What kind of music do you make? I mostly make hip hop music but I like to dip into all the genres that interest me. You can usually find all types of music on my page or in my vault. I make music that’s real, whether its hype trap music or sad soft rock music, I like to make any music that fits the mood I am in. As long as its good music and I can vibe to it, I either have it locked inside my vault or its on my page or its in the works. I have a HUGE selection of influences but my biggest one would be Lil Wayne (besides my uncle of course), his versatility and longevity in the music industry always made me wanna push myself beyond my limits. I think my lyrics are probably my most important part of music, you can feel my lyrics, u can relate to them, and 99% of my lyrics are things I’ve been through and the other 1% of the is lyrics is just me speaking for the people I feel don’t have the voice to speak up for themselves. Its hard to describe it’s something you would have to experience honestly.
How old are you and when did you start creating music? I grew up around music, my uncle was an artist my whole life but I think I dabbled in music when i was like 17 and I stopped because I just didn’t think it was for me. I mean it was a fun hobby but I didn’t have that drive, that hunger. I really dove back into music a few months ago in August of 2019. Ever since then I just live in the studio and eat, sleep and dream music and melodies.
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? First and foremost i wanna secure the bag, I got kids and family I gotta take care of so of course I need the finances, but I really wanna travel and affect peoples lives. I wanna help other people realize they not alone and they’re not the only person who feels the way they do.
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? I definitely have a song that you would love in my playlist, so I hope you take the time to listen and hear it. I don’t really know what to tell you about me, I’m extremely transparent on beats.I lay everything I am out on the tracks, so I hope you all like the view!
What kind of music do you make? Hip hop music, I have used all types of instrumentals though and am also open to working with other genres in the future. I’d say the music I make is a direct reflection of my real true feelings and emotions! I don’t just hear a certain type of new trends like certain sounds or flows and switch my style up to try to fit in with what’s currently “hot” I go with whatever I’m feeling at the moment and go with it. Eminem is my favorite artist of all time and one of the reasons is because of how much he cares about music and perfecting his craft and I try to work on my music the same way. I’m pretty picky with beat selection so when I finally find one I love I listen to it over and over before even writing a word, I usually will come up with the hook first then write the verses and bridges around that. I’m always writing random bars but when I’m writing a song I start a new verse and only use pre written bars if they happen to go with the song and vibe.I’m always trying to expand my flows, word play and rhyme schemes and will listen to older songs I’ve done and ask myself if I think it’s better than the last. I admit I’m no professional engineer but I mix and master my own songs the best I can to get them sounding as professional as possible. I want the listeners to feel what I’m saying and actually listen to my lyrics not just bob their head to the beat and not care what I’m saying. I love when someone messages me complimenting my lyrics in the technical ways I mentioned and also when they just love the overall message and feel of the song! I basically want them to be impressed with my ability as a lyricist as well as an overall artist but just as importantly love the music and the feeling it gave them!
How old are you and when did you start creating music? I’m 33 and I started writing raps in high school when I would just freestyle with my friends at parties or whenever, we had some rap battles back in the day too haha. But I started to get serious and start recording full songs when I was like 26-27.
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? I want to gain a big enough supportive fan base and be able to make an honest living from music, I want to go on tour and get out there to places I haven’t been knowing that music is what brought me there. I don’t even care about being that famous as long as I believe in the music I’m making and my core fan base loves it! To have someone tell you that your music has inspired them and affected them in a great positive way is probably the best feeling though no matter what.
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? Know that with each and every word I say I thought about it, wrote it or could’ve rewrote it a few more times, recorded it and re recorded it until it was to me perfect. Know that my music is my real and genuine feelings mixed with some dark and crazy punchline bars. Also realize I probably spent days or weeks looking for that instrumental to fit the song, in addition to producing it myself and no matter how good or great it sounds I will try making my next one even better! I’m always working to improve as an artist and to put out the best stuff I can be totally proud of and happy to hear people love it!
