For those who create, doing so often becomes a massive part of who they are. It becomes as vital as water; without it, existence becomes difficult. For rapper T-James, creating music is a huge part of who he is, and that shines through on his newest album Workin' on a Come Up.

T-James hit the SLC scene in 2016 when his partner was accepted to the University of Utah for medical school. Upon moving from Portland, he wasn't finding as many open mic nights as he was hoping for, so he started them on his own. "I ran the local artist showcase for a better part of three years, and every month we would put on a new show, and it was one of the most fun things I've done in my music career for sure," he said.

Of course, the pandemic interfered with the joys of live shows, so T-James hunkered down and created more music. "I really just had more time with myself, and I used that time to put out more projects," he said. "I did solo projects, I did collaboration projects, really anything I could get my hands on. I enjoy the process of making music, probably more than anything else that has to do with music."

Since the world has opened back up, T-James has been steadily releasing new music. He loves creating music, but to him, his music has lacked depth and a bigger picture. That is, until now. "I think this one does kind of have that complete picture where you're kind of seeing all sides of me," he describes. "Where I'm talking about my wife and her indecisiveness on one song, or talking about trying to make it in the game in another song."

Workin' on a Come Up starts out with its title track, getting listeners instantly hooked. The happy-go-lucky feel creates a cheerful mood, but then as T-James' sharp and technically driven lyrics come in, the relatability of the song sinks in. The theme of the song is empowerment, with a message of a never-quit attitude.

"At the time, I was going through quite the slump at work. Things just were not going my way. I was trying, just scrambling to keep my head above water. And financially, things were kind of on a downturn. And so I wrote this song as almost like a self-coaching song for me," T-James said about the track. "Whenever I sing that hook, I feel empowered. You know what I mean? Cause it's like, no matter what's going on, it doesn't matter, because I'm working on my next come up. And it's like that kind of never-quit attitude that I wanted to bring to that song. And so that's really how it came about was trying to dig out a hole that I was in."

Interestingly, the title track ended up being the very last piece of the album. T-James wrote the song on a whim, then realized it had to be part of the story. "It just fit so well with the theme of the rest of the project that I was like, 'Dude, this could be the title track and the name of the album,'" he said.

Later in the album, T-James collaborates with other musicians on the same label, LSTBYZ. "We all click so well together. We all have similar visions of what we want to do with our music. We're all very driven in making more content and we all bring something else to the table. We all have our own sort of style and we've learned that our styles mesh pretty well," he said.

It's hard to pick standouts on the album because it's great from start to finish. Part of the reason for that consistency is the vulnerability and realness T-James wove into the album. It's easy to write music alone at home where it's comfortable, but it's difficult to share this sensitivity with the world.

"It can be challenging for sure," he said. "And then once I'm uploading to Distrokid I'm like, 'Oh man, people are going to hear this,' and so that's when I start feeling vulnerable."

Despite the fear of putting work out into the world, T-James hopes that people are willing to give his music a try. "I want listeners to know that I make authentic music. Music that's authentic to me," he said. "With local artists, if it doesn't have that big budget behind it, nobody really pays attention to it, other than the little local shows that you get the little local following, and I feel like it's hard to break in and actually just get that initial consideration."

Workin' on a Come Up is streaming now, and T-James is planning a release show sometime in mid-December. T-James put his heart and soul into this album, and it's evident from the moment the play button is pressed. Creating music for him is essential for life. "It just feels like it's a part of who I am. It's just like, why do you drink water? Well, it's just like I'm made up of water," he said.

Keep up with him on his Instagram, @tjames.music, and find more information on him and his label LSTBYZ at lstbyz.com