T-Zank – Q&A Interview
Tell us a little about yourself. Where you are from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?
I am a positive lyricist from a small town called Angola, IN. I’ve been making hip hop for around five years now, but have been involved with music my entire life.
What influences you in making Hip Hop?
My influences stem from my personal experiences growing up with medical travesties and the desire to inspire individuals struggling to find themselves with a relatable and positive message.
Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?
My music has its own lane; a positive, fast pace with a meticulous wordplay and lyrical value. The sounds created by my team and I are inspiring and bring life into an industry of dark subject matter and lessened creativity.
Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?
On my latest release, Evolve, I feature lyricist LSD and vocalist Kristi Gaddy from Houston, TX. I also do regional features with artists I feel have a great future, such as engineer/vocalist Zack Davidson from Fort Wayne, IN and chopper lyricist A.M.F.J., also from Indiana. I am working to develop new collabs in the near future with Rittz, Wreckonize, Tuki Carter, Locksmith and MGK.
Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?
Underground Hip Hop is a genre where artists aren’t afraid to step out of the box and try something new. I have typically found greater message, lyricism and relatability with underground artists because we are all striving to create a unique sound in a watered down mainstream and don’t adapt to the current popularity when we make music. We simply just do our thing and pave our own lanes.
Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production?
DJ Dave from Chicago produces a lot of my material. He is my business partner with The Successful Musik Group. (www.successfulmusik.com). Dave brings huge combinations of instruments in his mixes for an unparalleled and consistently epic sound. I also produce my own beats on occasion, we both utilize Ableton for our production.
And who would you like to work with?
I would love to work with DJ Premier or Statik Selektah. They bring legendary aspects to their production through sampling, and I have only dabbled with this sound a little bit in my career but love getting in touch with my roots when creating new music. It would be an honor to work with producers such as El-P, Funk Flex, Harry Fraud, and Alchemist.
Any current or future projects you are promoting?
I just released my new album “Evolve” which is available in all online retailers and also in hardcopy as we travel for our tour through the months of July and August.
ITunes : https://itunes.apple.com/ng/album/evolve/id883716453
Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of Evolve? Also/ what was the idea or concept description about your Album Art Cover.
With Evolve, I wanted to create a project that described my life to this point, the struggles that I have dealt with and what I have done to overcome them and become the artist and man that I am today. The theme of the project is utilizing your passions and utmost desires to rise above the aspects of life that bring you down and evolve into your true potential.
Where can we find your music and info?
www.t-zank.com
www.successfulmusik.com
You can hit me up on any social media as well, just search T-Zank
Any shout outs?
Shout out to my team, Successful Musik, for their fully independent and dedicated grind. Shouts to all of the fans that have picked up the new album and given us feedback, also to the fans that are coming out to support us for the #EvolveTour! Salute.
