A huge congratulations on your latest release, “With All That.” Could you tell us about a particular life event or experience that has significantly impacted your music career and lyrics?
I am a Pisces, and I love hard even when im not supposed to. So when I was young, I was a simp. I ain't gone cap, but my people broke me from that real quick as I got older and got all in with the streets in Memphis. Turned me cold like Pluto. And for this song "With All That," I’m a dad, a girl dad at that, 4 of them, and all I can say is its journey is always good, but if you let the negativity that comes with it drain you, then you'll be where I was in my early 20s.
How did you reflect those emotions into your songs?
Straight up, that pain, hurt, and anger reflected from within into the pen. When I tune in when im writing, I make movies you can visualize just from listening, but when I'm there and you see and hear it personally, it's unimaginable. I release the negativity in the only way I know how to control and handle that works while keeping my heart humble and mind in tune.
How did working with another artist or producer influence your creative process and the song's outcome?
Honestly, with all that wasn’t even in my lineup, you know my producers, slim and Lizgin, but I was on youtube and sent some new gas my boy posted, but the beat is two years old, and it's called "Models," and as you heard that dunna dun dun dunna dun dun and it wasn’t cheap...but when I got it, of course, I had plenty ideas to make with it, but I was tapped in one day and with all that just took place because I just fired this female the day before so I had motivation plain and simple plus my past situations put me in that state of mind while I was writing. Venting to you about my drama and past drama, lol, and my engineer at Union Recording Studio West Hollywood told him we got a part 2 because that’s where I recorded Stunting On A Bitch at.
What can we expect for the future?
Halloween, we have Like A Ghost dropping. Man, that there is that Memphis Side Of Me Speaking, coming to you live. Its feast drops Thanksgiving, and the feast will be major. This is the reality side of the world speaking from me. I'm a street nigga, but I don’t just rap the simple shit; it’s a feast, that's all I'm going to say.
Poseidon took that submarine-like earthlings don’t play with the sea. Pisces said to leave the Titanic alone, my nigga, and let it be. Just being the underdog all the way. Every accomplishment I make when this music is an inspiration is broken into different variables/songs, especially since I go by Stoopid Swagg. When you are the lone wolf on the trail and the outsiders even look at you differently, that makes you realize you need to do something, so in my song Like a Ghost,
Are there any unique sources of inspiration that have led to some of your most memorable lyrics or songs?
Play with me. I’m like D-day, the nuke who brought death through
I'm like Zeus ruling the gods. Nobody steep to
Scaple blade duct tape rubber gloves, a hack shaw
Whoever tried to conquer Rome wonder who had that thought
Those lyrics in “Like a Ghost,” I mean I was finally rolling at 15, me and my people, my cousins to be exact; I was on the run catching charges, and back then, when street cred meant something, my sheet was long like the Oregon Trail along with my cousins during 2005-2018/19 mane we were hot boys, we beat the feds like jeezy with my folk I felt untouchably unstoppable you know like the silent killer, make you wonder who tried Zeus and Succedded during his prime, Who tried Rome and prevailed, and you see what happened with our WW2 entry because of Pearl Habor.
Can you share a story about an exciting moment of inspiration in your musical journey?
2007/8 Memphis, I’m Young Okye Glaze see myself fall and outside rimmed up just dropped im getting motion on MySpace and shit so long short of a fake label, a fake Russel Simmons nephew, and a false radio interview lead to me and cousins getting on his ass in the hot107.1 parking lot, but after that buddy hit me with some contacts and I was got up with Richboy and Keri Hilson Manager at the time Richard Morrow, and some other sources so it made me feel like a lil pressure will bring the truth out but my pressure and the next aint the same.
The music industry often values authenticity. How do you stay true to yourself and your unique voice as an artist while adapting to changing trends and audience expectations in the rap genre?
I listen to other artists, but just as an artist, I got my select few and saw how their sound, craft, and business as an artist and company have changed over the years. Where they are at in the head and life, but I knew this when I was younger, that’s why I was Young Okye Glaze; you gotta change your lane up, switch it up a curveball, then a slider.
But staying true to yourself and your image stays with you and yourself. I'm Stoopid Swagg OG. The only thing that will change is the weather and the money. Don’t let it change you. You see what people will do to say they are authentic. I ain't with all that. I remain me, and if the bridge ain't broke, don’t fix it. I don’t care about the trends because trends change, but the messages I'm demonstrating in the songs are like those of the painters during the Masonic Renaissance era; the message is infinite.
What message or advice would you offer to help aspiring rap artists who look up to you and your career that could help them navigate the challenges and opportunities in the music industry, especially when trying to find their unique voice?
A couple of steps: Keep a budget, I mean a real deal, budget down to the cents from the dollar so you can know where all your money is going, and know honestly what you have to incorporate into your music, and don’t let up. The music industry is literally like trapping, hustling, and jogging; the money you invest will double up triple, but in return, it may not be money; it can be an accomplishment, an opportunity to advance, perform, studio, a feature, beat, but you have to be right with yourself, sound as an artist because evil comes in different forms especially while you're winning.
Keep a business plan of the objectives you trying to reach. If you work, payday every two weeks, write out your expenses, bills, personal, and, of course, the music; once the numbers are added, you get paid. All you have to do is put it where it needs to go, and do this for me ascends me to a different level every time.
So, from this point, you can do whatever your budget is and what fits it. All I can say is for your sound, don’t let anyone change it as, in the mind of your sound, advance it, open doors with it, but be the same person. Look at the industry now. Once you pave that lane from your sound, it opens doors, but don’t change the lane. How many rappers are left now mainstream from trying to sound like the Migos sound? Your sound is you; that’s what you getting known for. Be original with it.