North Texas Daily

“Close your eyes. Listen to how the waves and the wind follow a rhythm. Everything goes at its own pace,” Hayden Cepak, 19, said as he sat on the shore of Lake Ray Roberts, describing why he goes there when he’s writing a song.

Cepak, a UNT student and rapper under the stage name Goodie Two Shoes, lives in an RV park overlooking the lake. His vehicle is a small space to call home, but he’s used to it. He and his family were homeless for four years, then lived in an RV before moving into a house. Now in college and financially independent, his work can be found on Soundcloud and he even started his own company, Goodie Media.

“I want to be in a job that I have passion for every day,” Cepak said. “Music gets my heart racing, which I like because I think it’s good to be connected to what you do. I don’t want to be in something that isn’t me.”

He wrote his first song at church camp when he was 12, and since then has used music to spread a message of positivity. He writes about problems in society and hopes his lyrics give people the confidence to be themselves.

Music is not his only passion. He throws himself into other forms of entertainment to satisfy his need for creativity. The sophomore also acts, does photography, is part of a radio show and spends his free time working with two improv theater groups. Naturally, he is majoring in Converged Broadcast Media. He’s living his dream through his business, but doing any of the above as a job would make him happy.

And yet, he always finds himself drawn back to rap. When he realized he had the ability to make a career out of it, he plunged himself into it without hesitation. He was too impatient to wait until after college to release what was bubbling inside him.

“When I’m pissed off, or sad, or extremely happy, I go make a rap song,” Cepak said. “It’s how I can express my emotions really well.”

Goodie creates a new sound and music in his studio, which is inside of his RV house. Koji Ushio

He finds inspiration by going to the Denton Square and photographing homeless people, then talking to them about their life. Many of them give advice they would have given their younger selves.

“They’re always open to speaking about their mistakes,” Cepak said. “I learn a lot from them. They show me why being materialistic doesn’t matter.”

Unlike some people, Cepak relates to the homeless people he meets. Born in Norman, Oklahoma, but raised in Terrell, Texas, he was 10 years old when his family almost moved in to the house his dad had built for his mom. When its tax value was set in the millions, the house was foreclosed and auctioned off. They slept in their cars or on the couches of friends and relatives until he was 14, then his family of five and several dogs were crammed into an RV for a year.

“I’m actually thankful for what we went through because it humbled me,” Cepak said. “It taught me that I’m not better than anybody and that I don’t need $200 shoes. I realized I should be in love with the things I need rather than the things I want.”

Even though his parents are back in a house in Terrell, he moved into the only RV park that had an opening when he started at UNT in the fall of 2016. He renovated it so he could have his studio there, giving up his bed in the process. He sleeps on a pull-out couch, but he wants to expand the studio so he’s contemplating giving up his bathroom to make space.

He also likes living in the RV for the privacy and peace it provides him. He likes the idea of being able to hook up his house to his car and leave at any time. But he has become attached to the lake and his song-writing spot, so he expects to stay for a while.

His roommate, a Schnauzer-Yorkie mix named Slugger, also seems content there. He’s been with Cepak for seven years and has followed him through the craziest times in his life.

“I look at him and I remember situations I’ve been through,” Cepak said. “If he could talk he’d probably rap too because he’s always listening to music or sitting in the studio with me.”

Like his relationship with his dog, Cepak is close to his family. He remembers frequent arguments while living in the RV or when his mom home schooled him, but they’ve become tighter since he and his two sisters are older and not living together in such small proximity. Now that he’s a performer, they couldn’t be more proud.

“My first concert was at this hole-in-the-wall venue with punk bands and mosh pits, and my parents wanted to come,” Cepak said. “I told them not to because they wouldn’t enjoy the environment. But they came anyway and stayed outside. They listened to me perform through the walls of the place.”

He’s grown since then, but he still struggles to focus on anything other than music. He’ll be in class when someone starts tapping their pencil, and suddenly he’ll find himself writing lyrics instead of notes.

And although this constant creative flow makes paying attention in class difficult sometimes, it has led him to create the kind of bonds with people that he looks for in a community. He has written songs for people after hearing about a hardship they are facing. This spirit is where he got his stage name Goodie from – kindness even when others are unable to return the sentiment.

“If there’s something you’re going through, just push play on my music,” Cepak said. “You can talk to me and find me through my songs. My music is just to help people. My biggest message is love.”

Featured Image: Goodie explains how he creates his own music and lyrics. Koji Ushio