Artist Profile: Radicule.

Photo Credit: Adrian V

From the time he was first immersed in his brother’s rotation of southern hip-hop, NY-born producer and rapper Radicule. knew that, in some shape or form, he wanted to be involved in the direct thematic delivery and pure artistry those rappers exhibited. In the years since, his style has taken massive leaps and turns, but he and his central creative intention have remained intact.

The release of his latest full-length project, Wannaknowthename?1, was not merely a return to the forms of lyrical expression that first inspired him musically. It was a cathartic experience, one that represented a full-circle turn back to where his journey once began.

From the time he was a child, Radicule. was around hip-hop in some way. Although his father was mostly into ‘70s soul, jazz, and R&B, his mother was more progressive in her tastes. She was a massive DMX fan, and she would allow her sons to listen along as they drove around with her and their aunt.

Later, it was his brother’s tastes that drew Radicule. closer to the art form. He and his brother, Bruce, shared a room (and, by extension, a computer), and Bruce would upload album after album onto their shared iTunes. His brother’s tastes spanned from Gucci Mane to Elton John, but Radicule. immediately gravitated toward the innate charisma and atmosphere of southern hip-hop.

“It was just very direct… I felt it conveyed an emotion and a feeling that was just very down to earth and very human. It was just like, they were just talking to me directly, didn't feel like I had to try to decipher stuff too much, but they still were coming with a message… It was cool to bridge that gap because I’d never been to some of these places where these artists were from. But I could understand and get a vivid image of what a day in the life is for them.”

In his younger years, Radicule. tried his hand at emulating some of his idols, but he quickly felt discouraged when his lyrical abilities didn’t advance as quickly as he hoped. But around the time he was 13 or 14, he downloaded the demo version of FL Studio onto his shared computer, and he recognized a path to participation in the art form he had grown to love so dearly. By that time, his tastes had begun to lean more into the “backpack rap” of that era, and his initial attempts at production emulated the instrumentals of those rappers.

But as time went on, he figured out his own workflow, his own taste for samples, and his own sound— one that operated in closer proximity to the lo-fi, bump-inspired instrumentals that emerged through the 2000s and 2010s. For him, production quickly became a meticulous craft. Each sound, each layered hi-hat and carefully directed kick, was an intentional act.

“I do everything in the playlist view where you drag and drop the sound. So it's each individual sound, bit by bit by bit. I look at [production] kind of like a puzzle— to try to figure out everything. It's also stitching, it's literally like I'm taking a needle and painstakingly doing every single stitch myself. And I kind of like doing it that way. It's much more granular, and for a lot of people, it's a lengthier process. But to me, if I'm gonna be in the studio, I might as well enjoy myself… no matter how painstaking it may look.”

Chapter Black: the Bump Tape was the first work where he felt like this diligent attention to his craft was truly exemplified, where he let go of all of the inhibitions that had previously held back his output and simply created.

“It was one of the first projects where I had a very cohesive theme in mind and just pulling inspiration from one of my favorite anime YuYu Hakusho— that was, like, fully inspired by that show. But that was one of the projects that I really, really love to this day and still can go back to and listen to, and talk about it to people.”

Since that time, Radicule.’s style has taken its own sojourns. He’s experimented with trap drums and production on projects like Ebony Eternal and has, over time, gathered more and more of his influences into his sonic sphere.

But those instrumental hip-hop foundations, a propensity for collecting intricate and eclectic soundscapes, has always remained. Wannaknowthename?1 is, for the most part, a sonic continuation of his previous works, but with one major difference. For the first time since he was a child, Radicule. felt compelled to rap over his instrumentals himself, to air out the personal turmoil and emotions he was enduring through his own, cultivated vehicle. In short, it felt like he finally had something to say.

“I think one of the obstacles was just really having to process real deeply-seated emotions that maybe I didn't want to… Specifically, just my uncle's passing, talking about that on the final track. And I think that was very cathartic… Losing anybody who you look up to is always going to be a hard thing to tackle, regardless of if you're doing it publicly or privately. That definitely was a big obstacle and a triumph at the same time, and felt like a cool way to honor him.”

Now, having fully settled into his niche as a self-proclaimed “Beat Bohemian”, Radicule. intends to continue his experimentations, expanding his dusty, groove-inspired work into new sonic territories.