“To start it off my name is Kash XII, or simply just Kash. I am from New York, New York. I describe my music as being “Chill Drill”. From time to time I like to switch my sound from my usual fast paced flow and experiment with my voice. Most people would say I have a different sound from anything they heard before.”
Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/3hBE9MF
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOB4OFVIZmJfIAQ0daexYKQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kashxii/
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
“Growing up I was inspired by old school rappers such as Kanye West, Jay Z, and Nas as well as the current Brooklyn Drill scene. I found that rapping was just something that came natural to me.”
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
“I don’t compare myself to other artists however what separates me from other artists is my energy and persona alone. We’re all unique in our own way but what makes me unique is that I have a sound that is completely different from what is known as popular today.”
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
“Hard times is a part of being alive on Earth. Whenever I make a song that is aggressive it is usually influenced by some sort of conflict. The most difficult thing I had to endure on my musical path was that I had to come into the realization that you are going to have to hold your own hand and pat your own back. In other words I had to do this alone.”
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
“There are a wide variety of ways. It all depends on the circumstance. Sometimes I can hear a beat and the rhymes will just flow out or sometimes I sit alone and write them out.”
5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
“The plan I have to make sure I stand out is to not stress getting recognition. At the end of the day this is all fun to me. I rather stay independent because I don’t want to go mainstream. The traditional music model isn’t dead more as it evolved to fit the current Internet age we are in.”
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
“I’m still new to making music as I just began this year. But advice I would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a music career is that, if you have something to tell the world then by all means don’t bite your tongue!”
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
“The level that the Internet is at today has changed the music business from hard copies of physical CDs into monetizing streaming platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Social media definitely plays a big role in marketing yourself as an artist. Not being social media savvy would make it harder for an artist to prosper but anything possible if you concentrate hard enough.”
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
“You are only a sell out when you go against what you stand for in return for something materialistic. As long as it is within the artist murals then it’s not necessarily selling out. Me personally I currently have no interest in going mainstream but thoughts and feelings change everyday so I may have a change of heart in the future.”
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
“Five years from now I see myself with A LOT of money (lol)”