Today we’d like to introduce you to Cowboy Tre.
Hello Cowboy Tre, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m from Antioch TN a place I grew to know as the Yoch. Early on musically, I was inspired by a mix of artists who they looked up to. From Outkast T.I. CowboyTroy and more stylistically as a songwriter, I loved the aggressiveness of the styles it personally matched me. I came up around the curators of phrases like “type shit” “ug’lass” and ‘na’emtombout” my friends like Bryant Taylor, Tyler Davis, and more encouraged my music and overall aided in developing the framework of my artistry.
We all came up in the church so the Gospel and the Christian promise of a relationship with God had a major role for me personally I’d looked at faith akin to a will to survive in those times. At 18 while studying child psychology in an effort to get a psychiatric degree while working at the YMCA my mom calls me and tells me I need to go to North Carolina because I have a cousin there who’s a famous singer and would like to meet me. So I get there and I meet Jstylz and my cousin begins to teach me vocal lessons and help me branch out with my relationships as an artist I met and played music for Teddy Riley and Chauncey Black a lot of members of Backstreet gave my sound a mold.
Social media as means of marketing outside of YouTube was in its infancy at the time and the establishment of an image was overall more important than talent. My mom had a promotions company at the time I watched many of my cohorts be granted opportunities and help pack out venues as a co-marketer but had found me completely behind the scenes I was overlooked as an artist back then. So by 2018, I established my own independent label signed myself and decided to take a chance in LA my aunt let me stay with her for little to nothing and while I was out there I recorded with the major Studio 1500 or Nothin in Inglewood California there I’d record my very first song “Animal instincts” and for years I’d go back and forth from Nashville, LA, NY, NC, and Atlanta picking up on my sound my image thanks to a stylist like Jamar Hart and writing and developing musically thanks to people like Shannon Sanders as well as my business partners.
I come from a family of Insurers Nurses, Contractors, and Salesmen raised on southern values so it is hard to create an excuse for failure no matter the obstacle even if manufactured the will to remain determined is coded in the ways I move. I learned a lot from being poor Seeking to expand my brand and concept as a current age able we aspire to build more I left the house at 18 to live in Chattanooga TN I’ve been a broke artist seeking joint venture but having little money so this predicament becomes the soul of my company and why we heavily believe in co-producing visions in the form of events.
To add on to the label I started a rolling papers business “Spudwood Sweets” that also sell CBD products and have had a blast since smoking weed and chastising dreams. My first official single Value of A Dollar was released during the COVID-19 pandemic and was well received since then I’ve released a mix tape Pay2Play via bandcamp.com under the moniker CowboyTre featuring songs that were inspired by life events and the fine ass women Id pause over. Songs like “Roof Off” and “Bottles” to up-and-coming singles like ” Sweet T” ft Cam Carter and I’m consistently becoming what I believe is the future sound of Country; Country Trap or what my grandparents tell me is modern-age country. I’m blessed to aspire to be Elvis but if he was black. Inspirations like Genuine Avant James Brown and many songwriters, the influences musically is a lot.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Sleeping in my car to pawning my shit for food often losing items sometimes my life early on was a kennel.
I boast about my Gods abilities and somehow life responds in a way like it knows what I’m trying to communicate.
People’s words change like the weather the depth of my story is like any river I float above a solid only god and memory knows the whole of.
Like anyone life mines destined to be plagued by passion and envy in a battle between lust and trust, I can’t recount what exactly I have faced but I know what It means to be discounted no matter what great idea or what you’ve done to be chastised as the black sheep of a group to be chastised for succeeding and abandoned for failing yes. Who I am in a world so far I’ve survived another season.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My music was officially released on Bandcamp in 2022 prior to that Youtube and before that Soundcloud. My music type has been called Country Trap Country R&G (Rhythm and Guitar) Stylistically a combo of Country RnB with Hip Hop elements it’s a form of music I created from living in Nashville Chattanooga even Memphis and Knoxville to Pulaski I spent a lot of life seeing aloft of TN culture and what common things and histories the cities held when they were small towns.
So musically a lot of inspiration. I’m most proud of being able to say I’m from “DA VILLE” and “NASHVILLE ” a sort of universal city of culture hi dollar attire and trucks on dunks (off-road wheels). What sets me apart I believe is originality a lot of artists fake the funk for a taste of the culture of hard work I wasn’t like that I lived the lyrics per-say been a day laborer to the general contractor to contractor mover pot man stage hand to janitor to chef I done it.
What sets me apart is my will to have faith and the authenticity to take the risks. Others have done the same so you’d have to listen to my music knowing it’s what I’ve contributed to cope with the living experience and judge it for what that’s worth to truly define difference but I determine my works to be unique “yes”.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Making money from music and reinvesting it into show experiences. Playing music with my band and kicking it with fine-ass ladies selling rolling papers and smoking buds is my dream it’s pretty much my life already but amplified Id say that’s happiness to me. Music is the only part of life when I’m active in it my life and “success” seems to gain the most traction.
Playing my music for unsuspecting crowds writing singing helping other artists develop my brands doing what I love selling rolling papers and records is where I see my life ultimately status and acceptance I guess a large part of what I associate happiness with.
Pricing:
- $7 mixtape on Bandcamp
- $700 to book live events
Contact Info:
- Website: https://recrdz.bandcamp.com/album/pay-2-play
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowboytre_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southboundpapi/about?section=bio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZLgxgZK2VYPGif1vTCh3iQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/cowboytre
- Other: https://recrdz.bandcamp.com/album/pay-2-play
Image Credits
@Leoshots and @jamar_hartclothes
