The epitome of the next big thing, Migs718 is the answer to the stagnant hip hop scene of recent years. I challenge you to find another young up-and-coming artist with the same grit, depth and complexity as Migs718. Go ahead… we’ll wait. Already an accomplished artist in his own right, the SXSW 2022 official artist has dropped track after track, demonstrating his capacity to experiment with genre and sound — be it hip hop, rock, rap, EDM or pop.
“Migs718 sought out to reform and shape a sound that he simply wasn’t finding in the vast drools of mumble and sad-boy rap infecting SoundCloud,” says Shayna Clark of LTC Live. His influences become nostalgically apparent when you click play on any of his latest tracks — Busta Rhymes, DMX, Eminem, Wu-Tang and Method Man.
Layering a distinctly fresh grit to his bass-driven sound, Migs718 is known for a live performance described as ‘pure kinetic energy’.
Based out of New York, Migs718 has already collected accolades such as Fresh Finds’ ‘Hottest Up and Coming Artist’ of 2019, ‘Hip Hop Artist of the Year’ for 2018 by LTC Live and of course a (fated) 2020 SXSW official artist (turned 2022 SXSW official artist). The My Forte team will sit down with Migs718 ahead of his much-anticipated SXSW set on March 19th (and you can learn more here!!).
TSM: Tell me about the early days…
- Migs718: I started making music in 2017 in high school, because I was fed up with the content in rap music. I wanted to hear something fresh that still held on to the storytelling from artists before my time.
- I was just having fun at first, but then, it started feeling like that’s what I really want to do; I wanted to create a new blend that felt different, but familiar… something that grabs you for one thing and then keeps you with another. I want to show how we can all do things we never expected if we just try and take the risk.
What’s the craziest show you’ve played?
- Craziest show I’ve played to date has got to be when I performed in the middle of Times Square for the LTC Awards. It was a huge event, with fashion designers and news broadcasting and over 5,000 people in attendance.
What’s in the mix for 2022?
- 2022 is going to be filled with new music and tons of new visuals. SXSW in March is the next big show coming up and, after that, my team and I are going to be moving around the country a little bit to piece together some cool projects we have in motion for both the real world and the metaverse.
We’re so excited to see you live at SXSW after a two-year delay! How did you keep the motivation and music alive during COVID?
- Honestly… spending more time with my family. 2018 and 2019 was a lot of travel. Going to new places… I didn’t get much time to enjoy the people around me. I got plenty of inspiration just spending more time [at home] and I’m both angry, but grateful that this happened. It made me write more introspectively and gave me the chance to experience a ton of new music from different countries to help influence my music.
- It also made me start experimenting with my music more and made it easier to genre-jump with everything being so isolated. Less room for hesitating on yourself! It really forced me to try new things or be stuck being bored.
Artist links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
About ‘My Forte’:
An award-winning 12-part documentary series created by Kaili Rose of Kairo Media in partnership with Top Shelf Music, My Forte explores the challenges and firsthand perspectives of artists around the world. What does it really take to make it in the music biz? What are the definitive challenges and sacrifices artists face? As fans and consumers of modern music, we owe it to our favorite artists to understand and appreciate what it really takes to make the music we love. Click here to watch the first film (it’s free!) and follow along as we begin interviews and production this spring in Nashville, Austin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Toronto.
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