By: PK Krentsil (’19), Managing Editor
There are many groups on campus that give students the opportunity to express themselves creatively, but there are just as many students on campus independently making their own waves. One of these people flying under the radar is Mu’aath Fullenweider, also known as NO THANKS. We had a chance to talk to him about his art.
What is your name, year, and what do you do?
“My name is Mu’aath Fullenweider. I’m a first-year. I make music. I produce records, record them.”
How long have you been making music and what motivated you to start?
“I made my first beat in…I think November 2011 so like, 5 years. It’ll be 6 this November. My older brother was a rapper and I always wanted to be one but when I first tried rapping in 4th or 5th grade, I hated it. I wasn’t gifted with it poetically I guess. I couldn’t stand the lyrics. But I saw 9th Wonder make a beat when I was like, 14, and it looked like a lot of fun. The thought was, ‘Wow, this looks like a lot of fun. I wanna do that.’”
How has being at UNC impacted your creative endeavors?
“It’s put me in touch with a number of great people. It’s been the best thing for me because I’ve never been around so many talented people with the same mindset. It’s been the best thing for me creatively, coming here.”
Going forward, what plans do you have for your music?
“Right now, for me, I’m in work mode. I wanna do as much as I can now so I’m gonna be on James Taylor’s record, Artis’s solo record. He and I are doing a collab project called “NOT ART,” so that’ll be coming soon. I’m just making beats and making good songs with the people around me. Photography is a fun side hobby for me, so there’s that. I do that because of my beloved older brother. He always had this real crazy passion for photography and cinematography and I just picked it up from being around him so much.”
Follow him on SoundCloud and check out his recent EP, Happy NO Year.
