Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, 24- year old Hip-hop artist, Slendo, offers his listeners his musical expressions in the form of escape and a way to handle trials and tribulations that come his way. This multi-talented artist has taken the initiative to learn the recording and production aspect of the art within the last seven years.
While he considers himself an emerging artist, 2020 has been an opportunity for Slendo to keep up the undeniable hustle that comes to him as second nature.
Kicking the year off with his vividly energetic single, “What I Need,” which was released the first day his city went into lockdown, Slendo delivers slick cadences while using his emcee-like abilities to illustrate images around a no strings attached type relationship. Delving into the memorable hooks and verses, you can hear the sizzling ambiance as Slendo releases his honest truths to the world.
As he decided to explore what he wanted to convey in terms of themes and messages, Slendo presented his artistic talents on a silver platter as he recruited artist, Mercurial on their first collaboration together in, “Copy + Paste.” Submerging us in mesmerizing melodies while giving his listeners a taste of what he had in store for the rest of the year, Slendo managed to captivate fans for the long haul as he won them over with intoxicating verses and a hypnotic hook.
Using this time to reflect on the state of the world, Slendo shined a bright and refreshing light on the topical events in, “Quarantine 2020.” At first glance, his comedic nature was not grasped in the eyes of his viewers, but they quickly came to realize that this was Slendo’s way of taking some of the weight off of their shoulders. The appreciation flooded in as they were able to take in the modern wave of Hip-hop with a unique flavor that only Slendo can offer up.
Placing Slendo’s most successful song of the year on a pedestal, “Blue Benjis,” had listeners submerged in the vulnerability through an introspective view that was conveyed by the up and coming artist. Dazzling us in captivating resonance through vibrant instrumentation, Slendo reflects on his life up to this point. With a lyrical dexterity glistening upon moments of doubt and uncertainty, Slendo hits it home with, “Blue Benjis.”
The heated release of “Sunken Ave,” had Slendo high in the clouds of his own artistic capabilities. Deemed some of his best work to date, the murky timbre of the instrumentation gets down and dirty with gritty like traits as Slendo releases an open letter to his listeners. Depicting images of how life can be beautiful but dark at times, Slendo seamlessly executes his abilities.
The final project released this year by this rising Hip-hop artist was the, “Thank You Pack,” EP that was an exclusive release on SoundCloud. By appreciating each moment his listeners tapped in with him, Slendo decided to give them four unreleased tracks of his previous work. As one to know the value of a fan, Slendo caps his year off in true indebted fashion.
With the unmatchable work ethic that Slendo puts forth, we see the swift momentum that’s going to break barriers. We can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store for Slendo.
Welcome back to BuzzMusic, Slendo! Congratulations on a year full of hard work and success! With your non-stop dedication in 2020, what has been your favorite part of your artistic journey?
Thanks for having me again! This year has been hella crazy, but I'm thankful to be where I'm at now. I would say my favorite part of this year artistically was really having to dig deep to find what truly inspires me to make music.
What are some ways that you have grown as an artist this year?
Really just building more connections, realizing it's more about who you know than what you know. Then just finding my sound with all the extra time I have on my hands now. Then like I said having to dig deeper to get inspired more so than any other year before. Out of each song released, which one resonates with you the most at this point in your journey?
I would have to say Blue Benjis at this point and time. I'm still that hungry artist that's on a quest to make it into the game. A close second would be Sunken Ave, as that's also a darker view of where I'm at in my life right now. Every artist is different in how they create. Could you please share a glimpse of your creative process with your listeners?
I'm all about the vibes man. I really enjoy recording by myself usually, but if I'm in a session with multiple people I kinda work differently. I Gotta have something rolled up, gotta have me something to drink, and before I actually start recording I have to listen to some good music (major key). I also typically already like to have beats made, cause as an artist and producer I know how it can be on both sides. As an artist, it can feel like forever for a beat to be completely finished, but as a producer, you just want to keep adding things to make the beat better. How do you allow your musical influences of Bob Marley, Juice Wrld, Lil Uzi Vert, and Kanye West, to name a few, to inspire the music that you create?
I just love all of those guys' music so much it never fails to inspire me. Also, you forgot Young Thug! Probably one of my biggest influences of all, listening to bro music literally will make me just wanna go get in the studio sometimes. But that's part of the recording process I was just speaking on, I listen to music I'm inspired by and just try to draw inspiration from that and then just put my own "Slendo" spin on things.
Do you have a favorite lyric or couple of bars that you wrote this year that resonates with you more than others?
I could really just quote the whole "Quarantine 2020" song LOL. But honestly, I'd say from my song Sunken Ave, "Told my mama, one day I'd be big as King Kong, She like yea I hear ya boy just get ya dream on, Mrs. Beverly a shoulder I know I can lean on." That lyric is really personal to me cause through all that's been going on this year my mom has been there with me through thick & thin and I'm just so grateful for that. What would you like your listeners to feel when they hear your music?
I want the listener to just feel my vibe/my energy. Whether that be sad, happy, angry, or just kidding around I want them to feel where I'm coming from on each song. Each song is my canvas and I want the listener to be there painting the picture with me on each song or album.
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