SHOKI Interview
SHOKI Stops by for a interview and he is in FIRSTPLACE! Read Below!
Rene Ramirez X Shoki
Hard Beats and shit that make you wanna mosh pit is what you’ll get. Shoki is apart of the wave of producers who produce the hardest beats that we may have ever heard. Except he is making his own wave with the styles and sounds that we hear. He is up next when it comes to producers coming up and you shouldn’t sleep on him because he is in FIRSTPLACE!
Introduce Yourself
I am Shoki/Orion I'm from Decatur, Alabama but now live in Atlanta, GA to take my music career to the next level. I started making music about 2 and half years ago.
How did you get the name YungShoki, and what inspired the name?
I got the name Shoki from researching Japanese Gods, I've always been interested in Japanese culture so seeing that Shoki was the protector against evil spirits to the Japanese, that really just resonated with me alot and I loved that name.
Do you have any inspirations or anyone that you look up to and why?
I wouldn't necessarily say I have really big inspirations or anything, but there are a lot of producers I love hearing music from and love their style, such as ChaseTheMoney, Southside, etc. I always love hearing new styles in music and love creating my own sound based off the combination of different styles.
You know, From what I see on social; media. It seems as if every producer works differently, But how do you work in the studio? What are some processes that go on behind closed doors?
I like to (unlike a lot of producers) stay completely sober while making beats. I feel like I am always the most creative when I am fully in control of my mind and my thoughts, so I don't like to partake in anything usually when I'm making music. I like to be alone in the studio or being one on one with the artist or other producer I'm working with. The less people in the studio, the more creative and focused I can be.
You have gotten some pretty big placements on some albums like producing 'V12" for comethazine. How did that song come along? and how did working with comethazine come along?
I simply emailed the beat to his email and saw a snippet of V12 a few months later. It was about a week before the album and I didn't even know I had a song on Bawskee. We just continued working after that and have made plenty of music since then.
Do you and comethazine got any more music that no one knows about?
We have a few unreleased songs, I don't know if they will see the light of day, but hopefully we will have some more good music to provide to the fans and continue working together because I feel like we have a really good sound.
Besides that man, When it comes to beats, What do you look for when it comes to sounds? Do you sample or do you like to create your own sounds? and if you do sample, do you like to sample from video games / anime?
I don't really sample all that much to be honest, I usually like creating my own melodies from weird random sounds or like collaborating with other producers. When I do sample, I like to use old soul samples or jazz samples. I feel like you can make some really amazing music with samples from that genre.
How has making music impacted your life? Can you see yourself doing anything different at this exact time that your reading this?
Music has changed my life forever. I never thought I would be able to make a living off music or meet the people I have met through music thus far. I love music, although sometimes it can be very detrimental to my mental health, I do not see myself doing anything else. I want to continue to be able to make music forever and make timeless music. I have been on the billboard 3 times already in the last year and do not plan on slowing down at all.
But with this success on making it on the billboard, How are you going to keep this going in terms of continuing to be a producer that is destined for success?
The goal to being a successful producer is to not have a generic spot where you feel successful. You can not get comfortable in music, so I do not feel like there is any necessary spot where one can start feeling "real success." Success is what you deem it as, and most producers don't seem to get that, as they compare themselves to other producers.
Do you have any advice for producers who may seem like giving up or may have a hard time trying to find their own sound?
Do not give up. Yes, music is not easy. But I feel like if you want it enough, it will be worth all the stuff you go through for it. There have been plenty times where I felt as if I wanted to quit or stop. But I didn't, and every time I didn't quit something good came my way. So keep your head up, and work as hard as you can.
Do you have any other hobbies that you enjoy? any other talents besides producing?
I like to play video games and hangout with friends, I'm a pretty normal person. But I used to play CS:GO semi-pro for a short while but stopped to actually start producing. Which I'm glad I did, I've fallen in love with music ever since then.
So whats next? Any other collabs that we should know about or be hyped about?
I don't really like to put what I'm doing out there that much, but just know that I have lots of big things coming this upcoming year and I don't plan on slowing down at all.
Any last parting words for the readers?
Shoutout to all my friends I've made through music production, and to any producer or person reading this at all, don't ever give up on your dreams.