Hey everyone!Back with a long overdue interview with producer 'thebuddhahead'. After hearing some tracks from his album "buddhabless vol.1" I knew had to get him to do an interview! Upon my first listen I didn't really know what to expect, but just a few tracks in I was like "Oh My God" this is soooooooooo good. I was really impressed. And I am VERY critical of the music I allow into my library or just listen to in general. I think that it is very important to share good music. So please check the interview below, we discuss musical influences + inspiration for his latest album.
My name is David Masen but I go by thebuddhahead when it comes to music. If you were wondering how I got the name it all started in 7th grade when I shaved my head damn near bald and all the kids at school started teasing calling me names like "monk" and "buddha". It didn't really bother me I mean that's what we did as kids it was all in good fun. One kid called me a Buddha Head and I thought it actually sounded cool so i kept it. I was born here in Los Angeles and so were my parents but my grandparents came from the Philippines.
How old are you?
I'm 17, turning 18 next April.
How did you start making music?
I started making music around 9th grade. Well up to that point I was just a really big fan of old school 90's hip hop and i didn't really give any newer artists a chance i just assumed they were garbage for some ignorant reason. This mentality really inspired me to start writing my own lyrics and that's how i began. Just so you know i am no longer stupid i do listen to Hip Hop in it's entirety i don't know what i was thinking back then haha. My favorite artist at the time was the RZA and him being an MC/Producer inspired me to try my hand at producing and so i started that shortly after.
What did you first start making music on?
I first started making beats on my beat up Toshiba laptop on some little computer speaker with a cracked version of FL Studio that I somehow managed to get. Definitely a humble beginning.
What is your favorite genre of music?
My favorite genre of music other than Hip Hop has probably got to be Jazz. The thing about Hip Hop is that it incorporates all genres of music and as i started producing, i began listening to more and more types of music in order to find samples. Jazz really caught my ear though more than any other genre. A few of my favorite artists include Robert Glasper, Ahmad Jamal, John Klemmer, and John Beasley.
What inspired you for your latest album?
My latest album "buddhabless vol.1" came about very spontaneously. I'm at an age of rapid change and sometimes things go by so fast you really have to sit down and take a breathe just to realize whats happening and to appreciate the moment. Well one day, I made this crazy beat which ended up becoming the outro for buddhabless vol.1, and it really put in persective how far i've come musically. I started going through old beats that must have gone as far back as two years and it made me realize how much things have changed. The beats really spoke to me and painted a picture of my journey from 9th grade to Senior year. If you listen to it, you notice how 2-3 beats sound different from the next 2-3 and to me this showed how much i have evolved musically and also as a person.
Where do you see yourself / music in the next 10 years?
In 10 years I see myself at the height of my powers. I see myself creating a huge variety of works and collaborating with artists of all genres. I'll have a house definitely and hopefully i'll be married by that time.
