The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

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Ryan Schneider makes waves as a rapper

Senior Ryan Schneider is the Mr. Musical candidate in the annual senior Gradman competition for his recently recognized talent as a rapper.  With help from his supporters, fellow students who are fans and music collaborators, Schneider has built a loyal following of listeners on his Soundcloud page.

“I started because I had thought about writing in a journal, but I thought that would be weird so I decided to write it down in lyrics,” said Schneider.

Schneider explains the idea began as a joke between himself and friend Tyler Bucci, senior. He purchased a small home studio equipment set and began recording in a walk-in closet. Since then, Schneider has upgraded his equipment and moved into a larger room in his house.

“I knew my first songs were bad, but I also knew I had to start somewhere. I’ve progressed a lot, everything’s better. I think I’ve found my sound or I’m finding it and I think the lyrics have always been okay,” said Schneider.

Schneider spends hours at a time writing lyrics, searching for beats and editing recordings. While working, he is sometimes accompanied by friends who wish to listen in or other artists to help spark his creativity. However, more often than not, he works on perfecting his craft alone, through the night and even into the morning.

“When you’re in the studio with him it requires crazy patience. It’s straight thoughts. Not just from him, but also the guy in the room has just as much going on in his head. I’m wondering how many more attempts it’ll take or if there should be a different beat, ” said Harrison Engle, senior and one of Schneider’s “hype men.”

Schneider’s most popular song on the music streaming site Soundcloud, “Last Train Home,” has 3,793 plays to date. The song was produced by former Athens Drive student Tre Bell. “#GoinUp” featuring fellow senior Braxton Payton, also has over 3,500 plays. His most recent song “Drive” has just under 1,000 plays in 16 days.

“It’s exciting to see that people continue to listen to the songs I put out and it gives me feedback on whether I’m improving or not,” said Schneider.

Schneider has received help and worked with other artists on multiple occasions during his career. Bell and Middle Creek High School senior, Chase Weaver, have produced beats for “Last Train Home” and “On and Off,” respectively. Payton is featured on “#GoinUp” and made a special appearance during Schneider’s Gradman performance.

Schneider has long term goals in place and hopes to find success in the future. He is taking steps to improve his software skills in order to produce his own instrumentals. He also plans to continue rapping when he attends Western Carolina University in the fall.

“I’ve just been getting beats off of YouTube. This summer I want to learn to make beats because that’s where I lack right now. I don’t really know how to do that,” said Schneider.

In multiple songs Schneider mentions how he wishes to live in Hollywood one day. This is a main goal of his along with releasing a full project and going on tour. However, signing to a record label is not high on Schneider’s list of goals, and he is completely comfortable with staying independent until later in his career.

“My main goal is to go on tour and that’s really one of the only big goals I have. Having a project that people actually listen to a lot is a goal too. I want to live in the Hollywood Hills when I grow up, but these are all big challenges,” said Schneider.

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