Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Corbin Jr.
Steve, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Growing up in a small Louisiana town, I always had big dreams! From an early age, I knew I wanted to be on TV when I grew up. I found my love for music at a really young age. I knew almost all of the songs on the radio station my mom would listen to. I found myself super interested in the life of musicians, from the album recording aspect all the way to the tour life. It was just amazing to me that someone could sing or rap and make a comfortable living doing it! I began writing songs at the age of nine and began recording music at the age of thirteen. By the time I got to high school, almost everyone in my small town knew me as the kid who rapped. I remember my mom coming home one evening and telling me to give her a few of my cd’s because some guys at her job wanted to buy some of my music! That was my first “oh snap” moment!
After graduating high school in 2011, I went on to study Mass Communications/Media Productions at McNeese State University. While working a few crummy jobs in college, I soon realized I wanted to be an entrepreneur as well. During this phase of my life, I slacked off on creating music because most of my time was devoted to studying for classes and reading books on entrepreneurship. After graduating from college in 2015, I teamed up with my best friend Aaron Mulligan, and we started a media productions business. We filmed weddings, music, videos, commercials. We even had a television show for a local pastor! Even though things were looking up and life was great, I still wasn’t happy. Deep down inside, I knew I wasn’t living my life’s purpose.
After two years of running the video production business, it was time for a change. I told my business partner I would help as much as I could with the company remotely, but I had to get out of Louisiana to become the person I knew I was supposed to be. I packed up everything I owned and moved to the big city of Houston! While living in Houston, I have released three albums, eight singles and a TON OF REMIXES! I can’t wait to see what the future holds! I’m excited to continue to grow as an artist and an overall entertainer!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I brand myself as an entertainer because I do so many things within the world of entertainment. As a musician, I create music that most people would categorize as “Conscious Rap.” If I were to compare my music to some big-name artists, I would say my music gives you sort of a J Cole/Drake vibe. I love making music with a message. My goal is to always create art that is timeless. Something people can go back to years from now and still be able to relate to the lyrics.
Aside from being a Hip-hop Artist, I am also an actor. I have starred in a few short films, and I am gearing up to co-star in a web series this summer directed by an upcoming Louisiana director, Director Fresh. Over the years, I have filmed countless comedic skits that have gotten me a lot of attention on Facebook and Instagram. I really enjoy doing these! As an actor, I really study people like Leonardo DiCaprio and Denzel Washington. These guys really know their craft, and I hope to be on the big screens with them one day!
Lastly, under the entrepreneur sector of the Steve Corbin Jr. brand, there is my dad hat business. Inspired By Bernard was started simply because I wanted to find a way to spread inspiration, positivity, and joy daily. So I thought to myself, “I wear hats almost every single day, what if I created my own line of hats with an inspirational saying on the back?” BAM! That was the birth of Inspired By Bernard! We just launched in January, and I must say, people’s response to the brand has superseded my expectations!
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
This may sound a little weird, but being broke while chasing a dream can be one of the biggest blessings to an artist. I believe there are a lot of lessons to be learned while being a struggling artist. When you have no money or resources, you are forced to get the job done by using pure creativity. You are forced to think outside the box to make your art “pop” and still be comparable to artists with huge budgets. See, money can buy advertising, and it can even buy you better tools for you to work on your artistry with but it CAN”T buy you that genius that was forced to come out of you when you had nothing in the bank. Having little to no money and still chasing your dream just proves how bad you really want it.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
As far as my music goes, I am on every major streaming platform: Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Soundcloud, etc. Just search Steve Corbin Jr. and my catalog will pop right up! You can also visit www.SteveCorbinJr.com.
For acting, my latest short film that I starred in is available for streaming on Youtube. Just search The Kickback by Director Fresh.
For anyone who likes to wear hats and loves spreading inspiration, they can check out my online hat store, Inspired By Bernard at www.InspiredByBernard.com. We have a variety of different colors and sayings to choose from!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SteveCorbinJr.com
- Email: SteveCorbinJr@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/SteveCorbinJr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.corbin.37
- Other: www.InspiredByBernard.com
Image Credit:
Aaron Mulligan
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.
