Tell us about yourself and your music
My name is EKwesco and I’m a 23-year-old rapper/producer from Alabama. I have been writing lyrics since the age of 8 and have been producing since age 11. My biggest influences are Eminem and XXXTentacion
Talk to us more about your latest release
My latest project is a compilation album entitled “The Moving Target”. It features songs I produced from my old mixtapes spanning from 2014 to 2018.
What inspired you to write this release?
I wanted to re-release a lot of songs I made for mixtapes because a lot of them weren’t mixed properly back then. I used to have trouble with mixing back in the day when I was releasing mixtapes left and right. I used to just record the vocals and leave them in their raw form. In 2016 I tried to buckle down and learn how to properly mix and master. It took a very long time but I believe I’m at a comfortable place with my sonics. During that process I found myself remastering old songs so I made an album out of the new versions. I also had to give some of my fans the old songs they liked from those days, so I made sure they were clean and polished this time around.
Describe the writing and recording process
The process varies with a lot of different circumstances. I could have a written verse laying around for months before I find the right beat for it. Other times I could have no lyrics ready whatsoever and turn on a new beat just to experiment with different vibes. There have been a couple of instances where an entire song has come to me upon the first listen of a great beat. That doesn’t happen very often though.
Any plans to release a video?
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
I try not to sound like today’s artists while keeping some elements of today’s sound. I like heavy, more rock-inspired music than the average rapper. I like experimenting with crazy time signatures sometimes, and I believe that element of myself comes from my deep inspiration from being a fan of System Of A Down. I love almost everything about them as a band.
Who have you been listening to lately?
I like keeping up with the new projects from older acts that were big a long time ago. The Rolling Stones put out an album a couple of years ago that was really great, I also love “Hardwired To Self Destruct” by Metallica. I like keeping up with underground artists like The Jokerr, Jarren Benton, Los, Merkules, King Iso, Twisted Insane, etc. Not many “new” artists seem to phase me besides XXXTentacion specifically. He made such a huge impact after Drake stole his flow and his story is very inspirational, not to mention the fact that he actually made amazing music.
Who are your biggest influences?
I have been listening to Eminem, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Usher, Brian McKnight, Kid Rock, and Metallica since I was a baby. They have always been great at keeping my attention. My parents went to school with Brad Arnold and Chris Henderson of 3 Doors Down so I was familiar with their work before they blew up. I really like their “Duck And Run” album. When I started rapping and recording in 2005 I was listening to a lot of R&B, such as Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Mario, Spectacular, etc. My favorite rappers back then were Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Twista, and Insane Clown Posse. These days I love listening to Daylyt and XXXTentacion for inspiration. Their music seems to resonate with me the most currently. I’ve always liked watching Daylyt when he was battling everyone.
Tell us about your passions
Rapping and producing are my main passions but I love playing basketball, riding dirt bikes and shooting at targets when I want to clear my mind. I also collect CDs. I believe I have over 500 CDs in my room, which is Insane, but I love music as a whole and I try to soak up as much musical knowledge as I possibly can.
What else is happening next in your world?
I am releasing an all-new album in early 2020, which will be called “Listen Hard Or Disregard”. I believe it will be my best work to date. I’m also trying to initiate my plans for releasing merch. I have many ideas that I haven’t been able to properly execute until now and I’m very excited to see what happens with it.
Thanks for an awesome interview, EKwesco
Connect with EKwesco
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ekwesco2013Instagram: http://instagram.com/ekwescoTwitter: http://twitter.com/ekwescoLastFM: https://www.last.fm/music/EKwescoYoutube: http://youtube.com/ekwescotvSoundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/ekwescoReverbnation: http://reverbnation.com/ekwesco
