Why Bother
Jacket LOUIS VUITTON, sunglasses GUCCI, sweater KIDSUPER, ring BERNARD JAMES.
An experimental artist, Dawson embraces traveling outside the confines of traditional "genre" definitions, blending and using elements from Hip Hop, jazz, and punk in his energetic sound.
Though currently untitled, the artist's highly anticipated upcoming project is expected to release sometime in 2023. We caught up with Dawson to chat about how he's able to stay consistent with producing music and visuals that provoke the mind, and keeping the jazz alive.
What was it like growing up in West Baltimore?
Growing up in West Baltimore was like the average urban upbringing. It can be dangerous but if you know how to move, you just stay out the way, make your paper, and keep it moving. West Baltimore hasn't been gentrified like that, so most of the communities still have a lot of vacant houses and businesses that have been there since the 2000s. There’s obviously a lot to enjoy about West Baltimore, whether it’s our culture or history, it’s a place we represent with pride.
Did you grow up with music?
Yes. So, my dad is a well known legend in Baltimore and ever since I can remember, I’ve been around his musical process and watching his growth. I knew at a young age that being a rapper could be a career, while other kids were dreaming to be firefighters and doctors. I grew up listening to Jay Z, Tim Trees, my dad, Ludacris. My mom would play N.E.R.D., Creed, Kelis, all that alternative shit, so I got the best of both worlds growing up.
Coat AMI, sweater TOMMY HILFIGER, pants KIDSUPER, shoes CAMPER LAB, sunglasses BALENCIAGA, necklace TALENT’S OWN.
Tell us about your freestyles and the influence that Rap, R&B, and Jazz has on your music and sound.
The freestyle series was a thing I wanted to do for the culture. I feel it’s becoming a lost art to hop on any beat and freestyle, so I wanted to keep that alive. Shouts out to Jayson Cash for the inspiration. For me, blending my favorite genres will always be my instant go to. Being from West Baltimore makes me want to keep the jazz alive.
What are your thoughts on the past and current music scene in the DMV Area?
There’s always been this cultural barrier between Baltimore and DMV, and I think that factor divided a lot of special things that could have happened, but that’s just me. Even back then, we were always talented and it’s crazy to see my friends become successful and that the world is starting to pay attention to Maryland, Baltimore, the whole DMV. It's Literally a gold mine.
Left: jacket HERON PRESTON, pants WILLY CHAVARRIA, boots TIMBERLAND, rings BERNARD JAMES. Right: jacket LOUIS VUITTON, sunglasses GUCCI.
You’ve been performing and touring for over a decade. What’s been the most memorable experience?
My most memorable experience was performing in Toronto, hands down. Toronto is one of those places where the energy is pure when it comes to entertainment. I was doing support on the homie JPEGMAFIA’s tour and it felt like I was headlining (laughs). That’s how crazy the crowd was going.
What makes you want to experiment with music? You seem happy to learn new things. What have you learned about yourself this year?
It’s the curiosity that leads to excitement, that leads me to experimenting with different sounds. When I produce, I try to go for sounds to make people mean, mug, or simply to get a reaction out of the listener. I’ve learned that I have a crazy fear of failing. When I decide to take a break from working on music, I start to think about what else I will be doing with my life. Then I get right back to work! I’m slowly working on the importance of taking breaks.
What is your proudest achievement so far?
I think it was getting signed while still residing in my city. A lot of artists had that dream and I’m proud to say I’ve done that. It hadn’t become my greatest achievement until I realized that it’s rare for someone like me to do this and just not give up on myself. It can be plenty of hard days but you gotta push through.
Do you have a Mantra?
“They don’t know as much as you think they know.” I feel like we come into this world looking up to people we aspire to be, or we can get intimidated by folks we think are on a different level, and so this MF Doom quote stuck with me because we aren’t perfect, and we are all the same.
Who would you come back as in your next life?
I’d come back as the spirit of Boss Ross. I see myself whenever I see Bob Ross talk and paint. He has a soft spoken voice just like me, and effortlessly creates just like I do, while giving you life lessons through the process.
