Published on September, 30th 2022
Born in Queens, NY, and raised in South Florida, Johnny Billionz has a sound like no other.
Known by friends and family as JBillz, Johnny carries the art of music to his core. At the age of 13, he cultivated his passion growing up by writing songs, producing, mixing, mastering, and rapping. Eventually moving to Miami, FL, he furthered his love for music and fashion through the prominent melting pot of cultures that surrounded him. From the Latin and Caribbean sounds to the deep roots of Hip Hop, Johnny developed an individual style and sound that became original in a saturated market. Influenced mainly by his family, both through blood and love, he strives to elevate himself to new heights which are easily seen through his music.
Rap has different forms that paint a picture, Johnny sees the track as his canvas and colors not only an image but emotion as well. From the 808’s that are chosen to the snares and melodies crafted into the beat, he creates a melodic vibe that blends into his words. With his knowledge of multiple platforms such as Ableton Live. FL Studio, Logic, Pro Tools – the musician is bringing years of experience into every studio session.
Johnny Billionz is most definitely a young legend in the making. Get to know JBillz in the latest cover story interview.
Where is your artistic home? What city, neighborhood or country helped inspire your music?
I was born in Queens, but my artistic home would definitely be Miami. Miami has inspired me more than any other city and it is truly the place that I call home. Most of my life has been spent in Miami. I love the palm trees, the vibrant colors, the community, and the water. I am constantly on the beaches of South Florida. I usually catch a sunrise on the beach every Monday to start my week on a good note. My favorite spot currently is South Beach behind the W Hotel. I need to be able to put my feet in the sand wherever I live, so Miami is truly a place where my soul belongs.
Being from Miami has taught me a lot of things, it is a melting pot of a lot of various cultures so being from Miami taught me how to mix with any crowd. Miami is a super flashy city compared to other cities, people feel safe wearing their jewelry anywhere and that is just what Miami is. Growing up in South Florida, you are going to be friends with a lot of individuals who end up taking different career paths. Some of them may be drug-dealers, strippers, scammers, shooters, pimps, and pornstars, but one thing about Miami is that it breeds hustlers. If the nature and beautiful women of Miami will not inspire you, the money and the nightlife will.
I find myself inspired by Miami’s people the most. My loved ones, my friends, and my family are all apart of what makes Miami so inspiring. I have no problem moving around but Miami will forever be my home. It is truly an amazing city with incredible scenery, the best beaches, and the most beautiful women that the world can provide. Miami is my muse.
What was the defining moment you realized you wanted to do music?
Well, that is an interesting moment for sure. I believe that the first time that I realized that I want to do music was when I got to see Kanye and Jay-Z on the Watch The Throne Tour at the BB&T Arena. November 14th, 2011 if I am not mistaken. I can still remember that day. I remember I had bought the concert tickets my freshman year at Florida International University. I bought a single ticket so I knew I was going to sit by myself, and I just knew I was not going to miss this chance to see Kanye and Jay-Z at the same time. I remember rolling up some blue dream before the concert, and I got to smoke blunts watching Jay-Z and Kanye perform some of my favorite songs. That was the first time I looked at Rap and thought, “Wow. This would be cool to do this.” I realized how cool rap really was when I got to see Kanye and Jay-Z in person.
The exact time I decided that music was going to be my career path was during my sophomore year in college. I was actually on a psilocybin trip with my friends in my apartment in college the day that I decided that I would pursue music. I was searching for myself a lot during that time. I was in college for accounting at the time, but I knew that is not what I wanted to really do. I used to freestyle with a lot of college friends in my dorm and I ended up becoming really talented at rap. I used to think I could never freestyle or rhyme but I actually gained a talent for it during my time in college.
I remember locking myself in the bathroom for an hour during the beginning of the trip and I just stared in the mirror, thinking to myself what career path do I see when I look at myself? I thought of everything, fireman, accountant, CEO, farmer, anything that I can put to my face. The one thing that kept sticking was the music. I told myself once I walk out of that bathroom door, I would chase music wholeheartedly and fully dedicated. I confided in myself that day that I would embark on this journey. That was the exact day that I dedicated my life fully to music. I walked into the bathroom confused, but I walked out the bathroom a musician and I never ever looked back.
Has music always been your career plan?
