FSD: Can we expect more theatrical, artistic performances then?
Dally Auston: Yes! Traveling and seeing all of these different artists, like J. Cole shit crazy, and niggas would never know. You don’t gotta listen to J. Cole, I still don’t listen to J. Cole, but seeing that nigga live was crazy.
FSD: Your show at I believe it was Reggie’s that Mick Jenkins headlined, that was a different performance. It seemed like you came out a little bit more.
Dally Auston: I can only get better with time. I mean you’ve seen some shows where I tweaked, but I’m only getting better. I’m finding different ways of preparing for shows. I thought getting fucked up before shows was good, but still drinking before shows — I think that’s gonna be my thing. I be loose, no butterflies. Drinking before shows, definitely. Maybe not get too high. Gotta figure out what you gotta do. I see Chance smoke squares, then go on the stage and kill that shit until he’s off the stage, but everybody’s different.
FSD: What’s your biggest influences, and how’s the process, for making Roses?
Dally Auston: I always want to do something that connects with me. Going back to The Wood, when you ask someone what’s their favorite movie, they’ll tell you, and my movie is The Wood. It is so nostalgic to my life. It could’ve been Friday, and my first tape would’ve been called Friday. So Roses is like the same thing. It reflects a lot of me, a rose was one of my first tattoos. Like your mom or anything symbolic, I don’t know roses just really connect with me. I’m still growing and finding myself, and what do roses do? They grow. Not even to be so conceptual I want to give good music, but like Outkast and Kanye the rose and shit, so many influences and just what it stands for…when you see Roses it makes you feel a certain way. When you hear Roses, I just want you to feel a certain way. I just started. I’m so excited and with all that, it means I feel like I’m a rose right now.
FSD: What were your biggest influences/ inspirations around The Wood?
Dally Auston: Around the time I was really trying to find my sound, The Wood was just a concept I wouldn’t let go of so I stuck with it. I started coming up with these phrases: “Dallywood” and “Welcome You to My World”, no matter how cliché that may sound I was creating my own world. From the intro “Dallywood,” it says a lot about what I feel like is happening now. I was trying to foresee something — the growth of people. My shit is always some growing shit, something reflective. I don’t know if people are really going to understand it now, but as they grow they will be able to go back and get it. My music is very reflective, I’m inspired by MCs, I don’t really have to say any names.
FSD: On “Imperial” for instance, I feel like that was a very real song. Maybe it was the features and combination of people, working with Jean Deaux and Vic Mensa. What was different about that song?
Dally Auston: I put that song together. I wrote the verses for that, it was a C-Sick beat, downtown. It was different ways I wrote different songs. I wrote [Imperial] walking down the street, the whole verse. Four corners, I was standing right by Panera just crossing the street. It was the way I wrote it that I was able to paint a picture. Writing outside is some whole other shit. I may get back to writing like that, but it was how I painted the picture almost like how Schoolboy [Q], like Kendrick [Lamar], paints their picture. If I could start painting more pictures like that, that’d be cool. But the way it came together, Jeaan Deaux laid the hook, then Vic Mensa came in. I don’t know how that song came like that.
FSD: What was the process into the Wood? You said that you wrote your verse to “Imperial” walking down a one block radius within like 30 seconds, and that was probably one of the craziest verses on The Wood. How did you create music?
Dally Auston: The Wood was kinda cool. Everyone wanted to be a rapper. Before Chance, everyone was trying to be a rapper. I’ve wanted to be a rapper for so long. I was able to be in a studio without paying, so not having to worry about the financial aspect was cool. The creative process was cool. I was in the studio with Saba, and he really helped me with putting it all together. I did some writing at home but a lot of the time, I just wanted to be outside and see what was going on. My music became good like that. I remember W$GTM, and I met Smoko [Ono] and we were at the park. It was a very old beat of his, and I was like I want that, and that’s one of my best songs to date!
FSD: A lot of Chicago artists are getting more known, seeing more things, experiencing different things, and understanding the world more than before. Why is this such a big deal?
Dally Auston: Because there are people who haven’t even been downtown. People don’t even get out of the fucking hood. We were talking about how ignorance is bliss. When you turn on the news and find out that glaciers over there are melting too fast, that could probably start a flood years from now, that shit makes you think a certain way. You can turn on the news and find out so much different, other shit. So being a musician and finding out so much other shit, it’s crazy. It’s got me thinking not like everybody else, or not doing it the way everybody else is doing it.
FSD: So are you using your music as more of an empowerment tool? As an artist, what’s your stance?
Dally Auston: I don’t know! When we talk about artists, and real art and regular people, I’m not regular. So I don’t think regular. I’m always thinking creatively. That’s why I don’t have a regular job, I can’t do that shit. So I’m always trying to find ways of being creative. We’ll make money from it eventually, that’s the plan so I’m always scheming to make money off that shit.
It’s always music. It gets cliché after a time, but I’m always getting something from it. Whether it’s musically, or just talking like this; it sparks some whole other shit. Maybe I’m a revolutionary type nigga now.
FSD: Maybe you are.
Dally Auston: But that ain’t got nothing to do with my music. I’m still gonna crank out some hot shit.
FSD: So still expect the turn up for the summer?
Dally Auston: Ah fasho. I’m so excited! I don’t like to boast about my shit, it’s just going to be heard.
FSD: I mean this is an interview. If you were to boast about yourself, this is the time.
Dally Auston: I already know when it’s time to flex, I promise you. There’s going to be a time. I want to flex so bad, you just don’t know how bad I want to flex. “Bitch, I’m ballin. I’m so awesome.” (singing). Songs that make you feel like that, I want to do. I don’t want money to be my problem no more. This is what we’re dealing with right now.
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sweet interview from the journalist and dally
Great interview. I like that it was very in depth and didn’t have the regular “easy” interview questions. It challenged the artist to provide thoughtful answers by digging deeper. Would love to see more interviews like this!