13potts
Can you describe a pivotal moment that significantly shaped your artistic path?
When Covid hit, I lost my job and apartment and found myself living in a trap house. I really started to question my decisions in life and where I wanted to see myself in the next 5 years.
How do you overcome creative blocks or periods of self-doubt?
When I decided to take music seriously, I made a 5-year plan and all that I wanted accomplished in that time frame. When I get hit with doubts or life in general trying to hold me back- I focus on the plan and what’s to come next and that keeps me going.
What role does personal experience play in your work?
If you listen to my first album ‘Lit’ -it’s all about my personal experiences. I don’t believe in writing music that sounds like everyone else’s cause that to me is too boring and oversaturated. The only ways I can make original music is to have all of it be a reflection of who I am and what I think about. My struggles with abuse, addiction, homelessness, etc all shape the music that I make and make it about me, and not just a copy and paste of what other artists are making.
Who are your biggest influences, and how have they impacted your style?
My biggest influences are probably Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain and Linkin Park. Bob Dylan was about making music that actually had something to say about life. Kurt Cobain hated the whole celebrity angle of it all and actively spoke of what’s wrong with society and fought back while being extremely popular and used that to educate his fans. And in terms of vocals, growing up to Linkin Park taught me I could sing, scream and rap over a single track and have it all sound good. They also have a vulnerability to their lyrics that always saved my life and I wish to also be vulnerable in my own music but never shy away from saying important things and shining a light on topics most are afraid to go near.
Can you share a story behind one of your favorite pieces?
It’s a track of mine called ‘Shinin’ and it’s about all of my haters. If you know me personally, you know I’m a big old non-conformist and that I will never want to fit in with the crowd or do anything just cause it’s trending or popular. So, when I dropped my first album, I did a show to celebrate, in which I invited other local artists as guest performers and put on a great show myself. Unfortunately, a rapper who was ‘locally famous’ came to the show and while everyone else was congratulating me, he started talking mad shit. I quickly pulled out my shank and just waved it in his face and he shut up so quick. The thing is we’d never interacted personally but ran in similar circles and had seen each other plenty of times and every time I left the room but was still in earshot, he would start talking shit about me, without ever getting to know me. And after seeing a couple of his shows where he was blatantly drunk or strung out, lip syncing every track and hopping up and down like a monkey on stage instead of being a true performer, I made some lyrics that reflected that in the song- ‘You come around my show and you talking shit when you hop onstage like an ape and lip sync your shit. But can you hear those cheers coming out for me? You came to hate but I came to entertain see?’ Haters are immature- point blank. So he deserved a shout out.
What has been the most influential part of your journey as an artist?
Early Inspirations
Mentorship and Guidance
Overcoming Challenges
Finding Personal Style
How do you balance artistic expression with commercial demands
I ain’t about commercial demands. Plenty have told me to change my sound and style, and I hold up my middle finger to them. My end goal is through music to teach the world to think critically, and I cannot be making fluff songs about partying or constantly whining about love or cars or money and be able to spread that message. Again, I’m a non-conformist and what makes me stand out so much is that I don’t care to follow the wave. I want to create the next wave, one in which artists are free to create art that means something to them and isn’t about the commercial viability of it all.
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