This fall semester I got to know a man named Grant Pilson. I had always seen him around before because we both have mutual friends, but it wasn’t until this semester, when we started to exchange ideas, that we began to bond more.
I had chosen to focus our conversation on a project he’s been working on with myself and other fellow students because I feel his passion and ambition shines when he speaks about it. Our talk also shows how he’s a leader and someone who is all about teamwork.
Grant is a sophomore here at Manhattanville College with big ideas, and even bigger dreams.
Coming from New Rochelle, the ambitious 19 year old is a music producer who has plans to start his very own record label. As of right now, his main focus is in the upcoming project Welcome to the Ville, a mixtape that consists of strictly Mville artists.
“We’re trying to show people that we have the potential and talent to do great things,” says Pilson.
The tape will serve as an outlet to showcase the diverse musical talent here on campus, and for its first volume, will feature 12 student artists made up of rappers, singers, producers, and bands.
“I could create a record label just from the artists at Manhattanville College, but then I was like, that’s thinking ahead. Let’s do something minor first to show we got the juice. I was like yo we could definitely create a whole mixtape with just the talent at Manhattanville… and we can get people to do videos… people to promote, because we got business mindsets here.”
Aside from the artists, other contributors to the project include people who will be working the promotion for the tape.
This means filming and conducting interviews, documentaries, and more on the featured talent.
Grant is contributing to the music side of things as a producer, but his main role in the project is the organizer behind it all.
“It really is hard because with a project like this you can’t just jump in and be like yo, let’s do it, because it doesn’t work like that. You have to actually organize it,” he says.
Knowing from personal experience that getting a group to work together on something is hard, I asked Grant in-depth about his struggles of getting the team for the tape active. He broke it down simply in a single quote.
“What my father always said is if you have 10 different people, you have 10 different opinions… AND… 10 different time schedules. Everybody runs on different times. So before I came to everybody, I had to really think and schedule out everything.”
After getting everybody together, Grant’s next challenge was to create a sense of unity within the group.
“We had a meeting where we all got together so we can at least see everybody. See who’s on the team. Because it’s better to just have everyone know each other on the tape so you know who you working with instead of just having everybody in seven places, not knowing at all. Knowing of them, but not knowing who they are.”
As excited and confident as he is for the tape’s release, when I asked if Grant ever had any doubts, he kept it 100% honest.
“Every now and then I do be like what the heck am I doing here?… It usually happens in the times where I’m having brain farts to create music or I feel like I’m not working hard enough and I see other people working… I’m like… why are you doing this bruh? Like this is a once in a million chance, or this is gonna be mad work. But I’ve always been down for work. It’s something that I care about. Imma do it. I’ve always been an ambitious dude. Always. Always. Even with homework and stuff I be ambitious… I never turn in an assignment late”
One of Grant’s friends on campus, Andre Blue, shared a similar sentiment about the New Rochelle native.
“Grant is a go getter. I’ve never seen him working on something that doesn’t bring great results. He works hard and he works big, and that gains my respect”
Despite the hard work involved, Grant is determined to see the project through.
“I had to work around all my school scheduling… and all these clubs and stuff… I was like I gotta fit it in somehow. But it’s been worth it.”
We talked about what happens after he and the other artists on the tape graduate, what’s the next move once they’ve outgrown Mville? He didn’t go into too much into detail, but said he and the others will definitely be working hard. One thing I will say however, is for sure. When the time does come for Grant Pilson to finally enter the so called “Real World,” he’ll be leaving with zero regrets about not doing what he wanted to accomplish here.
“I don’t like regrets for nothing…You can ask any of my boys, like they know. I don’t like to regret nothing, so nah I’m not stopping, I’m gonna make sure this happens.”
Welcome to the Ville is set to drop on March 7th, with interviews of all the featured artists, a documentary, and a freestyle cypher/jam session, being released beforehand as promo.