Living in the “Finer Days”

Nothing but nerves envelop Braysen Pike as hears the voices of 350 fans anticipating his performance at The Deep End. Fears of failure swirl around his head. But as he steps on stage, the beat drops and anxiety is replaced with confidence once the show begins.

Rapper Braysen Pike, better known by his stage name “Lil Pike,” is a junior at Rider, with potential and a passion for music.

  Pike started recording music in eighth grade, getting inspiration from Lil Tecca, a rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer who peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with his single “Ransom.”

“I remember him blowing up in high school and thinking that if he did it in high school, I definitely could do it,” Pike said. 

And Pike has succeeded in that, at least in the Wichita Falls area. His most well-known hit “Finer Days” is very popular among students, not only at Rider, but across WFISD campuses. 

Unlike most artists, Pike doesn’t have any specific inspiration for his music, but writes his song from a day-to-day perspective, recording “whatever comes to me.” 

Braysen doesn’t plan for his career in music to end after high school, either. 

“I plan on graduating from Rider and then going off to UNT so I can be in the Denton/Dallas area and go perform in places up in that area,” he said. 

Pike’s upcoming 11-track album “Co-sign” comes out Thursday on Spotify and Apple Music among other streaming services. His favorite song on the album is “Two Seater.” It’s “really catchy” and is “going to catch everyone’s attention.” 

Pike, who is also a tight end on the varsity football team, said his parents’ first thoughts about his music aspirations were that they were just a phase. Now they realize his dedication isn’t going to fade. 

“They’re really, really supportive about it,” Pike said. “They know that I’m very serious about it and I want to do this long term. I want to go be famous one day with record deals and plaques and Grammys and everything.” 

Though Pike may be only 16, he is certain about his future. 

“I’ve always felt like I was put on this earth to promote and perform music for an audience and just be an entertainer,” Pike said. “I definitely want to do that for my future.”