After releasing his debut album, BALLING OUT OF SPITE, this past July, LA-based rapper and producer ZAYALLCAPS is already at work on the next project.
“I’m gonna end the year with an experimental RnB album,” he says. “And a rap project I have in January. It’s more straightforward than the album I just put out.” But none of ZAYALLCAPS’ ambitions are necessarily straightforward. “I like to look at it as me always doing what I wanna do. If that’s hip hop then it’s hip hop. If it’s more rnb, it’s rnb.”
BALLING OUT OF SPITE is a playful record. Clocking in at only 17 minutes, the album is infectious enough to be on replay much longer. ZAY’s ability to craft punchy hooks is clear, with enough 808s and odd analog samples to win over fans of Pi’erre Bourne.
His sound is contemporary, but he finds inspiration in rich songwriting traditions. ZAY cites RnB artists like Keith Sweat and Anita Baker as influences. He also mentions a current fascination with Sampha, a love for Toto y Moi and, as he says, “anyone that’s a pioneer in their subgenre.”
When he was ten, his stepfather gave him a laptop for Christmas. That was when he produced his first beat. “Up until a few years ago, I would have considered myself a producer first,” he says. But producing isn’t quite enough for ZAY, always pushing forward to the next project, seeking out new sonic influences. “I think if I didn’t have talented friends, I wouldn’t have pushed myself to be a good producer. But I’m interested in crafting my own songs.”
Songwriting for ZAY doesn’t end with hip-hop lyrics either. He recently took up the piano and has even dedicated time to crafting his singing voice. “Just not limiting myself for real,” he tells me.
ZAY feels he’s grown as an artist over the last year, playing more live shows and honing his live presence. He says, “I feel like I grew into myself through the last year.” Looking back at his old performances, which he still has recordings of on his phone, he reflects on where he began. “There’s a video on my Instagram of I think my first performance a few years ago. Super trash and awkward and embarrassing. And I kept it up there. I told myself I want to get good.”
He's still looking forward to the new year, at his upcoming projects, and growing not only as an artist but as a person. He says, “My personal life and growth and my music is inextricably linked.”
Check out ZAYALLCAPS discography & latest video below!
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