LYNN — Lynn rapper Shaquille Pinckney, also known as S.M.P., has used music as a source of inspiration to help him through hard times, and hopes that his first studio album, “Sage Mode,” can inspire others.
“Growing up in a household where my father wasn’t really in the picture, and my mom was often working many hours, I turned to music for comfort and music gave me a reason to be happy,” said Pinckney, a Classical grad who has lived in Lynn for 13 years.
He began writing music when he was nine, though he was originally focused on rock music.
His introduction to hip hop came from Eminem, who impressed him with his range and stylistic versatility.
“I loved that he could go from dark, to funny, to crazy,” Pinckney said. “I realized that rap gives you more space to express yourself,”
He has an eclectic array of influences, including The Killers, Snow Patrol, U2, Eminem and Tupac Shakur, as well as poetry from Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe.
He said that he likes for his music to have a focus on lyrics and message.
“I like to have the old school focus on the writing — it’s creating the song and the message,” he said.
S.M.P. caught some viral fame in 2019 with the music video for his single “Best Day Ever,” a bouncy, boom-bap track, which amassed 1.5 million views on Facebook and tens of thousands of YouTube views.
S.M.P., dressed in a Lynn Classical T-shirt, delivers spitfire verses before sliding into a laid-back hook — “today’s gonna be the best day ever.”
He is currently working on “Sage Mode,” which is scheduled to be released this spring and includes tracks with well-known mastering engineer, Colin Leonard.
Leonard mastered S.M.P.’s upcoming single, “Champion,” set to be released next month.
“I’m so grateful and blessed to be working with him,” said Pinckney. “He does extraordinary work. He knows exactly what to do and it always sounds spot-on.”
Working with Leonard on the new album could allow Pinckney to take another step in his career.
Leonard’s past credits include big names such as Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Migos, Icona Pop, Mastodon, Kimbra, Indigo Girls and Gucci Mane. Sales of albums and singles sold in the United States with Colin Leonard listed in the credits as a mastering engineer total more than $100 million.
Pinckney uses the city of Lynn as inspiration for his work.
“The city has a great art scene. It’s so artsy and so beautiful everywhere,” he said. “It’s just
there’s a lot of doubt here, and that inspired me.”
Over the past few years, he has made enormous strides as an artist, he said.
“I’m really on a new level right now,” Pinckney said. “My sound is picking up. It sounds a million times better now. I have a ton of room to grow but right now I have grown.”
“My goal is to inspire people, and to be on the top,” he said. “And I will get there if I work hard and stay on it.”
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected].
