Son Of Saturn Interview
Check out our exclusive interview with Son Of Saturn.
I2G is here with Son Of Saturn, how’s it going?
Peace! Thank you for doing this interview. I’m doing great, feeling energized by the renewal of spring. We decided to drop this ep on the equinox, in harmony with the cyclical rebirth of nature. Two Eastern Bluebirds have been playing outside my window all morning, reminding me that it’s time to shed the skin of the previous year and emerge from my hermitage. I always thought we should celebrate the new year on the equinox instead of in the dead of winter.
Tell me a little bit about your start in music and who are some of your musical influences.
I got into graffiti before I started rapping. We would skip school and go paint, and a bunch of my writer homies would spit freestyles so one day I just started joining in. This was ’96, in KCMO. I had just moved back from Fresno, CA and met Emad Saad who had recently moved from Queens, NY. He made beats, and had a little makeshift studio set up in his mom’s kitchen. A bunch of us would pile in there, and we started making songs. I traded some herb for an old Tascam 4-track in ’99, racked a mic from Radio Shack and learned how to record myself. It became a big part of my life, and has been ever since.
Coming from Cali in the early 90’s, I was listening to a lot of Aceyalone & Myka9, ATU, Heirolyphics, SoulSides, The Grouch, etc. I think it was 1993 when I first heard EPMD. The first Wu-Tang and Gravediggaz records came out and I was hooked, it was so raw and had a certain darkness to it that I gravitated towards. Nas, Gangstarr, BCC, KRS1, KMD, Juggaknots were all in heavy rotation in my headphones as a teenager, and a huge influence on me as an emcee.
You just recently dropped your new album, Seppuku. Tell me a little bit about how the project came together for you and White Shadow.
Shadow and I have been working together for nearly fifteen years. He would hook me up with beats and cuts for my projects, and I would record tracks for his from time to time, but we never got around to doing a full project together until Seppuku. Shadow is an OG, a dear friend, and a legend in underground hip hop, so when I decided to finally retire the Son of Saturn name I reached out to him about the project. He surprised me with a beatpack a few weeks later and we got to work. Everything just clicked, the whole process seemed relatively effortless, we just synchronized and rode the creative wave until it was done. It took us about three or four months to do everything.
Do you have any other Mixtapes or albums set to drop?
After this release I am taking a few months off to focus on my family. I get caught up in this shit, and it’s important for me to take time between projects to wash off the digital world and find my balance. When I return it will be under a new moniker, Tenzo. Tenzo is the title given to the monk who prepares meals for the other monks at a Zen Temple.
When I return, I have a couple of projects lined up. The first release will be another seven track EP produced entirely by Lord Gamma, followed by another project produced by Sponatola.
Do you have any more upcoming videos or singles?
Not at this time.
What are your current thoughts on the music industry?
Fuck the music industry. Not unlike the governments of the world, any institution whose lifeblood is money has become corrupted and broken. Just as AI algorithms use fear, hate, and greed to keep people engaged on social apps, the rap industry uses violence, wealth, materialism, lust, and ego to keep people listening to what they’re being fed. This is by design, and yet another form of oppression and control. Why is it that the most talented and innovative artists aren’t the ones selling millions of records? Simple. Because real artists with integrity aren’t willing to play ball, and do the song and dance for the labels, and the labels know that. They package and sell a toxic fantasy. Real art happens outside the modalities of money and notoriety. Hip Hop will always exist and flourish in the underground. Unfortunately, the illest producers and emcees I know still work a job to pay the bills.
What is currently playing on your playlist musically?
I listen to a lot of different things. Been fucking with UK Hip Hop pretty heavy for the last few years. Names that come to mind are Kojey Radical, Jam Baxter, Babylon Dead, and anything Illinformed produces. Just looking at my most recent playlist here, and a few names shine out: Yugen Blakrok, Cambatta, Boxguts, Daniel Son, Silkroad Gunmen, 7Rinth, Grand Tapestry, Lowkey. I also listen to a lot of Reggae.
Do you have any shows or tour dates?
Nah, I don’t perform anymore.
What is your website information?
https://sonofsaturn.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/saturnsbastardson/
https://www.instagram.com/sonofsaturndied/
Appreciate the interview, any last words or shout outs?
Yeah, much love for this. I appreciate you reaching out. First and foremost a shout to my family, my beautiful wife and partner in this strange journey, who has been the only woman who ever fully supported me as an artist, and continues to hold me down in every way. She is my lighthouse in the darkness. My son, who has changed the trajectory of my life in all the positive ways I was never able to for myself. He is my teacher. Shouts to my wise mother, my brother Anbessa, always blades ready, and my tattoo family at Emerald Buddha. You are my foundation.
Massive shouts to Apakalypse and the whole ESF army, and to Guerrilla Republik for holding me down since day one. Peace, love, and gratitude to everyone who has supported the music and encouraged me to keep going for all these years. I am your servant.
Free Palestine.
