(MANDEVILLE, La.) Today’s ever-evolving hip-hop/rap genre is characterized by several passionate, young artists who possess a devout love for music and an innovative mindset. Many of these developing artists publish their creative works on SoundCloud, an online music-streaming platform designed for users to record, promote, upload, and share their own originally-created sounds. St. Paul’s School senior Beau Buras, who has been hard at work self-producing his own hip-hop/rap beats, successfully ranks among these individuals.

“More than anything else, I want people to love music like I do,” Buras said. “Nothing is better than bumping other people’s music and finding music that I love listening to. With my music, I want people to have that same experience. That’s my motivation to keep moving forward and getting better.”

Buras has already published numerous tracks on SoundCloud, all of which have received multiple reposts and favorites from other SoundCloud users. These self-produced tracks, which consist of hip-hop/rap beats created by Buras himself, feature other artists lyrically. Although Buras has occasionally provided his own lyrical verses throughout his music, he prefers producing the songs.

Recently, the student producer has been busy working on his debut EP, which he plans to release to the public promptly. This project will mark his first, official EP composed entirely of his own originally-created content. Buras has also featured his close friends, Mandeville High School seniors Connor Scallan and Ryan Cook, lyrically throughout the EP.

“Honestly, I’m feeling really confident about this project,” Buras said. “The overall sound is really good, and I’m impressed with myself. My friends are both insanely talented, and making music alongside them has been an awesome experience.”

In the future, Buras also plans to continue collaborating with his long-time friend Kiefer Napolitano, who graduated from St. Paul’s in 2017. Buras, who produced multiple tracks on Napolitano’s debut 7-track EP “Ambidextrous,” intends to produce all the tracks on Napolitano’s sophomore EP, which will be released later this year.

Additionally, following their successful performance at Lafitte Street Station earlier this year, the dynamic duo aims to perform their music onstage over the week-long Thanksgiving holiday this November. According to Buras, the performance will also take place at Lafitte Street Station in Mandeville.

“Kiefer wants to release an EP with me producing every song on it,” Buras said. “It’s been us two since the start, and we both love making music together. I think we’re a pretty good duo.”

However, Buras is still learning. Since the beginning of his producing career, he believes that his overall sound has improved dramatically. Yet, he understands that there is always room for improvement. For Buras, every track produced is a learning experience, and every track completed marks an essential milestone in his developing producing career.

“Every single time I produce a track, I’m learning something new,” Buras said. “With time, I know that I can get so much better. My style isn’t even close to being sculpted yet, and I’m still finding it with each song that I make.”