Absolutely not. Music is actually the one thing I grew up thinking that I could never do. I just didn’t have the confidence needed in order to pursue art successfully as a child. My brothers were all musically gifted but I thought that the music gene skipped me when I was younger. I was also a writer and a musician in some way or form, however. I started writing poetry in 2002, and I started DJ’ing and doing mixes when I was 13. I was using this program called KramMixer on this old desktop computer that I had in my room at the time. I remember I had a MySpace music page that had a bunch of my mixes and people actually were downloading them and playing them. I remember being at a party one time and I heard my mix play on the speakers. But I never took DJ’ing seriously, it was just something I did to pass the time.
I tried producing my freshman year in high school. I downloaded Fruity Loops but I could not really get the hang of the program at the time. I did not know how to learn how to use the drum sequencer and I eventually deleted the program. I remember I bought this game for PSP that you can make beats on, and I used to make beats on my PSP in school and stuff. I don’t think that the beats were any good or anything but I definitely used to try to make beats on my PSP and computer. It is funny cause ten years later, I am making ten beats a day.
I used to go to my homies crib after school which had a home studio and just watch music being made. He’s actually still one of my producer friends named The Ambiance Beats. I used to watch him make beats every day after school just because my parents would take long to pick me and my brothers up from school. I literally just sat and watched music being made every day as an extracurricular activity but I never thought about doing music forever. Sitting in studio sessions since I was 13 definitely played a part in my decision on doing music. But, music has always been the one thing I thought I never had the ability to do. Now, I produce, write, engineer, and record all of my music myself as well as play the guitar.
The Fox Magazine is all about inspiration, what/who inspires you the most?
I am truly inspired the most by my loved ones and family. The woman in my life usually plays a big role in my inspiration as well because I am constantly inspired by a woman’s beauty. I realized that the more my woman becomes my muse, the more creative I become. I am a lover boy at heart so I am constantly making songs about women and emotions regarding the women in my life. Any woman that can get me to write poetry or make love ballads is enough inspiration for me to keep creative.
As far as musicians go, Kid Cudi is my number one inspiration. I think the most inspiring thing about Kid Cudi is not only his influence but his impact on Hip Hop culture. Kid Cudi’s music personally saved my life as a young kid and that is exactly what I try to accomplish when I am making music. I dream of making an album as impactful as Man On The Moon. I have the vinyl on my wall to remind me that changing lives is my goal when I am creating music.
Some of my other inspirations include Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Drake, J. Cole, Dave Chappelle, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Pharell inspire me a lot because they are producers and vocalists. They have full albums with their vocals and production on it. But, not only that, they have expanded into the fashion world as well as the creative artist world. That is my exact goal with my career. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, and A$AP Rocky inspire me not only because I believe they are some of the best-dressed artists but because their music embodies their style and energy. Jay -Z, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and 50 Cent inspire me because of their business skills and expertise in what they do. They are some of the greatest businessmen and entrepreneurs of our generation.
Tell us about the making of Do Not Disturb, one of my personal favorites. It’s lit from the beat to the hook to the go-getter lyrics. What was that process like?
DND is probably one of my favorite songs I ever made just because of the creation process. I made the beat in LA while staying at my mentor’s Rvssian’s crib. He let me stay in the crib for three weeks and the first beat I made while I was there was DND. I made the beat on Ableton using a Maschine Mikro that I bought for the trip a week prior.
Rvssian had an in-home studio on the first floor of the home and I remember smoking some LA Kush Cake from Jungle Boys. I named the beat LAKushCake on my computer, that is why I remember smoking that so well. My girlfriend at the time and one of my best friends were with me while I was making the beat and I remember them enjoying and vibing out to it. I came up with the flow and the hook immediately as I made the beat. I even have footage of me making the beat and rapping the flow of the chorus to myself. I ended up making the beat and then just making more beats the whole trip in LA. I actually recorded DND when I got back to Miami with my engineer Maroon Riddimz. I freestyled the song from start to finish, all I had was the cadence and flow for the chorus. I pretty much punched in the whole song and then right when I was about to do ad-libs, my engineer suggested that he wanted to try to do ad-libs. He actually did amazing on the ad-libs on the first take and we kept it in the song, you can hear his additional ad-libs throughout the whole record. After that, the rest is history. That was the birth of one of my favorite songs of all time.
