Cooking up an ear 'WoRm'
Sherman Johnson can cook up beats just about as easily as breakfast.
Sherman Johnson can cook up beats just about as easily as breakfast.
The Oklahoma City-based rapper and recording engineer works out of an apartment that doubles as a studio. His fridge sits only a few feet away from his computer and his sofa is the artist lounge. Johnson creates and performs under the moniker WoRm, and he’s trying not to make too much noise for his neighbors while building a following in the local hip-hop scene.
For his fourth full-length record “To-Go Plate,” WoRm planned it like a family meal. He invited L.T.Z, Chris Savage, Grand National, Trip G, Petyon Benge, Ashlee Watkins andmany more to contribute. Nearly every single song is a team effort. The results— which WoRm also mixed and mastered himself — are a 14-trackcollection dedicated to upbeat jams and fun songs.
WoRm said he’s been preparing these newly released rap and R&B flavored tracks since late 2016. He had 20 songs on the ready for “To-Go Plate” but decided to save the more serioustracks for a later album. Leftovers, I suppose. His dedication tothe record is admirable. He’s even offering merch inside of Styrofoam containers and his May release show will be catered.
I caught up with Johnson via email to discuss his
record which officially landed on Monday via Super Dope Quotes.
Q: Your record starts with an introduction from General J-Poe. What made you want to include him?
Sherman Johnson: J-Poe is an OG (Original Gangster). He’s someone I look up to and respect in Oklahoma City’s
music scene. He’s a part of Puzzle People . ... He is legendary. He manages a handful of rappersin the city, owns a club and is a family man on top of that. He’s a heavyweight in rap.
Q: “To-Go Plate” is highly collaborative and almost every song features another Oklahoma-connected talent. What led to that? Was it difficult to wrangle everybody?
Johnson: I just wanted to get better and teach myself to mix. Before my previous album (“Chicken N Waffles”), I really didn’t want to rap about my ex or make anymore “girl songs” or “love songs.” They got too sad or too real. For“To-Go Plate,”I just wanted to make music and pick the best songs. Keep everything organic. I also wanted to show my growth as a producer. I didn’t want to wait on the right song to do a feature.
When it comes to wrangling everyone in, I had a wish list of artists I wanted to work with but I didn’t want to force anything. Some people’s schedules conflicted but it happens. We’ll connect later.
Q: There’s no shortage of food references on “To-Go Plate.” What’s your favorite food?
Johnson: I think I speak for everyone in the world when I say food is amazing! Especially soul food or breakfast food. Any
food that’s “not good for you” is amazing. My favorite meal is chicken and waffles.
Q: You create music in your apartment. Are there any challenges in making music come together in such tight quarters.
Johnson: I’ve been making music since high school, so I wouldalways be making music in my room. This apartment is a step up for me! I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve been blessed to not get any complaints of loud music from any of my neighbors.
Q: I noticed you often post online about matters of mental health. What made you want to open up about that?
Johnson: I felt it was important to raise awareness and have the conversation in an open forum. For a long time, I longed to witness people having true, honest, raw and open conversations about mental health. My father is a counselor. He owns his own agency here in the city, Counseling Solutions and Interventions.
We’re all weird. We all
act and think differently, but the one thing we have in common is that we’re people. Humans above all . ... Music is definitely a means of therapy for me, at times. As I get older, I’m learning newer ways to channel different energies. Sometimes it’s better for me to just speak what’s on my mind without having to rhyme or degrade my musical art to express myself. I used to use Twitter as a journal. Why not try to reach out? I can’t be the only one.