UNC student rapper aims to prove 'you don't have to be one thing'

While most students use their dorms to study or catch up on sleep, Benji Garland used his room a little differently last year. 

With a portable microphone setup and his laptop, the rising sophomore set aside time to dedicate himself to an over-a-year-long independent project — his second rap album under the name Skkolar. 

During his first year at UNC, Garland wrote 50 songs in total for BENNY BOY. By selecting beats during car rides, creating his own graphics and using makeshift music studios, the rapper released his project in May on top of being in a fraternity and playing on UNC's club rugby team. Less than two months removed from his second album, Garland released a new single, "Brand New Professor," on July 14 with four more singles "in the pipeline," according to his social media. 

While Garland would love to be a longtime touring rapper, his mission is to prove that college-aged students don't have to be singular. 

"You don't have to be one thing," Garland said. "I think the intersection of music and school is something that's kind of untapped [and] not talked about enough."

Before becoming a rapper, Garland began taking piano lessons at six years old. When his piano teacher died, he started producing music with the keyboard his mom bought him during that time. Drawing inspiration from 21 Savage, Kodak Black and other rappers in his Washington, D.C. neighborhood, he started releasing music on SoundCloud in middle school under his nickname Young Scholar.

As Garland began to find his identity, his music slowly started to gain traction. After his song "Guardian Angel" received over 10,000 streams, his passion became more serious.

"[My earlier music on SoundCloud] was very cringy," Garland said. "Just like, typical what someone would say when they start rapping about money and dumb stuff like that. But 'Guardian Angel' was the first genuine song that actually talked about feelings that other people felt."

With his music taking off, Garland stayed true to himself while also taking his career to the next level. Under the tutelage of the older musicians in his area, Garland switched from GarageBand to Logic Pro X. He also began working with a music engineer. 

To show his maturity, Garland dropped the "Young" and started calling himself $cholar. But as the rapper started learning about marketing, he dropped the "cheesy" dollar sign and changed the spelling to ensure his songs were the only thing that popped up when Skkolar was Googled. 

And after dedicating himself to his music throughout high school, Garland wanted to continue to create songs in college. 

Anytime he's in the car, Garland is sifting through beats and thinking of songs. Between classes and rugby meetings, he's taking time to record. He'll schedule marketing materials, administrative work or offloading music to get distributed.

"I'm kind of just working on my music whenever I get the chance," Garland said.

To combine his learning with developing his sound even further, Garland joined UNC's Hip Hop Ensemble directed by professor Suzi Analogue. Analogue said that the class is UNC's first "performance ensemble dedicated to exploring vast musical techniques based in hip hop's cultural traditions and global impact." 

Although Garland is one of the newest members, Analogue already recognizes his impact.

"My consistent memories with Benji are just him being down to rap," Analogue said. "That's what I remember the most. He is always ready to get on the mic and is focused when it's his turn to rhyme."

Rooted in his deep love for music and dedication to his craft is that same mission — he wants to inspire others to start and continue to do something they are passionate about. 

That's why he finds time even with a full class schedule and extracurriculars. It's why he stuck to it even with the hate he got in middle school. It's why he has four songs ready to come out even after releasing an album two months ago. 

"I can inspire people to not feel like they have to commit to one thing," Garland said. "You can be a student and a rapper and an athlete and you can really combine anything you want."

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