Meet Costin, a rising senior at Siena who on top of managing a full course load and being heavily involved on campus managed to record and release a mixtape this semester! I got the opportunity to talk to him about all things Prison Sentences.
Name: Costin Thampikutty
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Year: 2016
Major/Minor: English
Most people around campus probably recognize you for your spoken word performances, but few know you’ve just released your second mixtape, Prison Sentences. This is your second mixtape you’ve released in two years. Can you talk a little about your relationship with music and why you decided to begin recording?
I love music and I think it’s because I love expressing myself. It wasn’t always the case but music really sustains me in a lot of ways these days. For now, when I’m performing on stage, my primary concern is getting peoples’ attention so I perform acapella because people are forced to pay attention to my lyrics first. I think I first decided to start recording because I wanted to have my own input on issues that my favorite rappers were discussing, even if I was speaking on a much smaller scale. From the start, the aim has been to encourage my friends through the music and although my delivery can be a bit cryptic at time, encouragement is still the goal.
Who are your favorite artists and how have they influenced your own music?
I actually hated hip-hop for a while because I didn’t like the messages that it was sending and I couldn’t really relate to anything that artists were talking about. That changed once Lupe Fiasco dropped Food & Liquor (2006) and I really connected with him. These days, I have a bunch of influences. I love Drake’s aggression, Kendrick Lamar’s self-awareness, Swoope’s lyricism, J Cole’s realness and Mos Def’s social consciousness. Outside of hip-hop, I listen to a lot of One Republic, The Fray and Ed Sheeran.
What would you say has been your main influence on Prison Sentences?
I got the opportunity to study abroad in Valencia, Spain during the Fall semester and although life is a little different there, I found that one commonality many people share both abroad and locally is that we feel trapped in many ways. When I realized this, I knew I wanted to make this project because one of the most dangerous traps my friends and I were falling into was thinking that everyone but us were alright. With Rough Draft , my message was that it’s okay to not be okay. This time, I’m trying to say that you’re not the only one that’s not okay. When you think you’re the only one struggling, life becomes very dark and I wanted to use my music to let my friends and anyone else willing to listen know that they aren’t alone.
What’s the hardest part of putting together a mixtape?
Although mixtapes aren’t known for their cohesiveness, I wanted to create a project that worked thematically this time. The hardest part of that is picking which songs fit and which don’t. I actually didn’t include everything I wrote. The songs that didn’t make the cut will stay forever in a heavily guarded area AKA my computer, unless I find another use for them.
Many of your tracks feature dialogue snippets, what led you to want to include those?
In my last project – Rough Draft, I used interviews to show how dynamic rappers could be. I wanted to prove that these were intellectual figures, especially being modern day poets. With Prison Sentences, I think I included myself in the dialogue because I felt that putting myself in a vulnerable position would allow the audience to relate to my experiences. While I want the music to be an extension of myself, I also want myself to be an extension of the music. That made more sense in my mind.
You mentioned this mixtape was recorded entirely at Siena, including places like your dorm room, Rossetti and other “secret spots.” First of all, what are these secret spots? Secondly, how were you able to record in areas usually occupied by students?
The roof of Roger Bacon..just kidding…or am I? I wish I could tell you but considering how small Siena is, I can’t give away my secrets just yet haha. Honestly, I’ve already said too much. However, I can say that when I recorded in my room, there were instances where you could hear my hallmates talking and opening and closing doors and stuff like that. Sometimes, there’s a lot of activity and I had maybe a one minute window to record a verse so I just learned to make the most of it. Sometimes, I ended up keeping recordings with background noise to make the record sound more lively. When I was recording Solitary Confinement Pt. 1, I actually recorded myself flipping over a chair and scratching the cabinets. I still wonder what the guys next door thought was happening that day.
Why did you choose to “pull a Beyonce” and release Prison Sentences without any notice?
Because who doesn’t want to pull a Beyonce? Honestly though, I had the project ready for about a month before I dropped it. I was really nervous about what people might think of the things I said on the project but I ended up realizing that you can’t make everyone happy. Also, the one year anniversary of Rough Draft was coming up and I thought it would be cool to drop it exactly a year after. I wonder if anything will drop next year…
So you’re a pretty busy guy. You took a full course load served as the Damietta Center’s “Hip-Hop Week” Chair. How did you find the time to create your mixtape on top of all that?
I feel like you end up making time for the things that are important to you. Whether I was staying up late after finishing schoolwork to work on mixes or recording vocals before going to dinner, I had to make the time to work on the music. Even though there were times I felt like I wouldn’t be able to finish on time, I kept myself motivated by sharing what I had with my friends. Once I saw how they were connecting with the music, I knew I had to keep going and finish. Also, it’s so much easier to focus and get things done when you work with such great people like I do, and I’m not just saying that!
You study English and mention that you’re interested in rhetoric. What courses and resources at Siena would you recommend to students who may have similar interests?
Definitely take any of Dr. Snyder’s classes. Rhetorics of Hip-Hop was a favorite of mine. You can find opportunities to study rhetoric in any class if you try enough – not just English courses. Arguments come up in most courses and studying how they’re presented will give you a better understanding of the course/topic/argument itself.
With bands and DJ’s sprouting up left and right, the Siena community seems to be cultivating a music scene. What do you think of this and how do you think you and your work contribute to it?
I think it’s awesome because it provides another avenue for students to express themselves. My hope is that artists continue to challenge themselves and create opportunities for themselves on campus with the support of their fellow students and administrators. I hope my contribution is that students understand that even if you’re busy, you can still find time to develop your passions. I’m telling you, the late nights are definitely worth it.
Lastly, what are your plans for the future? Can we expect an on campus performance anytime soon? How about another mixtape out next year? Do you plan on incorporating music in your plans after you graduate?
As of now, I’m just focusing on getting the word out on Prison Sentences. I feel like if I move on too quickly to anything else, it wouldn’t be fair to the project. I can’t even definitely say that there will be another mixtape. I try not to force it. Every time I think I can’t write any more though, I end up with some material so who knows. Over the summer, I’m going to be busy teaching media classes at a YMCA sleepaway camp, but one of my goals is actually to learn a little about music production. Even though I usually end up finding the right music to rap over, it would be nice to be able to create some of my own. My friend George and I have actually been up a few nights in Padua tryna brainstorm some ideas, not necessarily music related, so who knows what might come up next. I have no idea what the future holds but I’m sure music will play its part naturally, whether or not its my own.
Where can we find your newest mixtape, Prison Sentences?
www.costint.com , along with other projects of mine. From the site, you can also download the digital booklet, which includes a lot of bonus material in relation to the actual process of how the mixtape came together.