Getting to know multiplayas

Multiplayas is an artist from the DMV area. It was a pleasure interviewing him and getting to know more about his creations and everything he does. Multiplayas lives by enjoying what you do and creating things that you love. Check out His new EP Hypnotic.

Give us a quick introduction about yourself.

I go by the name of Multiplayas and I’m from Pg County, Glenarden Maryland. A little bit about myself I’m a recording artist and designer. All types of shit. I just like to create shit.

-MULTIPLAYAS

Where did the name “Multiplayas” come from?

So it’s funny. I used to play like Call of duty and shit. When Black Ops came out, my gamer tag was Multiplayas. I was tough as shit in search & destroy. I was 12 years old when I made that name for the game. My rap name at first was Dan Tha Don. Then I kind of was at a point where I wanted to rebrand myself as far as the rap name. I thought about Multiplayas , and I remember having fun and having the time of my life on the game. So I figured that’s what I want to do with the music shit. Have fun and just be a kid again.

-MULTIPLAYAS

How did you get into making music?

I fell in love with music when I first listened to Linkin Park. It was amazing to me. I was in like a fourth grade on YouTube watching that shit. I realized that I fuck with music on a deeper level because I always used to write down the lyrics from the lyric videos.
In middle school, I started listening to currency. Curren$y inspired me to write raps. When I first got exposed to currency, he was swagging that shit. Motivation music and it influenced me to smoke weed. So I just started writing raps in my journal on some fourth-grade shit.

-MULTIPLAYAS

When did you first record your first song?

Not until like 11th or 12th grade. I wasn’t on some passionate writing everyday. I was being a young nigga. I guess when the first SoundCloud era came around that kind of helped me pursue it on a serious level. I saw niggas my age like lil Yatchy & Carti and we were listening to them. It was cool and all but then I’m starting to think to myself I could make some shit. I know for a fact I could make some crazy ass shit. So I just tried.

-MULTIPLAYAS

Do you feel like your childhood had an influence on the things you incorporate into your art?

For sure, When I would go to my cousin house, he is the one that put me onto all types of stupid shit. He put me onto halo and adult swim. I’m young as shit getting exposed to all this shit. That’s the first time I ever got exposed to like the trap forreal forreal.
My older sister is 8 years older than me. She put me onto a lot of music and movies. We would watch movies together or listen to music. She was a big influence.
My pops was an eclectic type nigga. He don’t really watch sports but he would listen to rock music. He listened to rap too but iguess that’s where I get enjoying all types of things from. It was a good blend of everything how I grew up.

-MULTIPLAYAS

Can you describe your music process for us?

Yeah. In the beginning, I would write in my notes. I would go on YouTube and find a so and so type beat. I would have my phone right there and write some shit down. Write a Chorus, or a hook or a verse or something. When I first started going to the studio, I was nervous. Once I got more comfortable, I guess I started punching in. I noticed a lot of DMV rappers punch in. I was in the studio with rappers that were punching in. Niggas saying swaggy shit like you can catch shit differently when you do it like that.

Now a days, it’s like a blend of both for real. If I got something on my mind, if I’m high as shit in the whip and I’m just vibing to myself or just listening to a song and I’m rapping over the song. I’ll probably pull out my phone and record that shit so I can capture it. Just so I can remember that. Now I book a session go to the studio, get high, maybe get some stu juice drink and just punch right in. Say the first thing on my mind and punch in.

-MULTIPLAYAS

How would you describe your music if someone has never heard it before?

Ambient trap because of the influence that majority of the songs come from is like an ambient trap sound. Definitely like alternative pop sounds in there. I would say ambient trap and alternative pop. Those are the two lanes that I’m really trying to identify myself with. Those are the two types of music that I love making.

-MULTIPLAYAS

What’s some of your favorite fashion/street wear brands?

A-cold-wall, Samuel Ross I fuck with that nigga heavy. He inspired me when I was doing my brand.

Jerry Lorenzo, Virgil of course, Kanye of course. I fuck with hysteric glamour. Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton. Cool little shit.

Local brands my mans Prosperity, Ahmir Assad, Indeceitful, Bynehemiahand I lowkey fuck with the Mingo shit. Those the ones that come to mind.

-MULTIPLAYAS

Name some artist that inspire you.

Daniel Arsham, he does sculptures and shit. That shit hard as fuck. I just fuck with how he blends like that physical aspect of art with certain pop culture shit.

Toro y moi is cool.

Paradis it’s really something you would put on at like 3am driving with the windows cracked and a slight drizzle outside.

I be fucking with directors of course Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Hype Williams.

-MULTIPLAYAS

What’s your top 3 movies?

1. They live (1988).

2. The nightcrawler (2014).

3. Belly (1998).

-MULTIPLAYAS

What’s your top 3 albums?

1. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

2. Marvin Gaye- What’s going on.

3. Toro y Moi- Boo Boo

-MULTIPLAYAS

Name a few people you want to work with dead or alive.

Howard Hughes, He was an eclectic man like I feel like I’m an eclectic man. How you go from directing movies to making planes and shit. I don’t even know what we would do but But I would work with him for sure.

Johnny Cinco, we have to do a song or some shit. Probably one of my favorite artist forreal.

Quentin Tarantino because I want to direct some shit.

-MULTIPLAYAS

What’s your favorite song that you’ve created?

It’s a song that’s almost hard to find now. It’s called leap of faith and it’s like a little alternative joint. I be trying to dabble in alternative type music. I just like all types of music and shit.
A song that I hold close to my heart is Choppa Sing. If you know about Choppa Sing, you know that’s a legendary song. It’s like the second song I ever made and dropped on SoundCloud. I paid for this little promo and that shit went up. I was fake going up off that one song but I didn’t know how to capitalize. I should’ve made a video and did all this and that. That reinforced that I make good music.

-MULTIPLAYAS

How’s the process of uploading music to streaming platforms and the funding for that process?

I really hustle every way I can that, makes sense. Selling clothes, flipping shit, I never finished college but I did this IT program was a good decision because I’ll always have something to fall back on but it’s not my passion and lowkey I’m miserable whenever I’m not working on my own pursuits. I’m really trying to eat off my craft as far as music and clothes and eventually branch off into other artistic/entrepreneurial lanes.

As far as releasing the music, Nehemiah be helping me with the roll out. It’s good to have a team of people with you that help you with the roll-out that shit is so helpful because you can’t do everything yourself. You definitely want to have some type of plan and not just put shit out there.

-MULTIPLAYAS

Is it easy to get music on platforms?

Yea it’s easy as shit. You just got to find a DSP. Distrokid and Tunecore it’s all types of joints. I use Sparta too. 300 entertainment got it’s independent distribution but you have to apply for it. I suggest Niggas if you’re trying to get on applying for Sparta. They get their little cut you pay like a monthly or yearly fee. It is crazy because you really get paid for it. I didn’t get paid some huge amount of money but at the end of the year, when I was cashing out my Distrokid, it was a couple hundred on there.

-MULTIPLAYAS

Would you ever sign to a record label?

I feel like it’s a different day and age with music now. So you don’t have to be signed but if a label reaches out and I have a lawyer that looks over the shit and it seems like it’s a good deal then yeah. I’m no green nigga so I’m not about to just sign some shit, they give me an advance and I have to pay that shit back then living off advances. If anything, I would do like a distribution deal where they can help with marketing and take their cut from marketing and shit.

-MULTIPLAYAS

Where do you see yourself going with your music. Do you see more Collaborations or music videos?

Yea right now niggas are already on the high tide. Ahmir, Ty , young niggas like Paper. It’s some young niggas I fuck with on a personal level like my man’s Leo. I want to be able to be a bridge for other people too. I don’t just wanna be the “one”. A lot of people try to get into the rap game and want to be the one. They want all the attention that comes with it. The money, the hoes, and all that shit but you realize the more you study the game and get experience in this shit a lot of that shit fu.

I’m not even in the game yet. Damn near 5 years in and I’m at the door like I’m just now knocking on the door. The door is kind of opening a little bit but I’m not even in. You realize all that glitters is not gold-type shit but it’s still like as a creative you want to be able to eat off your craft.

-MULTIPLAYAS

What can we expect from your new project?

To be honest, it’s really like some smooth wavy shit. I look at this kind of like the back of my hand. These songs is really like some typical hip hop inspirational music. Money, getting turnt, having fun, and indulging certain in shit. I always blend a couple of songs that really are more personal on an emotional level. It’s like 1 or 2 songs that are emotional on there but most of them joints is for you to have fun. Summer about to start so you just listen to them joints when you turnt or trying to get motivated. A lot of ambient sounds.

-MULTIPLAYAS

What would you tell someone thats trying to get into music or the creative world?

Don’t do it for the acceptance of others, don’t do it for anybody else opinion. Do it because you want to create something, do it because, you want to hear yourself on a song, or you want to see a vision of whatever is in your head that’s, why you do it.
Don’t get discouraged, don’t feel like you got to play catch up with people. You compete with yourself at all times. Once you start thinking you are competing with someone, you’re losing.
Study the game and be a student of whatever you do. Figure out what the fuck is working on for other people and see how you can incorporate that for yourself. Of course, network with people ,but don’t dick suck and don’t try to appease people. At the end of the day just remember you’re doing this for yourself. Find a way to get some money. Save your money so that you have money stacked up. It’s not tough being a starving artist.

-MULTIPLAYAS

“Never stop creating”

-MULTIPLAYAS

Multiplayas can be found at:

Instagram: @multiplayas