An Interview With: Ronin

AWSRONIN — Original Artwork by Deshaun Ellis | Photo by @spurgeonmyers

You know when you’re about to go into work or school or somewhere you just don’t want to be? You’re just so disinterested to go there so you put on that one artist you know will hype you up. Ronin is one of those artists.

His music is so exuberant that it’s hard to sit still while you listen to it. And what’s crazy is that his flow is menacing, but the beats hype you up so he comes off as this kingpin type figure that gives off this chill aura, but could kill you in an instant. Least that’s what I take away from it.

I say all of this to say that this shit is great. With Ronin recently releasing his 4-song EP Dabi I thought it would be a perfect time to ask him a couple questions about his writing process, the history behind his name, etc.

Deshaun: So where did the name Ronin come from? Because I know that it means warrior, but what does it mean to you?

Ronin: It pretty much means a “masterless warrior” and that’s how I see myself. No master, no chains, none of that.

D: were there any name ideas before that? Or did you know it was gonna be Ronin for sure?

R: I would tell you my old name, but there’s some embarrassing shit out under that lol. For a different time.

D: Haha nah that’s cool man. When did you become serious about music?

R: Like a year and a half ago I think when I dropped my first solo songs. I had done other songs with people, but that was the first “Ronin” track.

D: You talking about How I’m Made, White Lines, and Ray Gun? Love all of those.

R: Yessir. I feel like that was my first stride musically that I ever really made.

D: Yeah no problem I like recently did a deep dive on your soundcloud and all of your tracks are great. Where do you find inspiration for your music?

R: Honestly, everything I do in life. Of course other artist influence the sound or beat selection, but in terms of the whole creative process its all existence. Good or bad, mostly bad.

D: So do you find it easy to take in all of those things and translate it into music?

R: Yeah, ideas flow naturally, its just putting all of those pieces together into something cohesive. Sounds complicated, but it just means I say whatever, however I feel at that moment.

D: okay so just a personal question from me: what inspired Kill Your Local Racist?

R: Being from the south and being multicultural is crazy. Like you figure out a lot of shit when your own family members use “nigger” as an insult for you. At the time a bunch of white people were talking hella shit about me and my people and I was sick of it. So, I felt like we should kill them.

D: I see that a lot. Why do people like come at y’all crazy like that? And it seems like it’s very often too.

R: At the end of the day we’re still Black people in a very white place. And people don’t look at us like we’re from the projects or hood or whatever because of how we act and sound when none of us came from anything. So people think they can try us. Oh well, let them try.

D: I feel you man, but speaking of your close group of friends y’all seem really fucking close like how did you all meet? Because it seems real tight-knit.

R: Most of us met in high school and been cool since.

D: How does it feel to see you and your friends from high school achieving the dope shit y’all set out to do?

R: Its cool and all, but I always feel like we needa do more. It seems like a success to a lot of people here, but I’m always looking at the progression that we could be making.

D: Do you feel extra pressure with that being black and coming from the south?

R: I would honestly say the pressure more-so comes from me. I don’t really care what people think as long as they buy tickets and keep listening.

D: I feel that. Oh I meant to ask why you chose Dabi for the name?

R: Sounds dark, but my shit sound like bodies being cremated. Its like the soundtrack to a burning city. I played around with a few names, but that one stuck.

D: oh my god yes especially Guts. That shit sounds like the apocalypse JUST happened and everybody dying.

R: Yea yea, exactly. That’s the whole feel that I was going for, Like every track was and fiery ending of something. Whether that be a person, city, planet, whatever. Just wanted to give that visual with it.

D: Yeah fam you definitely did that haha. And you made the art yourself right?

R: Yea, for Dabi and everything else you’ve seen on my page.

D: Oh damn that’s fire that you don’t have to outsource haha hopefully you don’t think the shit I do for this isn’t boring.

An Interview With: Ronin

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