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Tim Cox performs during a local fashion show. Photo by Leon Laing.

Thank Him Later
It’s a bone-chilling evening on Jan. 8. So, local R&B singer/songwriter Tim Cox, his manager and I rendezvous at Starbucks. The temperature is not much warmer inside, but the venue has a relaxed vibe: dim lights, Renaissance-influenced paintings, an oriental rug and some old-school reggae playing softly in the background. “I’m inspired to write right now,” Cox says. He just dropped his mixtape called T.I.M. (Tim is Music), which is a follow up to his Almost Perfect demo. 

Drake is one of Cox’s favorite current artists. “He’s well rounded,” Cox says about hip-hop’s next big thing. Cox used to watch Drizzy on the TV show Degrassi. Drake played a handicapped character named Jimmy Brooks. “I thought he was crippled for real,” Cox admits. Drake works well with his manager and producer/engineer, so it’s no surprise that Cox has the same relationship with his co-workers. His manager Sabur Johnson says he hasn’t given Cox’s music to national recording artists because he wants to cut out the middleman. Johnson wants to go directly to the music execs. “I’m all about his image,” Johnson explains.

Cox says he trusts his producer/engineer named Rasul. Rasul, a Maryland resident and Johnson’s cousin, pushes Cox to be the best, Johnson says. Cox has a well-trained and robust singing voice. Therefore, Rasul doesn’t have to do much editing to the singer’s vocals, Johnson adds.

Aside from Rasul, Cox and Johnson gave input on Cox’s new mixtape. Cox pours his heart out on “Without You.” “I wanna be your husband … I wanna be buried next to you,” he sings. Cox wants to be appreciated on “Hypothetical,” so he poses theoretical questions about relationships over Drake’s beat from “Slow Down.” “How would you feel if I never wifed ya …,” he asks. He also samples Drizzy on “We’re Through” and “Conversation for Love.” On “Conversation for Love,” Cox delivers soft vocals over the laid-back and dreamlike production, making “Conversation for Love” one of the illest songs on T.I.M. The mixtape also samples from rap wordsmiths Clipse and Goapele, a California-based neo-soul singer. Cox then channels his inner Jodeci on “Intro” and impressively shows his versatility on the rock-influenced “Living My Life.”

The Harrisburg-based singer says he wants to be known globally, but he doesn’t forget his roots. Cox grew up in the church. “That’s where I started from,” he explains. “I still like gospel music.” His passion for music is another trait he’s carried with him since childhood.

“I kinda get a high off [music],” he says.

To purchase the T.I.M. (Tim is Music) mixtape, send an e-mail to thelegend.timcox@gmail.com.