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An Interview With Hardcastle

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me this week. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself and the work you do. How did you get your start?

Hardcastle: Absolutely! How’s everyone doing, I’m Hardcastle, I’m a hip-hop artist from Reno, Nevada. I got into hip-hop at a young age. I still remember listening to Tag Team and Kris Kross on cassette on my way to elementary school.

I fell in love with hip-hop from the second I heard that first beat drop and I initially taught myself to freestyle as I always found myself with different ideas going through my head and the inability to not just start rhyming.

I am inspired by those who achieved their dreams no matter the obstacle and by those who have helped others achieve what they themselves thought was impossible. I started really making Music and battle rapping in the early 2000s and ever since I got in the ring and the first time I stepped into a studio I knew this is where I was meant to be.

Branding is an important part of being an artist online. How do you approach your branding and marketing?

Hardcastle: I take my brand very seriously which is why I relate myself and my passion to the wolf. A wolf will never leave anyone behind and they put the weak or injured in front so they’re always watching their back. I want to portray that to all who I come in contact with or who may listen to my music.

I’ve always had this vision of me walking down the street and passing someone singing one of my songs, because something I said or did gave them the confidence to go after what they thought was impossible. To me that’s the Wolf. 

How do you approach your creativity? Do you work at it, wait for inspiration to strike, or something else entirely?

Hardcastle: My creativity comes at all hours of the day, I can just be sitting there and an idea, concept, or bar will come into my head, I’m thankful for the notes section on my phone, or else there’d be an ink shortage in Reno, lol.

Every day I am learning and gaining knowledge and I find the direction of my songs can change from day to day and I will go back and rewrite as life throws learnings my way. If I find a beat that I really love I will throw it on in the studio, step up to the mic, and let my emotions take over. That usually is how alot of my music comes to life. 

Due to COVID and the internet, the way we consume music seems to be changing. Where do you see music going in the future, especially for independent artists?

Hardcastle: I feel the pandemic has shown a lot of independent artists such as myself that we don’t need the backing of a major label to make a difference in people’s lives. A lot of us already knew this to be true but I feel this past year more of us have brought that into fruition and released the best music of our careers.

We can do everything from our home studios, we can produce, record, perfect, and upload all from the comfort of our own homes. I feel the platform for this will continue to grow and be the new wave of how music gets heard by the world. Independent artist for life here lol. 

Burnout can happen to the best of us. What do you do to stay motivated when it comes to making music?

Hardcastle: How do I stay motivated, that’s a great question. I love what I do with music and I want people to gain confidence in life through it. I love creating a song from beginning to end, hearing the playback for the first time, and seeing the smile on my family’s face when they see the happiness it brings me. I lost my passion for making music for about 7 years when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and then sadly passed on.

I thought to myself, why create anything if she can’t be dancing at the front of the crowd when I was on stage as she would always do? Then I had a dream about her and in that dream, my passion was restored and I woke up that morning on a mission. She never would have wanted me to be silent and always told me to follow my heart. My family is my motivation, they motivate me every day to be a better artist and to be someone that through music can change lives. 

Hip hop is often a collaborative process between rappers, producers, engineers, etc. How do you approach networking and building collaborative relationships?

Hardcastle: Networking is such a valuable part of this industry and I approach every relationship the same. With respect. Having mutual respect for every person I come in contact with, whether it be a graphic designer, an engineer, a producer, another artist, or someone like yourself who takes time to give us this platform to share our journey, respecting what they’ve done/do is key.

We are all after the same goal and working together is the only way we can achieve said goal. A lot of the relationships I’ve built in this industry have turned into lifelong friendships and I wouldn’t change that for the world. It’s a two-way street, if someone is showing you support, you show it right back, anything from a retweet to a share can mean the world to someone.  

What is your best advice for those who want to start making their own hip hop music?

Hardcastle: My advice for those who want to make their own hip-hop music is simple. DO IT!! Don’t wait, if you’re reading this go now! Make music and dont stop. You’re always going to have someone trying to bring you down and tell you not to do it or that you’re not good enough, or there’s already a sound like yours. I’ve heard it all. Don’t listen to them share your voice and your journey with the world cause you never know who needs to hear what you have to say. 

Do you have any upcoming events or releases you would like to discuss?

Hardcastle: I am currently working on my full length album titled Chapter 35 set to release in early April this year. i can’t wait to release this whole album and share it with everyone. I’ve put a lot of time and thought into this project and once it comes out will be a very happy day for myself as well as everyone involved in the journey. 

Thank you for chatting with me. Where can the readers find you and your work?

Hardcastle: You can find me on Instagram and Twitter both @iamhardcastle, you can find my two singles from my project My Way and Heroes Never Die on Spotify and Tidal music. Aaron, I just want to say thank you for allowing me this time to share with you and everyone. What you do for us independent artists is truly amazing and I hope you know how much this meant to me. 

Check Out Hardcastle

A huge thank you to Hardcastle for taking the time to chat with me this week. Make sure to check out their work at the following locations:

Hardcastle On Spotify

Hardcastle On Twitter

Hardcastle On Instagram

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