Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
Das Risiko is an exploration into Family Time’s relationship. The first song the pair ever recorded in German, Das Risiko howls and growls at the listener, bringing them into a world of hands on fire, illuminated microphones, and falling anvils. The dark and brooding tone of the song is suddenly juxtaposed by the soft and gentle nature of the chorus, a plea to resist falling into a trap of living life in fear. Shifting from the moods and tones of their former work, Das Risiko is only a glimpse into what Family Time is capable of.
Check out the Das Risiko video below.
In an exclusive interview with the up-and-coming rapper, we get a proper insight into a hard-working, dream-making, GenZ artist who has gone through it and came out on the other side hungrier for success. Get ready for Zepkins, because she’s here to show all of us what she has done and will only continue to do.
Continue reading for an exclusive interview with the multidisciplinary intergalactic artist.
Hi! What have you been up to recently, what's been going on?
Well, I dropped my project, April of last year, and it was my debut project. Now since I'm independent, I'm just working with the visuals and just really learning the industry and learning my way through all of this.
Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? Who is Zepkins? Where does Zepkins come from?
Zepkins is a multifaceted artist from DC. I moved to LA when I was 13 and I'm a trans woman. So, you know, that's a big part of my journey. I started rapping in 2018 when I was 17. I've just been taking it very seriously as of late, and also have been working on a lot of different creative projects, and just pushing myself and the limits with everything.
You said you moved to LA when you were 13. What made you move from DC?
My mom really just wanted to start a new life for me and my brother. My brother does music as well. He was in acting and everything when we were younger. So it just seemed like that was best.
So you guys decided to make the move West Coast?
Yeah, and when we moved here, we didn't have anything. My mom literally moved out here, didn't have a job, or anything, and she made a way. We'd sleep on air mattresses for such a long time. It was really, really bad. She moved out here with a friend and her friend ended up leaving, so we were homeless for a little bit, like six months. But you know, we made it.
You made it and you're out here. Let's talk about your "bedroom content”: not really having a lot of different things, making your beautiful artwork, and the creations that you have kind of out of nothing. Would you say that you kind of took that from your upbringing, like making something out of nothing?
Yeah, for sure. When I was younger, my mom would only give me crayons and stuff for Christmas and my birthday. The only stuff I got was crayons and paper. The fuck am I going to do with this? I don't want this. But, you know, when I was younger, I would draw. I always would draw beautiful women. Women with like, colorful hair and just doing all the crazy shit that I do now. So it's so crazy. The bedroom content was for OnlyFans, it was for Twitter, but the aesthetic that I had, and still have, is not based on the sex. You know, anybody could be on here fucking and sucking, and that's just that. But mine is really off of my look, off of my quirkiness, off of my aesthetic.
So let's talk about your debut project FOREVER THE MOMENT. What was the process of making this, and then what is your process when it comes to writing tracks?
Well, when I first started this project, it wasn't even like I was trying to start rapping. It never was something that I even thought I could pursue because my brother, as I said, he does music as well. So, I just never felt like that was me. But, how I started rapping is, I already wrote a song before and it was like this Foxy Brown remix. And it was just like, okay, cute, whatever. So then I was like, "No, I'm not going to drop it." So, then I was talking to this girl on the phone and she lost the song that she wrote, so I was like, "Girl, let's do a song together." Long story short, she did some shady shit and in her verse, she was talking about me. She was throwing shots at me, right?
While you're on the track, though?
I didn't even get to show her my shit that I wrote. I was supposed to call her the next day, but she never answered the phone for me again. She never called me again, never texted me again. She just dissed me and was like, "Okay, fuck it." So I made a whole song about this bitch which has yet to drop. But in the song, it just shows how hungry I was and just my aggressiveness, and my competitive spirit. It was just like, "I'm not playing with these hoes." So then after that, my friends around me were like, "You can really do this shit." So I was like, "Really? Boost my ego. Alright, bet." So I just kept on and wrote songs like "THE BEST" and "Forever the Moment." I dropped "TOP NOTCH" in 2020 and I said, if I'm gonna do this, I'm taking it seriously and I'm not going to stop until I get to where I want to go.
And where do you want to go?
I see myself as a mogul when it comes to music. I feel like the door that I'm opening for me and for other people in my community to be able to express themselves on a scale that we feel like we're not able to express ourselves on. But I don't want to just solely base myself on music, I definitely want to get into the fashion industry. I'm already modeling, I'm already doing my shit. So you know, I'm already doing it all from my bedroom as well. I have pieces in my room that I created that you guys will soon see in the "Showstopper" video. So I see big things for myself, for sure.
