Briana Wade
Jon Waltz stands at the forefront of up-and-coming artists who are revitalizing the Memphis’ hip-hop scene. That community looks a lot different from the height of Three 6 Mafia’s career — when they put the city on the map with a catalogue of tracks that took them from clubs to the Oscars. With a new wave comes a new sound, and 20-year-old Waltz is making a name for himself. Jaden Smith recently premiered Waltz’ single Actress on his Beats 1 radio show. “The whole time I was like, ‘This is Will Smith’s offspring telling the world that I’m going to be a somebody in the near future,’” Waltz told The Flyer. If things stay the course, he just might.
1. When you first started making music, what artists influenced you?
Drake, The Weeknd, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar influenced me the most when I was 16.
2. What do you think of the Memphis’ rap community? It’s much different from the days of Three 6 Mafia. How would you say it’s changed?
I think the Memphis rap community is awesome right now, and there’s a lot of cool acts people will see surfacing soon. I think things have changed from the days of Three 6 Mafia because there’s a lot of kids who grew up like I did, who listened to that music, but were aware that the things they represent aren’t the things we represent. I think, especially since the internet culture has pushed kids to be themselves, what comes out of this community is the result of a lot of kids from a different socioeconomic background who grew up on artists like Kanye West and Kid Cudi, who preached self-expression.
3. Jaden Smith recently premiered your song Actress on his Beats 1 Radio show. What was that
like?
It was pretty weird hearing him talk me up like that, but it was a cool experience. The whole time I was like, “This is Will Smith’s offspring telling the world that I’m going to be a somebody in the near future.” It’s pretty sick, and just more motivation to work toward making better music.
4. Do you have anything in the works at the moment?
I’ve been working on a project for almost a year now that will probably come out within the next 3 months, I just have to make sure everything is polished correctly and as genuine as possible.
5. What have you been listening to lately?
I’ve been listening to Archie Marshall a lot, Desiigner, Nessly, Chiara Hunter, Tobi Lou, Matt Champion and London O’Connor.
Listen to Anna below:
Five Questions with Jon Waltz
