revisitingearth is Proof the Underground Still Runs the Future

It’s a bit of an older song, but on your song “Ounce,” with untiljapan, you used a crazy sample by Hiromasa Suzuki called “High-Flying.” How deep do you usually go with your digging for samples, and is there a certain genre you usually like to look into for samples?

That is a good question. I would say I try to go as deep as possible. I’m a big believer in using as niche samples as you could find. Right now there’s a resurgence of people sampling songs that aren't even a decade old which is cool, but I personally find more soul in samples that are further away from the present date. But yeah, I really do take the time to dig, and it’s something that I really care about. It’s not even that I intentionally look for older samples, but it tends to be that older samples have a sound that naturally aligns with my soul. In my opinion, the 70s, 80s are the golden era for sampleable music. For that sample specifically, I believe I was searching up Japanese jazz samples. I’ve always loved the sound of Japanese Jazz; it’s very expensive and elegant sounding.

Bouncing off of that, would you say you usually look to make more ethereal sounding beats with a lot of atmosphere?

Honestly, not really. I have for sure been inspired by people who make that type of sound, but I understood that if I wanted to grow into my own as an artist, I would have to carve out a slightly different lane. I love making more spacey, ambient type stuff, but I do feel like my stuff can tend to be a little bit more full, because I don’t want to sound too much like anybody else.

You came up in Atlanta and definitely must have taken a lot of inspiration from the rap scene there, but are any other music genres that influence your producing style, or do you feel that you just make whatever’s on your mind?

Before I even started producing, as a kid one of the biggest influences was EDM trap remixes. I remember being on Vine and watching these sports edits with these crazy EDM tracks in the back. I was listening to the buildups and the drops: I was mind blown at the sound design and had never heard anything like it. That sparked that curiosity in me: how do they make this? That’s when I found out about FL and started making my own stuff. So I’d say earlier EDM, was a big influence, then I got into the whole Florida and Atlanta underground scene in 2016. That’s when I got into X, Carti, Uno, Ski Mask, Denzel Curry, Smokepurpp, Lil Pump. I loved how radical they were at the time and that was really inspiring to me.

Would you ever want to branch out into a different genre or just stick mostly with rap?

I 150 percent do want to branch out. I would honestly be disappointed in myself if I didn’t challenge myself to see how far my sound could go. I love the underground, but I want to prove to myself that my ability can translate to any stage or genre. When I was really little, I wanted to play the drums, but my parents were like “nah, it would make too much noise.” I feel like if I went that route, it’s likely I’d be in a band or something. Thankfully, they didn’t buy me a drum set because if they did, I feel like I wouldn’t have gotten into producing. But I do love the idea of being in a band. I like to make most of my music by myself, but one of my favorite parts of music is collaborating with others. When you’re in a band, you have no choice but to collaborate—everyone is specialized in their own unique way and everyone has a job to do. I love that aspect. Whether I join a jazz band, rock band, I don't know, but I would love to somehow contribute to or be in a band.

What would you say is the most defining part of your production? Would you say you take a lot of pride in your drums, your samples, or your overall melodies?

Honestly, I would say the biggest aspect of my production is the “organic-ness” of it all. When I first began making beats, my goal was to make each beat unlike the last one, and unlike anything I’d ever made before. That forced me to use sounds that I never would have thought would work, and I felt like I was constantly challenging what I believed to be true about my creative process. While it can be “harder” to have that approach to how you create, I believe it sharpened me. So when I sit down at that laptop, I’m erasing the past, erasing the future, and allowing myself to be present to make something that I, myself, can’t even comprehend; Something that’s not boxed in by my mind. I turn my mind off, and I feel like that’s where my sound comes from.

Who would you say are the people that you look up to as the greats?

I want to say a lot of the 808 Mafia people—they’re so influential. TM88, Southside. Another person not in 808 Mafia is Pi’erre Bourne. One thing they all have in common is that their drum work is super refined. They know what is necessary, they know what isn’t necessary, and they act accordingly.

You and untiljapan have been tapped in for a while and have a lot of official releases. How would you say it is working with him and how did you two initially connect?