What kind of music do you make? Art Rock – I’ve been told I sound like nobody else I’ve always been drawn to rock guitars over funky beats I think that’s pretty obvious in my songs. My subject matter is all over the map but most the time it’s just silly. I don’t take myself too serious but my music is definitely serious. I work hard every day and I’ve done it for a lot of years. I’ve worked in the music industry as a recording engineer, as a musician touring the country playing Top 40 to originals on the Sunset Strip, as a retail salesman of musical instruments, as studio consultant helping artists understand their systems, Cubase is my DAW I actually worked for Steinberg for 3 years as customer support technician. That gave me the knowledge of the inner workings of musical software and production techniques. You don’t need the best gear to make the best music. You just need a good work ethic If you take away anything know that my music is built from scratch no loops of other artists work
How old are you and when did you start creating music? When I was 5yrs old I played violin, then piano, guitar, and trombone throughout high school. A music major in college then on to the Grove School of Music were I studied jazz piano and arranging. It’s funny my music is not jazz but there are some jazz chords in there. I also want to say that just because I’ve had a lot of schooling doesn’t mean my music is better than or anyway more important than yours. Just expressing yourself in I hope a positive way is wonderful
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? Become a Mental Health Ambassador
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? I was born disabled, I cannot play sports so I gravitated towards music. Music was my sports and still is, you know like my Friday night poker, go out to the golf course swing the club a few times, take a snap from center, anybody that has a hobby knows what I’m talking about. You don’t play basketball because you think the Lakers are going to call you and tell you come on down. I play music because it’s a part of my being, my essence I’m not trying to get famous, I’m an artist I create regardless of recognition, praise or acceptance. I am a craftsman who studied and still studies, practice and complete the process. Now and then I do a little business, the music business is a business. As a human being I play music because I enjoy it. I believe that eventually if your stuff is worthy then someone will notice. Be happy for the small things!
What kind of music do you make? Altwave hiphop (dark/emo/angry/hype hiphop) The music that I make is one full of emotion. Which means that it is drawn from past and current situations and my inner struggles with the ordeal. When I think of what I want the listener to pull from it, I want them to relate it to what hardship and struggle that they have and use it as motivation or a learning experience. To know they’re not alone and that they will always have a home within my family and music. My influences range from artists like Denzel Curry & XXXtentacion to Devil Wears Prada & Korn
How old are you and when did you start creating music? I am 27 years old and started creating when I was 22
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? My goals are to create a movement within my own little motive with my Skullsquad. I want to create jobs for those close to me and my community and have a way to help those less fortunate than myself with an uplifting message and a strong sense of unity.
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? That every song that I make is something that I’ve thought deeply about. Something that has shook my entire soul. Something I’ve lost sleep over and that there are ups and downs and that’s ok, but to take each experience one step at a time and know that through the ups and downs the good and bad that we’re not alone. We all experience these things and if they need someone to share them with I’m right here waiting.
What kind of music do you make? Pop/Rock/Indie/Alternative. I feel my music displays a spirit of independence and encourages individuals to seek their own independence. My influences are Linkin Park, EDM, and Pop Music.
How old are you and when did you start creating music? I am 42 and I started creating music when I was 18 years old.
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? I would like to make a living on songwriting and I would like to perform live.
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? I would like them to know that I seek originality and I hope that it is conveyed through my music.
What kind of music do you make? Rap, R&B acoustic and pop. The music I make is very close to my heart. I like more acoustic guitar beats rather than the new age trap. I learn alot from each piece of music even if it’s local music. With that being said, Drake, Russ and A Boogie are my 3 biggest influences. The process I have is more of a feeling I bring to the pen, notepad ect… I write about my feelings in that very moment because my best work has come from my feelings. Finally I want people to relate and be able to bring positivity to their lives when they listen to my music. There’s nothing I love more than making people happy and music plays a big part in that.
How old are you and when did you start creating music? I’m currently 18 years old…I made my first ever studio song when I was 17 but I’ve been singing and freestyling my whole life.
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? I want to be able to support my family while doing the things I love the most. Its always about music to me .
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? Every piece I do is for the love of music. I won’t ever quit. I’ll be making music until the day I die. No matter how much I’ve succeeded.
