Releasing mixtapes continuously every year since 2008 and consistently going on his own path, rookie rapper Donutman released his complete product ‘Welcome to the Game’ this past November. This is the talk with Donutman who with the release of a ‘complete’ single has started ‘proper activities’.
Hip: Nice to meet you. How did you celebrate Christmas?
Donutman: My younger sibling’s birthday is on Christmas so I spent it with my family at home.
Hip: We met at the New Wave Interview in 2012. Inwardly I felt sad that there wasn’t news of such (activities) after that but even so I’m happy that there’s story material for 2014. I listened well to the mixtape [young and gifted] that you released after 2 years. Why did it take so long?
Donutman: There were a lot of conflicts between school and music so I ended up quitting school. During that time a lot happened and the stories are inside the mixtape [young and gifted].
Hip: You released your first single ‘Welcome to the game’ last November. It was your first official work, it’s a bit late (to ask) but how does it feel?
Donutman: It’s really relieving. It’s the feeling that I delayed and the things I put back are starting now.
Hip: Quite a lot of time has passed since you released your single. What was the reaction to your single?
Donutman: People around me all said it was good. I didn’t meet a lot of people so I couldn’t get that many responses.
Hip: Even though you couldn’t get a clear position, you are a rookie that is always the center of attention. Looking at ‘Welcome to the Game’, it seems that you yourself also clearly set your current position.
Donutman: It feels like now is the beginning. I think ‘this is the first time I’m properly doing activities’.
Hip: I’m repeating myself but, you are a rookie that is receiving attention once again this year. Now you threw your hat into the ring but even though it takes time to start, it seems like it’s taken quite some time! How did it become like this?
Donutman: It’s all a result of my own doing. I never could choose with certainty and had to follow a B plan. However, it seems that even when I was working, I didn’t have faith (in myself) and it turned out that way. Now I’ve clearly chosen so I feel at ease.
Hip: I was surprised looking at the credits. I know that producer Whenya9’s music has been released publicly several times, the beat of ‘Welcome to the Game’ is dope or moreso super dope. I’m not derogating his music.
Donutman: I’m surprised you know of Whenya9-ssi. I thought he was a very hard to find but.. I know he does activities in Busan and all the music he makes is good. When I put on SNS that I was looking for a beat to use on a complete work he sent me an email and I got to know him. Welcome to the game is a beat put on there.
Hip: The ‘Yajasu moraei~’
((Orig. yajasu meori – literally “palm tree’s head” from the line “the palm tree head shakes until coconuts fall ”))part is really addicting. By the way, do you think of perms as gay shit?
Donutman: Honestly I felt that I could also get a perm someday. It’s just that the main point I wanted to get across in my song was ‘I’m going to go a little more confidently than others’. The part ‘yajasu meoraei~~’ were lyrics I put in so I could play around and shake my head during a performance but last time at a performance I strained my neck muscles.
Hip: The harmony with The Quiett in the 2nd track ‘데려갈게’was good. You must respect him quite a lot.
Donutman: He willingly did the featuring so I was really happy. I’ve been a fan since I was young and he talks cool. It’s great that I can always feel his love for music. I especially think he made the album ‘AMBITIQN’ really well. I listen to it a lot and am learning from it.
Hip: In your lyrics you said that hip-hop is dying because of hip-hop idols but no matter how you look at it isn’t there a nice co-existence between the scene and them right now?
Donutman: I think that most idol rappers don’t understand hip-hop and only pretend to rap well. I think that no matter how keenly you ride the beat and right punchlines, if you can’t understand hip-hop it’s all useless. From that meaning I said that it’s dying.
Hip: What part were you most concerned about when you wrote lyrics or were composing songs?
Donutman: I think I worried a lot about all aspects, (such as) writing lyrics or rhymes or making hooks.
Hip: The reactions to the mixtape were good and the single followed after. Are you also preparing an album?
Donutman: Originally I was thinking of releasing an album after finishing the mixtape. However I’m not in a company so the fees would cost a lot. From my situation right now I think it’s easy to get a foothold by releasing some singles and then get I’ll get a lot of responses so I’ll release some singles.
Hip: Shortly after you released your single, ‘Hunnit Stack$’ was a free release. It seems like there’s a need to give simple introductions of producer yosi, Dav Vinyl, Young Lion etc.
Donutman: Yosi is a friend of the same age in the group Legit Goons. I also got to know him like I did with Whenya9-hyeong through email and meeting him a few times. Dal vinyl is a friend I got to know around 2012 but he only does activities in the US. Originally his name was The Ice but he worked me several times before. He said he’ll come to Korea next year. If you look up ‘leather’ on youtube, there’s a really cool music video (of his). Young Lion is a high school alumnus but he suddenly said he also wanted to do rap so I ignored him a bit at first. However a few years later he let me hear his work and it was really good so I was shocked. While I was working on my mixtape he said let’s work together and we made a song called ‘Glow’ together. There are a lot of things created by this friend and in the future he’ll also make a lot of music.
Hip: What’s the state of the crew Liquid Eyez that you are in together with Crucial Star, G-Slow, etc.
Donutman: I meet Crucial Star-hyeong often and G-Slow-hyeong went to the army. I made the mixtape [young and gifted] and made an EP album just 2 weeks later but G-Slow-hyeong went to the army and he became inactive. I also meet CZA-hyeong often but I heard he’s continuing to make new songs.
Hip: A lot of rookies got their names known through ‘Show me the Money’ this year also. Do you perhaps have that ambition?
Donutman: If my preparation goes well I want to go out (on the show).
Hip: There is a part in the lyrics that says ‘more than following what a company wants, I will go on the path I want’. Do you have any intentions of joining a label?
Donutman: I may be showing that I’m stubborn but I feel that if I join a label, my unique color will fade. So I still want to do things alone and if there are good offers in the future I’ll join.
Hip: The title song ‘Welcome to the Game’ feels like it’s hinting at activities in 2015. Please tell us about your future plans for activities or plans outside of music in the new year.
Donutman: I’m thinking of releasing good singles one by one. I have clear concepts and songs are also coming out. I think I’ll release them one by one and then combine them and release an album. I’ll tell you in advance, the album concept is ‘new world’. The released ‘Welcome to the Game’ has content about me entering the new world, 데려갈게((데려갈게 means I’ll take you there)) indicates that I will take everyone into the new world. The world that has everything I want, I wanted to show that. If I can finish this album next year I’ll be really pleased.
[Source | HIPHOPPLAYA ]
dude, i like his music a lot! this interview was really awesome, thanks for sharing