Left: sweater, pants and boots ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, necklace L. JARDIM. Right: jacket MR SATURDAY, sunglasses PUMA.
Tell us about your new single ‘Why Bother’ featuring Pink Siifu. What was it like to collaborate with Pink?
Why Bother is a record produced by DK The Punisher, who’s been sending me beats the past couple months. Working with Pink Siifu was definitely an honor and I’m proud to call him my friend. His style matched perfectly with this song and this was like our third or fourth song we’ve worked on, so our chemistry was much better.
What does the title ‘Why Bother’ mean to you?
Why Bother is the underdog anthem. It represents my highs and my lows, everything I've been through the past year, and starting fresh. Nobody can tell me anything. Why bother hopping on the bandwagon when I caught you hating? That’s my whole energy for that record.
Who is the child on the cover for it? It's such a striking photograph.
That’s my nephew, Ollie. He’s one of my biggest motivations to keep going with this music stuff, and one of the most stylish kids, I must say. I took this photo on his birthday when he wanted to try on my fronts.
Top and pants MARINE SERRE, shoes SALOMON, sunglasses GUCCI, rings BERNARD JAMES, bracelet L. JARDIM.
Who is your favorite poet?
Tupac. I think he was recognized for his poetic abilities before his rap career took off. I understand how rap could have been so easy for him to do. Gotta represent the black rapper poets. And Tupac was raised in Baltimore as well.
The music video for your single ‘Hummer’ is a powerful and abstract visual. What was the inspiration behind it?
Thank you! The concepts all came from different dreams, and I wanted to add some Wes Anderson aesthetics to capture a minimal look. My whole thing is creating cinematic and minimal visuals to energy driven songs. It’s the perfect juxtaposition.
Who is an artist people might be surprised to hear inspires you?
Aphex Twin.
Left: jacket HERON PRESTON, tank top MARINE SERRE, necklace L. JARDIM, pants WILLY CHAVARRIA. Right: coat KEISER CLARK, top and pants MARINE SERRE, shoes SALOMON, sunglasses GUCCI, rings BERNARD JAMES, bracelet L. JARDIM.
Do you play any instruments?
I play the piano and keyboard. Not trained, I just play by ear.
Do you have a favorite moment in Hip Hop?
That one is really hard to think about… but one off the top of the head is when Kanye and 50 Cent dropped their albums at the same time to see who would sell the most. I felt like it was a turning point where people started to accept the stylish alternative wave in hip hop.
How did it feel to have ‘Get Money’ played on the HBO Series, ‘Insecure’?
Very surreal. I’m so blessed to have my music playing on national TV. I totally forgot about it when that season started, so when I saw the episode it kinda surprised me. And the song fit so perfectly with the scenes like I couldn’t believe. Shouts out to Issa and the Insecure team for showing love!
Jacket MR SATURDAY, top AMI, pants MIDNIGHT STUDIOS, boots RAF SIMONS, sunglasses PUMA, rings BERNARD JAMES, earrings L. JARDIM.
Is producing for other artists something you want to dive into next?
Oh, absolutely. I’ve been producing for artists but I want to take it to another level. I’ve been really motivated as of recently. I consider myself “a rapper that produces”, simply because I couldn’t find beats for me to rap on. It eventually led to me producing for friends but it can be difficult because when I make a fire beat, I start recording to it. So I want to adjust to this mindset of knowing I’m still a part of a song whether I have my vocals on a beat or not; we made this record together.
How do you manage to navigate in the industry and maintain creative control of your music?
Being in this business for over eight years, I’ve got to experience how the music industry can be, whether it’s me or being around other successful artists, and how it can affect us mentally and creatively. Some artists thrive in it and some artists just want to deal with the creative aspect and let management handle the business. Personally, I like to stay in the studio, only go out if I have to. I’ve been very elusive the past year, protecting my energy, and I’m sticking to that. Whatever it takes for you to keep making the art you want to make, you have to stay consistent with the process.
What should we expect from Butch Dawson in 2023?
I’ll be focusing on my next project which is untitled at the moment. But what I’ll say is that it’s worth the anticipation.
