Twenty-four-year-old Seker Anderson cuts an unassuming figure: In person, the D.C. native, who grew up in Brookland, appears quiet behind the yellow-tinted round sunglasses that are a staple in his wardrobe. 

But on stage, where he performs alternative hip-hop under the name Sec., Anderson is electric. 

I first saw him perform in April 2019, at an open mic night inside the intimate Adams Morgan record shop Songbyrd — long before a music venue full of mask-less people was cause for anxiety. Though it can be tough to work a crowd at an open mic night, he had the entire room moving to his music, cheers from the crowd encouraging him on. (Not every performance has been so successful: Anderson’s first open mic night was at Takoma Station Tavern in 2018, a show that he’ll admit didn’t go very well.) 

Unfazed, Anderson kept at it. Before the pandemic began, he was performing twice a month at open mics around the city, from On the Rocks on H Street NE to Pure Lounge on U Street NW.  

Anderson has been recording music since 2011, when he was a sophomore at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School, and has continued making music through college (at Bates College, in Maine) and his eventual return to D.C. post-graduation. His first professionally mixed and mastered project was “Reality in Motion,” a seven-track LP released in August 2019. 

Anderson, who says he composes beats every day, describes his music as mellow but driven by bass and drums; he names artists like Childish Gambino, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and Drake as big influences on his work. His lyrics are often personal, ranging from work and love to politics and current events. 

He released a second album, “Intersection,” in 2020, and just last month dropped the single “On Second Thought: Vol 5.” (You can find him on Spotify, Instagram, and UnitedMasters.)

Anderson spoke with DCist in Malcolm X Park — one of his favorite spots — to talk more about growing up in D.C. and how the city has influenced his sound. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed. 

DCist: Do you have a quintessential D.C. memory? 

Anderson: One good D.C. memory I have is going to the 9:30 Club in August 2018 with my dad to watch his favorite band George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. I enjoyed the show and seeing my dad reconnect with so many people he knew growing up in the city that probably knew me as a child. 

How have your experiences growing up in D.C. shaped your music? 

It’s kind of influenced me to go with my gut and go with whatever rhythm comes to me. Like Chuck Brown, Marvin Gaye: music pioneers that just took whatever instruments they had and added their voice to it, started from the ground up. I grew up in a very Afro-centric, spiritual community in D.C., so that has always played a big part in my message and statements behind my music. I’m not particularly spiritual or religious right now, but my upbringing definitely has a big part in what I say. 

There’s a number of other things in D.C. that play a big role. There’s go-go music, there’s the people I meet. There’s a bunch of different artists — like Swan Lingo and Wifigawd, two D.C., mainly Uptown artists — that influence me. 

When did you first get into making music? 

I first got into making music in middle school, messing around with Garage Band. I was just experimenting and doing a lot of stuff. Eventually, by like 2013, I started to get more serious about it and I ended up purchasing Logic Pro and doing a lot of electronic production, hip-hop, pop, experimental psychedelic stuff. 

Most of it was just music that I’d already listened to up to that date: Kid Cudi, Kanye, J. Cole, and a lot of mainstream artists like Travis Scott and Drake. They kind of changed my style and made me want to focus on the branding of the artist and what my mission statement is and how I want to be looked at as an artist. 

How has the D.C. music scene inspired and shaped your music? 

A lot [of] artists have come out of D.C. in the past 10 years. That pushes me to stick with trying to come up in D.C. and make my name in D.C. A lot of artists try to go to a big city like New York, L.A., or Atlanta and try to make it out there — but I feel like all the resources we need are right here and we just have to, I don’t know, work it out. 

What are the main things that you find yourself writing about? 

The daily struggle, just trying to get through the day. I touch on politics, relationships, community problems, police violence, I like it to kind of all be one. I want to speak about myself but also try to be relatable to other people. Just make a connection to a wide audience, not just a specific ethnic background or anything. 

How would you describe the D.C. crowd at open mics?

D.C. crowds are generally very respectful of the artist, they move to what makes them move. If it’s not a good song or performance you can see it in their eyes. 

How has the pandemic impacted your trajectory as an artist and how have you adapted? 

It’s definitely kept me from performing my music out there within the city. It slowed my ability to interact outside with people. That’s the most fun part about the music, performing it for people that I’ve never seen before and just making a connection in some sort of way. I’m anxious to get back out there but waiting until COVID is all done. As for adapting, it’s given me a lot more time to create. 

What’s your dream D.C. venue to perform in, and who’s your dream person to perform with? 

It’s not even one — 9:30 Club, the Anthem, Capital One Arena. Dream person to perform with, that’s so hard, I’d love to work with so many different artists — but [definitely] Kid Cudi.