Q Prodigal “THIS ISN'T ME”:

A Journey from Grief to Growth

Q Prodigal, an artist from Rochester, NY, brings a versatile and relatable approach to hip-hop. Having lived in different parts of the country, he seamlessly blends a wide array of influences into his music, captivating listeners with his vivid storytelling and emotional depth.

His latest album, "THIS ISN'T ME", is a raw and introspective project born from personal loss, love, and the turbulent emotions of his past. In this interview, Q Prodigal takes us through the evolution of the album—from its early beginnings to its final form

“To enhance your reading experience, we’ve included audio snippets of Q Prodigal’s responses throughout the interview, allowing you to hear his thoughts and emotions directly from the artist himself.” trutt.

1- When you first began working on this album, what was the driving force behind it? Can you describe how the project evolved from that initial idea into the final product?

“The oldest song on the album is from 2021, so it was 3 years ago.. and I made KEITH just on a whim ... I didn't plan for it to be on anything at the time, it just kinda happened..

I .. I was at like really weird time on my life where I just lost both of my grand parents 2 grand dads I lost and I was in love at the time and that person moved away as well, So honestly I was just writing songs out of sadness and a lot of anger that was why I named the album "THIS ISN'T ME" because nothing I am going through right now pertains to the album and things I was saying and rapping about .. that was old feelings, right now I am happily in love and very optimistic about the future, back then I was not and I was talking all types of crazy shit because of it.”

“..But now "THIS ISN'T ME" but I still want y'all to hear these songs. “

2- Was there a particular link or theme that connects this album with your previous projects? How did your past work influence the direction of this new release?

“I think the main thing that connects this album to my old works is that a lot of it was written right after my last album so I was still in that mode, I was still in that part of my life that I was 3 years ago and also we have a couple of collaborations, producer wise with people that worked on my last album, I think that's the main thing that connects it.

Idk, as far as making it or like writing, it's just .. ME, the main connection is Q Prodigal with friends because how like mostly all of my music gets made it's just with people that I already fuk with, deeper than music and they fk with me.”

3- Were there any tracks or ideas that didn’t make the cut?

“Absolutely, I have been writing for this album since 2021 all the way up to until like early 2024 so I had a bunch of songs, my partner in crime, executive producer Angele helped me out with that, we sat down listened to all the songs I been making like all the demos for the past couple of years and we cut it down to that there is another half of the album we basically splitted it the one summer album and one winter album .. that's gonna be coming out god knows when I wanted to make this a vibe when you can just roll your windows down or drop top and just ride on the freeway and then the winter album is for you being laid up with your boo, watch some strange whatever and just listen to some good beautiful sounds.”

4- How do you go about finding the right beats for your music? Is there something particular that draws you to a beat, or do you let the music guide you as you create?

“The way I go by finding music is like .. I don't wanna be corny but I feel like it finds me. I get sent beats all the time randomly and if the beat speaks to me that makes it a 1000 times easier to speak back. So I don't go in there looking for a specific sound, I just know when I hear it and as soon as I get the first line out, the rest just falls into place. So shout out to my producers for damn near co-writing the song with me.”

5- 5 - How do you see your artistry evolving in the future? Before we wrap up, is there anyone you’d like to give a shout-out to—whether they’ve been a part of this project or have supported you along the way?

“I hope my artistry goes into something like idk like I said before more beautiful, I want like bigger feeling songs, like songs that go in the movies. I am not saying like this gonna be happen overnight, I am not even putting any a deadline on it but that is where I really want my artistry to go and if I had to shout out one person, it's the person that I already did shout out .. because without her this album would not have existed and she gave the courage to drop an album that have nothing to do with out current life together so I will always appreciate her for that and .. I love you Angele.”

As our conversation ends, it’s clear that "THIS ISN'T ME" represents both closure and new beginnings for the artist. The album may reflect old feelings, but it’s crafted with a vision for where they’re headed—a journey from personal reflection to creating bigger, more powerful soundscapes. Before signing off, the artist acknowledges their muse and collaborator, Angele, whose support was instrumental in shaping this project. With bold ambitions on the horizon, the evolution from "THIS ISN'T ME" to future works promises to be just as compelling.

Photographer: Nelsen’s Puke Studio

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Stream “ THIS ISN’T ME “ by Q Prodigal here: https://music.empi.re/thisisntme

Album track list:

1.KEITH
2.SNAKESKIN
3.SAFE
4.I DO
5.SHITTIN ME
6.TRUE RELIGION
7.SHOW MONEY
8.DIRTY DANCING