PASSION: Poly senior Jermal Harper shares his songwriting and rapping skills with Poly’s community.
By Avelina Maier, Staff Writer
Poly’s very own Jermal Harper (12) displays ambition and passion in his musical endeavors. For the past three years, Harper has explored his talents in both songwriting and rapping, and has recently emerged as an up-and-coming talent in the local music industry. Harper has been writing and rapping for 3 years, but he has had a fervor for it from a young age. “I have a very strong passion for music that can’t really be described. Music is more than just words and sounds to me. It’s like an escape from the world. It’s also a great way to tell your story and to express how you feel,” Harper said.
Like many great abilities, Harper’s progression began with humble beginnings.“Sophomore year, I used to freestyle on the bus and in the locker room, and most of the [football players] used to tell me I should make more music” Harper expressed. He decided to take their advice and began sharing his songs with other students, uploading these songs to web-sharing sites such as SoundCloud, and spreading certain pieces through social media. In the past few months, his viewership has steadily increased; so far, he has two playlists on his SoundCloud account, averaging 500 to 600 plays per song. “I never thought it was going to be this big,” Harper confessed.
However, this is only the beginning of his journey; not only has he made himself known on SoundCloud, but his music has also been released on larger sites like Apple Music and Spotify. “I’m all about making it easier for my music to be listened to. By having it on these streaming services, it’s almost impossible for someone to never get ahold of my music,” Harper said.
Not only has he spread his talent throughout the internet, but he also performed live at Poly’s prom assembly and the Mr. Poly performance on Friday, April 15, 2016. “It felt awesome. Being able to put on a good performance for your school can be hard, but I think I did a good job keeping people interested,” Harper expressed.
Having the motivation and drive to do something is essential to making a dream a reality, but support also plays a crucial role “When you see people believe in you, it makes you believe in yourself. I’m just ready to make more music and grow my fan base,” Harper concluded. Jermal Harper is a shining example of local youth bringing fire and spirit to their activities.