S: For the most part, people always ask me what my backup plan or plan B is. I tell them that I don’t have a plan B. Because once I have a plan B, then I accept that there’s a possibility of failure. So, for the most part, I don’t have to tell them anything and I just do my own thing. If I entertain their nonsense, then it would probably get in my head. It was harder for me when I was younger, but I’m 19 now. So, I pretty much know where I’m going and what I’m doing.
HC: With that being said, what made you decide to come to college?
S: I wanted to rap just as much as I wanted my degree. I wanted both. People always ask me why I need a degree if I’m gonna be a rapper. You know, coming out here, there’s certainly benefits. You know, just networking with people, meeting with like minds, and getting with creative people to make something I probably wouldn’t have been able to do if I was back home in New Orleans. I came to college because I wanted a degree and that’s it. I came from poverty and bad neighborhoods too. I’m the oldest in my family to go, so it’s also a great example for others.
HC: Your EP is very personal and different, as you mentioned earlier. What influences your music?
S: To me, art is always supposed to be a reflection of life. So, what reflects my art is just life. I can’t talk about anything that I don’t do. I like party music, too. Lil Yachty and Future, I love those guys. I’d be a hater if I said those guys weren’t great. But, there comes a certain point where their music can’t be played anymore. There’s an expiration date. I don’t want my music to have an expiration date. Shakespeare is still being read in 2018, because it’s that great. It has different lessons and different themes that people can still relate to. So, I want to make music that doesn’t have an expiration date, that people could get down to, and understand.
HC: So you put an EP out over a year ago, on your birthday. What was the process like making and putting out your EP “Spadeknows”?
S: The “Spadeknows” EP was not a planned production. I was actually supposed to have a concert during that time, but it was postponed due to tornadoes in Louisiana. So, I gave the people who bought tickets free music, and eventually I put it out there for the world to see. Those are personal gems of mine. Those are things that I probably wouldn’t have put out until later because I was so afraid of how it would be taken. The entire thing is very soul baring and emotionally rugged. The process was me just writing to the pureness of my heart and getting with a lot of musicians because I used a lot of live instruments. It was me making music for the sake of it and then putting it out and getting a very good response, which wasn’t expected.
HC: So, the EP has been out for a while now. How does it feel for you?
S: I’m proud of it. It was very much a passion project. It’s called “Spadeknows” because it was everything that was about me. Everything all the way down to the artwork. The artwork is a tree that’s upside down. That’s supposed to represent my life being upside down. Most of the songs on it were travesties. But, when I found that people could relate to that, then it became a whole new thing. I think that’s great when art becomes something that you didn’t intend it to be. It sold 25,000 copies through streaming and 500 wholesale copies. People really clung to it, so I’m glad it did what it did.
HC: Where do you see your career 4 or 5 years from now?
S: The sky’s the limit. I definitely have goals. Like next year I’ll be putting out my debut album. That’ll be coming out on the second anniversary of the “Spadeknows” EP. I have no doubt in my mind that that’ll be a critical success. I’ll probably still be crafting and perfecting my art. I’ll probably be using my music to create different mediums too, so videos and short films. I don’t want to jinx myself, so I’ll just say I have some goals and I have some plans.
Make sure to follow Spade for upcoming music and shows. His music can be found on iTunes and streaming services like SoundCloud, Tidal, Spotify and many others.
Twitter: @spadeknows
Instagram: @spadeknows