What kind of music do you make? A mix of rock, punk, alternative, indie and old school heavy metal. F&S : We make fuzzed up, noisy, energetic music for people who like their music loud. Influences include Royal Blood, IDLES, Miles Kane, The Ramones, Joy Division, Motorhead and Black Sabbath. Working as a two piece songs are jammed up quickly but with a lot of thought into how the parts should go together to make the songs. We would like people to take the same sense of fun and enjoyment from our music that we do making it. But also appreciate the funny and occasionally dark lyrical content.
How old are you and when did you start creating music? Fuzzrex: 39 and …. I started creating music at about 14 or 15 shortly after learning to play guitar and bass. Steve : 56 … played guitar from about the age of 14 , got into drums seriously only 3-4 years ago , creating music seriously only 3 years ago.
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? Fuzzrex: To learn more about the creative process that goes into making music, play lots of gigs, get other people excited about our music, to have fun and just enjoy the ride. Steve: Play lots of gigs and get people excited about the Fuzz sound!
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? F&S: We are Fuzzasaurus and we aim to be the loudest two piece this side of 65 million years B.C.
Find them on IG: @FuzzasaurusBand Twitter: @FuzzasaurusB
What kind of music do you make? I make electronic music. I make everything from house to future-bass, to synthwave to mid-tempo but my favorite genre is dubstep. scary monsters and nice sprites by Skrillex is what got me into dubstep, and made me want to produce. My favorite thing about producing is sound design and with dubstep
How old are you and when did you start creating music? 22, I started producing for fun when I was 16, and then started producing everyday by 18.
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? My goal is to play a music festival, like hard summer or EDC
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? I have a album coming out 4/20/20 called Aliens.
Dutch Schultz of Strictly Bidness is a Rapper who was born and raised in New York during the early 80’s. He moved to Connecticut in 2002 and was not aware that Connecticut had a gold mind of talent when it comes to Hip Hop and Rap. This soon changed as he went from a struggling small business owner to a power house in the Connecticut rap scene.
“When I first moved here, my main rap radio station was 97.1 in New York but in Connecticut the station is Hot 93.7. At the time, the music they played was not appropriate for the region, in my opinion. 30 minutes from the City and all we got was music from the south or mid-west which was okay but it’s not like today, if you lived in New York you were a fan of New York rap. If you lived in Cali you a fan of Cali rap etc.” Explains Dutch. “so I didn’t really listen to the local rap station like that.”
From 2002 to 2008 Dutch was dealing with life issues and found himself building a small business from nothing, while trying to keep out of trouble. This lasted until 2012 when he reconnected with a old friends son, who was dealing with a lot of issues in the streets.
“My mind was like, okay, this kid needs some help and he had a real talent for rapping. I been rapping since a kid so why not manage him right?” Dutch continues, ” so I spent my money on studio time, music videos, photo shoots, shows, clothes, jewelry and we were off to the races.”
Things got complicated right away, the artist Murda Blanco , insisted that Dutch manage his friends too. Dutch agreed to manage the group not knowing this was a mistake.
“I had no experience managing artist but I had experience managing a small business. My approach was the same. I focused on creating content, they focused on becoming famous, so next thing I know we busy chasing social media fame instead of building our music catalog.”
They were able to create a few music videos in a short amount of time, Feel My Pain and Beast Mode, a mixtape called Lyrikal Krack featuring some of New Britain Connecticuts hottest talent.
“Rap wise we had a recipe for success, the issue we faced was a lot of unprofessional business dealings that weren’t really business related.” Explains Dutch, “Jealousy over nothing and people trying to conduct business with no budget or real power to make things happen. It’s pretty frustrating cause the talent was there.”
Dutch continued learning more about management through trial and error and early in his career he experienced participating in Showcases/Open Mics throughout the state. The lack of unity in hip hop frustrated him even though he was very capable of holding his own in uncomfortable situations.
Dutch noticed that the showcases were not providing that much support for artist. The process normally went like this:
You call a promoter or organizer, ask how much for a slot.
You show up to the bar or club, pay admission in some cases, pay a slot fee.
Sit around waiting for your turn to perform.
Perform
Go Home
The issue was people who organized shows would claim they were doing so much for the scene and doing so much for artist when they weren’t doing that much for the individual artist like they said they were.
“Don’t say you are helping people when you do not talk to them or interact with them before, during or after the show. What are you doing to help the artist?” Asks Dutch, “Something had to change.”
