Warhol.ss

Whats going on man, introduce yourself

Yo! My name is Warhol. I rap and make clothes. I currently attend Harold Washington College.

What’s the meaning behind the name Warhol?

Basquiat is my favorite artist of all time. Through learning the history of Basquiat, I started learning more and more about Warhol. The best thing about Warhol was that you couldn’t box Warhol in. Warhol always wanted to be remembered for creating timeless pieces. In my journey, I felt like I related to Warhol by wanting to create such timeless pieces. That’s why I considered to call myself Warhol

How was life like for you growing up?

Life was cool growing up. I come from a very artistic family. We grew up on 98^th and Woodlawn. My mom was a fashion designer and we had tons of sewing machines in the basement. My mom was the main reason I got into fashion and making clothes. Growing up I was into sports; I played baseball, football, and basketball. Sports were very fun, but music and art were the things that stood out most to me.

What sparked your interest in rap? When did you then begin to start taking rap seriously?

Rap was always what was playing in the house. It started with Outkast. Aquemini was the first album I heard front to back that moved me. After hearing that album, I was hooked on rap music. My mom would also play Lords Of The Underground albums. Other artists that we constantly listened to were Public Enemy, Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie. When I heard Thug Motivation 101 and The Streets Is Watching by Jeezy it really inspired me. My mom also loved playing Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.

I’d say around JR year of high school. I did not drop any music until the second semester of my SR year. Pro Era and Beast Coast really inspired me to start taking things more seriously. When I was 16, they were 18 and developing a huge following. I felt like I was able to do the same at a young age.

Over the past couple years Chicago’s hip hop scene has been standing out. Do you believe Chicago gets the credit we deserve?

-Who are some of your favorite Chicago artists out right now?

I don’t believe Chicago gets the credit. I feel this way because nobody wants other people to get their shine.

My favorites in Chicago are Joey Purp, Mick Jenkins, Supa, Martin $ky, and Semaj Roc.

What’s your connection with Atlanta?

My Sr year of high school I was living in Atlanta. That’s when I really started to see the music industry and that really motivated me to go as hard as possible. I met tons of people in Atlanta. Shoutouts to these guys who helped me out, Uncle Dan, Homie Uno, Swag Hollywood, Larry League, Westwood P, Fuc12, gvvan, two legend, nestle, Izzy Wish, and shoutout to everybody else I missed. In the one year I was in Atlanta, I received more love than my whole life growing up in Chicago.

What are some of the biggest differences between Chicago and Atlanta’s music scene?

I’d have to say that the biggest difference is support between the artists. Everybody you see on the 2015/2016 Freshman XXL cover from Atlanta are all friends. Everybody feels like they have to be a critic in Chicago. Nobody wants to listen to somebody new here.

How did you link up with your manager Stan? How has it been working with him?

I’ve known Stan for a long time now. When we first met I saw that he was running his own clothing line. At that point, I was realizing he was able to control things and felt like he would be able to help me and keep me motivated. We have a great connection. He also is my Dj.

Back in February you released an EP called “Watch”. How has the feedback been on that project?

-What was your favorite song from that ep?

Everyone seemed to really love that project. I believe a lot of people were not ready for that. I was coming at the game with a whole different wave. My favorite song from that project was Possible. That was my favorite song because it just had an inescapable feeling.

Since then, you haven’t stopped releasing music. Within the last 2 weeks you’ve dropped four songs. Are you looking to drop another project soon?

Not a project, no. I’m really just focusing on making hit records. I’m always in the studio working and putting out new songs. I’m not looking to save any hits. If I’m constantly making hit records, I’m going to stay consistent with dropping them.

You recently were performing at sxsw. How was that experience?

South By was a lot of fun. I wasn’t even supposed to go. I ended up playing a show with Levi Carter. For me to be performing at South By two years after watching my idols play it is an amazing feeling. I can’t wait to get back next year.

Outside of making music, what else do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy chess and basketball. Actually, funny story, I actually planned my music career on the chessboard. I strategically calculated each move and even played against myself because I knew there would be people trying to bring me down. I had to figure out ways to move past them.

How would you describe your writing process?

I tend to just write about what comes to me or the moods I face in life. Some songs are full on concept stories and others are just rap. It all depends.

How did you develop the relationship with Brentrambo?

Actually one of my friends Leak put me onto Brentrambo. We then began talking via email. He began to send me beats consistently for three months. What really got me into Brentrambo’s production was his song “Too Much Flip”. We ended up using that beat for my song “SpeedRacer”. Speedracer is currently the most played song out by me. It’s at 100,000 plays in four months. Also, superboof is close to hitting 20,000 listens in 8 days.