Genard Talks Career Path, Musical Achievements, and Where He Is Today

Genard takes people by surprise every time they hear him due to his versatility. On one record he’ll hit you with an amazing melodic R&B sound, then out of now where completely flip the script and deliver witty, lyrical and unique types of cadences in his flows when he raps.

We had the chance to talk with the fast growing artist Genard from Chicago.

1. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Genard - Growing up on the southside of Chicago in the early 90s there was a lot of drug dealing and gang violence and my grandparents and my mom did a really good job at keeping me sheltered from the negative influence even if keeping you locked inside most of the time is a bit extreme(lol) So I ultimately found ways to entertain myself and art was always the biggest thing for me like just being creative in general. whether it was drawing painting sketching all the way to writing poetry, novels and skits. And I do believe Music is just another form of art it’s just an audio form. Kanye west had a heavy influence on me back in 2005, he basically paved the way for an artist who wasn’t hard street rap artists. This made me convert my poetry into rap and as I aged I just kept writing and practising. In high school, I used to battle rap and when other people confirmed that I was good, the adrenaline got me hooked and I never looked back.

2. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

I was in paramount studios in LA working on a record for the upcoming artists signed with Def Jam and all of a sudden 2chainz popped in with Kevin Durant and Kenyon Martin. I’m really not the type to fan out but that caught me off guard being in the same room with them while 2chainz was playing his album for everyone in the room before it dropped. To prevent leaks they took everyone’s phones.

3. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Thinking that one project or one song is going to get you were you need to be. I learned that it takes hundreds of songs and time in the booth perfecting your sound paired with consistency to grab people’s attention.

4. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

At the moment I’m working on an EP called “From LA with Love” and I’m also working on a project from an artist that’s currently signed to Atlantic Records I can really say who or what On that but it’s huge. I’m also dropping a clothing collection paired tied to all my releases and my music. It’s a surprise but it’s really dope and I’m putting a lot of hours in on it.

5. Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

By far the most interesting person I interacted with was David Talbert. He was directing an event for BET and his energy was so positive. It was unmatched and it was at that moment I realized that high performance people move on a different realm. Not only was he amazing John legend performed that day and he came in and performed an entire song in 30mins when it took literally all day to set the stage and green screen up for him to perform. He literally was in and out which was crazy to me. Extremely efficient when you perfect your craft.

6. Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Be yourself and don’t try to follow a trend. You rob yourself of being an individual when you try to be or sound like someone else. I do believe ultimately because you don’t feel like you’re being YOU you’ll resent creating music entirely.

7. You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Failure is an illusion only lessons are learned. The best advice I can give is to fall in love with the process it’s not going to happen overnight and fully commit. Above all of that be consistent keep dropping content.

8. Can you share with our readers any self care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Kindly share a story or an example for each.

I workout everyday and meditate every morning. I also read for at least a couple hours before i go to sleep. Oddly I also took a dna fit test to see exactly what foods and exercises my body reacts to the beat so I can build a lifestyle around the results to keep me youthful and healthy as long as possible.

9. What are your "5 things I wish someone told me when I first started" and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. No one is going to believe in you in the beginning so self belief is key 2. Who you know is extremely important so focus on networking early. 3. Pick one platform and focus all of your time on that one platform 4. Learn as many skills as you can you’ll save money on not having to outsource 5. You can make it happen anywhere you don’t have to move if you don’t want to.

10. Can you please give us your favorite "Life Lesson Quote"? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

TRUST YOUR VISION this is huge for me there are so many people that will tell you that you’re aiming too high or what you want isn’t realistic. But you know it’s real because you see yourself doing it in your head over and over again. Trust yourself and don’t let anyone talk you out of your passion.

11. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Well for starters my beat friend who dreams just as big as I do who took that leap of fate to move to LA with me. After touching down we met our mentor who really dropped some amazing business gems and showed us how to make money work for you.

12. You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’m actually currently doing that now. I have a brand called Bossedlife that basically empowers the person. You’re the boss you’re in control of your life, whatever you want in life whether it be materialistic or not you’re in control and you’re responsible for making that happen. I plan on showing people the amazing sides of life and what it takes to get there and anyone serious about hitting their goals or obtaining that “bossedlife style” I want to help them in any way I can. When I die I want people who never met me to cry like when Kobe Bryant passed ({RIP}

13. We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)

Kanye West and Elon Musk! I have portraits of both of them on my wall (haha) I would fan out if I met either one of them. Atlanta native rapper Russ as well. Even though he’s younger than me he cracked the code and I feel like I have so much I can learn from him. I really do believe we have similar personalities as well.

14 How can our readers follow you online?

You can find me on: Instagram (genard_bossedup) shoot me an email at [email protected] and my new websites (genardbossedup.com and bossedlife.com) are up just under construction the new content/merch is on the way as we speak! You can join my mailing lists on the sites as well.