Both in and out of a studio, freshman Travis Hernandez works with industry professionals to create music videos inspired by his favorite rap artists. The music is blended with his own life experiences in an effort to share his passions and stories with others.
Beginning in fourth grade, Hernandez has been creating his own rap music to post on social media and various streaming platforms under the name “Tinylok.” He was inspired by the humble beginnings of his favorite LA-based rap artist, and wants to start a career in music rather than a more traditional line of work.
“I had a lot of inspiration from other people [making music] with more followers than me. I just wanted to be like them because I’ve seen the life that they were living,” Hernandez said. “I wanted more for myself than having an average [job].”
According to Hernandez, he has a strong drive to create high quality music. Each piece is given a significant amount of time to be refined. He has also recorded songs in full studios before, including his most successful song.
“I have a couple producers that will send me beats. Then, I will usually listen to the beat and write [lyrics] for about a week,” Hernandez said. “During the weekends, I’ll record. I just record songs with my AirPods and then I tweak them [in an audio software] to make them sound better.”
Currently, Hernandez is focused on bigger performances and content on a larger scale than he has done in the past. He has been acting in his own music videos every few months alongside larger gigs. He performs locally and at large-scale rap events with other creators.
“I shoot music videos every couple months. I would consider them high production because I pay for somebody to come out here and shoot the video [with me],” Hernandez said.
Although Hernandez has stated he is doing quite well, he previously had trouble with following his passion. He particularly struggled with spreading his music to new audiences and his fellow students.
“At first, I was really close-minded. I didn’t want anybody to hear my music because I felt embarrassed that I was following my dream,” Hernandez said. “Once I started showing people my music, and people started actually liking it, I started taking music more seriously and learning how to make it better.”
According to Hernandez, friends and family were significant in his career. They helped him when he doubted himself, or didn’t know what to do. One friend, freshman Khyree Campbell, has known Hernandez since seventh grade.
“We used to say that he’s going to blow up, so it’s great seeing [Hernandez] do a lot of the great things that he is doing right now,” Campbell said.
According to Campbell, the music Hernandez makes is special because it combines lyrics inspired by popular LA rappers, along with experiences from Hernandez’s own life. Campbell described the lyrics as partially made for the song, and partially from true experiences.
“I write my songs about myself,” Hernandez said. “They are about my life, my personality, and generally how I live.”
The primary goal of Hernandez, beyond fame and fortune, is to inspire others to enter the music scene. Just like his favorite artists, Hernandez hopes that writing and sharing songs with his community will spread his passion with others.
“I have a really unique story for most people my age, and I feel like I need to share that to inspire others,” Hernandez said. “If you’re really passionate about it, don’t worry about what other people say. Just go for it.”
