Q: Being a huge fan of emo rap, I absolutely love this track! Lyrically, you delve into your emotions about how you want to live your life. What was the inspiration behind “Hate Myself”?
6ixexex: Definitely heartbreak, loneliness, and addiction. College was a difficult period for me. I had numerous medical and personal issues making the experience a nightmare. The track originates from a troubled relationship I had for multiple years that ended quite poorly. One that undoubtedly went on to shape future romantic encounters and my psyche as a whole.
Q: I see that you’ve been in the industry for 9 years. What first got you into music?
6ixexex: I first got into music when my brother took me to see Sonic Youth. After that I played along to old rock albums to learn stuff like bar chords, rhythm, and melody. I picked up Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, etc.
Q: Can you take me through your thought and writing process in making this track?
6ixexex: I usually pick several tracks/beats I’m interested in working on. I first recorded myself scatting to the song on my phone. These initial recordings are quite embarrassing as I’m just searching for interesting ideas. Once I find something I like I turn on my mic and hit record. The next takes borrow the melodic ideas I liked in my scratch version and gives them words (or tries to). It’s kinda like abstract painting where the painter throws random colors on a canvass and sees what works. Metaphorically speaking the scratch version provides me with random shapes/ideas to build from, while the actual takes gives form to said shapes/ideas creating the finished songs in the process. Basically I try to find my song in the process of molding my ideas from essentially a blank canvass.
Q: How is the music scene in Brooklyn?
6ixexex: Disenfranchised. Since quarantine hit most venues are shut down and the ones that aren’t are capable of filling to capacity. So unless you’re DaBaby level it’s pretty rough drawing a crowd.
Q: The beat is very ambient and catchy. Walk me through you production process on creating “Hate Myself”
6ixexex: “Hate Myself” was one of fifty songs I recorded on my iPhone. Just demos to beats I really vibe with, but one of my friends told me that he liked it a lot. Anyway I re-recorded it afterwards numerous times each time unsatisfied. I was looking for a shoegaze/noise rock type atmosphere. I ended up recording seven vocal takes and mixing them myself into a crazy soundscape. So yea….I wrote fifty songs… went crazy on the mixing because I had a specific vision. I must have mixed it over one hundred times before I got it right.
Q: If you could use three words to describe yourself, what would those words be?
6ixexex: Isolated, introspective, thoughtful
Q: If you had to choose to listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
6ixexex: Flower Boy by Tyler, the Creator
Q: What can your fans expect to see and hear from you in the near future?
6ixexex: More up-beat high energy songs. I love “Hate Myself” but I need to make some high soaring melodies with catchy choruses and crazy hooks.
Interviewed by Melissa Cusano
