Welcome to BuzzMusic Dobbsthagr8t! Living on the West Coast it’s easy to adapt to its unique sound of music. In what ways has lived in this region influenced your own style of rap?
Thank you for having me! I really appreciate the opportunity to speak with the BuzzMusic family. Being from the west coast and living here plays a major role in my music. West Coast music is truly unique. It’s not just music. It’s a way of life. The west coast has its own unique culture that’s prided on being real. And that’s what I intend to provide with my music. I want to give people the real. We aren’t born in the glitz and glam of Hollywood out here. Most of us are out here trying to make it out of the mud. So the things I put in my music are things that I really went through and still go through. In addition to that, the west coast is full of creativity in so many different forms. We are surrounded by art and culture. So just being exposed to that creativity and living in an environment full of art and culture molded me into the person that I am and that naturally comes through my music.
We noticed a sense of sincerity with the lyricism in “8 1 8 8 1 8”. What was the main focal point of this song and what inspired you to write this?
8-18-18 starts as an open letter to my mom acknowledging my mother's unconditional love and support. Especially through my darkest days. I was taught better than the things I’ve done in my past. I didn’t go to prison because my mom didn’t raise me right. I went based on the choices that I made and I had to deal with that. From there the song goes into an assessment of my current position and a challenge to myself for how to move going forward.
Is there any specific reason why you’ve decided to title this song “8 1 8 8 1 8”? What does it stand for and how does it correlate with the song meaning for you?
8-18-18 was inspired by death and grief coupled with the spirit of rebirth at the same time. My cousin Dre passed away less than 2 weeks before I was released from prison. At 33 he was so young and to just have him leave this earth way before his time and to see the void that is left for our entire family it was hard to process. I came home from prison and had to bury my cousin in the same month. It really puts life into perspective for me. We aren’t here on this Earth forever. I was grieving this loss and being reborn into a better man at the same time. So this song was really inspired by those emotions that I was feeling at that time in my life. Dealing with the pain, processing it and then trying to find a way to turn it into positive energy to propel me into my next phase of life.
What would you consider to be the biggest challenge you had to overcome when making “8 1 8 8 1 8” and why?
The biggest challenge was trying to capture the raw emotions that I felt and find a way to have that translate through the music and into my audience's ear. It was challenging because as a man I struggle with showing emotions that look like vulnerability. I wasn’t bred to be soft but I wanted the people listening to this song to truly feel everything that I felt right at that point in time. Being from Southern California so many people in our community are dealing with death and the prison system The song is just under 2 1/2 minutes. I purposely kept the song short because I wanted to keep it authentic. For me this song wasn’t just music, it was therapy. A way for me to challenge myself to put my emotions out there for the world to hear.
What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020?
More music, more hustle, more grind, more IMOB! There is so much I can say but instead I’m going to just leave it at that and plant these seeds and let these trees grow. IMOB is definitely working on some amazing things for the rest of 2020 and I’m just so excited to see where this 2020 journey takes us.