Welcome back to “Soundtrack To My Life,” 303 Magazine’s exclusive series where we explore the personal and artistic journeys of Denver’s talents through the music that shapes their lives. This month, we’re thrilled to spotlight Trayce Chapman, a rapper whose introspective lyrics and compelling storytelling have carved a clear path toward his artistic endeavors. For this edition, Trayce has chosen “heal” as his theme, curating a playlist that dives into the process of recovery, self-discovery, and resilience.
In his playlist, Trayce Chapman mixes his evocative tracks like “What’s a Hero?” and “The Weather” from his latest EP release, Black Deku along with poignant selections from a few other of his inspirations. Join us as we delve into Chapman’s thoughts and experiences, exploring how music has been a vital part of his healing process and how it continues to inspire his journey forward.
303 Magazine: “Self Care” by Mac Miller emphasizes the importance of looking after oneself. How does this song personally resonate with your journey towards self-healing and maintaining balance in your life?
Trayce Chapman: The hook goes,“Self Care, I’m treating me better,” and same! I put down alcohol recently and put down tobacco as well. Improved my diet. Started reading more. Pushing my body in workouts. Stopped eating red meat and scrolling social media for hours (well mostly stopped scrolling but I’m a rapper so that’s all but impossible). I really am treating me better and it’s paying dividends. It was a very necessary change.
303: Travis Scott’s “Stop Trying to Be God” has a powerful message. When did you last encounter a situation in your healing process where this message resonated deeply with you?
TC: To be frank, I’m a dad. A dad who has to co-parent as I am not with the mother(s) of my children. At times a very real power struggle exists unfortunately and so with that being said I encounter this type of interaction pretty regularly as it relates to my children. Children can be used as pawns at times as opposed to the innocent souls that they really are, and the basis of them being used that way is rooted in the desire for power and control. Stop trying to be God. Cuz’ that’s just not your job.
303: Your track “Vent” suggests a release of emotions. How does creating music like this serve as a therapeutic outlet for expressing and processing difficult emotions in your life?
TC: Creating music like this is the most therapeutic activity I partake in current day (I should maybe change that huh?). There’s a beauty within saying things (rapping them) that you wouldn’t normally speak about because they are too personal. It truly is a weight lifted. My new EP, Black Deku is full of said vulnerabilities and truths.
303: How does “TO THE MOON” fit into your Heal theme?
TC: Simple. This is my daughter’s favorite song. She is four years old. Hearing the song reminds me of her always which takes me to a place of peace and joy. Not to mention the song itself makes me want to rise above my current circumstances and blast off to the MOON!!
303: The Weather gets very personal and insightful to a dark time in your life, how important is music to you when you’re in such a vulnerable situation?
TC: This is literally the closest I get to speaking to a therapist. It is incredibly important for me to keep my skill sharp enough to be able to articulate myself and get my words out! It is the lifeline for me, I’d probably go crazy without the skillset to do that.
303: What song on your playlist did you encounter first in your life and why is it unique to you?
TC: “The Question (feat. Lil Wayne). This song is so amazing to me. “Sometimes I wonder who the fuck I am” and bro, same! One of the first times I heard an artist speak honestly and vulnerably on a record about being unsure who he/she is. Not to mention Dwayne Carter caught a body on his verse.
303: What was the first song, aside from your own, that you knew had to be on this playlist and why?
TC: It was “Self Care.” The entirety of my healing mission is to better care for myself, so I knew this one had to make the cut based on the message alone.
303: You’ve been busy, especially the last two years with different releases and collaborations, were there any songs that took more of your time than the others? If so, why do you think that is?
TC: Yeah for sure. Some songs fly off the pen in 15 minutes. Some songs have so many variations, so many deleted lines and words, deleted melodies and hooks that never see the light of day that it’s insane. And to be quite frank if I knew why that was I would have fixed it by now and asking my spliff in one of my Grammys.
From the wise words in “Self Care” by Mac Miller to the reassured defiance behind Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” each song reflects a different facet of Chapman’s healing curation. The playlist also includes pieces like “The Question(feat. Lil Wayne)” and “Wat’s Wrong,” inviting listeners to engage in introspection and embrace the challenges of personal growth. Through this collection, Trayce takes us on a journey of emotional healing, grappling with profound questions and finding solace in the power of music.
Do you have a go-to healing song or playlist? Share it with us in the comments below and check out the rest of our #S2MLSeries.
Stay tuned for more updates from Trayce Chapman and his upcoming projects. Be sure to like this playlist and follow our Spotify account for more local curations.