This Edgewood High School student may be the next up-and-coming rap superstar. Michael Weldon is a senior, but his aspirations are much higher than just receiving his high school diploma. 

Michael wants to pursue a career in making music, however, his rap dreams didn’t start overnight. Michael says he’s been making music for “about 4 years”. His dream started when he was younger he said he “grew up listening to rap music”, Listening to artists such as “Nirvana, Chief Keef, and Diverse”.  However, Michael claims that his “vocals, sound, and flow” make him unique compared to other artists. Michael says that he “loves the process of making music” and “It’s a hobby that I’d like to make a career out of.” Making music is another way for Michael to “express himself” using music as the outlet.

Senior Dylan Stamper, who has known Michael since fifth grade, is a big fan of rap music. Dylan says that he thinks, “Michael’s music is unique [and] inspires people to reach for their goals no matter how far-fetched they are.” Dylan’s favorite songs made by Michael Include “Cinnamon” followed by “No mercy” and “East 1999”.

However, “the making of music isn’t all that easy,” says Michael. The process can be difficult and at times frustrating, “you can’t just get on a beat and hit record.” There are processes that need to be filled, such processes include, “creating a beat, writing song lyrics that match the beat, mixing the vocals with the beat, and finding the right tune for the song to be in”

Michael’s musical path has been a slow and difficult climb so far, his 75 songs have helped generate 521 followers on his main platform SoundCloud.  On SoundCloud, he goes by the rap name “farawaysxul”. Michael’s statistical viewership over the past year has been pretty drastic. His viewership peaked in May, where he reached nearly 10,000 views in that month alone. However, last September his viewership was at a year low with only 5,000 plays. 

Michael’s dedication to his passion combined with hard work and support from long-time friends. Such as Dylan, who gives him full confidence that his dreams are attainable. While his journey has been slow and steady so far, Michael says “I know I can do it.”