There is a certain beauty in the way a talented artist rises up to the occasion and achieves phenomenal success through their hard work and sheer passion alone. JoeCat is one of those enigmatic artists who rose into prominence when his hit song “Where the Party At Pt. 2” went viral in Russia. He then had his first TV placement in 2014 on MTV, which was only the beginning of a big break for the rising artist.
JoeCat’s music would eventually be heard throughout the NBA, resulting in mainstream recognition. While most artists are often only associated with their music, JoeCat has always conveyed his art through various mediums. As a DJ, he helped market and manage major tours for some of the most well-known artists in the music industry.
“People pay to perform, but I could market shows and collect on the backend. If I’m the DJ and we need opening acts, I would perform my own music to buy time for the main act,” he said.
JoeCat would then go on to collect and release features from major or bubbling artists, many of which he stills sits on today. He helped scale outdated companies by transitioning them into the digital age, where his passion and abilities for growing brands would be fully realized. On his motivations, he said, “People have lives, so even if you want to help your friends or family, at the end of the day, nobody is going to be as invested as you. You have to take care of yourself first before you can think about helping others.”
Due to his massive success and his cut-throat experiences in the industry, JoeCat was consistently booking gigs to DJ or to speak on the implications of the creative industry, ultimately changing the corporate landscape forever.
In spite of the success that he has garnered over the years, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for JoeCat. “I have to drive through checkpoints to go home,” he said. Although he grew up in a Spanish household, he would often become the subject of bullying due to the mere color of his skin, the sound of his last name, and even his religion. “It doesn’t matter how small it is. People are quick to identify our differences instead of our commonalities,” shared JoeCat.
Forging his own musical path for himself, JoeCat began training as a DJ in Corpus Christi, Texas, when Grammy-nominated producer El Dusty sold him his wife’s old Macbook to become a DJ. It was there and then when he realized you could find a new passion by trying something new. He began to run touring campaigns by doing extensive research for promoters in order to sell tickets while cutting marketing expenses. As he stumbled into learning about event management, he would eventually become a Live Nation influencer and go on to facilitate deals between the ticketing agencies and promoters.
Inspired by many of his favorite artists, who are masters of their craft, JoeCat would go ahead and create his own distinct style of music. “I’m young and intimidated so I always mimic my competition—the adrenaline rush from being able to critically think my way out or having more clever wordplay. As a kid, I would rhyme words accidentally when speaking, so expression came naturally,” shared JoeCat. “I never viewed creativity as being lucrative. I’ve been scammed so many times by people that I looked up to.”
Craving a different type of sound, JoeCat decided to make music his own way, music that would represent his genuine personality that could illustrate his beliefs. “Music on the radio would always frustrate me because I kept thinking I could make something better. I don’t rhyme the first words that come to mind because of how cheesy it feels. I invented my own way to reverse-engineer punchlines by literally stacking bars and writing from the bottom up instead of top-down,” he explained.
JoeCat has had to rely on his family and friends more than a few times. His main regrets are passing on working with some of the most prominent artists we see today; but his biggest setback would come after being wrongfully incarcerated, only to have his charges dropped a year later.
“I think I really started to value my own privacy when my friends wouldn’t let me interview them,” he said.
The classically trained singer has studied the legal aspects of the music industry for over a decade. Speaking about his engineer, he said, “Not everybody will tell you the truth. I’m just glad people can form their own opinions.”
Smith holds multiple Grammys for artists such as The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar. JoeCat has managed to remain positive as if he’s seen a glimpse of what’s to come. As he mentions new records with Lil’ Flip and King Los on the horizon, JoeCat believes NFTs could be used to revolutionize the music industry by incentivizing supporters with royalties that would otherwise be going to record labels. His YouTube channel began experimenting with content by heavily critiquing the latest hip-hop albums but he’s gained the most positive reception from predicting the implications of various societal changes. The More Than Rich podcast consists of life lessons and in-depth conversations that can be useful in the overall grand scheme of self improvement.
To learn more about the cryptic JoeCat, make sure to visit his official website.