Sherm N Demand
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Sherm N Demand

Chicago, Illinois, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF

Chicago, Illinois, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2013
Solo Hip Hop

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"Featured artist"

BM: AT WHAT AGE DID YOU NOTICE THAT YOU WANTED TO TO A MUSIC CAREER?
I started writing rhymes in the 5th grade and by the time I was a teen my twin brother wanted to take them in the studio and be the voice behind the words, unfortunately he was killed before he had a chance to. I carried on the dream briefly releasing a couple mix tapes in the early 2000s. I quit out of the frustration of not having the same commitment of the other artists to promote the projects. Only to have the love of music drag me back in 2 years later with a promise to myself to be myself through my music and thats what I did.

BM: WHO WAS THE PERSON GUIDING YOU AND WHAT AFFECT DID THEY HAVE ON YOU?
I receive my guidence from God through my conscience.

BM: WHAT WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST SONG THAT YOU WROTE AND WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?
My first rap I wrote in 5th grade and I still remember it :
What is this world coming to
Kids killing Kids what the hell are we supposed to do
slangin and bangin at the same time
they can barely read and wright, but they out there slingin nickles and dimes
cross a rival gang, get yo ass kicked
now you 6ft deep laying in a casket

That is the first 6 bars I ever wrote and until now I didn’t realize how I have come full circled In my writing.

BM: BEING THAT YOUR FROM CHICAGO, DO YOU THINK THAT YOUR CITY WILL BE THE NEXT TO BLOW? WHY OR WHY NOT?
Chicago is a hot bed right now for artist, you live long enough you realize how things happen in cycles that repeat over time. Black music originated in the south in the days of slaves, migrated north to the midwest after the emancipation and spread east and west from there and the dominance of music kinda moves in that order. The chittlin citcut paved the way for Motown then it spread from east and west from there. The rap scene is in a similar cycle, the 80s and 90s were dominated by the 2 coasts and since then the South took over so its only natural the Midwest is next and the biggest city making the most noise is Chicago.

BM: DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN COMPANY OR DO YOU PLAN TO PUSH TOWARDS THE MAJORS?
I built, own and operate Suite 41 Studios, a state of the art multimedia facility near midway in Chicago. I do most if not all my recording, filming and editing from there, but that doesn’t mean I won’t sign as an artist, it all depends on the situation. I am so much more than just a rapper, I write, produce, film, edit, pretty much anything that has to do with entertainment I can do it or learn to.

BM: BEING THAT YOUR A RAP ARTIST, WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
I think its unbalanced.
The reason I say unbalanced is this, back in the days we had some of everything when it came to hip-hop. We had political, gangsta, positive, all type of rap from all type of people. The pool now is just overran with money, hoes and clothes rappers. Nothing against any other artists out there, their art is their art and they should create accordingly but there is a responsibility that comes with stardom that is sometimes overlooked and I believe most artists don’t understand the social influence aspect of it all.

BM: WHO IS THAT PARTICULAR ARTIST THAT YOU LOOK UP TO THE MOST IN THE INDUSTRY AND WHY?
Tupac
The reason I say Tupac is because he had a way to relate to the listener to the point the listener felt for Tupac the person far more than Tupac the rapper. He transcended Music and entered the hearts and minds of millions in a way that I have never seen.

BM: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS THAT YOU HAVE FACED BREAKING INTO THE INDUSTRY?
In my prior years the biggest of all trials was the one with self. The self doubt was the biggest and took the longest to overcome.
Now the number one obstacle is age, because I took so long to actually take my shot being 34 in a young mans game I’m looked at as old. To me my age is my greatest asset because I can predict the outcome of many situations through past experiences. The message in my music is not possible without the years of life under my belt and the younger MCs respect the fact that I am rapping about grown up topics and not clogging their lane.

BM: WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL PLANS WITHIN THE INDUSTRY?
To restore some sense of balance back to the hip-hop culture, give the listeners a new approach to music. Restore the intregrity of the visual and bring back all the detractors who believed Hip-Hop is dead.
The ultimate goal however is to become a hybrid of Tupac and Tyler Perry. To like Tyler build a Major African American Studio here in Chicago combine that with Tupac’s ability transcend the arts and you got my goal.

BM: IN THE NEXT 3YRS. WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO BE IN THE INDUSTRY?
Writing my 4th movie, shooting my 3rd recording for the soundtrack and touring the world and at the same time being the best husband and father I could possibly be. Setting a great example for generations to come, freeing the minds of our youth to dream big and work harder.

BM: FINALLY, IN 3 WORDS DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Real, Transcendent, Me
I am real, I am transcendent and I am Me!! - Blockz magazine


"Sherm Demand: Remember The Name"

24: Introduce yourself to everyone that doesnt already know who you are.

Sherm Demand: Sherm Demand remember the name cause you’ll hear it again.

24: Before we get into your music, can you describe your history about how you got into and what inspired you?

Sherm Demand: I began writing in the 3rd grade and my twin brother wanted me to ghost write for him when were in our teens. His life was tragically taken when we were 18, 3 days after I graduated high school. His death gave birth to my dreams and I have been driven ever since.

24: What was the Hip-Hop scene like for you growing up where you’re from?

Sherm Demand: Chicago in the 90’s was jumping!! We had Crucial Conflict, Twista, Psyco Drama, Tripple Darkness ,The Snypaz to name a few along with my favorite and also most misunderstood artist in the history of music, Mr. Tupac Shakur.

