AC Lightnin is an independent artist from New York, NY. His passionate, witty, and creative wordplays give his music and poetry an energetic, upbeat vibe and a conscious feel. AC Lightnin uses his Poetry, Film, Rap & Hip-hop as a gateway to painting a picture of his reality, and experiences as a black man and a Christian to tell his stories. 

How did you get your name?

There are a few answers to this question. AC is my first and last initials in my name and the L in Lightnin is my middle initial. At one point I had a fascination for lightning because of how bold and unpredictable it was and I feel like that describes me. When I was younger, I wanted to be a pro wrestler and I came up with a few stage names to go by AC Lightnin was one of those names. When I got into high school and college, some of my friends started calling me AC as a nickname. Ever since then I've gone by AC Lightnin for the last 6 years.

How did you get into creating?

Creative art has always been a part of me for the most part. I first got into creating when I was little and I was watching Star Wars movies. Star Wars inspired me to write my first fan fiction. Then my mom was trying to teach me how to write poetry at that time. And some years later I would participated in "poems in your pockets day" in middle school. After my first attempt at writing my first song at 14 I wrote a 8-bar rhyme I went around performing to my friends in 9th grade. Then the following year, I wrote my first song and performed it in my school's first talent show. Then my speech teacher told me about this organization called Urbanword NYC and I went to their workshops. Eventually, I would be a part of their youth board from 2016-2017.

Where are you from?

I'm from the Empire state known as New York. I was born and raised in Queens and lived in South Ozone Park as well. I lived in Bed-Stey, Brooklyn for about 4 years before moving to uptown Manhattan.

How did growing up in your neighborhood/city affect you? 

I grew up in a two parents household, although dysfunctional at times my parents loved me as well as each other. I lived in the hood for the most part of my life so I was accustomed to seeing crackheads, living next to the projects where gang activities took place often. I remember seeing a SWAT team pulling up 40 deep next to my house in Brooklyn busting 4 people for smuggling drugs. The schools I went to in Brooklyn, for the most part, was decent just dealing with some teachers who didn't really care for their jobs or dealing with and fighting other students in school it was wild at times. I even rolled off the bus fighting and almost got jumped in front of my house. Living in Brooklyn and even in Manhattan at one point I thought this was what my life would consist of. At 17 I questioned what my future would look like because I didn't know what would happen from the ages of 17-23.

What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?

I have intermediate experience with my 2 DSLR cameras, a Nikon D3500, and a Canon 80D. I also have some editing skills using Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Illustrator creating a few of my own designs as well as I have experience with Canva.

What does your current setup look like?

I have an Apple Laptop where I recorded all of my music on GarageBand with an audio interface, a condenser mic an a mic booth for clear and clean recordings. I would have my friends who then would mix and master my songs. This was the process of how I recorded my 1st two EPs, Rehabilitation and Believe. Now I've been looking for studios where I can get my songs recorded professionally.

Who inspires you?

I would have to say, my Dad. Before his passing in 2019, I admire how he was always a go-getter whether it was getting high-paying job positions or running his bathtub and maintenance business. He would have me tag along with him on a few jobs that he did and would pay me for helping him out and I got a close-up view of how he ran his business. Whether in action or making flyers and paying for advertising. Little did I know I would run my own business one day, he inspired me to build my own thing and go about it my way.

What is your goal when you create?

To tell stories about my life experiences in ways that may be unorthodox or talk about perspectives that get overlooked. I try my best to be versatile and discuss different topics in my work.

Why do you create?

At one point in time, I was shy, timid, and struggled with a speech impediment. It was hard for me to express myself when I felt like I wasn't being heard and people didn't want to understand me, I felt powerless. So writing became an outlet for me to properly express myself in a way that isn't dangerous or violent and I thank God, Jesus, for creative writing.

I also create because if I'm honest I'm sick and tired of seeing and hearing the same toxic songs that don't represent people like me. Folks who grew up in a two-parent household, didn't have to join a gang or run the streets. I want to change the narrative of how black people are represented in the media whether that's through movies/TV or music. One of those ways is by bringing back morals into these contents. I've see how the world has been shaped over the last few years, having the word "light" in Lightnin, I want to be a light in this dark world.

How has choosing your creative path affected your life?

Choosing to be a multifaceted artist gave me the boldness to write out my experiences and share them with friends and strangers. And to see people's reactions when they see me perform or if I say a line that they really like is dope. I've looked back at the same kid who was bullied for his disability, now to someone who isn't afraid to express himself. I remember when I first got into the creative arts, I avoid talking about "black people issues" like racism, or lack of privilege in my works because everyone I knew was already doing it. Over time, I saw while some of these artists were talking about these problems, I feel like some things weren't being said that needed to be said to help us as a community. Being a black person is what I deal with every day and it's all around me from how people view me, to how the media portray what I am or who I should be. It became clear that I have to say these things myself rather than waiting for someone to do so.

Did you have to overcome any obstacles along the way?

For years I've been going to open mics in New York City and I felt like I had to prove that I'm just as good as any artist I go up on stage with. 2019, after I released my 1st mixtape, Believe, I felt like I could've done better with it and that got to me for a long time. From then I had to ask myself what am I good at and excel on that. When I was working on my 1st EP, the 2020 pandemic happened and I had some challenges with putting music out. Had to get my music on streaming platforms and I needed the proper equipment to record songs properly. I spent months, and late nights writing and recording what would be my 1st EP, Rehabilitation.

What's your go-to song right now and why is it important to you?

That's a hard choice because there are quite a few go-to songs I have at the moment. But one song I would choose is 'Somebody' by ZOE Music because it's a song talking about being somebody because I was created and loved by God.

What is your dream as an artist and what steps are you taking to reach your dream?

I want to be able to get paid for creating content that's meaningful and give people purpose. I also want to portray a positive light for black folks who look just like me and black folks as a whole. To create music, poetry, and films that are contrary to what people may think I am. The steps I'm taking is investing in myself, and building my brand by planning out how to execute in putting my projects together. I direct, edit, and write my stuff with assistance from some of my friends who help me out.

What would you tell someone else with a dream?

As much as some of your friends or family members might have the best intentions for you, only you would know what will work and what won't. You can't listen to anyone because there's no one way that will get you famous. It's also okay to fail at some things because that's just a part of life. You experiment and one day it'll work out, another day, it won't and that's just apart of the process.

Tell us about your most recent release

I released my 2nd EP back on February 4th, 2022 titled, Believe. Originally, when I first started making music I released my 1st project. Believe an 11-track mixtape. I felt like I could've done better with the project but it was my first one. So after doubting my abilities as an artist and after releasing my 1st EP, I decided to scrap the Believe mixtape, scrap the songs, choose 6 songs, rewrite them and make them better. I don't feel the same doubt or second guessing feeling I did when I released this EP in 2022 like I did back in 2019.

As of now, I have a new single coming out called "Gettin' Around" that will be out on January 13th, 2023.

Check it out on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/1TT6PRwGU57os0intfEhLV?si=-2vHlhhxSN-pzA5ylPIcuw

Connect

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaclightnin_/?hl=en

Facebook.com: https://m.facebook.com/Aclightnin/

Photography credit: 

@seekerssociety

@this_is_ryder.official

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