What was the inspiration behind the music video for "Peekaboo?" I watched it and it was so incredible.
My real name is Naomi and I have this Naomi Campbell book that my mom gave me with all of her old pictures throughout her whole career. And she has a picture of herself as an alien and I just loved everything about it. When we think of female rappers and we think of just icons, female icons, we just think of somebody who was daring. When you think of Gaga, when you think of Grace Jones, when you think of Nicki, when you think of Kim– daring. And I'm just like, if not me, who? Who else is going to put a bald cap on their head and really eat this shit up?
You were talking about earlier how you don't have a team, and you don't really have much insight into the industry. But you've definitely gotten yourself where you are right now without that. What are some of the lessons that you've learned along the way to get to where you are right now?
I mean, I definitely learned that you cannot do all this shit yourself, you will literally drive yourself crazy. I'm sourcing a team and I'm so blessed to have people that really believe in me, be around me, and see a light in me. That they would love to, you know, help be a part of but you can't do this shit all yourself. You have to be careful with the people that you keep around you because a lot of these people are around you only to suck the life out of you. They're only around you because they're waiting for you to pop. They really don't like you. They really don't fuck with you. They really don't have good intentions for you. So I would just say keep a clear mind. Keep your circle small and focus on the goal. It's hard day by day especially when you're independent. You don't have a manager calling your phone like "I got this, this, this, for you." When it comes to everything you're literally out here grabbing it.
When it came to the "Peekaboo" video or my album cover, I'm just a real ass bitch. I had no money in my account and I prayed to God. God makes all this shit happen. I was able to get every single prop for that and make that happen within 24 hours and that's really a blessing from God. I'm so thankful for my relationship with God because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today. And what I'm doing would not be manifesting into what it's becoming.
You're just starting out and you're already doing all of these things. Just keeping that hunger will get you to anywhere you want to be.
Yeah, because some days we wake up, and even me, I'm guilty of it, like waking up and just being like, "Is this really what I want?" Not feeling like things are happening fast enough for us, but we have to understand what the goal is. And when we started this, we already knew it was going to be a journey. We did not know what type of journey it was going to be, but we knew it was going to be a journey. So we just have to rock and at the end, we're gonna be good. We will be straight. As long as we keep our souls clear.
Would you say there's something that you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?
I would tell myself to take advantage of every moment and stop overthinking yourself. Stop criticizing yourself because eventually, that's self-sabotaging. Stop running away from the things that you don't want to do because those are things that are going to propel you forward. I wrote Forever the Moment when I was 19, I first started writing music when I was like 18, and now I'm 21. So, you know, I'm definitely learning a lot of things along the way because I'm growing as a woman and growing as a person.
If and when the opportunity presents itself to have a management team, would you want one?
I definitely would want a management team if the time was right, and the situation was the right situation. It's all about the right situation. People who understand me and who are not going to try to control me, or try to have me conform to some type of standard that they think that I should conform to. People fuck with Zepkins because Zepkins is a character, that's who she is. She's a character. I'm also a person, which people will get to know more about as I continue on.
On top of music, you also created ZEPSTARZ. So do you find that your creativity when it comes to designing clothing inspires your music or vice versa?
I wouldn't say that my creativity for clothes inspires music, but I definitely feel like my music inspires that because it's just like what else can I do? And you guys haven't really seen anything that I've been working on right now. But you guys will see it and it's nothing like you guys have seen before.
Who did you create your clothing for?
I don't want to say boy or girl, but truthfully sexy girls who are just bold. Who just don't really care, who love to show off their body, love to show skin, and don't really give a fuck what nobody thinks.
If there's anything that you've created that you think, "This is Zepkins, this is the direction that I am going in from now on," what would that be?
I feel like that would definitely be a song. Well, we can just say the project Forever the Moment. Forever the Moment is definitely where Zepkins is going. I feel like that is such a small, small aspect of me as a person. It's my project, so I listen to it, I critique it, everything.
I feel like you can do anything you want, you know yourself. Any direction that you go in, you're just gonna put that Zepkins twist on it to and make it you.
That's very true, I definitely feel the same way. That's how I want to display my art. I don't want to just sit here and feel like I have to conform to something. The biggest thing for me is not conforming to anybody's standards. Of course, I can sit here and be a bad bitch in a 40-inch weave all day, it's obvious, but I don't want to do that. That's not what I want to do. I want to wear a bald cap with crystals all over my head.
Well, why not?
Why not? If not me then who?
No one, no one's doing it. Have you always found that you've been this confident in yourself?
