Good morning everyone and welcome to another Music Monday! Today I’m hugely excited as I have my first ever Music interview with the fantastic Dead Shoto to celebrate the release of his new EP God Eater.
Dead Shoto is from New York City. When he’s not creating amazing music he works as a graphic designer and is the owner of a skateboard company. He also streams a variety of games on twitch and his streams are always great fun to watch. He is working on possibly starting to stream music too.
If you would like to follow Dead Shoto on social media or check out his streams on twitch click the links below.
Interview:
What first got you into music?
I first got into music, Rap music specifically, because I was captured by the rhythm and rhyme schemes some of the Artists were doing back in the day on TV. Just painting pictures and telling stories by putting clever words together was so interesting to me. I wanted to be as creative as some of the people I looked up to so I started working on my craft at the age of 14.
Who inspired you to make music?
I was first inspired to make music from 50 Cent and Eminem. Listening to that duo religiously while I was growing up and seeing their chemistry with each other and the beats they were making music over, I wanted that.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I would say the music I make falls under “Experimental Rap”. I have some traditional elements to the genre but do like to get creative with the overall sound and I definitely don’t sound like anyone else. I make music you can crank the volume all the way up to.
What is your creative process like?
Hmm, this is an interesting question because it’s really different every time. One day, I can hear a sick beat, create a melody in my head and start writing from beginning to end. Then record immediately after. Other times, I can be on the toilet and find inspiration with no beat and start writing. I guess you never know when inspiration will strike so I always keep my phone nearby.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I would definitely love to create a song with A$AP Ferg or Megan Thee Stallion. Me and Ferg are both from New York and I feel our styles will make a hit song that’ll be everyone’s guilty pleasure, capturing that true New York sound. With Meg Thee Stallion, I feel like our song will be lyrically brilliant and have Top 100 potential.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
To be honest, I would love to open for Lana Del Rey. I just love her and her music so much.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
As cliché as it sounds, never stop pushing towards your goals. No matter how hard it gets and even if no one is there to support you, don’t give up and I guarantee you will reach that finish line. Consistency is key to everything in life.
What is the most useless talent you have?
My useless talent is that I can tap my temple and make my eyebrow twitch on command. I’ll probably be the world’s most useless superhero with that one. Call me, “The Incredible Winker”.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
YES. The shower is where my vocal talent shines the brightest. Two songs I love singing the most are How To Save A Life by The Fray and Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood. You will catch me singing these at karaoke too.
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
I will probably be doing Graphic Design full time. It’s what I went to school for and I still have a burning passion for it.
Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
I have performed at Pianos NYC which is a pretty popular small venue in downtown New York City. Based on videos and photos, SOB’s in New York is probably one of my favorite looking venues. A lot of big rappers such as Drake started performing at that location. No upcoming shows right now but I’ll soon be on the search to perform again once Covid settles down.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
To put it vaguely, it’s a gift and a curse. It has given so many artists such as myself a platform to easily upload your music and get heard by hundreds without breaking the bank. But at the same time, it has diluted the industry a lot. So many people doing the same thing, not giving a chance for the real talent to be discovered since we sometimes get overshadowed by bad music.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Based on my first show, I loved performing my song Yellow Bone. I used it as an opener and got the crowd pumped! It’s raunchy but also a song you can dance to.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
I admire Eminem because I’ve learned so much about Rap/Hip-Hop from him. Truly a top tier Artist if I do say so myself.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Once when I was in high school, me and a couple of friends were playing man hunt (the grown up version of tag) and to try and escape from being caught, I found myself in the girls locker room. I was soon discovered by security guards and suspended from school for a few days. I still laugh about this till this day. Luckily, the locker room was empty at the time.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Never stop pushing. Even when it feels like no one is listening, keep going as if the room was filled with thousands of people.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I would change the fact that garbage music floods the internet and radio. To each their own but I wish there was a certain threshold you had to reach in skill and passion before your music can reach the masses. Like, have all music heard by the Hip-Hop Gods and they decide who moves forward and who doesn’t but everyone has an equal chance. This way, every single Artist would have an equal opportunity to shine. One can only dream, right?
What’s next for you?
Now that I finally released my God Eater EP, I will release a butt load of fun singles and collaborations without the pressure of releasing a project. I truly feel the rest of the year will be an exciting one for me with my music. Get excited and look forward to what’s coming because I WILL NOT BE STOPPED! Oh yea, I’m also hoping to perform again by the end of the year in New York City so be on the lookout for that too.
God Eater EP:
Dead Shoto’s new EP, God Eater, consists of four songs that are very different to each other. As always the four songs have some amazing, creative lyrics which are great to listen to. I have included the two youtube videos of my favourite songs below for easy listening. Dead Shot jokingly refers to Give Me Space as his Covid19 anthem as some of the lyrics in the song refer to lockdown and social distancing.
Music Monday Playlist:
You can now listen to Dead Shoto and all the previously featured Music Monday artist in a special playlist I have created on Spotify. If you like the playlist why not give it a follow!
Happy listening!
Over The Rainbow Blog 