What other songs of yours do you consider your favorites?
That is such a good question. I have so many songs that are my personal favorites. T.P.O. is one of my favorites for sure just because of how introspective I am on that record. It is the outro on my album #TheHiddenConnection. I sampled Prince’s remake of I Can Make You Love Me the day after Prince died. Everything from the lyrics to the beat, to the sample, means a lot to me.
Another one of my favorite records is SuperDuperFuture, just because that beat is the birth of the Johnny Billionz With That Pack Tag. I made my first tag when I made that beat because I felt like that beat needed a tag. I also love that record because of the flow and beat, the melody of the beat is just so dope I really enjoyed making that song. I also love it because I freestyled most of the song and it just all came together so well.
Another one of my favorite records is Lit On Vacation. I love Odin’s feature verse cause I felt like embodied my whole brand and put it in a verse. His verse is truly flawless to me. The beat was produced by Mech, one of my favorite collaborators. We made it at my crib and I remember coming up with the chorus immediately. I told Mech I wanted the beat but he did not believe that I wanted the record as bad as I did. I asked him for the beat every day until he sent it to me one day. After that, the song is history. Also, one of my favorite memories of making this song is that we did the most mixes for any song on this record. I think we did like eleven mixes of this record and we ended up just using the first mix.
How much has your style changed since you started doing music?
I have always been fly. I had drip my whole life. My style hasn’t really changed too much since I started doing music, It just improved and became more distinct. Music changed my style more into a rock-star than a fashion icon. I have multiple different styles and wardrobes so my style is always updating, but there will always be a hip hop influence in everything that I wear. Sometimes I can wear skinny jeans and jordans, some days I could wear gothic pants and some Yeezys. It really depends on my vibe for the day.
As far as my music tastes go, I used to be very introspective and boom-bap styled. Now all of my music has to hit hard. You have to feel the bass in your car when you’re playing my music nowadays. Everything has to be mixed and mastered now, back in the day I did not know too much about mixing. My music style has also become more of my own just due to the fact I started making my own beats. Making your own beats makes your music embody a whole new entire sound completely. I would say my music style went from more old school to more abstract and unique. I also understand the importance of commercialism nowadays.
What’s the best part of being a musician?
I think the best part of being a musician is having the ability to change someone’s life. Some songs literally save lives and I think that is the best thing. Having the ability to make people feel a certain type of emotion just through the music that we create. That is a superpower in itself. Also, I love that music is fellowship because music forces me to collaborate with other dope musicians. Some of my best friends in life are my collaborators. Having your loved ones play your music and be your support system is also one of the best parts of being a musician. Being a musician definitely comes with a lot of hate, but being a musician surrounded me with a lot of love as well. Seeing my mom play my music is a memory and feeling I would not trade for anything. I also love the ability to smell like weed everywhere I go. Oh, & the women are dope. The women for sure.
How do you feel artists stay relevant locally, nationally, or even globally?
Evolution and change. The only way an artist can stay relevant is having the ability to embrace change. The world and the Meta is always constantly changing and evolving. Society is demanding more and more from artists every day and caring less and less about the actual music. Staying relevant demands content creation. People believe what they can see. You have to constantly show the world you are an artist, for the world to believe that you are an artist.
What medium or instrument is your favorite to work with and why?
My favorite instruments to work with are definitely the electric guitar and my Maschine mk3 drum machine. My favorite type of guitar is a fender Stratocaster. I use a fender Stratocaster on my next album a lot. I have been using a Machine drum machine since I started producing seven years ago. I carry it around everywhere I go and I use it on every beat I make. Most of the songs I have made have been made with a Maschine drum machine. I usually produce on FL studio or Ableton with Maschine. I record every song on Pro Tools.
What are some of your favorite artist collaborations among peers and inspirations?
One of my favorite collaborators is my producer Mech. I love working with other producers who know me in real life because we get to tap into a different version of my sound that I can not get producing alone. Two minds are truly better than one. Mech’s drums hit every time and we are even working on a joint project together where all of the beats are produced by him. He produced NoThanks, WhatSheWant, and Lit On Vacation.
