Who Is Supa?
I met up with an old friend... truthfully, my other photo-shoots fell through and he was kind enough to fit me in the day of. I explained the situation and what I had in mind for the shoot.
We decided to meet at his place, parallel parking isn't really my thing so I parked down the street, a building or so down from his. As soon as I walked up he asked why I had parked so far down the street. We went up to his apartment and I realized he "didn't get my text" about shooting first to beat the sun-set, since he wasn't dressed. I waited around for him to get dressed and then we headed to the location of the shoot.
Looking at Courtland, he doesn't seem like he'd be the goofy, funny person that he is. We ride together to the shoot, it's early march so the race to beat sun set is on. We pull up to this cool, blue alley in a cut downtown. As we walk across a gravel drive, Courtland picked up rocks and bet me on if he could get the rocks in this old, rusted metal trash can. There were also these bars about midway to our knees we had to get over in order to get to the alley. Of course Courtland jumps over the bars and has to dare me to jump. I stand there for a few seconds letting him encourage me and attempt to hype me up in order to make me bust my shit.
His personality makes him a natural behind the camera and of course this isn't his first rodeo. He instantly poses with his hands together, looking away smiling and with his head back holding his arms in the air. He was still laughing and joking while shooting which created a light, chill vibe and also allowed me to get a couple of natural shots.
When we arrived back to his place, we went back inside for the interview portion. He was in his home, doing what he'd normally do, smoking and play 2k, which created more of a conversation like situation.
Courtland, Supa Kush, was born in Memphis, Tn. He has 2 sisters, one older and one younger. He attended Harding Academy, until he was kicked out and then transferred to White Haven High School. Courtland started rapping in late 2009 and released his first song, " Pretty Boy Swag Remix" in 2010. He now has a total of 6 projects, including his most recent #OMW, or On My Way. [Others: Gas 4 Life, All Gas No Breaks, Supa 16, On My Way, SUPA KUSH, CG KUSH]
“What’s going on with you hair?!”, was the very first question I asked. It is very evident that he hasn’t had a hair cut in a while. He has his hair growing out and up, parted into about 7 sections, somewhat similar to rapper Kodak Black’s bantu knots. When I asked why he chose to let his hair grow out, he tells me he's getting to his "Jamaican roots” (Jamaican on his mom’s side). I then asked him about his writing process and how he comes up with the lyrics for all of his songs and he said, "I don't write. Play the beat and I go off how I feel". He doesn't write his music, he finds inspiration from the things he goes through, the things he sees... “me,” he says.
Since we're "Getting to Know Supa Kush”, I had several questions relating to things other than his music and his career. Below are a few of my favs. also check out this interview snippet with Supa [ http://www.luxeinfluence.com/single-post/2017/03/11/Q-A-with-SUPA-KUSH] :
As a Child, What Did You Want To Do When You Grew Up?
- Play ball or Rap
Everyday Artist
- Ron Isley
Top 5 Rappers
- 2Pac
- "Wayne" ( Lil Wayne )
- Jeezy
- 2Chainz
- Doe B
Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years?
- "Mansion, beach-side in Jamaica"
Life Changing Experience?
- Prison For 1 year
Ultimate "lifestyle"?
- Being able to set his own limits
"Don't like putting myself in a box"
Negatives And Positives Of His Current Lifestyle?
+ money
+ move freely
- strain on relationships
" There's a negative side to it too; I love that shit, even the bad"
Hobbies/Pass Time?
- Smoking ( "Medical Condition)
- 2k
- "I count money sometimes"
- He reads from time to time
- Watching Movies
Favorite Song?
- "Money At The Door" : by the one & only - SUPA KUSH
If You Were Offered A Deal Today Who Would You Want To Sign With?
- Whoever has the best "situation": progress his career, most $$$, and he can still have control of his music.
Most Embarrassing Moment:
- He was attending the school dance and after leaving the store he realized his shoes were different sizes. He went to exchange the shoes, but the store was already closed. He wasn't the "dressing-up" type so he had no other loafers. He wore the shoes to the dance and tried to hide it, but unfortunately his date noticed.
CHECK OUT HIS MUSIC:
https://soundcloud.com/cgkush
YOUTUBE.COM/SUPAKUSH
SUPAKUSH.COM