Sadistik is not a name you often hear buzzing in rap circles, but the wildly popular Seattle rapper seems wholly unconcerned. Wikipedia defines him as an “alternative hip hop artist,” but I’m not sure his latest offering Ultraviolet supports that claim. With features from familiar names like Nacho Picasso, Eyedea, Tech N9ne and Sticky Fingaz, Sadistik raps methodically over grandiose arrangements, leaving no stones unturned in his effort to express himself. Musical? Yes. Emo? Yes. Cinematic? Creative? Certainly. But alternative? I don’t know.
Having just completed the first leg of his current national tour, Sadistik is currently preparing to get back on the road for the second – which includes stops in both Portland and Seattle next week. The super busy rapper did take some time to answer some questions for WOHM’s Cassandra Moses though. Check out his latest offering and dig in.
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Who is Sadistik?
That would be me.
How did you get involved in hip-hop?
I’ve answered this question quite a bit in the past & I still don’t have an interesting response to it. I grew up around it from my older brother & I fell in love with it, nothing out of the ordinary. If it wasn’t rap I’d be playing a different genre or writing a book or making films, etc. I have these thoughts & ideas that would eat me alive if I don’t get them out. Rap music happens to be the medium that I work within & I’m happy that I still find it so inspiring.
You have a large discography and an enviable tour grind. How do you see your position in the NW rap scene?
I don’t feel like a part of it. I’ve never really considered myself a local artist, my sights are much bigger. A lot of local guys who have a buzz out here don’t seem comfortable or have the drive to take their work outside of the city they’re in. In the last 6 months of this year I’ll have played close to 100 shows in 7 different countries, so being a local pride isn’t going to make or break me at this point. I love living in Seattle but it’s for reasons outside of my music career.
How long have you been signed to Fake Four and how did getting signed change the game for you?
I signed with Fake Four when I put out Flowers For My Father. The label has been very good to me but being signed hasn’t changed what I do that drastically. I still make what I make completely on my own accord, and present all my own ideas for the release. For both Flowers for My Father & Ultraviolet I presented them the finished album, music videos, album artwork, etc. that I completed independently. We have a good working relationship & they’ve helped me plug it in with the right people & help manage some of the countless details surrounding an album release.
Who do you consider your artistic influences?
Everything & nothing at the same time. I try to be a student of things in general, but lately I’m not really aiming to extract much inspiration from other rap artists. I’ve been delving more into books and older movies & music lately. I try to gravitate towards anything that feels interesting to me, art or otherwise. I tend to be pretty unimpressed & negative in some ways so when something piques my interest I pay close attention to it & inevitably these things find a place in my music in one way or another.
Are there artists – minor or major – that you want to work with?
Right now I want to work with me. I want to perfect my style further, change it, then perfect it again & repeat. I’m reaching a point where I’m disappointed & frustrated with music & its culture. I hate so much of it lately. I feel resentment & disdain towards all this repetitive trendy shit that’s everywhere I look. Instead of letting that pickle inside me I think my time will be better spent trying to become an artist that’s worth hearing because there aren’t many these days.
If there were one thing that you wanted you fans to know about you, what would it be?
Well, I just released my new record Ultraviolet and it’s been making some waves. I’d like people to take a listen to it & see what they think. Thanks for your time.