Yoshi T., an artist born in LA and based in NYC, has been on the rise this past year with his artistic and lyrical projects, including his latest EP, How To Get Back. He’s been on a creative journey with music, connecting his songs to visual arts, storytelling lyrics, and drawing inspiration from his musical friends from the WHATMORE collective such as, Cisco Swank and Jackson August. I personally have to give Yoshi his flowers for his talent, not only in the way he skillfully blends contemporary hip-hop music with various genres but also in how he approaches themes of introspection, family, and other cultural aspects through his wordplay. This past Saturday, I spoke with Yoshi after his performance in Brooklyn as we discussed his creative processes when making music and what’s in store for him in the upcoming year. 

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Growing up in New York, how did its culture influence you and your music?

I found hip-hop in New York, so it was basically just another outside perspective I really connected to and a lot of music was just nurtured here so much. 

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You’re constantly making music with your friends and Jackson mentioned that you guys met in school, but how did you guys start making music together?

Alright, so me and Jackson went to middle school together and we just became friends then. Then we both kind of entered music together when we went to high school. We kind of went our separate ways not friendship wise, but just musically finding our own sound. And then probably in the past two years, we've been coming back together and working on music together, but the friendship was what tied everything together. 

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And then you released an EP last month. What was the creative process like with that?

Oh my gosh. It was harder than anything before. It was like trying to just make really good songs and somehow tie them all together. My priority was definitely songwriting and just the feeling of it rather than a cohesive idea or anything. It took time. 

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I also love the production of “WHY WAIT?” You incorporate instruments into your songs a lot, did you play instruments growing up?

Yeah, so I grew up in the classical field. I grew up playing piano and clarinet. So I definitely was very happy that I had that knowledge, but everyone that plays on it, is not me. It's mostly my friends, I'll just produce it. Elijah (Judah) actually produced that song. Jack Redsecker played piano. I guess I have the knowledge or the know-how to kind of get through those things, but they really are the ones that lay it down. So, all the credit goes to them honestly. 

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How does family influence your songwriting?

Oh man, I can't escape it. The things that they've played growing up and the way I was brought up, I'm trying to tap into that as of recently. I'm just trying to make it a part of myself. It’s the storytelling of it all and making sure that side is heard. That shit is everything. I try not to make it too corny, but it's just the reality of my upbringing. And me and my parents are so tight and we've kept that relationship up and I'm just so grateful. 

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How has visual art  influenced you and how important is it to your music?

It’s very important. I think that's just growing up and seeing music videos and attaching that music to the videos. There's a nostalgic feel to it, but there's also a little bit of content to it. Definitely want to keep pushing that.

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Are there any genres you'd like to experiment outside of hip-hop and rap?

I really just love making music, so I always try a bunch of stuff that never comes out. I love folk. I love nylon guitar, I love how it sounds, I love the warmth. I think I really want to tackle that and perfect that to how I see myself with it. 

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Do you have any favorite folk artists?

Yeah, like Adrianne Lenker from Big Thief is really amazing. Andy Shauf. A lot of the classic vulnerable types. And Dijon. 

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With the new year coming up, what are you excited to work on?

The fact that it's about making a lot of music. A lot of bad music and a lot of good music. And just kind of seeing where life takes me. I hate planning things out. I'm not always good at it, so it’s just seeing how it all works. 

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For anybody that's wanting to make music, what's your biggest piece of advice for them?

Oh my gosh I was so insecure to start, but now we have the technology to try it out secretly in our own computers. Whatever you have, do it. It takes time, but if you really love the act of making it, you're never going to stop. That's really how I feel. 

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