The Evolution of a Song
“More Knowledge (Covid-19 Version)” — MC Lee
“More Knowledge” — MC Lee
More Knowledge —is now a different vibe that stems from a wiser mind no longer clouded by the frustrations of an earlier time. Once a track more pessimistic in tone, the current “More Knowledge (Covid-19 Version)” has now morphed into a message of positivity targeted at my fellow IMM’rs stuck at home.
At the start of the academic year, “More Knowledge” became one of my first serious attempts at music production. I wrote original lyrics and rapped over musical elements that were sampled from artists that I admire. These early attempts at production, however, pale in comparison to the more recent results I have been able to achieve. For example, the new version of this song is an original composition that contains no sampled elements.
After much consternation and a necessary implementation of ‘true grit’ throughout the year, I prevailed in making a beat from scratch. I learned more about music theory, percussion, rhythm, musical notation, etc. this year than I have in my entire life. Moreover, this 5 minute version of the song also contains fully original lyrics that I was able to memorize before recording.
The current iteration is a dramatic improvement over the original but I still intend on making further edits after graduation. I have gained so much experience in Logic Pro X recording vocals, and designing beats with my MIDI devices. I now feel confident in my ability to make deeper improvements down the line. Overall, this has been a challenging yet rewarding thesis project that has left me inspired to keep on rhymin’.
