Dubstep Star Datsik on His ‘Inspiring’ New Hip-Hop Experiment
In his spare time, Canadian dubstep star Datsik (real name Troy Beetles) loves to produce hip-hop beats and harbors dreams of working with Method Man and Redman. His latest video “Too Late to Say No,” which premieres on RollingStone.com, gives a little nod to hip-hop videos by showcasing Datsik and his crew holding court in a nightclub booth before a group ends up at the Hollywood sign.
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“I never really used my own vocals over one of my tracks. So on that song, I’m actually the one rapping over it,” he tells Rolling Stone. “That was definitely a different experience for me, but I also learned quite a bit on how to make my voice sound good and not make it sound so much like me.”
In putting himself out there as a vocalist for the first time, Beetles admits he felt some nerves, but the response so far has been better than he hoped for. “Some people were like, ‘Yo, he sucks, you shouldn’t be rapping over his own tracks,'” he says. “But then a lot of the people were like, ‘Yo, this is really cool.’ So I wasn’t expecting anyone to really, particularly like my voice or vocals. So the fact anyone was saying anything good about it is a plus for me and it’s kind of inspiring. Now I might try and do it again.”
He has no plans to do so on his next EP, however; it’s due this fall. While the as-yet-untitled follow-up to the Cold Blooded EP won’t have his voice, it will be more extensive. “This next EP I’m writing right now is gonna be closer to a LP. It’s like seven or eight tracks,” he says. “For all of my fans who are really into my older stuff, half the EP is really dark and ominous and then the other half is super euphoric and party vibe. So it’ll be a cool blend of the two.”
He hopes to get the material out shortly before kicking off his Firepower Most Wanted tour on October 2nd in Spokane, Washington. The show, which will be powered by PK Sound and include visuals by V Squared Labs, will find Datsik sharing the stage with Funtcase and many Firepower labelmates. It is a chance for Datsik to hang with friends more than anything else, he says.
“When I was pitching the bill for the tour, I almost looked at them more as people than as artists because I’m good friends with every single artist that I picked,” he says. “So it’s almost like I’m trying to pair up all my friends so they can all meet each other and hang out. This being my fourth bus tour, I know how important it is to pick people who are gonna vibe well with each other. And when everyone starts vibing together, that’s when music and magic start to happen.”