Cre8ive MC Releases Debut Album: Identity Matters, So ‘Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right’
- Isabella Basile
- Aug 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 26
New Jersey-based hip-hop, rap, and spoken word artist, Cre8ive MC, also known as Glenn Paul Simon, released his debut album Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right, available exclusively on his website. Raised by his parents, an art teacher and a metal sculptor/guitarist, Glenn developed his passion for hip-hop from artists like Wu-Tang Clan, N.W.A., and KRS-One. During college, Cre8ive MC took a break from music, deciding to return now with an album that had purpose, one that showcased who he was as an artist, his ideals, and his experiences. Over the years, Cre8ive MC has opened for artists Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Cannibal Ox, and Common, and shared the stage with Talib Kweli. He was also a featured artist at the Madison Community Arts Center and led a poetry performance workshop, community being a huge part of his life, with tracks such as “Boiled Peanuts” to back that up.
The first track, “MC,” starts with rap, expression, culture, his name, flow, identity, and innovation, which follows throughout the album. To Cre8ive MC, and many others, these topics are crucial who they are, which is why you need to Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right. Throughout the song, Cre8ive expands on the mentioned topics, with lyrics such as “misleading citizens / misreading competence,” which could mean the media and those in political power lying to citizens and thinking that we won't notice. In other lines, he raps, “memories cemented must cultivate my craft,” which sets the theme for the rest of the album, focusing on who Cre8ive MC is and what he stands for. With a powerful outro, “we make it cool / we make it hip again / old music / the new stuff / it's what our culture does / if I’m gonna be a part of a culture / I wanna leave my mark,” flowing seamlessly into track two.
“I’ve Arrived,” expands more on creativity and owning your name and identity, “I’ve Arrived” pulls you in with more and relatable lyrics “music I play / I used to escape / I have to create / I’m making a name / ain’t taking a break” and “I will rep it and I own it, I am not at all a copy.”
Opening with piano, bells, and drums, the fourth track, “Both Sides,” featuring John Reepa, expands more on identity, with lyrics “Cre8ive MC / Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right / it's like C-r-e-number-eight-i-v-e-underscore-MC / that be me.”
"If you let people spell your name wrong, what else will you let them get away with? Your name is your identity. You have to correct them. You have to claim your space." - Cre8ive MC
“Both Sides” covers how there is struggle on both sides of a conflict, where in hard times, both sides want you on their side, “I hear it from both sides / is it time to speak or is it time to choke? / hide and seek, I’m trying to find some hope / it's like I'm on both sides.”
The sixth track, “Just a Phase,” tackles topics of dating apps, feeling like something is too good to be true, physical abuse, and cheating. Everything was going fine for him and his match, but he still believed it was too good to be true and that he was undeserving of this attention. But this romantic spark did not last long, she talked about her ex-husband, and “how he was physical and cheated / with no reason, and from that, she felt defeated / mention how it took a long time to leave him / explaining why it’s so hard to pledge allegiance.” Through these lines, he tackles the difficult subject of abuse in a relationship and how it is hard to leave when you loved, and how after you are abused and cheated on, it's hard to trust and settle back down again, even if you thought you were ready. And when she told him she was not ready, he passed no judgment or anger, he “accepted the cards that were dealt / blessed her heart, and farewell / now I’m all by myself, with this story to tell.”
The eighth track, "Boiled Peanuts” opens with my favorite line “and I really feel that we need to constantly remind people / that food is how we share culture with each other / my hope is, and it's what my life's work is / that if we talk about food enough / we might start to love each other as much as we love each other's food.” The track is literally about the boiled peanuts Simon would buy, “in fact down in the south it’s something they sell in the street / at the corner store, gas stations or in the markets.” Where “even on a bad day these peanuts will make it better / it’s a community dish meant to bring people together” drawing on how food shares our culture, and if we share our food enough, it will bring us together.
Track nine, the title track “Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right,” again focuses on how Glenn became Cre8ive MC and who Cr8ive MC is, stating “first name, Glenn, and way back when / people recognize then, I was creative / MC.” With lyrics “I was creative / MC” being a witty hint at how he may have got his name. Following these lyrics, we find out that when he started out as an artist, Cre8ive was performing for free, eventually having to quit pursuing music to work a blue-collar job. But now, “it's time for the comeback. I have nothing to lose.” His hiatus is done, and Cre8ive MC is back to pursuing his passion.
"This album was something I needed to do for myself. After a hiatus
from making music, I needed to know I was worth it as an artist — and that I could carry out my full vision.” - Cre8ive MC
LONG STORY SHORT: Cre8ive MC’s debut album, Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right, tackles ideas of purpose, identity, introspection, resilience, power, politics, and survival with powerful and relatable lyrics. The album pushes us to think about who we are and what we want, because, in order to be remembered, we have to Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right. It’s important to remember that your name defines you, and that if they change your name, they erase your individuality, culture, and identity, so make sure they know who you are. Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right is filled with heavy topics, relatable lyrics, and occasional laughs, and after listening to this album, you will know how to spell his name, C-r-e-8-i-v-e-underscore-M-C.
Stream Make Sure They Spell Your Name Right here!
Credits
Lyrics: Cre8ive MC (Glenn Paul Simon)
Recording, Mixing, and Mastering: @ReapMusic by John "Reepa" Ruggiero, @TheVaultStudio by Tyler Braddock, and Christian “Mourning Coffee” Diana.
Production: VDSS Beats, Jay Love Beats, Diamond Style, John Reepa, Mourning Coffee, BabiMusic, Amitai, and Que Soul.
