Cam Randall, native to a small town in Western Massachusetts called Agawam, always knew he never wanted a normal job. As a young boy, he dreamt of being a professional baseball player. But when Cam turned twelve, an arthritis diagnosis began to diminish that dream. Despite that, he still knew he wanted to do something original, something more than just a nine-to-five office job. At age 14, Cam turned to music. Writing songs came easy for him, and he decided to release his first creation in 2012. It blew up in his school after posting it on his personal Facebook, and Cam soon discovered his fantastic ability to rap.
Now 20 years old, Cam Randall has reached 7,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and is one of the music-streaming service’s verified artists. Having been a professional musician for just two years, he hopes to see this figure at 25,000 by 2019. At the end of the year, another goal is to headline a show all by himself in the Boston area, with the purpose of getting the experience of road life for a musician. He claims the monthly figure is the coolest thing he’s accomplished so far, saying,
“I don’t think people realize how special that is. You can’t fake that, and you can’t pay for followers like some artists do on SoundCloud. Those are legitimate numbers, and it’s so cool to know that 7,000 people are listening to me every month.”
He has performed in Northampton, Boston, New Haven, Greenfield, and other local venues. He has no problem selling out a show, and no problem getting the crowd on its feet. Cam cites his favorite show as when he headlined with artist DK at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield, where a packed and energetic crowd of hundreds watched a fantastic concert. A fascinatingly humble guy, he refuses to admit that he is often the main attraction of the show. One of the most down to earth artists in the rap game currently, Cam gives all the credit to his fans.
“I want my listeners to know that I can’t even describe how appreciative I am for all the support. There’s so many artists that play the “better than everyone else” card once they get a little hype and that’s not me. You guys are the reason for all of this. I find myself smiling at my phone every time someone new hits me up about my music. This is all so cool to me, and I don’t think it’ll ever feel normal. There’s so many people I’ve never even met that have told me they love my music, and that’s what’s pushing me to do this everyday. They’ve come to every show. I want to give them everything they want, and I want them to know that anything is possible if you want it bad enough.”
In terms of music itself, he works at blending genres with hip-hop, and takes influence from Jaden Smith, Drake, Dylan Reese, and THEY. Cam Randall claims to be the most inspired by the rapper Russ, as the two relate in the sense that both grew up in a small rural town and ended up making it big in the industry. With a musical style that’s extremely unique, Cam Randall tries to incorporate aspects of EDM, pop, alternative, and other genres. As time goes on, his musical style keeps molding into something new and unheard of.
“I’m still trying to distinguish my sound. Up until this year, most of my songs have been fast rap, with simple choruses. I want to do more than that. I wanna be able to kill a verse, and then have a super melodic chorus. I don’t ever want to jock another artists’ style, but I would say that that’s the direction I’m headed in. I realize I actually have something special.”
For now, though, fans can only sit in anticipation for Cam’s upcoming first official album. He wants to put his all into the release, yet plans on making it relatively small in terms of volume. Packing the best music he has into just five to seven songs, they’ll cover love, partying, youth, and will work at reaching every audience possible. The purpose of this is to avoid an unnecessary style repetition, a symptom new artists often suffer from. It is an opening to bring something different to the table, and to offer a musical experience that very few others can – meaning an album that anybody can listen to, anytime and anywhere.
Cam’s shows have been so successful that many venues plan on bringing him back, specifically ones in Northampton and New Haven. This upcoming spring and summer, his schedule will be filled up with performances that are bigger than ever. Currently, him and his team are working on booking a significantly large venue. Unfortunately any specific details are currently a secret, and fans are urged to stay tuned for more information.
Currently a sophomore in college, the foreseeable future will probably hold a transition into the Los Angeles music scene. Los Angeles buried a special spot in his heart after spending some time there, recalling the city’s competitive nature as very motivating. Until graduation, Cam will continue to thrive in local New England. Having taken music seriously for just two years so far, his path to stardom is surely coming quickly. In ten years, Cam Randall sees himself with a family, still making music somewhere in the country, with the end-all goal of being one of hip-hop’s biggest names. No matter what happens or how far his rap career goes, he will always stay humble and never forget his Western Massachusetts roots.
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