Alas was born and raised in East Palo Alto, California, and moved down to LA at 18 to go to school and pursue a career as a lawyer.
During the law school application process, he decided to ditch the dream of becoming a lawyer altogether and began tirelessly writing and recording songs before debuting with his two-song pack, ‘You, Me, and Everyone Else,’ in June 2020.
With each release being better than the last, Alas uses his witty and technical writing style to invite audiences to learn more about the enigmatic character.
Taking our attention to his most recent EP, ‘Sweet as Honey Melancholy Love Stuff,’ Alas fuses together a medley of influences from classic 90’s Hip-hop acts, his Mexican-American upbringing, and contemporary rap music to provide the desired sound of his artistry that we know and love.
As we grasp onto the artistic versatility shed in the single “Sweet as Honey,” the buoyant display of energy through the instrumentation and smooth vocal techniques has us going into overdrive as we get lost in the musical journey. Alas projects various cadences that glide over the nostalgic instrumentation like melted butter.
His lyrical dexterity takes us into a narrative as he not only professes a knack for wordplay but his ability to tell a story. We admire the fact that we don’t need to search through his intricately crafted lyrics to build upon our own imagery. His words say it all and allow the canvas of our minds to blossom with each reminiscent percussion element shed.
Alas continues to develop his craft in a way that has us bouncing to his mesmerizing hues. Staying authentic to himself, the relatability that we eagerly jump onto takes us deeper into his alluring tenors in this whirlwind of ambient ecstasy.
Hello Alas, welcome to BuzzMusic, it is a pleasure to sit down with you. We love the narrative that you share in “Sweet as Honey.” It just flows with your techniques so well! Was there a specific moment or story that allowed this storyline to blossom?
Yes! I met a girl at work a few years ago who ended up changing my life forever. When I was writing this song, I was specifically thinking about one Friday night way before we even started dating. I knew all my coworkers would be going out to a bar (including her), and I was excited about getting to know her a little more. I was nervous all day thinking about what I was gonna say to her and what I was gonna do to look "cool". At first, I was too nervous to do either of those things but a few drinks in and we started talking. As soon as we started talking about music and she told me how much she loved Kanye, Kid Cudi, and Frank Ocean, I knew that was it. We didn't start dating until a few months after that, but that was when our feelings started to develop. Later on, she told me she remembers me being really cool and smooth that night, but I still don't think that sounds right. That's where the lyrics, "Wonder why she's lookin at me / when the hell I get so clean" came from. Sweet as Honey is dedicated to her and the butterflies she gave me that night. What does this single say about you as an artist? What are you hoping that your audience takes away from it?
I hope this song lets audiences know that Alas is a fun dude. I grew up listening to really hard 90's hip hop and other classic underground rap, and some of my earlier songs have been stylistically similar to that, but I'm a pretty light-hearted, fun-loving guy and hopefully, this release shows that. I can rap and go bar for bar with the likes of anyone, but I kind of want to get away from doing that too much and instead just fill my music with good and positive energy. How long did it take you to construct the EP ‘Sweet as Honey Melancholy Love Stuff’? What was your reasoning for offering such a versatile spectrum of sounds?
It took me about 4-5 months to write and record - the whole thing came about pretty organically. I was going through a breakup toward the end of last year and I realized I must've really been going through it because all the songs I was writing were super sad. That's when I made the first three songs. I kind of just put those together thinking I was going to release something completely sad and reflective of that period in time. Then, that girl and I ended up talking things through and giving it another shot. Feeling a lot more optimistic and hopeful, I wrote Sweet as Honey and Syrup and put those with the "break up" songs. The EP then became what it is today, which is a love story told backward. I wanted to talk about the power that love has to make us feel both deeply sad and completely ecstatic, and how neither of those feelings is necessarily bad. I didn't really set out to write and record an EP, I was just writing songs based on my own love story and they ended up coming together nicely. Is there any song on the EP that resonates with you more than the others? What’s your reasoning?
I really love Sweet as Honey overall, but I think the one that resonates most with me is Syrup. That track probably feels the most "me" of all the tracks I've done. I was able to show that fun style I want to be known for, and the vocals just fit perfectly over that instrumental. Hopefully, this one also shows people that I'm not the kind of rapper to sleep with a bunch of girls, I'm the kind of rapper to ask about your day in a baby voice and bring a matcha latte to your work on my day off. What has been your personal favorite release of this year?
Definitely this one. It's such a fulfilling experience putting together a project that means so much and is so close to your heart. Not only that, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted now that I've finally released my first EP. I'm super proud of the whole thing from beginning to end, both because of how it sounds but also what it means. I hope that by sharing my story and experiences people can find ways to help themselves if they're in similar situations. Not that I have all the answers, but sometimes all you need to get out of a dark place is knowing that others feel the same way.