Another one of my favorite collaborators is Odin. He is also one of my great friends and he is a super talented artist. I started music with him and we have both grown so much sonically. He kills every verse he is on and every last one of our songs are some of my favorites. Even my fans and supporters love when we collaborate. NoThanks is one of my most streamed songs and we made that song together in the studio.
Another one of my favorite collaborators is Big Mo. He is an incredible vocalist and recording artist. He used to engineer me when I first started recording music so our chemistry when we create is immaculate. We have countless records together and all of them are hits. His vocals are extremely versatile and when we collaborate he understands the brand incredibly. He is my cousin as well so he definitely knows everything about me, it helps a lot when creating because I don’t have to explain my back story or anything like that. He already gets me.
Music is a top-tier form of expression, what do you like expressing in your catalog of music?
I like expressing all of my emotions in any way that I could. I have no issue being completely vulnerable on a record. I actually believe that the more vulnerable you are, the better the music is. People need to relate to the music that they are listening to. I tap into every and any emotion that I can. I believe that the more open that I can be, the more I can get my point across. I have explored every feeling, every emotion that I can and put each one on a song before. Not every song gets released, but I am definitely expressing every emotion in my music. A lot of the music nowadays is full of money and designer brands that the average person does not even care about. My goal is to make music that people can feel, to make music that people can relate to. You cannot do that by rapping about what is on the surface, you have to be able to dive deep into your conscious and tap into that energy. Not every artist is capable of expressing their emotions. The artists that can effectively express their emotions are usually the best ones though.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
- I actually love to cook food
- I am a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing
- I am a gym rat, I try to workout every day
- I watch anime all the time, I have been reading manga and watching anime since I was in the fifth grade. Some of my favorite animes are Naruto, Demon Slayer, Akame Ga Kill, FullMetal Alchemist, and That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
- I read one book every month
- I am a huge sneakerhead, I know everything about sneakers that you could know
- I love pets and I love animals. I love dogs, cats, birds, and bearded dragons
- I am a marijuana connoisseur, I know pretty much everything about marijuana that you can know as a connoisseur
What’s your best advice for aspiring musicians?
Believe in yourself. Deadass. Just believe in yourself. You will figure the rest out along the way.
Connect With Johnny Billionz!
In The Studio With Johnny Billionz: Producer, Rapper and Songwriter Becoming Legendary With His Phone On Do Not Disturb
Born in Queens, NY, and raised in South Florida, Johnny Billionz has a sound like no other.
Known by friends and family as JBillz, Johnny carries the art of music to his core. At the age of 13, he cultivated his passion growing up by writing songs, producing, mixing, mastering, and rapping. Eventually moving to Miami, FL, he furthered his love for music and fashion through the prominent melting pot of cultures that surrounded him. From the Latin and Caribbean sounds to the deep roots of Hip Hop, Johnny developed an individual style and sound that became original in a saturated market. Influenced mainly by his family, both through blood and love, he strives to elevate himself to new heights which are easily seen through his music.
Rap has different forms that paint a picture, Johnny sees the track as his canvas and colors not only an image but emotion as well. From the 808’s that are chosen to the snares and melodies crafted into the beat, he creates a melodic vibe that blends into his words. With his knowledge of multiple platforms such as Ableton Live. FL Studio, Logic, Pro Tools – the musician is bringing years of experience into every studio session.
Johnny Billionz is most definitely a young legend in the making. Get to know JBillz in the latest cover story interview.
Where is your artistic home? What city, neighborhood or country helped inspire your music?
I was born in Queens, but my artistic home would definitely be Miami. Miami has inspired me more than any other city and it is truly the place that I call home. Most of my life has been spent in Miami. I love the palm trees, the vibrant colors, the community, and the water. I am constantly on the beaches of South Florida. I usually catch a sunrise on the beach every Monday to start my week on a good note. My favorite spot currently is South Beach behind the W Hotel. I need to be able to put my feet in the sand wherever I live, so Miami is truly a place where my soul belongs.
Being from Miami has taught me a lot of things, it is a melting pot of a lot of various cultures so being from Miami taught me how to mix with any crowd. Miami is a super flashy city compared to other cities, people feel safe wearing their jewelry anywhere and that is just what Miami is. Growing up in South Florida, you are going to be friends with a lot of individuals who end up taking different career paths. Some of them may be drug-dealers, strippers, scammers, shooters, pimps, and pornstars, but one thing about Miami is that it breeds hustlers. If the nature and beautiful women of Miami will not inspire you, the money and the nightlife will.
