Bro!!!! I would personally like to thank you for rocking with our BLOG and most importantly pushing dope real Hip Hop! The Bay-Area is personally very influential for me (me being an LA kid), being a huge fan of Dre Dog/Andre & Equipto and others cut from that cloth! That being said, listening to you definitely brings me back to those great years back in the day! Let me ask you how long have you been a Hip Hop artist? What specific area are you from? Alos, how did you get you emcee name?
It’s been a pleasure rocking with y’all. I’ve always felt UGHHBlog had been such a solid blog and one of the few that’s still accessible to the underground community that’s still really underground.
I’ve only been rapping for about 13 years total but I’ve only really taken my career seriously for about 4-5 years. Growing up in Berkeley, I went to Berkeley High and happened to go to school with G-Eazy. Seeing how hard he worked and seeing make it made me feel it was possible. I know he gets a lot of hate from the heads in the hip hop community but I probably wouldn’t be rapping today if it wasn’t for him.
Regarding my name, I chose the name Watzreal to be accountable to myself because I knew it’d be tempting to fabricate my story in order to make my music more, “mainstream.” Watzreal is a promise to myself and to my fans that’ll always be real to who I truly am and be as authentic as possible.
Its funny how when I first heard you, I instantly knew you were from the Bay!” Bay Area Hip Hop has always gave off a certain style and sound of Hip Hop! Help me figure that out!? Is this something you can relate too? How has your area influenced your sound, or maybe us real Hip Hop heads are just trippin…LOL
Lol you hip hop heads ain’t tripping. I think there’s a certain smoothness in our flow that comes from the fact that people are a lot more laid back in the Bay Area compared to people in places like LA and New York. There’s also not as many, “big artists, from the Bay Area so I feel like a lot us grow up listening to a lot of the same local music from artists like E-40, Too $hort, Mac Dre, Mistah Fab, Zion I, Hiero which influenced our styles.
We notice your style is super original and very creative. Let us know how your style if different than all the rap artists out there!
In terms of my style it can be hard for me to pinpoint because I try to always challenge myself to try something different. I’d say what’s consistent is focusing on lyrical content and speaking from a place of emotional honesty while making positive music. My music is my therapy. I’m always in my own mind and have a hard time telling people about when struggling or feeling depressed unless it’s through music. My musics the only thing that keeps from imploding on myself. I don’t what I’d do without it.
Bro, you new album is absolute FIRE in my book!!! Please breakdown the creative process behind “Itz All Love”…
All the internal dialogue is what lead to my latest release, “Itz All Love.” I had a relationship end unfavorably and this album allowed me to process my emotions and what I went through from begging to end. But I didn’t want to make a traditional love album or breakup album where I was just complaining about her and making her seem like the villain in the relationship. I wanted to show i understood her perspective and struggles while acknowledging my own . And while things didn’t work out, I wanted to know there’s no hard feeling and that, “Itz All Love.”
How does social media playing a role in your success? How are fans/supporters helping your movement?
Social media’s been huge for me! I set up a lot of my tours through Facebook by simply asking if someone could help me with a show in different areas. Since I already had a good amount of traction, and at the time was able to trade off shows for people, I was able to put things together incredibly fast. It’s also been incredibly useful to stay in touch with my fans.
With this being an underground hip hop site, we always ask this important question. What is your definition of “underground hip hop”?
I feel like underground hip hop is really independent hip hop. Independent from labels, rules, and restrictions that generally waters down the final product when you listen to something mainstream. Underground hip hop is generally pure and honest. People confuse popular music for good music, but to me, the best music is almost always underground!
Where can people find you on the Internet? Drop all the vital links.
You can find me on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/watzreal
IG & Twitter @WatzrealTheHapa
Facebook https://m.facebook.com/watzrealofficial
And find merchandise Watzreal.BigCartel.com
Lastly, and shout out?
Shout out to my Grandma and the rest of my family. Shout to the homies at BRL (Beats Rhymes And Life), ROTC (Return Of The Cypher), HH4C (Hip Hop For Change), the homie Unlearn The World who recorded the last two albums and mentored me through the process , the homie Zeke for mixing and mastering everything down to sound professional and for producing 1/3 of the album and all the fans that’d had my back. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the fans. And lastly shout to to the Bay Area. I wouldn’t be me without the Bay.
Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com