Every kid grows up with a dream. For many, it is to be a doctor, the next Stephen Curry, a lawyer, etc. For some, it may even be to be a rapper. 

“As a child, I always felt I was different from everyone else,” sophomore Finn Railey said. “Everyone around me wasn’t the same as me.” 

Then COVID hit and like many, Railey had a lot of free time.

“After virtual school one day, I was listening to one of my favorite rappers Logic,” Railey said. “Then I realized I wanted to be like him. From that point, my mind was set.”

“With my hit releases of ‘Accept that’ and ‘Shawty Hunter’, it was nowhere but up from there,” Railey said. “ Then with the start of eighth grade school got a lot harder. With that came a roadblock in my pursuing career.”

Railey prided himself on never giving up. With his old music becoming figments of imagination, he needed something new and fresh. 

“I wanted to inspire people, and make music that was relatable,” Railey said. “I felt that could be the key to success. But I needed a sound to go along with that. I thought of people I liked listening to and decided to combine their sounds to make my own sound.”

With this Railey revived his career, however, this would come at a cost. 

“With the music came also stress,” Railey said. “Battling this stress was difficult for me and became a rigorous challenge. It taught me that money doesn’t buy happiness.”

Railey decided to take a step back and humble himself. 

“For the remainder of my freshman year, I took a break from the music,” Railey said. “Then with the start of the summer, I got back on track, but this time differently.”

Like many, due to virtual school, Railey found new friends outside of school. These friends happened to be interested in making music too.

“It started out as small collaborations, but we believed it needed to be more,” Railey said.

June 1, 812 nation was created. It would consist of seven members to start: Lil Elf ( Railey), 4EvaDaGOAT, ZeroClue, FutureClue, Chef, YungTrunch, and Diggy. For 812 this would be the gateway to success. Seven people with different friends and interest to expand too many cultures. After two weeks of the group being together controversy broke when members clashed in an argument.

“When 812 Diggy said he was leaving us cause we weren’t good enough, I couldn’t believe it,” Railey said. “With this, it was settled, a mutual agreement to a boxing match. This fight was to help promote 812 and fund good causes.” 

The fight would reach 350 views on the livestream and 750 by the end of the night. The match would go viral on Reddit.

“I always thought 812 would get big through a song,” Railey said. ” I never could’ve imagined it have been a song.”

The fight would end in a draw, both sides battled hard and we’re happy with the outcome.

“ This event humbled me and 812 Diggy and with that, we went back to good terms“ Railey said.

June 20, 2021 Railey announced a project to change his career forever. For the next five months, Railey would work on his masterpiece 11 with the goal of getting to the spotlight.

“This year with school in person, it allowed for a deeper understanding of the work and made life a lot easier, “ Railey said. “Then, with soccer, I was diving toe first into a great year. 11 was made to reflect the life of a high schooler, including experiences from soccer, school, late nights, relationships, family, and how cool I am.”

With a set date of November 25, everyone was excited about the new album. However, time cannot be bought and Railey had to learn this. November 24 Railey announced that the album would be delayed until New Years.

“For me, this was a hard decision to make, however, I felt that releasing a top-quality project was better than releasing the album on the expected date. Looking back on it, I still find it to be the best decision I could’ve made,” Railey said. 

To this day Railey has no plans of giving up on his dream. 

“For me, I like to the life of rapper Lil Bunny and the way he never gave up and now he’s made it. I always say to myself, ‘I wanna be that.’ So I will continue to try and be that,” Railey said.

Railey says he wants to inspire people and create a family within his supporters. 

“I wanna be something more than just a fan base. I want my supporters to be my brothers. I want people to look at me as their father,” Railey said.

Railey wants to continue his career for years to come. He wants to make people feel welcomed into his community, permanently. The end is something in the shadows for Railey’s career. He views the end as a made-up word. 

“I am doing this until I can’t, whether that means 20, 30, 50, or 90 years old. I want to inspire people to be their best selves. For that reason, I love making music and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.