Chow Mane
1) Tell us something about yourself that your fans may not know.
A: Since my parents split when I was young, I grew up between Salinas and San Jose, which had pretty different cultures. In Salinas I was usually one of the only Asian kids around, whereas San Jose I was more immersed in an Asian American community. I talk a little bit about it on an upcoming song from South Bay Summer called "SJ to Salinas". I also love anime. Gintama is probably my favorite.
2) What's it like being an Asian-American in the music industry and what challenges have you had to overcome because of it?
A: When I was first starting out, there were a lot of different opinions about me being an Asian American in hip-hop. Shows were always hit-or-miss depending on the crowd and how well people could relate to my story. I remember at one of the first big shows I did in Santa Cruz at The Catalyst, a group of white kids brought calculators to try and hand me on stage. It was pretty offensive but honestly so ridiculous it was kinda funny. Luckily though, being from the Bay Area, there's so much diversity that it's easy to connect across the board with different artists and industry people. I got love for everyone.
3) Your next single 'Silk Road' is with ALLBLACK. How did this come about?
A: I got the "Tasty!" music video dropping in July, a single called "ICEJJFISH" with Guapdad 4000 dropping in August, and a full-length project called "South Bay Summer" in September. I'm currently sitting on a huge vault of music, so I might continue dropping EPs as the year goes on. Currently working on putting together a few music videos for songs off "South Bay Summer" as well.
4) What made you want to have both a side a/b for this upcoming single?
A: "Silk Road" is just so out of pocket and raw and funny that I wanted to offset it with a more musical and slightly more meaningful song with the "Xanadu" b-side. I wanted that dichotomy of sound, lyrical topic, theme, and also production, as I produced Silk Road and oksami produced Xanadu.
5) How have you had to adjust your music career due to the pandemic?
A: I've still been working a lot. The only difference is instead of in-person sessions, I'm running sessions every day virtually or with close artist friends. I think the biggest downside has been postponing music video shoots that we had lined up for South Bay Summer, but we're figuring out compromises as we go.
6) What can fans expect from your next project 'South Bay Summer?'
A: South Bay Summer was originally going to be a 5-song, lighthearted upbeat summertime EP. I've fleshed it out a little more to continue the vibes. Most of the songs are bouncy and fun, with just a few more personal pieces. Overall, I want people to listen to the album and feel the vibe of summertime in the South Bay. I feel like not many people have put the city on the map yet, and I want to embody that energy and share it with the world.
7) If you could only have 1 collaboration for the rest of your music career, who would it be?
A: A song with Gucci Mane would go crazy.
8) What else do you have planned for 2020?
A: I got the "Tasty!" music video dropping in July, a single called "ICEJJFISH" with Guapdad 4000 dropping in August, and a full-length project called "South Bay Summer" in September. I'm currently sitting on a huge vault of music, so I might continue dropping EPs as the year goes on. Currently working on putting together a few music videos for songs off "South Bay Summer" as well.
Follow Chow Mane:
Twitter - @largechowmane
Instagram - @chowmane
Facebook - @chowmane
