"It's What You Make of It": On Dropout Kings Newest Single "I Ain't Depressed" and How Through Struggle This Year Came Progress
Anyone who is well adverse into the scene has heard of the name Dropout Kings. From their sophisticated and unique use of rap lyricism and metal elements in their early April EP GlitchGang, they have traversed the sound barriers of what nu-metal should sound like in its current state and have only kept raising the bar with each release and collaboration they have had this year. Now the band is taking their innovative and fresh instrumentation to the next level with their independent new single release, "I ain't Depressed". We aren't the only ones that seem to think so either.
“I Ain’t Depressed” Dropout Kings Single Art
With the single already chart-topping on I-Tunes within a matter of a week since it dropped, it's clear that Dropout Kings is on a mission to take over the nu-metal genre. "I Ain't Depressed" fires off with berserk and unrestrained vocal delivery, original infectious trap beats, and savage guitar lines that are incomparable to anything we have experienced from the band thus far. If this is a taste of what we are going to get next year, chances are nu-metal is in for one hell of a wake-up call. I got to chat with Adam Ramey from one of the genre's hottest acts right now to talk about the new single, writing within a multigenre, and what goals he has for the remainder of this year.
I wanted to thank you guys for coming back again to Scene Daddy, It's always a pleasure, and I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me. When you guys first started Dropout Kings, how did your local scene, along with your music taste, help shape your band's sound?
Thanks for having us! It’s always a pleasure! Honestly, for us, we didn’t fit into the local scene super well. Arizona is a lot of super heavy music and we’re a little more on the hip-hop side. We still found a niche and had a blast playing some dope shows locally when we first started out. My music taste I’d say definitely influenced the sound heavily. I grew up listening to Linkin Park and all kinds of nu-metal bands. Eddie on the other hand mostly came from a hip-hop background, so I feel like the fusion of us together really brings that unique dynamic that we’re known for.
You guys have a way of seamlessly combining rock and rap elements in this infectious and unique way every time you collaborate with someone. How do you manage to keep everything so fresh and different with each collaboration?
Thank you! I really appreciate that! We honestly just really try to keep in mind “What have we done before/ What have we NOT done before etc” We’re always looking to try something new and we’re not afraid to take chances. Also, we’re constantly writing new material. We have a surplus of tracks to choose from and narrow down our favorites. I think those elements really help keep it fresh.
How did you manage to work with British metal rappers Hacktivist? How did that all happen?
It was kind of random! I messaged Jot from Hacktivist and just kind of started chopping it up with him. One thing led to another, and we started working on a track and we looped J in, and we just made the track! We had them film their video parts in front of a green screen and that’s how we incorporated them into the video.
Your music is known for its stellar lyricism and killer hooks. How do you find inspiration for so many of your tracks, including the newest banger, "I Aint Depressed?"
Thank you! and We really just try to write about things we go through in our own personal lives that are relatable to people. We want our music to hit different and to hit people emotionally. I feel the best way to accomplish that is to let others know we’ve been there before.
You get to work with so many artists in the scene. In what ways did you push yourself on this particular track to achieve what you wanted outside of anything else you may have done in the past with other artists?
It’s been amazing getting to work with so many talented people. In this track, we really wanted it to hit hard because it’s the first single from us following our last record. On top of that, it was our first independent release as a band. So, this track had a lot of expectations to live up to. We’re constantly trying to evolve and refine our sound. We always want to bring something new to the table. I think we really accomplished a lot of those things with this track, which is why it came out the way it did. We really pushed hard to deliver a truly memorable collaboration with Hacktivist and something that hits differently than most things you’ll hear. That was pretty much the mindset going into it.
There are a lot of people, musical purists I should say, that will debate that rap and metal don't belong in the same musical categories. How do you balance out the negativity towards opinions that don't necessarily embrace mixing other genres with metal?
People just don’t like things that are new. They don't like change. ESPECIALLY, in the music community. I would argue that rap and metal are more similar than they aren’t similar. They were created by the same culture if you really want to get technical, so it’s really not much different. I try not to give the negativity too much attention because ultimately, it just gives them power. I truly feel like rap and metal together is the new wave. Look at MGK. He’s making pop-punk cool to these young kids that may have never heard stuff like that before. Same with Ghostemane. He’s mixing metal with rap as well. I honestly think that’s the future and that people will come around, eventually.
We are closing out a heavy and testing year for a lot of us, including myself. But we are also ending the year with some hope and promise towards the end, mostly for a better tomorrow, one can only hope. Are there any goals you are still hoping to realize this year, or are we closing this chapter and heading on to the next one?
Ain’t that the truth? Honestly, in a lot of ways, this has probably been one of the best years of my life as far as personal development goes. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on myself and what I wanted out of life. I think it changed me a little bit in a good way. I’ve done things this year I never thought I could do, like starting my own digital marketing agency “PUSH Digital Marketing” where I get to help other businesses and artists make dreams come true.
If it wasn’t for COVID, I don’t think I would’ve ever been pushed hard enough to start all this and also do so many things musically like we did this year. Through struggle comes progress. Sometimes, the obstacle becomes the path. It’s all what you make of it. If you have a strong mental fortitude, and you’re persistent, I’ve learned that nothing can stop you if you’re that determined. I just hope people can take all this energy and turn it into something positive because it's all what you make of it. And you’re right, all we can do is hope for a better tomorrow. But, today I implore everyone reading to make a move today, that sets you up for a better tomorrow.
Check out “I Ain’t Depressed” down below!