In his everyday life as an attorney, Chris Greene appears to be just another professional - dressed in a suit and tie, studiously reviewing contracts and documents for clients, and making small talk at networking events. His reserved personality and quiet demeanor make it easy to miss him in a crowd. Put him in front of a microphone, and Hyde - his self-assured, outgoing, and attention-grabbing alter ego - seems to appear out of nowhere. Hyde has been studying hip-hop for decades, and it shows. His lyrical skill, effortlessly complex flows, and dynamic delivery put him at the forefront of any track he's on, and his catchy, melodic hooks keep listeners coming back to his unique stylings.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Hyde, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hey! Thanks for having me. I remember when I was five or six finding this dusty old electric keyboard sitting in the back of a storage room. I took the cover off, plugged it in, and started pressing keys. It was magic, and I never stopped loving music.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
I love baseball. The Cardinals hat isn't just for looks--I'm really a fan. I enjoy reading, especially fiction. There's so much to learn, and great authors make words sing. At my best, I think some of that comes through in my music. I like playing video games occasionally, hanging out with my wife and dogs, normal life stuff. I'm an introvert, so I don't do that much interesting.
Your latest song is 'Not A Flex'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
When I started working on 'Not A Flex,' I'd taken a couple months off from making music, and I felt like I needed a warm up to get back into it. So I grabbed a beat I liked and started writing. I meant for it to be a throwaway--just something I'd put out there with minimal effort before taking future projects more seriously--but as I started writing and recording, it kept sounding better and better. I grabbed Mahoney and SeaJay, they added incredible verses (SeaJay's is my favorite on the track--he's on the last verse), I got T.Ro to mix it, and by the time it was done, I knew it was a lot more than a throwaway. Probably one of the best tracks I've made. Shows what happens when you take the pressure off.
Can you reveal the recipe for a musical hit?
I can try! A hit starts with the production. You have to have something with the right energy and right vibe to really be a hit. After the production, the hook itself is the most important part. It needs to be catchy without being overly repetitive, give the listener something to remember and come back to, and set the tone for the whole track. If you have great production and a catchy hook, you have a hit. The verses kind of serve as filler and don't matter all that much. As long as they sound good enough to keep the listener engaged until the next hook, you're golden. From there, make sure the track comes in quick (people will skip to the next track if they aren't hooked right away) and ends with a bang. Get the mix right, and--tada!--you've got a hit on your hands.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
Right now, I'm just focusing on consistently making music. As important as breaks can be, practice makes perfect. The more time you spend working on something, the better you get.
What inspires you as an artist? Could it be the sea, the weather or something else?
My process usually starts with selecting a beat--I find the instrumental that makes me feel something or matches the mood I'm in. The beat kind of inspires each track, pulls the emotion I want to put down out of me. Outside of the process for each track, though, people inspire me. I love reading because I love the stories they tell about people. I try to see the world from other perspectives, through someone else's eyes, to understand their pain, struggles, triumphs, whatever. Often, that perspective helps me shape my approach to a song or how I paint a picture.
How do you spend your free time? What makes you feel relaxed?
Music is how I spend my free time, honestly. I work full time as a lawyer, which can be really stressful, and getting lost in making a new track or perfecting a mix is a great way to let go. Other than that, I play video games from time to time and love hanging out with my wife (especially eating her incredible food--get you a woman who can cook).
Do you have a mentor or coach?
At this point, not really. I'm not done growing as an artist by any means, but I've reached the point where I know how to improve on my own. That said, lots of people have helped me reach this point--way too many to list here. Right now, I'm trying to return the favor and work with some younger artists to help them develop. Being able to share what I've learned is one of the most rewarding things I get to do.
Do you think it's easy to become established in the music world, or is it difficult?
It isn't hard in the sense that there are a lot of barriers, but it is incredibly difficult in terms of how much work it takes. The people I've seen reach quit-your-day-job levels of success put in tons of time every single day to get there. But almost all it takes to get there is hard work. If you want to be famous? That takes a degree of luck, finding and knowing the right people, a good deal of talent, and an extra helping of stupidly hard work. That's definitely hard.
What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
I've reached the point in my life where I'm less concerned with accomplishments. I want to make good music, build a solid following, and have fun doing it. My last real bucket-list item is to have a track blow up. I want a heat that shows up in random dance TikToks or tops a million plays. Feels like that would be the icing on the cake of my time in music.