24: What makes you Unique as a artist and different from other rappers out now?

Sherm Demand: I took a couple years off to reflect on the artist I wanted to be and decided to allow my music to be an extension of myself. I am a licensed engineer by trade and a proud husband and father, also responsible brother and son and I felt the need to reflect that it’s “cool” to be all of thee above and still have fun and party as well.

24: Tell us about what you are working on.

Sherm Demand: “A Chicago drama”(see below) video sequel is set t hit the web next week. I was trying to have it done by this interview,but man plans and God laughs. I also recently finished a song called “Don’t impress me”(hear below) so I am looking to have the visual out on that by early April and also continue to work on my Brand, to me branding is everything. Once you establish a great brand you go from looking for work to turning work down because you have it in abundance.

24: What producers have you worked with and who would you like to work with in the future?

Sherm Demand: I produce myself and as a producer it took me a while to open up and collaborate with other producers. I lately have been working with the likes of Chicago producers Tommy Skillfinger and #SmittyBeats. Personally, I wouldn’t mind working with any producers as long as we have the chemistry to make good music.

ShermMid

24: Are you happy with the feedback you have been getting from people on material you have released?

Sherm Demand: The feedback has been AMAZING on the latest project “A Chicago Drama” currently on WorldStarHipHop.com got great reviews and excellent feedback and plenty of likes and shares which is rare for that site, they are relentless. Youtube also has an audience retention statistic that is very telling. Audience retention tells how long the viewer is watching beginning to end. The rate for “A Chicago Drama” is 99% which mens we are holding their attention throughout the entire video, which is huge!!

24: In today’s free download age, what do you need to do to make yourself a household name?

Sherm Demand: I believe in the visual, I grew up in an era where the visual sold the song. I can remember hearing a song and not really feeling it until I saw the video and got the vibe from it. Nowadays everyone wit a camera is a “videographer” and the amateurism has virtually killed the art of the music video.

24: How do you feel about the current state of the Hip-Hop scene?

Sherm Demand: If I had to choose a word it would be Imbalanced. Back in the days mainstream radio stations were more selective with their music forcing artist to be more creative and selective when it came to producing a lead single. Now the standards of content are so low a lot of what’s on the radio now is mostly braggadocios and stripper songs with zero nurturing content at all and many fans are being turned off by the culture as a whole. With this free mix-tapes era, remaining fans are getting so much free music why should they buy any? On the other hand Mix-tapes allow indie artist an opportunity to build a fan-base and possibly jump-start a career I.E. “Drake.” I’m not knocking the next Artist’s art at all, my point is there is not the proper balance needed to stand tall along with the mainstream genres. I want to open the door for other artist like myself with a somewhat nurturing positive message to be accepted as well creating the balance I feel Hip-Hop sorely needs to bring the sales numbers back to respectability.

24: Outside of the music, what else are you currently working on?

Sherm Demand: I am the owner of Suite 41 Studios, a state of the art, all in one multi-media facility near Chicago’s Midway Airport, specializing in audio, video and photography and along with being a full time maintenance engineer, I have enough to keep me busy. Apart from that I have a movie in the embryo stage and a couple of web series in the works as well.

24: Where do you see yourself going in 2013 and how do you plan to separate yourself from the other artist out today to get the recognition you feel you deserve?

Sherm Demand: The sky’s the limit for Sherm Demand in 2013 because I have the work ethic, drive, determination and resources. I own my own studio and have the capabilities to operate it with a God given gift.

24: How can fans go about contacting you?

Sherm Demand: Twitter: @Sherm_n_Demand, @suite41studios

Facebook: Sherm Dee, Suite 41 Studios

Suite 41 Studios

773-599-9041

E-Mail: shermdemand@gmail.com

24: Thank you for providing 24HourHipHop with this exclusive interview, do you have any last words for your present and future fans?

Sherm Demand: Thank everyone for reading and I hope you have a better understanding of who Sherm Demand is and Thank you 24hourhiphop.com for the opportunity and platform! - 24 Hour Hop Hop


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

Sherm N Demand is a man on a mission to restore balance to the hip-hop genre with clean, message filled lyrics minus the political or religious divisions. Sherm has decided to allow the music to become an extension of himself.
Born, Sherman Ladale Gordon 11/16/79 the second of a set of twins Sherwin born a minute earlier. Sherwin would be tragically killed when the two were 18 and is the catalyst behind the dream. The early years of Sherm N Demand were uncensored, however the fact his young daughter is his number one fan inspired a change in his musical approach, which is evident today. Using music as a tool to reach, teach, entertain, and inspire is the ultimate goal over all.
Sherm N Demand has recently been busy, with four videos featured on Worldstarhiphop.com this year alone. AF15 (After Frail 15) his first solo mix tape was released 6/14/13. The title refers to the release date being 15 years after the shooting death of his twin brother. 24hourhiphop.com featured him in their “Next in Line”, a special section of the website dedicated to finding up and coming talent in hip-hop around the country.
Sherm N Demand recently teamed up with Suite 41 Studios, a state of the art multimedia facility on Chicago’s southwest side. This move has given him,access to professional grade audio and video equipment and allowed him to produce and engineer his music, as well direct and edit his videos. Armed with a gifted mind, the drive to succeed and unlimited resources the sky is the limit.