A Q&A with Rekstizzy, An American Hero

Rapper and blogger Rekstizzy considers himself an “all-American hero,” and I agree. The Queens-based MC first caught my attention with his raw and unapologetic sound, which was just as intense live as it was on record. I had the chance to ask Rekstizzy a few questions to better understand his character and style. For the bigger picture, check out his latest album Whatever You Say.

Q: For those who don’t know, how did you come up with your name Rekstizzy? How would you describe your music?

A: Whenever somebody puts out the thing where they’re like just messing around or just being very self-indulgent, that’s the thing that usually hits. Growing up, I used to always go by the name Reklis and later just Rek, but when I would mess around I’d call myself Rekstizzy because it just sounded funny to me. When it came time to really pursue this shit, I needed to stand out, so I went with the ‘joke’ name. My music is pretty much the same way I just described how I came up with my name. Just trying to be very thoughtful about some dumb shit.

Q: Which hip hop artist had the biggest influence on your style?

A: Probably Kanye. He was just blowing up when I was finishing up high school and I feel like that’s the time period where you really develop who you are as a person. Not only that, his music is always out the box but on the side, he’s just funny as fuck. I remember dude decided to add an interlude to his mixtape where he’s talking about how much of a fan he is of pornography. I definitely want to be in the position that he’s in musically where he can jump from the silly shit to doing something very sincere and heartfelt.

Q: What’s your creative process? How do you get into a creative mindset?

A: I used to just wait until the rhymes would come into my brain while I was on the train or bus or just walking around at night. But nowadays, I sit down and really make time to listen. Some of the new stuff I’m coming up with, I don’t even feel like I wrote it. It’s a very spiritual and luxurious experience that anybody could afford.

Q: Briefly, can you describe the concept behind your album Whatever You Say?

A: Briefly? It’s about America. And it’s also about MURICA.

Q: Biggest challenge facing your career so far.

A: Man, I’m still just trying to get heard. It’s hard though, because people have short attention spans and everybody wants to be entertained or catered to within the first 15 seconds or it’s onto the next. And for an artist like me, who likes to mess around and use a certain type of beat to say something else, it works against me. But I feel like the more material I put out, the more people will understand what I’m trying to do. Going up against these odds will only make my courtyard water fountain sparkle that much brighter.

Q: Aside from hip hop, you’re also a journalist and blogger. How did you come up with the idea for your site Gumship?

A: I started out writing for rap magazines and I still do once in a while but I just wanted to create an outlet to write about random shit I like. I just so happened to be Asian so I created a culture and entertainment site where I can discuss anything from anime to how the co-founder of Pinkberry just got seven years for beating the shit out of a homeless guy. Lot of interesting stuff on there.

Q: Any new projects?

A: Working on the new album. It’s coming out crazy. Working with some new producers and a bunch from the last project but for now, people can hear the last album and a couple new tracks on my soundcloud and watch my videos on Youtube. I also update my Instagram and brainfart all over Twitter. Hit me up and I’ll probably reply back with words of encouragement. God bless.