September 1st 2017 Dutch Schultz hosted his first showcase called CT Indie Fest , highlighting the diverse talent that Connecticut had to offer at the time. His mission was to give artist something they never got at rap shows, real professional support and services.
Artist would pay a slot fee to participate in the show but they got additional services beside the performance opportunity and they got tickets they could sell to recoup their investment.
“A lot of shows would give artist tickets but we followed up with online support which helped the artist stay focused on a common goal. It was a really cool thing to see.” Remembers Dutch. “I went all over the state talking to artist and coordinating different services that we could use to help the artist create content they could use for promotion and their press kit.”
Dutch continued explaining that most artist had to hire their own photographer to get pictures and video footage of their performances, so Dutch hired a photographer. He also provided the artist a opportunity to get interviewed at the event.
“This format was duplicated, so in 2020 its normal to see showcases incorporate these services automatically in their shows. We raised the bar when it comes to what artist should get from the showcase experience.” Dutch said.
Dutch was offered the opportunity to do weekly open mics at Grand Pizza in New Britain which he happily accepted until he realized something that really bothered him.
“They were nothing more then showcases really, after we did this for a month or so I decided to get away from one venue and we took our showcases to other cities and towns. 2017 to early 2018 we were doing shows in New Britain, Meriden, New Haven, West Haven, Waterbury, Hartford, Bridgeport and New London. Using nothing more than Facebook and my ability to find and solicit rappers to perform.” Explains Dutch.
This is when Dutch started noticing that rappers would ask him to manage them and he started working with a select few artist to headline these showcases while looking for additional opportunities.
“The messed up thing about the showcases is that a lot of the artist I would get to perform would later create their own showcase circuits and try to go against mine not knowing my goal wasn’t to compete but build. It happened all over the place and it got to the point where it didn’t make sense to work with bars and clubs anymore because they weren’t interested in building the scene or helping artist, their interested in making money.” Said Dutch.
Using the headliner method Dutch was able to help the artist he highlighted get attention and build impressive resumes that would help him establish Strictly Bidness as a solid movement.
Using the local scene he helped a few artist get involved in the college scene as well as connect with more experienced artist and management companies. This was a big deal, the ability to help artist get seen by the right people was slowly becoming part of Dutch Schultz reputation.
September 1st, 2018, exactly one year from CT Indie Fest, Dutch Schultz was on his way to Atlanta to perform at two private events. His showcases got the attention of a local management group who referred Dutch to one of their contacts in Atlanta. This is when Dutch was introduced to Black Child of Murder Inc along with organizers of the Force Music Conference and A3C Festival .
“It was life changing, once I left Connecticut I got a better understanding on what I needed to do when it came to working with Artist. I went back to Connecticut with the hopes of putting artist on big stages in front of major headliners. I needed to use all my experience to get hired by other companies so I could get the opportunity to do this.”
“My team and I would connect with artist and help them sign up to compete in their showcases, which was something I was very proud of. For the first time in Connecticut’s history of rap shows, artist had a way to get on the big stages without having to pay thousands of dollars to get their shot.” Dutch Continued, “This wasn’t something that was handed to them, but if you were a working artist who understood the dynamic of promotion and sales, you could make it happen.”
Dutch also re-branded his showcase circuit around this time calling it Strictly Bidness Presents School of Rap and highlighted that it was a LEVEL 1 showcase series which he explains is entry level.
Artist were given a opportunity to sell tickets in exchange for performance opportunities and management services. Dutch also used his showcases to scout talent for up coming Concert Crave showcases with advice that would help artist get the most from the entire experience.
Working with Dutch, rappers had a opportunity to participate in a local showcase, a regional competition and open for headliners based on real talent and effort.
“No one was pointing at artist and saying, You, I want you to perform in front of 1,000 people in 3 months, and actually do it. I did. I didn’t ask for anyone to pay me on the side or pay me additional fee’s to get these opportunities and I gave them real guidance to help them get to that big stage.” Said Dutch.
Connecticut is a small market and only has a handful of booking agents, venues that can hold large amounts of people and promoters, so when Dutch started opening up these opportunities it forced them to change their tactics.