I find myself inspired by Miami’s people the most. My loved ones, my friends, and my family are all apart of what makes Miami so inspiring. I have no problem moving around but Miami will forever be my home. It is truly an amazing city with incredible scenery, the best beaches, and the most beautiful women that the world can provide. Miami is my muse.
What was the defining moment you realized you wanted to do music?
Well, that is an interesting moment for sure. I believe that the first time that I realized that I want to do music was when I got to see Kanye and Jay-Z on the Watch The Throne Tour at the BB&T Arena. November 14th, 2011 if I am not mistaken. I can still remember that day. I remember I had bought the concert tickets my freshman year at Florida International University. I bought a single ticket so I knew I was going to sit by myself, and I just knew I was not going to miss this chance to see Kanye and Jay-Z at the same time. I remember rolling up some blue dream before the concert, and I got to smoke blunts watching Jay-Z and Kanye perform some of my favorite songs. That was the first time I looked at Rap and thought, “Wow. This would be cool to do this.” I realized how cool rap really was when I got to see Kanye and Jay-Z in person.
The exact time I decided that music was going to be my career path was during my sophomore year in college. I was actually on a psilocybin trip with my friends in my apartment in college the day that I decided that I would pursue music. I was searching for myself a lot during that time. I was in college for accounting at the time, but I knew that is not what I wanted to really do. I used to freestyle with a lot of college friends in my dorm and I ended up becoming really talented at rap. I used to think I could never freestyle or rhyme but I actually gained a talent for it during my time in college.
I remember locking myself in the bathroom for an hour during the beginning of the trip and I just stared in the mirror, thinking to myself what career path do I see when I look at myself? I thought of everything, fireman, accountant, CEO, farmer, anything that I can put to my face. The one thing that kept sticking was the music. I told myself once I walk out of that bathroom door, I would chase music wholeheartedly and fully dedicated. I confided in myself that day that I would embark on this journey. That was the exact day that I dedicated my life fully to music. I walked into the bathroom confused, but I walked out the bathroom a musician and I never ever looked back.
Has music always been your career plan?
Absolutely not. Music is actually the one thing I grew up thinking that I could never do. I just didn’t have the confidence needed in order to pursue art successfully as a child. My brothers were all musically gifted but I thought that the music gene skipped me when I was younger. I was also a writer and a musician in some way or form, however. I started writing poetry in 2002, and I started DJ’ing and doing mixes when I was 13. I was using this program called KramMixer on this old desktop computer that I had in my room at the time. I remember I had a MySpace music page that had a bunch of my mixes and people actually were downloading them and playing them. I remember being at a party one time and I heard my mix play on the speakers. But I never took DJ’ing seriously, it was just something I did to pass the time.
I tried producing my freshman year in high school. I downloaded Fruity Loops but I could not really get the hang of the program at the time. I did not know how to learn how to use the drum sequencer and I eventually deleted the program. I remember I bought this game for PSP that you can make beats on, and I used to make beats on my PSP in school and stuff. I don’t think that the beats were any good or anything but I definitely used to try to make beats on my PSP and computer. It is funny cause ten years later, I am making ten beats a day.
I used to go to my homies crib after school which had a home studio and just watch music being made. He’s actually still one of my producer friends named The Ambiance Beats. I used to watch him make beats every day after school just because my parents would take long to pick me and my brothers up from school. I literally just sat and watched music being made every day as an extracurricular activity but I never thought about doing music forever. Sitting in studio sessions since I was 13 definitely played a part in my decision on doing music. But, music has always been the one thing I thought I never had the ability to do. Now, I produce, write, engineer, and record all of my music myself as well as play the guitar.
The Fox Magazine is all about inspiration, what/who inspires you the most?
I am truly inspired the most by my loved ones and family. The woman in my life usually plays a big role in my inspiration as well because I am constantly inspired by a woman’s beauty. I realized that the more my woman becomes my muse, the more creative I become. I am a lover boy at heart so I am constantly making songs about women and emotions regarding the women in my life. Any woman that can get me to write poetry or make love ballads is enough inspiration for me to keep creative.
