Hello and welcome to College Radio Charts, Beaski Da Shooter. As we transition into September, how has your summer been?
My summer has been good. I’ve been staying focused, working, creating, and continuing to build everything I have going on with the music and my brand.
How did you first get into music?
Music has always been something that connected with my soul. My grandmother played a big part in that. Music was always around me growing up, so it became something I naturally connected with and eventually started expressing myself through.
Did you come from a musical family?
Yes. Music was always around my family. We could sit up all night listening to different music and just enjoying it together. It was always part of the environment I grew up in.
What are some of your earliest musical memories?
One of my earliest memories is hearing “Children, Hold to Your Dreams.” That song made me cry when I was younger, and it still touches me today. Music has always had that kind of emotional effect on me.
Who would you say are some of your biggest musical influences?
Eazy E, Eminem, and Lil Wayne are definitely some of my biggest influences. They all brought something different to music, and I respect artists who aren’t afraid to be themselves and tell their stories their own way.
Your new track “Letter to Duck & Dooski” is clearly more than just another song. When did you first realize you needed to put those feelings into music, and what was going through your mind when you began writing it?
I was missing my brothers. I was hurting, and I had a lot of emotions sitting inside me. Music is therapy for me, so writing the song gave me somewhere to put that pain. It was my way of talking to them, remembering them, and letting out feelings that were difficult to carry.
You had real relationships and history with FBG Duck and Dooski Tha Man. When you think about those two artists today, what are the memories that come back to you first?
I remember them as real people first. We had fun together, we made music together, and being around them pushed me to become better at what I do. Those memories go beyond music for me. They were my brothers.
There’s a lot of grief in the track but there’s also a sense of loyalty and love. You carry tributes to Duck and Dooski permanently through the tattoos on your face. What do those tattoos mean to you today, and has their meaning changed since you first got them?
They mean everything to me. I put them on my face because those are my angels. I feel like they’re still watching over me, and I still talk to them. The tattoos are something permanent that keeps their memory close to me every day.
You’ve worked with artists including FBG Duck, Billionaire Black, Famous Dex, King Lil Jay and Dooski Tha Man. What did those experiences teach you about music and about finding your own voice as an artist?
They taught me that you have to work hard. There’s a lot of talent and a lot of competition in music, so you have to be able to stand next to other talented artists and still sound like yourself. Every collaboration taught me something and helped me grow while still finding my own voice.
Chicago has produced some of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop, but it has also experienced tremendous loss. How has growing up and creating music in Chicago shaped the way you tell stories?
Chicago shaped the way I tell stories because our music comes from what we actually live and go through every day. Everybody has a story. I’ve seen loyalty, loss, family, struggle, survival, and a lot of things that people outside of Chicago may never understand. I don’t have to invent stories… I speak from real experiences.
Do you see yourself primarily as a rapper, a songwriter, or a storyteller? Or are those distinctions less important to you than simply telling the story that needs to be told?
I’m a songwriter and a storyteller. I tell the story however it needs to be told. I don’t like putting myself in one box because I’m open to different sounds and different styles. I even do punk rock. For me, the story and the feeling matter more than the label.
When you look back at the people and experiences that have shaped your life, how do you decide which stories become songs and which ones remain private?
Some stories are ready to become music and some aren’t. There are things I haven’t released because they’re deeper than music for me. Not everything needs to be public. Sometimes you have to know when something belongs to you and when you’re ready to share it.
You’ve also built a completely different side of your creative identity through Big Daddy SooWoo and comedy. Has humor always been a big part of your life?
Comedy makes me happy. Music is therapy for me and helps me focus, while comedy lets me enjoy myself, make people laugh, and show another side of who I am. Big Daddy SooWoo gives me a completely different creative outlet.
Does comedy give you a different way to process some of the same pain and realities that appear in your music, or do you consider those two worlds completely separate?
I keep them separate because they’re two different sides of me. Beaski Da Shooter is the music, the stories, and the heavier experiences. Big Daddy SooWoo is comedy, entertainment, and making people laugh. They’re both me… but they each have their own identity.
If FBG Duck and Dooski Tha Man could hear “Letter to Duck & Dooski” today, what do you think they would say to you after hearing it?
They’d probably say, “Beaski, you different.” Duck used to say that to me. I think they would understand where the song came from and know that it was made from love, pain, and remembering my brothers.
What’s next for Beaski Da Shooter?
More music, more shows, more opportunities, and continuing to build something successful. One of my biggest goals is to create enough success to take care of my family and eventually help get my family and a few close friends out of the hood. I’m trying to build something that lasts.
Thank you so much for spending some time with us today. Where can people go to find out more about you and your music?
You can find me across the major platforms by searching Beaski Da Shooter.
Official Music YouTube:
https://youtube.com/@beaskidashooterofficial
Big Daddy SooWoo… Comedy & Entertainment:
https://youtube.com/@bigdaddysoowoo052
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/black_beaski
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@beaskigang
Real Stories… Real Pain… Real Purpose.
Live By Loyalty.
