Rapper Patchy, The Rockstar dropped his latest single ‘Shtick’ and New Boots was impressed enough to want to discover the back story of, and future for, the prolific artiste.
How did Patchy, The Rockstar come into existence?
I have been making music since I was 11, and up until the start of last year I was terrified of peoples opinions. I was scared of not impressing the people close to me like my friends and family, so I only shared my early music online under loads of different nicknames and then for the past few years had only been producing beats. I finally built up the courage to talk to people about my love for making music last year, and I began releasing original music as Patchy, The Rockstar.
How would you describe your sound?
A blend of modern hip-hop and emotional rock music. But I have versatility and a range of styles to display how I’m feeling when I create music.
Who are your main influences/heroes?
I can thank my Dad and his jazz-funk records for my earliest influences; Roy Ayers and The Crusaders come to mind. My Dad bought me my first CD when I was 7 which was Shaggy’s Hot Shot album. Then I began buying albums with my pocket money from there: Nas, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, Linkin Park, Paparoach and more. My favourite artist right now is Tyler, The Creator.
You’ve been quite prolific over the past few years. What has been the reaction to the previous Soundcloud uploads?
I started as a music producer and built up quite a lot of attention by entering beat competitions, where you would download the acapella to an original track and make your own beat. I never won but gained so much attention for it.
Tell us everything about ‘Shtick’.
‘Shtick’ came about so spontaneously. It’s produced by Ethancx, a guy I’ve worked with quite a bit over the past year and as soon as I heard the beat I jumped on it straight away. It took me about an hour or so after I heard it to write to it, record it, mix it and master it. That’s my favourite way to make music when it’s spontaneous like that, I always enjoy the end product more.
You collaborate often. How do you find yourself hooking up with, say, Mio Flux?
It is quite mad when I think about how we met. I was actually his manager at Toys R’ Us. Sadly Toys R’ Us is no longer with us. I guess everything happens for a reason. I can’t remember how the dialogue went but we found out that we were both making music, he was producing and I was finally confident enough to tell people I rapped and sang a bit. So we hooked up on a song called ‘Balmain’ and people seemed to love it and everything developed from there.
What are your live shows with Mio Flux like?
Insane. A must-watch. We promise energy, fun and a good time regardless of what type of music your into.
Any favourite bands/venues to play with?
We recently hooked up with Sarpa Salpa and have had the pleasure of working with them on something very special, which I’m really excited to share soon. I’m really enjoying watching their rise to success at the moment.
What has been your favourite Patchy moment to date?
When Mio Flux and I had our debut live show at The Garibaldi Hotel in Northampton, it was an instant classic. We never imagined it would turn out how it did, but having a packed out venue jumping around like crazy and shouting our song lyrics back at us for the first time was a moment I’ll never forget.
Who are you listening to currently?
Right now I’ve got Pi’erre Bourne ‘Marie Curie’, Tyler, The Creator ‘See You Again’ and J-Hus ‘Dark Vader’ on repeat.
What is your burning desire to do in the future? What plans do you have?
Big plans! I have nothing but the highest expectations for myself and plenty of drive to get myself to the top. Mio Flux included. We really want to succeed. So our debut project and a tour is next up!
‘Shtick’ is out now on all the usual downloading/streaming platforms
