In the vast and diverse world of music, independent artists often bring a raw, unfiltered passion that resonates deeply with listeners. Today, we’re thrilled to introduce Shako Speel, a talented musician whose work not only showcases exceptional artistry but also offers a profound glimpse into their personal journey. Through their music, Shako Speel invites us to explore the highs and lows of life, creating a unique and intimate connection with their audience. Join us as we delve into the stories behind the songs and discover the experiences that shape this remarkable artist’s sound.
Lets hear directly from the artist:
I’m Shako Speel, (@shakospeel) born at the start of the 90s, of Guatemalan descent and raised in the city of Los Angeles.
My musical journey started with quite a rocky childhood, engaging in graffiti and indulging in an early fascination with the sounds that were mainstream along with the music that those who were a part of my upbringing were gracious enough to share with me.
Up until the age of 12, when I got my first portable CD player, I relied on others to help me replace the ambient sounds of existence with audio art. After I got my CD player, I was able to start collecting music to study on my own. I went from radio rap, to radio rock and collected CDs from people that were packed full of familiar and unfamiliar artists and genres.
I remained an avid and studious listener up until the age of 17 when I was surrounded by lyricists and figured that making beats would become a solid path. After informing all of my acquaintances about my plan to provide them with original instrumentals, I began to start absorbing rap music differently. The sounds became more vivid, the words gained more meaning and I became capable of dismantling the combinations of sounds in order to understand how to achieve my goal of becoming resident producer for the horde of musicians in my immediate environment.
At 18 I was at one of my friend’s houses and had just finished showing him the instrumental for Binary Star’s song titled “Reality Check”
He immediately loved it and warned me that him writing a song would take several hours of me sitting there with nothing to do. He threw me a pen and notebook, told me to “draw or write or some shit” and then commenced on his songwriting endeavor.
I sat for a while, contemplating on whether I should try rapping on for size, and I couldn’t be more happy that I chose to jot my first 16 bars right then and there. It was a song about graffiti and the lovely streets I consodered my stomping grounds. My friend the proceeds to spit what he wrote and then I informed him of my having written a verse. His eyes went wide and he ran the beat back to the beginning. After I was done, he was mind blown and had me do it again a few times. He then pauses the beat and says “Dawg, you’re a rapper.”
I meddled with writing here and there until around the age of 21 when I noticed that the urge to write was getting stronger. After stacking a bunch of 16 bar verses, I started rapping them to everyone I could get a hold of, over YouTube beats. Based off of everyone’s suggestion, I decided to take songwriting seriously and started working on hooks and structuring out whole songs. The issue with momentum had to do with the fading appeal of my style of music, based on the changes to the musical landscape at that time. I was presented with little to no adequate opportunity in order to be able to record and push my work. That, and the fact that I’ve always been a “degenerate graffiti vandal” with barely any money to get a meal with, probably had a lot to do with it.
I wrote songs and kept them in my head until my buddy, DJ Miker, introduced me to a person who ended up bringing me closer to my craft in ways I couldn’t explain. His name was Mozenraff. (R.I.P.)
After meeting Raff, he started frequently booking me to perform at shows and I was regularly meeting with him in order to brainstorm, write and record new ideas. Once we built a bond, and he understood my intention, he set it up so that I could join his collective called “BlaqKnoiz” which was made up of a group of insanely talented rappers, producers, videographers and creative minds of all sorts. This move helped shift my intention into a more genuine direction. I was working with a group of creatives who solely had creation as their priority. It was beautiful and we made amazing things happen together.
After a while, everyone in the collective started going their own ways in terms of life paths and we slowly fell out of touch with each other. This left me without the backing of a once solid team and with a shit ton of questions about moving forward. That’s kind of how I ended up here. Pretty much at square one, making music for the sheer sake of creating something meaningful to me, that I can hopefully share with the universe. Now, my only focus is shaping my style and sound into a more satisfying or different version of the last song I’ve made. It’s pieces over process, I always say.
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