For anyone scrolling through RepostExchange in search of honest, high-octane hip-hop, SCARFAC3 THA MISFiT is hard to miss. Hailing from Upstate New York, he’s been producing since 2017 with an approach that blends high-energy rap, raw emotion, and intricate vocal layering. We caught up with SCARFAC3 THA MISFiT to break down his home-studio setup, how he layers vocals without heavy AutoTune, and why working years ahead of release deadlines is his secret weapon against writer's block.
I’ve been making music since 2017, and if I’m being honest, I learned the same way a lot of independent artists do: by watching other people, asking a ton of questions, and making plenty of mistakes along the way.
When I first started, I created the rap group MISFiT NATiON with my brother DegenerateZ (FKA Ziggy D). We brought in artists we thought had real talent after meeting them in Upstate NY through music and spending time in the studio together. Overtime, the group became a duo, but working with different artists taught me a lot. Everyone approaches music differently, so you naturally pick up little things from each person you work with.
Back then I was paying around $300 a month for two studio sessions. At the time, that wasn’t cheap for me, so I wanted to get as much out of every session as possible. Instead of just recording and leaving, I’d watch everything the engineer was doing. I’d ask why he used certain plugins, why he mixed things a certain way, and why one vocal chain sounded better than another.
Eventually I realised that if I wanted complete control over my music, I needed to learn it myself. I bought my own equipment, built a home studio, and honestly that’s when making music became even more enjoyable. Now if I have an idea at two in the morning, I don’t have to book studio time, I can just sit down and create!
I’ve used Pro Tools ever since I built my own studio.
The engineer I recorded with used Pro Tools, and since he’d gone to school for audio production, I figured there had to be a reason for it. After doing a little research, I found out it really was one of the industry standards, so I decided to stick with it.
Before that, I used BandLab like a lot of new artists. It was a great starting point, but I always knew my goal was to have my own studio and produce music at a higher level.
Honestly, my laptop.
It’s the one thing I use every single day. Whether I’m recording music, mixing, creating cover art, editing videos, promoting releases, or just organizing projects, it all starts there.
People can make amazing things with just a phone now, but having a good computer and the right software gives you so much more freedom creatively.
It depends on what kind of song I’m making.
If it’s a rap track, I usually keep things simple. If it’s something more melodic or emotional, I spend more time layering vocals and creating harmonies. My favourite plug-in to use with layered tracks like this is the phaser BUT I have learned it needs to be used correctly and cannot be over used.
Most of the plugins I use are actually standard Pro Tools plugins. I’ve learned that knowing how to use what you already have is more important than buying every plugin that comes out.
Every song starts with a feeling.
Sometimes I already have lyrics in mind, and sometimes the beat gives me the idea. Either way, I always try to figure out what emotion I want people to feel before I start recording.
Artists like Lil Peep, Juice WRLD, Brennan Savage, and Spaceman Zack definitely influenced the way I approach melodic music, especially when it comes to vocal layering. But at the end of the day, I just try to make music that feels honest.
YouTube has definitely helped over the years, but honestly, most of what I’ve learned has come from making music consistently. I love SoundCloud but since I discovered RepostExchange, I don’t think you are using SoundCloud to it’s ultimate capacity for your career, without RepostExchange. It gets your music in front of the people who wouldn’t have heard it otherwise.
I listen to a lot of different artists, study songs I enjoy, experiment with new ideas, and just keep creating. I think every artist is a combination of their own experiences and the music that inspired them.
The more music I made, the more I found my own sound.
I’d recommend Avid’s complete beginner guide to Pro Tools.
It’s a long video, but if you’re serious about learning Pro Tools, it’s worth watching because it comes directly from Avid.
I wish I’d learned earlier that consistency matters more than perfection.
When I first started, I thought every song had to be perfect before I released it. Looking back, I improved the most by simply making more music.
Every song teaches you something. Some songs teach you how to write better. Some teach you how to mix better. Others teach you what not to do next time.
The more you create, the better you become.
Early on, writer’s block and time management were probably my biggest challenges.
The biggest thing that helped was getting ahead. I try to have my releases finished well before they’re scheduled to come out and have a plan for promoting them.
When you’re always racing deadlines, making music starts to feel like work. When you’re ahead, it becomes fun again, and I actually found writer’s block happened a lot less because I wasn’t putting as much pressure on myself.
A really good example would be my next album, ‘Black & Blue’. Although this album releases Halloween 2026, it was actually written and produced in 2023. So after producing an album, and putting it away while I brewed on some other projects, I can say it turned out to be a really rewarding strategy.
One thing I’ve learned is that you don’t always need AutoTune to get polished vocals.
I usually rely more on vocal layering, harmonies, doubles, and careful mixing than heavy AutoTune. I like my voice to still sound like me instead of sounding overly robotic.
During the writing process I like to expand my vocabulary for my music so I use resources to help me do that. During the production process I occasionally refer to reliable YouTube tutorials and After I release a song, I also use platforms like RepostExchange to hear what other people think about my music.
Getting feedback from listeners helps me identify both my strengths and areas where I can improve. Every song teaches me something that I can apply to the next one.
Absolutely.
Before I release a song, I usually let a few friends hear it because I know they’ll be honest with me. I also like submitting songs to livestreams where people review independent artists.
After you’ve listened to the same song a hundred times, it’s easy to miss things. Sometimes it takes a fresh set of ears to notice something you’ve overlooked.
That’s honestly a hard question because each song represents a different stage of my journey.
If I had to choose, I’d probably say Infectious, Firelands, and The Moment Fades from my album, ‘Now Lie In It’.
Infectious and Firelands represent the high-energy side of my music. They’re both fast-paced rap songs with catchy hooks, but Firelands stands out because the electric guitar gives it a completely different energy.
The Moment Fades shows another side of me. It’s more emotional and melodic, and you can hear the influence artists like Lil Peep , Spaceman Zack and Juice WRLD had on my music.
Together, those songs show the range of what I like creating.
Definitely.
One thing I like about RepostExchange is that people actually take the time to listen. Sometimes they’ll point out something you never even thought about, and other times they’ll confirm that something you were unsure about actually works.
Either way, getting honest feedback from other artists has definitely helped me improve and think differently about future releases.
Top left to right: Scarlett 2i2 interface, Antares Autotune.
Bottom left to right: Avid Pro Tools, MacBook Pro, Scarlett CM25 MkIII microphone.
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This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.