No, I wouldn't say that I was always confident with myself. I feel like I dealt with insecurity for a really long time. People would point out my insecurities and they would try to bully me. So it became a point that my mom took me out of school so I could further my transition and things like that. I was in eighth grade and when that happened, I just really stopped giving a fuck about anything that anybody had to say. My family, my brother, my mom, my grandma, I didn't give fuck about nobody. And if you have a problem, then what's the problem? But it came to a point that I still wasn't confident in myself and I still did not believe in myself. But to be honest with you, when I started making my music, it wasn't for anybody else. It was for me, I was talking to me. So that's what really made me confident and I'm still a work in progress. I don't think any of us are 100% confident. It's a work in process, a day-to-day thing, but I push myself every day. Zepkins is who pushes Naomi.
If you could have anyone featured on one of your tracks or wearing your designs, who would it be?
Girl...we already know the answer– Nicki of course! I would love to work with Nicki, of course, she's one of my biggest inspirations. I feel like out of the new girls, I love Doja. I love the direction that Doja is going. I feel like she just is very aware of herself and knows exactly who she is, she's like a chameleon. So I'm here with both of them. They're like chameleons. I would love to see my pieces on Amanda Lepore, Lil' Kim, or Cardi B.
So everything you do is otherworldly and has this intergalactic beauty. What does planet Zepkins look like?
Planet Zepkins is full of little rhinestones all over. The ground is filled with crystals. The girls are walking around with big titties. You know? People are just happy, carefree living their life, blasting Forever the Moment from dusk to dawn. And you know, we just livin' our life. We're sipping a peach bellini on the beach with our titties out.
Take a peek at Zepkins latest music video "Peekaboo" out now.
Role Model infuses other talents like rapping in this new project, making it a well-rounded album in sound. His tone lays perfectly on these stripped-back beats and indie-pop-inspired instrumentals. You can feel his authenticity in every track as he walks you through a story he’s trying to tell. As you turn each page, it makes you feel what he feels and see what he sees. He’s high off love and who wouldn’t be, hence Rx.
Dive into his world a bit in this exclusive interview with office below where he talks about not just his love life, but his creative process, perspective on the world, and inspirations.
So your stage name has become a big part of who you are, but we're wondering who your role model is, or who is someone that inspired you musically or stylistically?
I think the only role model I ever really had growing up, and still, is my parents. There was never anyone that I looked up to as a role model more than them. I had some obsessions -- I was obsessed with Elvis when I was a kid -- this weird Elvis, teen-boy obsession. I think stylistically, as far as fashion, I think a lot of women. I pull from them because I like the silhouettes more. I've always been drawn to that type of stuff. And music-wise, it's all over the place. There's Kacey Musgraves -- I look up to her big time. When I'm in that type of moment, it's Drake, and sometimes I'll try and literally channel that in the studio.
So your music videos take on really cinematic qualities. Some of them feel like your own movies; what's your favorite film?
I love it that's a very nice thing to say. I went to film school so that was a big part of it. So I get to bring that into it now, which is fun. I get to mix the two passions. I'm a big movie guy, but it's the same thing. It's all over the place. I love really weird shit, the Hereditary stuff, It Follows, all of the Ari Aster stuff.
Do you ever direct your own music videos?
Well, I can't take credit for that. I write them and then I give it to a director, Dylan Knight, who I work with on almost everything. I let him do it -- he's doing the hard part. I just get to write it out in as much detail as possible and give it to him. He's doing the work, but it's fun to conceptualize. Even when you're making the song, sometimes it comes right away and then you get to bring it to life.
Making the Coachella lineup is a huge accomplishment -- congratulations.
Thank you.
How did you feel when you found out you'd be performing?
I remember I found out six or seven months before it was announced and I flipped out. I called everyone I knew. It's been a dream forever. I'm pretty sure I celebrated by myself that day because we were still in quarantine, but it was incredible.
That is incredible. How do you hope people receive your debut album and what is the takeaway?
I hope that it pushes people in pop music to find unique points of view. I think trying to write an album about falling in love and doing it in a unique way was a huge challenge, but I wanted to push myself very hard on that. To not just make very lovey-dovey songs and corny stuff.
Yeah, it's definitely not corny.
Thank you. I think the album as a whole, when people listen to it, will get that idea. I want to change what's on the radio and all that stuff. The goal is to make whatever this is, a mainstream thing. Some people would frown upon that, but that's the dream.
I like that. So was there a moment or thought you've had that you think changed the trajectory of your life?
