Vision4k‘s music thus far has been full of emotionally potent lyrics and euphoric melodies. Creating a culmination of heartbreak and depression that at the same time feels energetic and full of life, his collection of small EP’s and singles have given us some great tracks like “i give up (prod. gin$eng)” and “Hacked My Twitter (parts 1 and 2),” which was also self-produced.
With a full project in the works, he is still continuing to release content. Dropping “picking scars (prod. wildcard)” on the January 3, the bass-heavy track put his voice on full display as he croons and raps his way through the 2 minutes and 30 second track. I had the opportunity to converse with Vision4k about his inspirations behind his lyrics, online anonymity, and his new album “Recluse” coming on February 14.
David: What kind of music did you grow up on? Who are some of your biggest influences in and out of hip hop?
Vision4k: “I grew up on a lot of alternative, hard rock and heavy metal as a kid, I didn’t really get into hip hop until middle school. I was looked at really weirdly cause back then it wasn’t too normal to see a black kid that was into such heavy music, so I isolated myself a lot cause I couldn’t relate to anyone around me music wise. My biggest influences out of hip hop though would have to be Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins. I think Bladee and Yung Lean had the biggest influence for me in hip hop, to be honest.”
David: Pictures of you are pretty scarce online. Obviously by choice, I was just wondering if you could speak on that a little bit?
Vision4k: “I don’t know. I like to keep a bit of a mysterious air to myself, of course over time I’m gonna show my face more but right now I wanna let my music take light more than my image or face. I think the anonymity gives off a really cool vibe along with the music.”
David: You have almost developed a sort of cult following, could you speak on that and what it means to you?
Vision4k: “Dude it’s insane to me, I never knew so many people would really listen to me at that level, and it really gets me motivated to bring so much more to them and show my fans that I can do a lot more, too. It gets ideas flowing for me on how I can be a better artist so I can give them the best product every time. I truly want them to have the best music from me.”
David: Does that also bring a certain pressure on you, though?
Vision4k: “It does, that’s why I sometimes post snippets so I can get a grasp of what song I should post next, depending on what my listeners reaction to it is.”
David: Could you touch on some of the things that inspire your music?
Vision4k: “The lyrics are definitely different experiences that have happened in my life, I tend to channel what I was feeling at that moment cause I don’t go through those things anymore but the damage is still there so I use those songs as a way to vent and let out frustration. Whether it was me doing drugs or me talking about a girl, even though I may not be doing those things or feeling those things I still have them on my mind everyday, so I channel those thoughts into songs.”
David: Surf just released Again with you on it as a feature, what was it like to work together?
Vision4k: “I’ve been fucking with Surf for a while now, so doing a song with him is so dope to me.”
David: Can you tell me what a typical studio session is like?
Vision4k: “It’s really the same process every time, I like to take my time recording so I always try and do some different shit each song, whether it’s melodies or flow, etc. I tend to drag out the process because I don’t like to rush songs, I hate the idea of making 5 songs that sound the same in one day. It gets really hectic because I have so many ideas and sometimes they clash so I lose focus on what I’m doing at some points while recording. I always try and stay in the habit of writing ideas for a song down before I start on it so i could avoid that.”
David: I know you have Recluse coming next month, can you speak on that at all?
Vision4k: “I don’t wanna expose too much other than the fact that it’s gonna be different than my usual shit, I wanted to take a darker turn. Wildcard, Ginseng, and myself produced most of the album, but the features are a surprise.”
Be sure to check out Vision4k’s music, available on all streaming platforms as well as Sound Cloud. Less than a month out from the release of his full-length project, Recluse is sure to me a great album as I am eager to hear him switch up his style and explore different sounds with his music.