Commas Give Insight On Latest Release and More

[Evan Parker]

Commas is an artist that has been on our radar for a while now with his epic and honest brand of Hip Hop.

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee which he calls home, Commas has had a long love affair with music.  As a 90s baby raised in the south, he has long developed a penchant for consuming the imagery around him and his fellow peers, and been able to spit this back out on a canvas that is intriguing and melodic--his melodies stick out amongst the music. Jumping into the scene with BZRK in 2016, he honed his skills while collaborating with this collective. In winter of 2020, he released his first formal project under the Commas, the “thx bby" EP.  The release features 6-tracks including the single “MMM” which is accompanied by an equally impressive video. Before the new year we caught up with Commas as we jump into 2022. 

1) How did you decide on the name "Commas"? 

It came from a joke name I had years ago on Facebook. Instead of using my government name, I was Commas Denominator which is a play on the phrase, “lowest common denominator.” So it’s just a silly math pun.

2) What was your goal for your single "MMM"? 

I wrote it to be a motivator for myself and others. Do I wanna make money, or do I wanna make Mansa Musa Money?

3) What excites you the most about your style of music? 

What excites me the most is also probably what frustrates me the most. The fact that I don’t know anyone else making this kind of music solidifies me as real one-of-one which is cool but that also makes it a little more difficult to find collaborators that work.

4) What is the most challenging aspect in being a musician in 2021? 

-I don’t know if I’d say there’s anything particularly challenging about this year for musicians. I mean it’s a bit more difficult to do live shows safely, but that’s about it.

5) Did the video for "MMM" come out how you hoped? 

It did, THiRD i MEDiA did their thing and were really fun to work with.

6) How would you describe Nashville to someone who has never been there before? 

I think I read somewhere that we were the bachelorette party capital of the world and that’s very apparent when you ride around downtown on a weekend afternoon.  Very honky-tonk, very Bud Light, and very twang downtown. Outside of 37203 though, it’s like several cities in one. All Nashville but all very different.

7) Who are you listening to right now, music-wise? 

I’ve been listening to a lot of Paper Route Empire, 1017, and Griselda. I think they’ve all got some of the nicest styles in the industry right now.

8) How have you been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? 

I think everybody lost out on a bag or two at some point throughout the pandemic. But if anything, that was a motivator too. To get back out there and get back to it.

9) Where do you go when you need a break? 

To sleep! Sometimes that’s just the best way for me to shut out all the mess.

10) What's something that people might be surprised to know about you? 

I made all the beats on “thx bby” and would love to learn more about production. I finessed the hell outta Logic Pro and I wanna do it again but with more confidence.