Interview : Chef CJB

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GROWING up is something everybody does, but nobody does it the same. We come from different cities, different families, and different houses. For me, it seems like the norm for everyone to grow up in the same house, go to the same schools, have the same friends, and do similar things. This isn't the case for everyone, though. Chef CJB, a composer/producer from Syracuse, New York, spent most of his childhood moving around due to his father being in the Army. "I been all over the US and even overseas." Frequent moving as a child seems to usually lead to a tougher childhood, but that wasn't the case for Chef. "It was cool, I enjoy going to new places all the time and having new experiences, so it was dope. Making new friends was hard at times, it kinda caused me to be awkward now (lol), but overall I fucked with it."

MOVING around the world never stopped Chef's pursuit of music. He began playing instruments when he was six, and "When I was 15 I did my first lil mixtape and handed it out at school..." Chef's talent has been proven, and being able to play multiple instruments has surely helped him with his composition. "I play saxophone and piano. I used to play violin back in the day, too, but I can't remember shit." He even went to college for music, but eventually left "...cuz I didn't go to class that often." In addition to playing and creating music, Chef has clearly spent a lot of time soaking in the styles and artistry of a wide array of talents. "...I listened to a lot of Mos Def, Wiz Khalifa, Kanye, TDE, Odd Future, Dreamville, Pro Era, always been a huge fan of Bach and Vivaldi. In high school I started listening to more trap shit like Waka and Gucci, Sauce Walka, pretty much anything that sounded good to me I listen to."

ROCK and rap have a long history, stretching from Aerosmith and Run DMC teaming up for a remix of "Walk This Way" in 1986 to rappers like Lil Uzi being dubbed "rockstars" today. Chef interspliced his rap listenings with other music, saying "Linkin Park was one of my faves, Evanescence a lot too... That's why I'm so glad that rappers are starting to be more open to experimenting with rock music and rock fashion because that really was the golden age of pop music."

CHEF has proven himself as a talented producer, lending his touch to his own tracks and others. In addition to his growing catalogue of songs, Chef has been working on Camp Radio, a "blog/podcast focusing on up and coming talent" (Twitter). "...I'm a co-founder of Dream Camp but I started Camp Radio out of my own intuition... I started working on preparing it probably about two years ago I would say, but it's really just now been actually put into action. We released our first official episode on February 18, 2018."

ALONG with his music and Camp Radio, Chef is setting out a long-term goal to inspire. He says he wants "...to live life and be happy and to inspire other people to do the same, cuz at the end of the day none of the shit really matters." Chef is bringing a positive message to his journey, which is refreshing to see. He's making it known that you can make it through hard work, just as he has. Chef also wants to help push others' music at some point. "I would like to eventually start a record label to push good new music from every genre." Releasing different genres will help expand Chef's portfolio, but it is also another signal of his manifold of musical interests.

IT is clear that Chef CJB is a genuine person and artist, and wants to spread a positive message. As he grows his work and various projects, his message will only grow further and his impact will increase. Chef wants to spread art, and I'm excited to see what the future holds.

You Can Follow Chef CJB on his Social Media below

Twitter : @NOFREESAUCE

Instagram : @chefcjb

SoundCloud : Chef CJB

Website : Camp Radio