“Most the big dogs are little dogs with titles.” Dutch continued, ” these guys are clowns in my opinion. You pay a headliner for a walk through and tell the local artist to pay $1500 to $3000 for slots, no way to make money selling tickets and no way to get anything more than 10 minutes in front of a crowd. They wouldn’t even offer you a chance to sell merch. These guys wouldn’t look you in the eye and they never managed the shows, they were just there. Connecticut rappers still kiss up to these guys not knowing that most of them couldn’t move a snowflake in a blizzard.”
As 2019 came to a close Dutch made the decision to resign from Concert Crave and go his own way.
“It got old. Concert Crave didn’t give me much but a email address. I used my own resources to get around and when they were not doing shows in Connecticut I was asked to help recruit talent in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania too. I was clearly a asset but the direction they were going and how they worked with me didn’t rub me the right way so I ended our relationship.”
This is where Dutch gets serious about the future of Strictly Bidness and why he is no longer interested in being a part of the Connecticut Rap scene.
“I am a native CT resident who was born and raised in New York during the golden era of rap. The scene thinks it’s bigger than it is. I’m tired of pretending small fish are big fish and this is a big market when it isn’t. The definition of success is determined on social media vs. the bank account and people use their success to mock you or insult you instead of build or allow you to hire them. I can’t even hire a promoter in Connecticut to do promotional work unless it’s something that is catered to them. Think about that. I saw out of state companies hire and use local artist, promoters, photographers, venues to put artist like Lil Tjay, Lil Mosey, Dave East and even Juice World on…. so why couldn’t we do that on a local level? You have small victories, like in New Britain and in New Haven and Bridgeport, but they aren’t united movements. All and all they level off and decline in popularity.” Dutch Explains, “so when you ask me what Connecticut needs when it comes to unity it’s the same as it always been but Human nature will kill it. Someones greed or mismanagement or lack of understanding will destroy the momentum of any serious run for New England talent. Everyone wants to be the boss but no one want’s to pay the cost.”
Strictly Bidness will continue to promote content to help artist learn how to start their music career and offer artist development performance opportunities but that’s where it ends for now.
“We did our part. Rappers share each others content, showcases promote services that artist can really use and you see promoters giving artist the chance to make it big in the scene with little or no money down, which is good, but I’m focused on Music Network 1063 and my own music.”
When asked about the future, Dutch had one thing to say…. Stay Tuned.
What kind of music do you make? Hip Hop Trap Rap R&B all styles and genres… I luv music – I say i make music for the vibe…I like…want everyone to be able to relate to it.Even possibly help them through rough times like music has done for me in every way. My majority of influence rn is Future, T.I. Gucci, Gotti, Money Bagg Yo and more. My process ain’t like others… I don’t come up with songs, songs pick me. After sifting through beats fyi which doesn’t take long at all… One grabs me, hook and all da words. Its just what’s inside of me coming out you know… positivity equality and sustenance to be held by the words even uplifted if you will at the same time enjoying yourself
How old are you and when did you start creating music? I started creating music in 2000 when I did my first song “Tip Your Glass Up” only locally never hit major platforms …they wasn’t big yet anyway so it wasn’t so easy now days its $$$$$ dats key to our dream in music YOUNG THUG GRABBED LIL BABY NBA GRANDPA LOOKED OUT 4 HIM ITS KINDA HARD TO BE MASTER P …NIP DID IT DEN LOOK HOW DA HOOD DID HIM… DIRTY RIP NIP CUH
What are your goals when it comes to your music career? To be the one that everyone wants to hear even when I’m not on the radio spins across the world you know… REACH the youth under me and try to steering them inna different direction 1 cant do it but 1 can try you know
What do you want the reader to know about you and your music? If I’m ever given the opportunity to have studio time to just burn im gone drop so many of my completed work and so much new $#@* that i wont have no choice but to be heard and if you follow my music I’ll become 1 of your favorites I PROMISE
IG: @OcmgTrvpp Twitter: @OcmgBojae
Find him on IG and Twitter: @Scott_Free973
Find him on Twitter and IG: @ZackKirkorian
Twitter: @Commusic860 IG:@Officialchrismedina
Twitter: @247Chris26 IG: @Slug_Da_Go2Guy
Music Blog - Reviews & More 