We met in 2022. I posted a beat, and he DM’d me asking to use it. I had no idea who he was. He gets on the beat, sends the song back, and I’m listening to it, and I’m like, man, this guy has something. There’s this intangible factor. If you’re a tastemaker, if you’re a curator, you can discern when you’re listening to someone who’s got it—you just hear it. It’s like this X factor. That’s what I heard from him. I was instantly drawn to his sound. It worked out because both of us were very compatible in terms of our styles and our sounds.

How does it feel seeing that there are producers out there that are making type beats with your name and posting them on YouTube?

It’s definitely a sign that I’m doing something right. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. I view my work to be devotional to a degree. I would not be where I am if I didn't have all the people that inspired me. There’s a cyclical nature to the music scene: someone sparks a sound or a movement, fans catch that energy and start creating themselves, and eventually they become the ones lighting the way for the next generation. Seeing people make type beats using my name is a surreal part of that cycle. It reminds me that the same inspiration that once pushed me forward is now moving through someone else. More than anything, it feels like a full-circle moment — like I’m contributing to the same creative community that once poured so much into me.

Did you ever see yourself in this position when you were younger or did you expect this?

Some things I could entertain the possibility of happening. There’s other things that I never could have seen happening. When I started making beats, my goal never was to blow up. It was never to be this big name. It was simply to understand the craft. I was insanely curious. I just wanted to know how it was done.

How has it been seeing yourself going from a super underground name to getting bigger placements? It feels like a privilege. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come. I take pride in my work and how far I’ve come, and it allows me to keep going.

It’s unreal. It fills me with joy to know that at least once every single day, someone is listening to my music and it’s putting a smile on their face, giving them no choice but to bob their head, blessing them with a stank face. The thought of that gets me through the day.

Have there been any challenges that you didn’t think of when you were first starting?

There’s so much stuff I had no idea would even be an obstacle before I was introduced to the industry. Before I had any placements, my idea of the music industry was innocent—optimistic, hopeful. But very quickly, I learned it’s cutthroat, and you’re ultimately the only one looking after yourself. You’re the only one truly with yourself in your best interest. The biggest obstacle was not letting the things that I thought would be different about the industry affect my love for the art. For many producers, a major struggle we face is not letting everything outside of our craft mess up our craft.

Where do you see rap going in the future? Numbers wise, it’s been falling off since its peak about a decade ago, but do you feel that you and everyone else in the current underground scene can bring it back to the mainstream?

One, I think it’s important for people like me and other people who have a platform in the scene to not even think about that, and to create from a place of ignorance towards what’s going on in terms of the genre’s success. At the same time, I do believe hip-hop/rap as a whole—what is accepted—is being blown open. I don’t even know what to call it anymore, because there’s certain stuff you hear nowadays that’s gaining attention, and you’re like, is this even rap? There are so many artists challenging the status quo, challenging what rap music can be defined as, and that’s amazing. Off of that alone, I feel like there’s hope for the scene—the fact that you can pretty much make whatever nowadays and it can have influence and it can be loved and accepted. Whether or not rap returns to the mainstream or not, I’m not concerned with. I love the fact that rap has arrived at a place where anyone can express anything and reap the benefits of that. Ten years ago it wasn’t like that. There was more of a distinct sound that people were striving to make. Now, people are just striving. A lot of people still make music trying to please everybody, that’s always gonna exist. But I love how a lot of artists right now are just making whatever feels true to them. You can hear that freedom in the music, and I really respect it. And even with music I don’t like, I still respect that they’re doing the damn thing. You have to accept everything going on around you.

What would your dream collaboration be in music?

That’s honestly not something I think about a whole lot. What first came to mind is Coldplay. I would love to work with Coldplay in some way, shape, or form one day. And there’s this girl named Ella Woolsey. She’s an up-and-coming alternative artist, I really want to work with her.

Why Coldplay?

I really like Chris Martin as a vocalist. I love vocalists who prioritize emotion and character over just being 'technically perfect’ . For example, Kanye. No one really says that Kanye is a great singer, yet we still love to hear him sing and you can feel the soul in the delivery. Chris Martin has that same quality, it’s more about the feeling he captures.

Are there lanes other than music that you would like to pursue, like how you've modeled in the past?

We will see what the future has in store. For now, I’m definitely continuing with music. This year marks the 10th year that I’ve been—I wouldn’t say producing—but I got into FL in 2016. Since then, never stopped.