Audio engineer and musical artist AKASUGE is humbly working towards a successful music career.
AKASUGE, 23, has such a love for music that some of his earliest childhood memories include playing the keyboard and guitar. Although he couldn't commit to learning to play instruments, he always found ways to immerse himself in music. His childhood passion blossomed into an aspiration to start a music career.
Initially, AKASUGE was more interested in making beats than performing or writing. Then, he enrolled in a music production program through Recording Connection and attended classes at a studio in Manhattan.
"That really opened my eyes to the engineering aspect of music creation. There was something about being able to do everything myself that I really fell in love with."
Inspired by the XXXTENTACION, Juice WRLD, Ski Mask The Slump God, Chief Keef, and Eminem, AKASUGE started making music in his home studio to begin his music career.
"But most importantly [I'm inspired by] my friends, who I consider my family. I have the MOST talented friends in the world. They drive me to be the best version of myself I can be and never fail to uplift me and push me past my limits."
Without any preference for genre, the next step was coming up with a stage name.
AKASUGE started as a nickname derived from a PlayStation gamertag.
"However, I felt as though the name was incomplete. I felt like it needed something else to it. It couldn't simply just be 'Suge'; that's too basic, and I ain't basic."
He decided to add AKA as a prefix to mean also known as and to serve as a personal reminder.
"What a lot of people don't know is that the "AKA" also stands for "Always kill anything"; a reminder to myself to always give my absolute best to anything I do.
Then came the actual work: making the music.
Currently, AKASUGE doesn't make beats like he initially intended. Instead, he finds a beat he likes and brainstorms melodies and lyrical patterns.
"I don't write music. I prefer to let the music write itself and just freestyle whatever it is I feel the instrumental is trying to convey through feeling."
Using this method, AKASUGE created hits like dolor, F MY LIFE UP, and No U Not, each with a distinct inspiration.
dolor
"dolor is a song that's inspired by the feeling of not being able or struggling with not being able to let go of past traumas that haunt us. Everyone has that something that we all struggle with letting go of, and I'm certainly no different."
F MY LIFE UP
"The inspiration behind "F MY LIFE UP" came from thinking about how badly it would hurt, or "F my life up" if I were to lose someone special. I think it's safe to say we all have a certain special someone or people that would really kill us if they were no longer in our lives."
No U Not
"I was just with my brother, talking pure nonsense. I don't even like this song anymore. It's a really old song, but it serves as a benchmark in terms of how far I've come since then musically."
AKASUGE's latest song, released this month, is Looking For. It's the first of a long list of songs ready to release soon.
"As long as you have something to talk about, there's going to be some substance to your music. Not every song has to be some thought-provoking lyrical phenomenon. It's okay to make simplistic, fun music you can just vibe to. So just have fun."
Despite his passion for the craft, AKASUGE's biggest obstacle is time. Finding the time to produce quality work is just as challenging as earning enough money to upgrade equipment or market and promote himself.
"Without time, you can't do anything at all. I'm at a point in my career where I'm focused on trying to build a solid support base and staying engaged with them."
However, he isn't going to stop. AKASUGE dreamt of his music career like other people dreamt of becoming firefighters or police officers. Creating music for others to enjoy is his version of a cushy 9-5 office job. It's not about the accolades or the fame; it's about financially supporting himself and creating a foundation for his future family.
"Other than that, I'd love to collaborate with big-name artists and just overall be recognized for my hard work. I'm a simple man."
Collaborating and sharing his passion with others has led AKASUGE to start a tutoring program. He teaches students how to mix audio like music recordings, voice-over dialogue, and more using his home studio.
The ultimate sign of success would be getting the opportunity for a Narduwuar interview. Until then, he continues honing his audio engineering skills and creatively expressing himself.
AKASUGE is currently focusing on creating and releasing more music. He hopes to release his first mixtape sometime soon. Until then, AKASUGE is active on social media, constantly making videos about his creative process.
For AKASUGE, creating and engineering music offers a way to connect with others and express himself fully.
"To just be your authentic self unapologetically. There's a lot to live for, and you never know whose hearts you can touch through your journey."
Listen to AKASUGE on Spotify, Soundcloud, and Apple Music.
Keep up with all of AKASUGE's work here.