Local artist, 14, looks to bring new sound to hip-hop
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

ON THE RISE- Tyler Freeman, aka Lil' Clip, records a song for his yet-to-be-released album "Novice of Perfection," inside the studio. The Simi Valley High freshman is an aspiring hip-hop artist with an atypical style and sound. Said Freeman: "I just write about what I know."

Tyler Freeman is a poet, a skater and a movie enthusiast. He's also a freshman at Simi Valley High School.

But when it comes to the 14year-old's career dreams, he's also "Lil' Clip"- a classically trained musician who's trying to add something unique to the face of hip-hop.

"I don't live in the ghetto or anything, so I don't try to pretend I'm something I'm not," he said. "I just write about what I know."

So far, some of Tyler's experiences of being a teenager in Simi Valley- like riding his skateboard around the city, meeting up at the coffee shop with his summer sweetheart and "bumpin'" his music really loud- have been the fuel to Lil' Clip's musical fire.

And when his first original album, "Novice of Perfection," is finished and released sometime in the late spring, those are the stories that are likely to stream through the speakers, backed by some poppy melodies and compelling hip-hop beats.

With five songs already recorded and professionally mastered by Los Angelesbased studio In Fidelity Recordings, Tyler said his goal with his first album is to try to perfect a new style of music that combines rap with pop music.

His training in violin since the fourth grade and the piano since 2006 has given him a solid foundation in crafting his own sound.

"Understanding music just made me like it a lot more," Tyler said. "And learning the piano actually helped me make the beats for my songs. Just knowing how music works makes me enjoy it a lot."

When it comes to writing lyrics, Tyler said he's always had a natural talent for wordplay.

In the sixth grade, one of his poems was published as part of a school anthology. Although he was surprised that his poem was chosen for the book, he said he's always been proud of the things he writes.

Elisabeth Freeman, Tyler's mother and manager, said she and her husband are happy to encourage his talents and that they didn't even think twice about supporting his dream.

"He just seemed to completely thrive when he was playing the piano," she said. "His teachers all said it was something that he took to really easily."

Freeman said she remembered the day her son wrote his first song. He called her while she was at work, then played and sang the song to her over the phone.

"And that was it for me," she said. "He was just so excited. The main challenge now has been trying to figure out how to balance being his parent and also (his manager). We're learning a lot about the process."

Lately, the two have been meeting up with different organizations, such as local radio stations Q104.7 and KIIS FM, to see if they can get Tyler's current single, "Bumpin'," into regular rotation. Both agencies have given them positive feedback, but they've yet to hear a final decision, Freeman said.

In the near future, the independent artist plans to make a music video of the single and continue shopping for a major record deal.

Tyler said a dream of his is to be able to collaborate in the studio with big-time artists like Kanye West, T-Pain or Lil Wayne.

He said he's already surprised about the positive public response his music has received on websites like MySpace and iTunes.

"The first time I saw that (I was on iTunes), I was amazed," Tyler said. "I go on there all the time and buy stuff from other people. But when I saw myself on there I was shocked. It was amazing- a priceless feeling."

The eclectic teenager, whose stage name was inspired by the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, said he's been influenced by the whole spectrum of musical genres . . . "except country," he said with a smile.

Becoming a professional musician would be his ideal career, but in the meantime he plans on finishing high school and attending music programs at either USC or UCLA.

He's also been keeping himself busy by trying to balance everything on his plate.

"I don't know how I do it, but I do," he said. "I balance my school with my rapping and my friends. But I make sure that school is the number one priority. I try to make rapping second and my social life third."

He also tries to keep room in his schedule for some of his favorite pastimes, like skating, playing and watching basketball, and keeping up with the latest action and comedy movies. But despite all of his interests and responsibilities, music continues to be the driving force behind Tyler's daily routine.

"When he was just a few years old, he'd get in the shower and start belting out whatever song was on his mind," Freeman said. "He still does it today. Every morning he turns the music on really loud in the shower, and he'll just start singing whatever song is on.

"He's always had an inherent love for music."