BA. So introduce me to amethyst. Were you born In February?
AV. Haha no, a lot of people ask me that, but no i was born in June! the name amethyst doesnt really come from crystals, its actually a comic book character. amethyst princess of gemworld, a DC series from the 1970s-80s. i used to collect comic books when i was younger and that on was my favorite. i even have my favorite cover tattooed on my left arm.
BA. Ohhhh rad! So how old are you now? And how old were you when you started making music?
AV. i am 22 years old, turning 23 this year when june rolls around. ive been making music since i was 7 years old, but i never started taking it seriously until i was 19
BA. Between those 15 years did you ever lose focus on that, or has it always been a passion?
AV. oh yeah i lost focus a bunch of times… in those 15 years i went through a lot. my grandma passing, opiate addiction, eating disorders… i went through hell and back. but one thing that always kept me going was song writing, i never planned to turn any of my songs into actual *songs* until i turned 17. before then i used to just record myself on my laptop singing. i didnt start rapping until i turned 18
BA. What musicians have inspired you? and when you wake up, everyday what fuels you to keep going?
AV. the first artist i ever remember listening to was missy elliott. her “under construction” cd was the first cd i ever got. i remember wanting to grow up and be like her, her videos were always so trippy and her songs were always PERFECT. some more recent inspirations are bones and lil peep. i love bones energy and vibe, growing up i always felt like an outcast because my thoughts were much much darker than everyone elses, and no one understood me. bones music really made me feel connected. not to mention his team of producers he works with are so beyond talented. im lucky enough to have rapped over a few team sesh producers beats. as far as lil peep goes, i mean its not hard to see, the way he showcased his pain and his willingness to be open is so rare to see in this industry nowadays, may he rest in peace. my fans are what make me want to keep going. the people who listen to my music and care about my message, the people who i have helped with my music, i do all this for them
AV. All well said, Rest In Peace. You have done a good job creating work aswell as establishing plenty of supporters, Do you have a specific vision for your music?
AV. Thank you, and yes i do. I want to be open with my fans, let them feel my pain and see my tears. by doing this i show them im a REAL PERSON not just some robot making music to make money off of them. i want to help get people through tough times just as my favorite artists have done for me. with songs like “agony” and “blameitonme” i let people see the more emotional side with my songs like “demons” and “addict” i let people see the darkness i live with in my head
i try to make different songs for my different feelings, so you get to really know me without even having to talk to me, you can feel connected to me just by listening to one of my songs
BA. Beautiful, there are many other artists doing this but I still wish we could see more. So thank you. As a female rapper do you feel or have you felt being left out or given less respect? How do you feel about mainstream female rappers?
AV. I used to feel like i got counted out being a female rapper, but now it seems female rappers have been getting a lot of praise. But sadly because i’m not the “normal” female rapper (shaking my butt in my video) i get looked past. honestly i think its because no one is used to hearing female rappers talking about such dark and real subjects. most female rappers are praised because they can rap, but most of them aren’t saying much. As far as main stream female rappers go, the only ones i like are those who came from a gangster rap flow before they hit the main stream. all the other ones are failed singers/pop stars turned into rappers because they see an opportunity to gain clout honestly, most female rappers out there give our community a bad name
BA. Yeah sadly I’d have to agree. I wish that female rappers didn’t need to “stand out” because art is such a open and amazing thing that people all enjoy together, it should be created together aswell. It’s sad seeing many mainstream female rappers conform to what’s expected of them
AV. exactly! especially because the whole “sex sells” formula is getting real old
BA. Who are some female artists that you do enjoy?
AV. i like Rico Nasty, Cardi B, Tink, Molly Brazy, Remy Ma, & Missy Elliott
BA. Yeah it’s disgusting, art is equally viewed by all genders. So I think it’s dumb the sexual side is so much more present in female art. Or not even more present.. but more acknowledged And expected
AV. thats another thing im trying to do with my music, is show people i can make it doing it my way…without selling my body along with the music. if you’re music is good enough it can grow on its own without needing help from anything else
BA. Respect to you for seeing that, outside of music you also run some other projects, care to eloborate?
