It's all there. In his head. Waiting to burst from his lips.
He's shy and private – he won't tell you what's going on inside.
He isn't able to tell his story in conversation, but Jameson Thomassini has another way to get his message out to the world.
Rap.
When Thomassini – junior business administration major, but "Sini" when he's on the microphone – was in his early years, he listened to his father sing a Haitian genre of music known as "Kompa." He does not consider his father to be an inspiration, yet his passion for music and lyrics sparked Thomassini's musical interest.
Since then, he has found the motivation to compose rap everywhere and anywhere he goes. It's his ability to create smooth rhymes that sets him apart from other rappers, famous or not.
His favorite lyrics are from his song titled "The Answer." The lines read:
"They look at me and ask how many bars do you make? I just look at them and ask how many breaths do you take?"
Thomassini won't hesitate to spit out a song anywhere he goes. Whether it's in the middle of Starbucks, at a friend's house, or simply to himself, he always takes pride in his lyrics. A professor allowed him to create a rap and perform it for the class instead of writing a paper, and Thomassini pulled through.
"His lyrics were very well thought out," said Kwasi Adusei, a junior nursing major and classmate of Thomassini. "From line to line they were really great but as an entire piece, you could see connections through different parts that were deliberate. The general theme [of his rap for the class] was the four seasons. For example, he'd say winter, and then he would rap about things in his life that correlated to winter." Thomassini's disposition transforms when he starts rapping. He proudly sits upright, the volume of his voice increases drastically, and his words emanate through the air.
"He raps at a fast pace and it comes at you and hits you hard, and a lot of rappers don't do that now days," said Khalif Osson, a junior pharmacology major. "Rap has changed a lot from the '90s and I feel like he brings it back to where it used to be."
According to Osson, Thomassini has the lyrical ability to make it far in the music industry. Osson compares Thomassini's skill to Jay-Z's and believes that eventually Thomassini will stand in the same spotlight.
Thomassini's lyrics are big on double meanings. He breaks down his songs in a way that people understand what he's rapping about, but they can also interpret his words on their own.
"I write about my life," Thomassini said. "My relationships with people in my everyday life…I get my inspiration from everything. I have songs that make stories, and I have songs that say what I feel flat out…[songs] wouldn't be good if they weren't telling a story."
Thomassini receives a lot of support from his mother, 16-year-old brother, and 22-year-old sister.
"I'm a person that strives off doubt," Thomassini said. "I would love if anybody doubted me; that would push me more if anything. My family knows that about me so they all support anything I do."
The support Thomassini received from his family helped him grow as a person and an artist. So did those who chose not to be a part of his life. His father left his family when he was only a little boy. He just tried to survive, as he grew up on the unforgiving streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn.
Thomassini records his songs in a studio provided by his manager. He has the ability to record a song in about an hour with just one take. He can rap to an entire beat ad lib style without messing up, because he practices so much outside of the studio.
Just as much as basketball or football, Thomassini believes rap is just like a sport.
"If you know anybody that knows me, they'll just tell you how competitive I am," Thomassini said. "I hate when people say that they're better than me. I keep a mental note when people think they're better than me. Rap is a sport [where] everyone thinks they're better than you."
It is the desire to be on top that Thomassini uses to write many of his lyrics. Thomassini said that he has never received negative feedback. While he is performing at open mic nights in downtown Buffalo, he truly feels he is the best rapper in the world.
Behind the scenes, Thomassini doesn't feel that he has reached his peak just yet. "I put so much pressure on myself to be the best," Thomassini said. "I always think I can write better. I am my own competition. Every time I write something I think it's whack five minutes later."
He blushes and laughs when he thinks back to his first recorded song.
"[It] was just terrible," Thomassini said. "I will never bring it up again. I was just playing around; it's too embarrassing."
According to Thomassini, Brooklyn needs a rapper right now. Everyone from Brooklyn is instilled with Brooklyn pride, and it somehow needs to be portrayed to the rest of the world. Thomassini wants to be the one that shares Brooklyn's stories with society.
With more than 15 songs already recorded, Thomassini is looking forward to creating a YouTube page and sharing his music for free while he starts putting his name out for the public to hear.
Email: features@ubspectrum.com
