Songs like ‘Runnin’ tap into the inner work and self-reflection that goes into tackling those challenges. With ‘Runnin,’ Cantrell procrastinated making the song, waiting until producer David Luke pushed him into doing it. The record has resonated with a lot of people, in particular men who have battled similar challenges.
“It’s interesting because my producer David Luke pointed out to me that there were a lot of males gravitating towards the record. The song is a revelation, and the whole project tells a story. By the time I got to recording ‘running,’ Luke told me that I had to do it. I wasn’t ready, I was literally running from ‘running.’ But I knew that I had to face it head on, so I started a voice note, and when I was recording, everything just started flowing. The song essentially wrote itself.”
Connecting with your audience can be difficult, yet Cantrell has been able to do it. His passion and grit certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed drawing praise from fans, critics, and even the legend Nas, who made it a point to tell Cantrell’s mother that he was special.
“Nas told my mom that I got it. Not me, but my mom. He let my mom know how talented I was. You know Nas is Hip-Hop royalty, and we all look up to him. It’s all love. There aren't a lot of people out there that can say that Nas told their mother that they were special.”
With the success of So, What Now, many people are wondering what’s next on the agenda for Cantrell. According to the artist, big things are on the way.
“I’m definitely going to keep the pressure on. Whatever that may look like. I will say that we are looking at the possibility of trying to get another project out this year. Now my music is for me. Now I really want to record, and I really want to be in the studio. I want to walk in my purpose.
With this project I feel amazing. It was my first real independent release, and I feel like we’ve already won. We set out to do something we did. People are happy, my family is happy, and I’m happy. People are gravitating towards the project, and that’s a bonus. Waking up every morning is a blessing, everything else is a bonus. There’s no rage, and no more agitation. I’m completely happy. “
The success is more than deserved for the man who was once “overlooked and underbooked.”