A lyrical flow that anyone can vibe to, Ras is a rapper/producer based in LA that I discovered by way of my friends at Lifted Lofi Records. I appreciate his realness with every lyric, that has a melodic beat to match. He is one to keep your eye on for continued dope releases. Ras handles all production, writing, vocals, recording, arranging, mixing, and mastering (unless stated otherwise). In other words, he is a musical genius that I had the pleasure of chatting with about his newest EP Dreamside.
Name an album everyone should have in their collection?
Obviously, ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ by Kendrick Lamar. Everyone needs to hear this top to bottom at least once.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been making music for 6 years now.
Your flow is really smooth and easy to move to, I like that! Where do you pull your inspiration from?
I pull a lot of my inspiration from Saba and Freddie Gibbs. Those two move smoothly on a wide range of beats. A lot of their flows complement the rhythm the beat creates for the listener. It’s almost like they become another percussion instrument as well as the vocalist.
Talk to me a little bit about your new EP ‘Dreamside’. What can people look forward to with this release?
People can look forward to a lot of diversity on this project. I’m on all sorts of different kinds of beats, and I’m speaking about a wider range of feelings and experiences this time around. I also manage to pack this all in a relatively short EP, so it’s not overbearing. There’s a little bit of something for everyone on this project. I think it’s my best work to date.
-What does 2021 have in store for you?
I think 2021 has a lot in store for me. Looking back, I’ve only seen myself grow more as an artist. I have more eyes on me than I’ve ever had, and my skills with making a beat and writing a song have only gotten better. I don’t think 2021 will be the year I pop off, but it’s going to be an important year where I solidify my lane.
Tune into his music here.