AV. yeah, i have a clothing line called z3n clothing. all of the designs are by me and some close friends, made at my house in bedroom with a silkscreen. a dollar from every z3n clothing is donated to help replant trees. originally we partnered with onetreeplanted but since have expanded to several other companies across the globe. we are getting ready to launch a summer line with various pieces. i also have done several benefit shows for various causes, the most recent was in Prescott, Arizona to raise money for the J20 defendants legal fund. In addition to music, i am also a live streamer on youtube.
Another big project i run is my new label “Chemical Imbalance” we currently have 1 graphic designer, and 3 producers
BA. That’s all very cool, tell me more about how these things began
AV. well i always wanted to design clothes, i thought that would much cooler than just having traditional “merch” i wanted to create something more personal. i started z3n clothing not too long after the massive wildfires burned acres and acres of trees down. i wanted to do something to help, but help people feel more connected to the cause, so i did some research and found onetreeplanted. i already had tons of design ideas waiting to be made, so z3n clothing was born.
I started “Chemical Imbalance” fairly recently, i did this because i plan to really go full force this year, and in order to do that i need to have a team by my side. I have creepghost, a graphic designer, photographer, videographer and producer. jerm97, the first producer i ever worked with when i started seriously making music. and sillaro, my main producer, he has worked with me to create all my most recent hits like “demons” and “decay” streaming was the newest project i picked up, originally i was on twitch, but then i got banned, so now i stream on youtube
BA. I think z3n is amazing. I love the environmental focus, have you seen teamsesh “supporttrees”?
AV. yes i have! i grew up in seattle, washington. the pacific northwest, surrounded by trees. thats where my love for them came from. not to mention we need them to survive
BA. So in the past month you dropped your album” pink switchblade two” which had a hard sound to it, then a single “demons” with a darker vibe, and last “low fidelity” a project with a dreamy old school vibe. Aswell as many other releases. Do you enjoy having a wide sound?
AV. When i first started making music, most of my stuff sounded more like the “low fidelity” ep i just dropped. but after a few months i switched my style because i was inspired by the dark underground rap blowing up during that time. i struggled in the beginning to find the type of music i really wanted to make. once i dabbled in the dark rap scene, i never left. now most of my stuff tends to be aggressive cloud rap, which is where i feel the most at home. but i feel as a true artist you need to be able to make different types of music, so thats why i try to have more styles other than just being angry
BA. Who have been some artists you have befriended? Or enjoyed working with?
AV. the first few artists i made friends with have honestly become close friends, the people im closest to are CRU, Eloimmeth, and Lord Chums. As far as bigger names go, i have gotten to work with a lot of cool producers like hnrk, cat soup, omenxiii…..
BA. That’s awesome, anything big planned for this year?
AV. Last year my plan was to drop as much music as i could, to get my name out there. now this year my plan is to travel, to take all this music i made and spread it to the people. i will be doing shows all across the US this summer. I also will have a lot of cool, more edited music videos dropping on hosted channels!
BA. I can’t wait to see that. What are your thoughts on spirituality or religion?
AV. well, growing up i was never forced into a religion, my family wanted to let me decide. i used to go to church with my childhood friend but i realized i didnt believe in all the bullcrap. when i got to high school, i started doing actual research, and i found paganism. i dont claim to be a wiccan but i do practice certain ceremonies that are tied to that religion. i believe mother nature is god. not some dude in the sky
BA. I’m glad you could find that. Well before we finish is there any message you want to give other artists? Or people you want to shout out?
AV. To all the fellow artists, dont be discouraged if the fans/views dont come right away. if you work hard enough you can reach your dreams!
also shoutout to my streaming community, the vibez tribe, also shoutout b-cuck
AMETHYST: https://soundcloud.com/amethystvibes
BURIED ALIVE: https://mobile.twitter.com/_buried_alive
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