As far as musicians go, Kid Cudi is my number one inspiration. I think the most inspiring thing about Kid Cudi is not only his influence but his impact on Hip Hop culture. Kid Cudi’s music personally saved my life as a young kid and that is exactly what I try to accomplish when I am making music. I dream of making an album as impactful as Man On The Moon. I have the vinyl on my wall to remind me that changing lives is my goal when I am creating music.
Some of my other inspirations include Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Drake, J. Cole, Dave Chappelle, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Pharell inspire me a lot because they are producers and vocalists. They have full albums with their vocals and production on it. But, not only that, they have expanded into the fashion world as well as the creative artist world. That is my exact goal with my career. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, and A$AP Rocky inspire me not only because I believe they are some of the best-dressed artists but because their music embodies their style and energy. Jay -Z, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and 50 Cent inspire me because of their business skills and expertise in what they do. They are some of the greatest businessmen and entrepreneurs of our generation.
Tell us about the making of Do Not Disturb, one of my personal favorites. It’s lit from the beat to the hook to the go-getter lyrics. What was that process like?
DND is probably one of my favorite songs I ever made just because of the creation process. I made the beat in LA while staying at my mentor’s Rvssian’s crib. He let me stay in the crib for three weeks and the first beat I made while I was there was DND. I made the beat on Ableton using a Maschine Mikro that I bought for the trip a week prior.
Rvssian had an in-home studio on the first floor of the home and I remember smoking some LA Kush Cake from Jungle Boys. I named the beat LAKushCake on my computer, that is why I remember smoking that so well. My girlfriend at the time and one of my best friends were with me while I was making the beat and I remember them enjoying and vibing out to it. I came up with the flow and the hook immediately as I made the beat. I even have footage of me making the beat and rapping the flow of the chorus to myself. I ended up making the beat and then just making more beats the whole trip in LA. I actually recorded DND when I got back to Miami with my engineer Maroon Riddimz. I freestyled the song from start to finish, all I had was the cadence and flow for the chorus. I pretty much punched in the whole song and then right when I was about to do ad-libs, my engineer suggested that he wanted to try to do ad-libs. He actually did amazing on the ad-libs on the first take and we kept it in the song, you can hear his additional ad-libs throughout the whole record. After that, the rest is history. That was the birth of one of my favorite songs of all time.
What other songs of yours do you consider your favorites?
That is such a good question. I have so many songs that are my personal favorites. T.P.O. is one of my favorites for sure just because of how introspective I am on that record. It is the outro on my album #TheHiddenConnection. I sampled Prince’s remake of I Can Make You Love Me the day after Prince died. Everything from the lyrics to the beat, to the sample, means a lot to me.
Another one of my favorite records is SuperDuperFuture, just because that beat is the birth of the Johnny Billionz With That Pack Tag. I made my first tag when I made that beat because I felt like that beat needed a tag. I also love that record because of the flow and beat, the melody of the beat is just so dope I really enjoyed making that song. I also love it because I freestyled most of the song and it just all came together so well.
Another one of my favorite records is Lit On Vacation. I love Odin’s feature verse cause I felt like embodied my whole brand and put it in a verse. His verse is truly flawless to me. The beat was produced by Mech, one of my favorite collaborators. We made it at my crib and I remember coming up with the chorus immediately. I told Mech I wanted the beat but he did not believe that I wanted the record as bad as I did. I asked him for the beat every day until he sent it to me one day. After that, the song is history. Also, one of my favorite memories of making this song is that we did the most mixes for any song on this record. I think we did like eleven mixes of this record and we ended up just using the first mix.
How much has your style changed since you started doing music?
I have always been fly. I had drip my whole life. My style hasn’t really changed too much since I started doing music, It just improved and became more distinct. Music changed my style more into a rock-star than a fashion icon. I have multiple different styles and wardrobes so my style is always updating, but there will always be a hip hop influence in everything that I wear. Sometimes I can wear skinny jeans and jordans, some days I could wear gothic pants and some Yeezys. It really depends on my vibe for the day.
As far as my music tastes go, I used to be very introspective and boom-bap styled. Now all of my music has to hit hard. You have to feel the bass in your car when you’re playing my music nowadays. Everything has to be mixed and mastered now, back in the day I did not know too much about mixing. My music style has also become more of my own just due to the fact I started making my own beats. Making your own beats makes your music embody a whole new entire sound completely. I would say my music style went from more old school to more abstract and unique. I also understand the importance of commercialism nowadays.
