How Watsky Changed My Life

By Joseph Kim

Watsky, born George Virden Watsky, is a lingual master. Starting his professional career as a slam poet, Watsky competed on the national level and performed on Def Poetry Jam’s sixth season, growing from his struggles with a lisp to become a well-spoken force to behold. Naturally, he transitioned from slam poetry to hip-hop, retaining his clever wordplay and remarkable delivery. Watsky became a founding member of the band Invisible Inc., and started his solo career, releasing his self-titled first album in 2009. Then, he reached viral success, with his YouTube video “Pale kid raps fast”, his rapid rapping skills gaining him respect in the hip-hop community and attention in the mainstream. Over the years, he has released several more projects, including a collection of short essays, a feature on the Hamilton Mixtape, and a full-length album film.

I am a fan, to say the least, and I admittedly can’t be objective when speaking on Watsky. His work has personally affected me over the years, through most of my transformative, adolescent years. To ignore my bias is futile. So, I might as well explain that very bias.

“So if you got a flame that’s blazing hot within/Take a deep breath and feed it oxygen”

Inspiration

The average age for a child‘s first words is around 9 months. I didn’t speak until I was 4. My mom was understandably concerned, but my grandma assured her that I would compensate for that delay with a monsoon of thoughts coming out of my mouth. And sure enough, she was right. I undeniably love to talk, to converse, to chat. So, it’s no wonder why I gravitated towards Watsky so easily: his incredibly quick wit and lightning-fast rhetoric were traits to admire. For me, personally, those traits were not only to admire, but also to emulate. So, I started to pursue rap music as an outlet.

Let’s address the obvious: I’m an Asian-American rapper. That alone is bound to spark some conversation. I’m fortunate enough now to be in a culture where Asian rappers are becoming more popular and accepted, with artists like Rich Brian, Awkwafina, Dumbfoundead, just to name a few. But growing up, the notion of an Asian rapper seemed bizarre to people. Rap and hip-hop, since its inception, have been heavily associated with African-American creators, and rightfully so, as the foundation of the genre started with mainly black artists. However, that heavy association had excluded the possibility of others from accessing the genre. Watsky, for me at least, broke down the barrier of hip-hop.

Now, Watsky isn’t the first white rapper, to be sure. Eminem, most notably, cultivated an authentic persona fitting of mainstream rap music at the time. But Watsky created a unique identity in hip-hop, one that never compromised his authentic self. Although sometimes sporting a brash attitude, Watsky is a lovable nerd. His music doesn’t fall into nerdcore, but he definitely doesn’t fit into the likes of gangster or trap rap. So, in that way, Watsky isn’t the first rapper to break down the racial barrier, but one of the first to break down the stereotypical barrier. And because of him, I found a way to craft my own voice in hip-hop.

“That is how — I know that all we lepers and we shepherds join together now in holy congregation, everybody/Stop right now!”

Guidance

Music, to state the obvious, is extremely impactful. Family, friends, institutions, political and social climates, and other forms of media may have equal or greater influence, but music, to me, is the most consumable. Even before birth, music can serve an infant’s growth, most notably the correlation between classical music and intelligence. So, imagine the role that music has in shaping the views of a young adult.

Watsky’s politics, regardless of my stance, have shaped my own politics. His opinions on mental health, gun control, and religion impact how I perceive those very subjects. Yet, he isn’t the only artist to incorporate politics. So, why is Watsky’s body of work different?

Perhaps it’s because Watsky’s work is deeply personal. He not only incorporates his own anecdotes, reflections, anxieties, and rants: he uses them as the fuel for his music. That personal attachment, his own investment, gives his music weight. You care because he cares. And at times, I find that I care simultaneously. Personally, Watsky can be extremely relatable. I can relate to his pursuit of a home in the title track Cardboard Castles; the destruction of the wall between love and religion in Sarajevo; and his questions of mortality in his four-part song Lovely Thing Suite. While some may not relate to those themes/motifs, I bet there are others, within Watsky’s discography and poetry, that can be found.

“But don’t paint me like the good guy ’cause every time I write/I get to choose the angle that you view me and select the nicest light/You wouldn’t respect if you heard the typewriter chatter tap tap/Tapping through my mind at night”

Disclaimer

Although I do admire Watsky, as a performer and an individual, I need to preface that I don’t want to idolize him. There is a tendency, in celebrity culture, to deify public figures to the point of obsession, where the actual person behind the persona becomes irrelevant. This tendency escalates to the point of physical and social danger, such as figures being labeled pariahs for a misstep, or fanatics ignoring the faults of their idols. Even Watsky himself acknowledged this phenomenon in his own life, after an unfortunate stage-dive incident in 2013. As much as Watsky has inspired my life, I shouldn’t ignore his human nature.

“After all, there’s nothing like the first time/The first time’s always perfect”

Catalyst

Watsky has released his first single in over two years, called Welcome to the Family. Marking this release, he has also announced a new North American tour, under the same name. Right below are the dates and locations for the tour, if you’re interested.

I have only seen Watsky in concert once. It was my sophomore year, undergraduate, and I was wrestling with my career path. Should I switch to a passionate career over a fruitful one? I decided, just for one night, I push all those thoughts to the back of my mind, to enjoy a performance from one of my favorite artists.

My friends and I went into the venue. After two hours of opening acts and patience, the live band walked onto the stage, and the show began. Thankfully, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Seeing him perform, not just for himself, but for us, the audience, who hold his words close to their chest, was exhilarating. I saw a man living his dream, doing what he loved, and not caring what the world thought. Out of all the things I should emulate, that should be it. Watsky’s heart, his passion, his energy has inspired me to pursue my dreams, and has pushed me to do better each and every day. I hope he inspires you too.