Working at a school you can get pretty peeved with how the younger generations are. They’re just different and while they might have different slang, fashion choices, and behaviors – one thing every era of humans is going to have in common is talented individuals. With that said, 15-year-old JOSIAHDAVIS. is representing his generation and doing them proud with his latest, “STUCK WIT U.” We talked about the music, how he rocked out to Biggie before he could even walk, and more like the Northwest hip-hop scene!
Kendra: If there is one thing you proved this year, it’s me being wrong. I thought, how good can a 15-year-old from the Northwest be? I was blown away by everything from the production value to the flow of your lyrics. While it sounds like you’ve been at this twice as long as you’ve been alive, you’re still fresh out of the gate, but on your 2023 release, ‘Welcome to Nowhere’ in “Euphoria” you noted how one of your goals was to be a person who inspires. However, who initially inspired you?
JOSIAHDAVIS.: My first inspiration was Biggie Smalls when I was a literal infant. My dad told me the story about when I was a baby, and whenever I would throw a fit, he would put on “Ready To Die” by Biggie Smalls and I would calm down. So Biggie, even similar artists like Tupac and Nas are super huge inspirations to me musically, and even just in my life, because hip-hop is such a big building block of who I am as a human being.
Kendra: Again, 15 is still so young but looking back at modern music history – artists like Brandy and Justin Timberlake were just teens when they hit the charts and made an impact. How do you feel Gen Z is utilizing things like social media and the internet overall to evolve what it means to an artist today without major labels funneling funds into them?
JOSIAHDAVIS.: Social media is everything in the music industry now. TikTok, Instagram, all that is the way that labels and fans are discovering new artists. It’s rough for me to say because I believe that talent trumps everything else, but the internet truly is the make or break for new artists looking to blow up, so definitely take advantage of that, because it can be the difference between you making this a career and being stuck doing this as a hobby.
Kendra: On your latest single, “Stuck Wit U” you got to work alongside Futuristic. Was there anything about his work ethic or approach to the song that you noted in the back of your head as a lesson you won’t forget moving forward in your career?
JOSIAHDAVIS.: He was very efficient in getting his verse back, which I’m sure comes with him doing it for much longer than I have. We sent him the open and he got it back to us in about an hour and a half. He didn’t keep us waiting, and along with that he overall was just a great guy to me throughout the whole process, I really appreciate him for treating me with so much respect and treating me as an equal when he really didn’t have to.
Kendra: In “Stuck Wit U” your gut and your heart have a little head-to-head battle. Which one do you often find yourself listening to more, your heart or those gut feelings?
JOSIAHDAVIS.: I’m a very emotional person. I definitely think more with my heart than my gut a majority of the time, and that can either affect me very positively or very negatively.
Kendra: Again, you’re out in the Northwest. What is the hip-hop scene like out there? Is there a local community you’ve nestled into?
JOSIAHDAVIS.: My dad says that I’m known locally, which is absolutely insane to me. We do have a scene where I’m from but it’s not very big, unfortunately. I love where I’m from, but the bad thing is it can be kinda cut and dry. I’ve seen a lot of talent coming out of my town, but it sucks that it doesn’t get recognized and especially the young creatives get clowned for it, which really sucks to me. I have friends that are trying to do the same thing I’m doing and get to the level that I’m going to and it sucks just because they’re not fitting into the “norm” of the Tri-Cities.
Kendra: Time for a side note – With us entering the fall months, I’d love for you to share a song that puts you in an Autumn state of mind…
JOSIAHDAVIS.: My favorite song that puts me in a fall mood is “i walk this earth all by myself” by ekkstacy. Very, very, very underrated artist and song, and this song takes me back to the fall of last year, gives me the energy of a cold, dark, fall night.
Kendra: Lastly, with “Stuck Wit U” out now – what can fans be on the lookout for as we inch closer to 2025?
JOSIAHDAVIS.: I have a lot of things that I’m working on at the moment. I’ve been working on an album called ‘IN TRANSIT’ for the last year and a half, and I’m so excited to put it out sometime next year. I have some more shows coming up, along with a bunch of other things. So I’ll be staying pretty busy.
