Monica Herndon // Photo Editor
The Miami Hurricane’s next University of Miami musician in the spotlight is sophomore Camilo Martinez. Martinez, a pre-med student with a special interest in oncology, balances academics with his passion for writing and recording hip-hop music.
Martinez does the majority of the production himself, recording and releasing tracks online. His latest video, “Skyfall,” which he shot with a friend in Wynwood, was recently released on YouTube.
Getting Behind the Mic
Though Martinez enjoyed hip-hop at a young age, it wasn’t until 10th grade that he first considered making music. One of his friends had started recording tracks and convinced him to give it a shot.
“The first songs were pretty bad,” admits Martinez.
But he persisted, purchasing his own equipment and teaming up with an audio engineer he knew. Once the engineer moved away, Martinez began making music on his own.
One-Man Operation
Martinez now records his music from home, using multitrack recording application Mixcraft 5.
“I’ve tried to link with engineers here at school, but that’s a very difficult process because it’s when they want to and if they want to,” Martinez said.
He promotes his music on Facebook and YouTube, as well as maintaining a personal website. Recently, Martinez discovered his passion for editing videos and began releasing those as well.
“My first video, it took me nine hours to edit,” he said. “It flew by.”
Balancing Act
Martinez hopes to attend medical school at UM once he completes the pre-med track. He is working toward that goal by shadowing and volunteering at cancer centers and hospitals. In addition, he is the physician-shadowing coordinator for the student organization AMSA and participates in Relay for Life. He also runs competitively in local races and 5Ks. As a commuter, Martinez doesn’t waste any time, spending the 45-minute car ride listening to music and brainstorming ideas for future projects.
“How I follow both passions is something that I would have never thought I could do here,” said Martinez, who appreciates the chance to pursue both at UM.
Inspiration and Goals
In addition to recording music, Martinez continues to be an avid music fan. In particular, he admires Cris Cab, a local reggae and pop artist with a growing audience.
“He inspires me to continue and promote my own Cuban influence,” said Martinez, who spoke of his dreams to collaborate with Cab.
When it comes to hip-hop, he listens to Logic, who recently signed with Def Jam Recordings, and On Cue. Listening to these artists motivates Martinez to begin networking with people in the industry. He aspires to open for artists like Mac Miller. Martinez speaks of Miller’s fame as an inspiration.
“Getting to that point where I have a solid support, anything could happen,” he said.
For more information, check out Martinez’s website at camilotivo.com. Check out youtube.com/watch?v=UsbB24NYb-4 to see his latest video, “Skyfall.”