What’s the best part of being a musician?
I think the best part of being a musician is having the ability to change someone’s life. Some songs literally save lives and I think that is the best thing. Having the ability to make people feel a certain type of emotion just through the music that we create. That is a superpower in itself. Also, I love that music is fellowship because music forces me to collaborate with other dope musicians. Some of my best friends in life are my collaborators. Having your loved ones play your music and be your support system is also one of the best parts of being a musician. Being a musician definitely comes with a lot of hate, but being a musician surrounded me with a lot of love as well. Seeing my mom play my music is a memory and feeling I would not trade for anything. I also love the ability to smell like weed everywhere I go. Oh, & the women are dope. The women for sure.
How do you feel artists stay relevant locally, nationally, or even globally?
Evolution and change. The only way an artist can stay relevant is having the ability to embrace change. The world and the Meta is always constantly changing and evolving. Society is demanding more and more from artists every day and caring less and less about the actual music. Staying relevant demands content creation. People believe what they can see. You have to constantly show the world you are an artist, for the world to believe that you are an artist.
What medium or instrument is your favorite to work with and why?
My favorite instruments to work with are definitely the electric guitar and my Maschine mk3 drum machine. My favorite type of guitar is a fender Stratocaster. I use a fender Stratocaster on my next album a lot. I have been using a Machine drum machine since I started producing seven years ago. I carry it around everywhere I go and I use it on every beat I make. Most of the songs I have made have been made with a Maschine drum machine. I usually produce on FL studio or Ableton with Maschine. I record every song on Pro Tools.
What are some of your favorite artist collaborations among peers and inspirations?
One of my favorite collaborators is my producer Mech. I love working with other producers who know me in real life because we get to tap into a different version of my sound that I can not get producing alone. Two minds are truly better than one. Mech’s drums hit every time and we are even working on a joint project together where all of the beats are produced by him. He produced NoThanks, WhatSheWant, and Lit On Vacation.
Another one of my favorite collaborators is Odin. He is also one of my great friends and he is a super talented artist. I started music with him and we have both grown so much sonically. He kills every verse he is on and every last one of our songs are some of my favorites. Even my fans and supporters love when we collaborate. NoThanks is one of my most streamed songs and we made that song together in the studio.
Another one of my favorite collaborators is Big Mo. He is an incredible vocalist and recording artist. He used to engineer me when I first started recording music so our chemistry when we create is immaculate. We have countless records together and all of them are hits. His vocals are extremely versatile and when we collaborate he understands the brand incredibly. He is my cousin as well so he definitely knows everything about me, it helps a lot when creating because I don’t have to explain my back story or anything like that. He already gets me.
Music is a top-tier form of expression, what do you like expressing in your catalog of music?
I like expressing all of my emotions in any way that I could. I have no issue being completely vulnerable on a record. I actually believe that the more vulnerable you are, the better the music is. People need to relate to the music that they are listening to. I tap into every and any emotion that I can. I believe that the more open that I can be, the more I can get my point across. I have explored every feeling, every emotion that I can and put each one on a song before. Not every song gets released, but I am definitely expressing every emotion in my music. A lot of the music nowadays is full of money and designer brands that the average person does not even care about. My goal is to make music that people can feel, to make music that people can relate to. You cannot do that by rapping about what is on the surface, you have to be able to dive deep into your conscious and tap into that energy. Not every artist is capable of expressing their emotions. The artists that can effectively express their emotions are usually the best ones though.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
- I actually love to cook food
- I am a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing
- I am a gym rat, I try to workout every day
- I watch anime all the time, I have been reading manga and watching anime since I was in the fifth grade. Some of my favorite animes are Naruto, Demon Slayer, Akame Ga Kill, FullMetal Alchemist, and That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
- I read one book every month
- I am a huge sneakerhead, I know everything about sneakers that you could know
- I love pets and I love animals. I love dogs, cats, birds, and bearded dragons
- I am a marijuana connoisseur, I know pretty much everything about marijuana that you can know as a connoisseur
What’s your best advice for aspiring musicians?
Believe in yourself. Deadass. Just believe in yourself. You will figure the rest out along the way.
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