Yeah, so when I was in Pittsburgh at film school, I was in my third year -- I started making music at the end of my freshman year and immediately fell in love with it, but school suffered and I was failing everything; didn't care anymore because I had music and that was it. And I wasn't in school for music. So I thought there was nothing I could do. There was just this slow progression where I was literally failing for around two years or a year and a half. And, well, colleges want you to stay in because it's a lot of money that they're losing if you don't. So they kept me in and finally, I was at a point where they were probably about to let me go. But also, my music was not doing what I wanted it to do yet. So I was in this place where I was like, 'I'll give it a month.' And in that month I got a DM from Mac Miller's manager, and they're both from Pittsburgh so they keep their ears to everything Pittsburgh. They said they really liked the EP, the first EP I put out called Arizona in the Summer and they wanted to fly me out and meet and make music, whatever. And -- it was kind of this same thing with Coachella. I ran up and down the stairs in my apartment and had that beautiful, just pure joy moment. That kind of changed everything. I went there and then the music industry started hearing about that, and that's when labels started doing offers and the not-so-fun stuff. But that was kinda the push I needed. And then I was like, 'Why was I ever about to give up?' I was really close. I was about to just stop altogether.
What's your biggest dream and has that changed since you were a kid?
Definitely. I mean, when I was a kid, my hobbies changed every week. I painted as a kid. I followed a lot of what my brother did. So when my brother picked up a camera and did photography, I used to steal his camera and do photography. And then he started getting into film and I started taking his film camera and doing that. I never really got to find what I wanted to do. But once I found music, it was just like, 'I want to see how far I can take it.' And that's the bottom line. I have no idea what that means, but I want to see where it goes.
So your album name is RX. Tell me about what that album process was like? And if you want to reveal what the name means?
The name will be revealed in the last song of the album. But as far as making the album, the pressure was crazy. I had never experienced anything like it; it was amazing. It was fun. I did the whole project with my producer, Spencer Stewart, and we would take writing trips because it was during COVID. So we would have to just get out of LA. We did a lot of trips together where we were just staying for a week or two. And I think working with him, he pushed me really hard to -- one, use my voice in ways that I haven't used it. He taught me how to take care of my voice, to do harmonies that I would never be able to do in my life. I'm not the most actual musical person and he taught me a lot. So he helped push that. Also on the writing side -- my old music, it's cool. I love it. I love performing it. But if you listen to the lyrics, nothing is connected or cohesive. It's just a spill of whatever came to mind, which is cool, for what it is. But this time, he really pushed me to have a theme in every song, to have a story or a complete narrative. So yeah, these are much more structured, well-written songs. I think the writing is what we focused on the most.
I think my favorite from the album was "if jesus saves, she's my type." What was the moment you realized that the album was complete and ready to be shared with the world?
That was the worst part.
Oh really?
The worst. Because for the two years that we were working on it, we thought we had finished it and then the next week I'd be like, 'Yo, scrap these eight. Let's just keep going.' And I would keep doing that, and poor Spencer, like what a trooper for sticking with it. But it was just a never-ending thing and I'd be like, 'I need a really upbeat one. We have too many slow songs and I need this for the live shows.' I was constantly doing that and then finally, in the end, I was dried up mentally. I just couldn't do it anymore, so I said, 'Okay. I think we have everything. We have the start. We have the finish. We're good.' Taking the hands-off was the hardest part, but I think we did it at the right time.
So, I did a bit of digging and found out that you rap.
Rapped...past tense, past tense.
But what made you switch to singing?
That's how I got into music, but also, I was in Pittsburgh when I found music. The whole music scene in Pittsburgh is just rap. That's everything — obviously, Mac and Wiz are the goats to everyone; their faces are everywhere. So I was just around it constantly. Everyone I hung out with was rapping. I found two kids that were in my dorm that had the equipment and rapped and I just wanted to try it with them. I started going to shows, and local Pittsburgh artists. I wanted to be like all of them. I'd go to the shows to see these local rappers and be like, 'I want that. I want to go on those stages and do that.' So that was it. But also, I grew up on rap. I was skating and snowboarding as a kid, and those two sports are surrounded by Wu-Tang and classic rap.
I think it was already there, and when I found music, that's when it synced. But at one point, I had just found this beat that someone sent me a year before, that I scrapped, and I found it again. It was like this Penny in the Quarters sample, like an acoustic guitar. And I thought, 'This is so beautiful.' It reminded me of stuff my parents played, that I used to hate. So I made a song called 'Cocaine Babe,' changed my name to Role Model on SoundCloud -- that was the first thing that came to mind. I put it out and it did better than anything I had put out. I was like, 'Okay, this is a sign that this is probably more me and it comes more naturally for me.' I wasn't trying to be rapping about watches that I didn't have -- it was more realistic for me. I kind of ran with that. And then 'Girl in New York' happened and everything started from there.