Interview: Brockton, MA Rap Artist Monotone Shawty
Our latest exclusive interview is with Monotone Shawty, a talented emcee out of Brockton, MA who recently released a very DOPE video entitled "Asian Flame". We connected with Monotone Shawty to find out more about how his name originated, the story behind the "Asian Flame" song and visual, and much more.
After reading our Q&A with Monotone Shawty, be sure to follow him on his social media streams and listen to his new track "Crossover" on Soundcloud.
Tell us about your name "Monotone Shawty"; how did it originate?
Monotone Shawty. Initially, I had sent a song of mine to a friend and he responded "Monotonous A**" because of my voice and flow and I made a joke back saying "Monotone Shawty". It was silly but as I kept saying the name it had a ring to it so I ran with it. Call me Monotone for short though, haa!
At the age of eight, what led to your desire to write rhymes? What it a particular song or artist that sparked your interest?
I wrote rhymes mostly because of boredom to be honest. I grew up listening to a lot of music. At one point in time The Beatles : "1" album was my favorite album. Jay-Z - "Hovi Baby" was definitely a song that made me want to start writing and freestyling. That track is heavy. As I got a little bit older and MySpace was the major social media platform, Lil B was and still is definitely an inspiration.
What specifically do you look for in the instrumentals that you select to write to?
Man, I honestly don't look for anything except for bass and trippy sound effects. For example, the flutes in the Asian Flame song caught me as soon as I heard the beat. Uusually though, once I hear a beat and I connect with it on the spot then that's that from there. Monotone Life. Shout out to DOPECAUSEWESAID, PEACE!
Your new video for "Asian Flame" is very dope. Where was the visual filmed and what's the story behind the track itself?
Thank you. I appreciate you for that. Asian Flame was filmed in Boston's Chinatown. The song itself was inspired by an ounce of bud I had got from this Asian lady I worked with. The bud was fire and she was Asian, so Asian Flame. That's it. Got stoned and recorded the song. It was pretty cool.
You've mentioned that between 2014-2016, you recorded over 400 songs. How many of those songs would you say have the likelihood the see the light of day?
I would definitely like to say all of them actually. I have all those songs in a folder on a music sharing website/application but just figuring out how to share that with fans and listeners, appropriately, is what I am plotting on right now.
What's next for you after "Asian Flame"? Will the track be a part of an upcoming mixtape or EP?
Yes. Asian Flame is the first single from my "Monotone Life" mixtape which will be releasing very soon. I'm currently working on getting all the tracks together now and making sure every song is in a proper order so the listener can feel that difference.