Music has a way of influencing people’s lives. Most people only listen and hardly produce music.

Meet Hunter Monaghan, a 23-year-old senior majoring in Biology at the University of North Georgia. School isn’t the only thing Hunter is working. However, as he also is working on making music.

Music was always very important to Hunter growing up. “I would just listen to all types of music off of my parents’ iPod Shuffle when I was a kid. From there, my love just grew,” said Hunter, who goes by the stage name DefLef. He chose the name “DefLef” because he was born deaf in his left ear. He touched on the interesting fact that the left ear is more tuned in to processing music, yet he still seemed to have a passion for music.

His music-making journey began when he was 14, where he would make beats using the softwares Logic Pro 9 or GarageBand. He would begin making beats to bring to his school and show his friends at lunch. This was also around the time he began teaching himself the piano saying that he “never knew the technical aspect of the piano but I would memorize what songs to play.”

At around 16, Hunter began rapping over his beats. He mentions that he’s more interested in the instrumentals, saying he’s always been a “beat guy”.

“You can be an amazing artist, but if there’s not a good beat then the foundations not there. It’s like trying to put the windows in before the skyscraper is even built.” – Hunter Monaghan (DefLef)

As he continued to work on his music, his self-confidence grew. With it came a larger commitment to his art. Since being in college, Hunter has done two live performances as well as released several songs and even an extended play record. The EP was recorded with his friend and fellow UNG student Brian Monaghan, who goes by Young Brain when making music. The EP, titled “Braindef”, contains six songs that the two made together. DefLef made all of the beats.

Hunter does not want to only be known as a “rap” guy. He works on his versatility in his music, testing different vocal ranges in his raps as well as different sounds in his instrumentals. Working with other people has helped him explore his sound, as he now makes music with not just himself in mind, but others as well.

Hunter hopes his music influences people one day, as he tries to have fun and enjoy the art of making music. He enjoys how subjective music is and loves how everyone has different tastes.

“[Music] It’s beautiful and evokes an emotional sense within people…I have fun making music and people have fun listening. Ultimately, I hope it can affect people on a deeper level.”- Hunter Monaghan (DefLef) on what he wants from his music.