Grambling State University’s Travis Matthews, a senior mass communication major from Houston, dropped an extended play named TheMisUnderstood Oct. 15.
He has been rapping since the 4th grade, but didn’t seriously pursue a rap career until he was 15.
He was inspired by his friend in high school who had a funk band named “Disfunkshun” that toured locally. Travis looks up to artists such as Common, Lupe Fiasco, Nas, and Linkin Park
That makes your music different from others?
Travis: “Most of the instrumentals are melodic and the lyrics are meaningful when you compare that to the rest of today’s pop culture, where everything is more noisy. As far as lyrics go, not a lot of people in the spotlight try to send a positive message, which is what I try and do in every song all while trying to be relatable and entertaining towards my audience.”
That message or messages are you trying to send through The MisUnderstood?
Travis: “I started on this project at a time where I was feeling misunderstood because I felt like people had been given me all this praise just because I was entertaining them through my poems but not actually understanding that a lot of these words are coming from pain. The worst part of it to me came when all these girls started calling me perfect because I know I’m not and a lot of my art comes from my mistakes and fears so I wanted people to understand why I do what I do and that I am not perfect. I also had stories inspired by people I know that I wanted to tell as well in effort to be a voice for others who feel misunderstood.”
The project features GSU students Nobel Michael, Mionne Featherstone, Ginia Smith, Katrina Harris, Terry Bowman, Douglass Thurman, and Corey Howard.