Martin $ky has been producing and rhyming since the young age of 11. Having this futuristic sound to him, $ky has this smooth, laid back vibe to him that defers from many rappers that are out right now. His flow meshes perfectly with the production on his most recent tape, TIME (LESS) and it gives you every reason to grab a drink, roll a spliff and let yourself fall into his music.
The Source got a chance to talk to Martin $ky about his life in Chicago, his production skills, TIME (LESS) and more. Check out the interview below and make sure to listen to TIME (LESS).
How was it like growing up in Chicago?
It was cool. I only lived in the city until I was about 12 and then moved back recently to the south loop last summer. I love my city though. It has it’s bright side but Chicago is known for a lot of bad reasons. My old block where I grew is even all that safe to go back and visit anymore. It’s whatever though to me. I’ve lost a childhood best friend because of gun violence. I’m really numb to it now and it’s sad honestly. But hey, what can you do but hope it gets better?
Were you inspired by Chicago artists like Kanye, Common?Kanye for sure. Not saying Common isn’t one of the leaders of Chicago but Kanye appealed to me way more. From College Drop out to Yeezus, the inspiration was there.
What inspired you to get into music?Like I said, I moved to the burbs when I was about 11 or 12 and a friend I had met out there used this program called FL Studio and I literally used it for 7 years until I knew how to use it and got to the point I’m at now. I produced only for so long, and then decided I would rap. Had no idea what I was doing at first, but I had the mind for it and wanted to be great. That’s what kept me going. I wanted to keep working until I knew for a fact I was one of the coldest rappers. And now, my production has gotten so good and showed me that being the coldest rapper isn’t good enough for ME. I personally feel that to be the complete artist I see myself becoming, I have to be the coldest artist. I have to be able to create a song that people can enjoy. I don’t want you sitting there all serious trying to dissect my lyrical ass flow. That’s boring. I want people to just enjoy themselves while listening to my music as they have been and that is such a satisfying feeling. Straight up.
What do you enjoy more: rapping or producing?I like them both equally. I get the same amount of excitement when I lay down a hot ass chords on the keys as I do when I execute a verse the way I heard it in my head.
What inspires your production sound?Honestly, everything I listen to does. I listen to a wide range of music and if I played you my Spotify library or my iTunes library, you’d understand. I just want to create something new and fresh. I want my drums to sound amazing, the mix to be perfect, and the melody to be on point as well.
What was the process of creating Time (Less)?Honestly, I just pieced that project together after recording a bunch of music. It was a fun learning experience. Nothing too special though. It was my first full length project.
What are you working on now?I’m working on some new music always. A project is most likely not gonna happen anytime soon, but we’ll see.
How has your sound changed since you started rapping till now?Production. I’ve gotten better and learned so much the beginning of it all. My raps have gotten better too.Who would you like to work with?Travis $cott, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Ye, Mos Def, Yung Lean, Rejjie Snow, Curren$y, Flying Lotus, Tyler, Domo, Danny Brown, Ab – Soul, and a few other people.Tell us the story behind Time (Less).It’s really just playing on the idea that time is an illusion. And also that there isn’t a lot of time. That why I threw the parenthesis on the less.
What do you want listeners to receive from listening to your music?ENERGY. I want people to feel how much fun I had recording it. Or if I was upset about a topic, I want them to feel that anger. Overall though, I just want people to stop looking at it so seriously. Just enjoy it for what it is. I’m not trying to out rap anyone. I wanna make really good music. Production included.What is your ultimate goal as an artist?My ultimate goal as an artist is to get the masses to stop viewing and critiquing music so seriously. I want people to just enjoy music because the person that made it actually put thought into the production, lyrical content, and pieced together a song that people can chant, enjoy listening to and just vibe.
