Words by PJ Gordon (@ThePhlashGordon). Photo by Brandon Alexander (@__balex__)
It’s safe to say that Noah Sims has arrived. At just 19-years-young, the rising Chicago producer has worked with some of the city’s hottest rising talents, including Taylor Bennett and Hurt Everybody. For his debut project, Testament, which dropped earlier this week, Sims has also grabbed Chi City mainstays such as Tree and frequent collaborator Roosevelt The Titan.
We sat down with the classically trained beat maker to chat about the process of putting together Testament, as well as the experiences that have lead him to this career choice. Click below to get a little insight into the mind of a 19-year-old up and coming beatsmith.
FSD: What is Testament?
Noah Sims: Testament is, for me, a project that represents how far I’ve come, and how I’ve grown as a person as well as how the people featured have grown as people, y’know? [It’s] what I’m considering my debut. I’ve been making music for the past couple of years, loosies here and there, and I’ve had a lot of experiences from it. And, Testament, to me, is sewing up those experiences. It’s my “first chapter.”
FSD: You’ve been working on Testament for a while now. Do you think it evolved as you got older?
Noah Sims: Absolutely, man. I started the idea of Testament 11 months ago, and I thought it’d be out by March. [Of the beats that] I had, there’s only a couple that remained the same. Different relationships have changed over the time that I’ve been making it. I think that… the process of creating it became an integral part of the project. Know what I mean? I wasn’t sure what I was walking into when I started, and almost a year later… you’re right, I have grown.
FSD: Where do you think you fit into the Chicago music scene?
Noah Sims: I don’t think I necessarily have a place where I “fit in.” I think it’s my responsibility to make a place. I think that my answer a year ago would be different [from] now. I’m sort of at this in-between period, where Testament is finished, but it’s not released yet. And I haven’t got a chance to see what kind of damage it does, what kind of impact it makes. But this one is one I’m really confident in, that I can show to anybody. And I think overall, I have a different sound than other people. I think I have a different way of approaching it. I have a different chemistry with artists.
So, only time can tell how I really “fit in.” But, I think I definitely have earned myself a place in it.
FSD: Do you specifically consider yourself to be hip-hop?
Noah Sims: No. That’s what I started out as. I wanted to be a “hip-hop producer.” I wanted to make beats for the kids at my high school, when I was like 15 and 16. And as it’s grown, I definitely see that I am primarily hip-hop, that’s my biggest influence, but I don’t wanna stick myself in a box for whatever I end up making. I already feel like I’m going in a sort of abstract approach. Or like a different path an a standard hip-hop producer. Or music producer in general. I wouldn’t call it hip-hop. I really wouldn’t call it anything yet. It’s Noah Sims’ music.
FSD: Not many producers are generally known for dropping entire solo projects, do you intend to go against this and be the producer known for their own solo efforts?
Noah Sims: That would be fun. I had a friend that I showed [the project] to once we finished it, and I took this as a big compliment, he called it an “airplane project.” He said this was something to where he can have x amount of albums on his phone, and he can listen to this when he has no internet, all the way through and just relax on a plane. I’ve had a lot of people recommend staying in this lane, curating different artists. I’ve had a lot of fun being in the engineering process, and tailoring beats for artists and putting it all together cohesively. I would like to do this again. I’ve got to save up some money, I’ve got to make some money. I’d love to keep doing this, but I’m still open to exploring whatever other avenues are there.