Meet BOY KATANA | Artist, rapper, singer, songwriter, designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with BOY KATANA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi BOY KATANA, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in a small town called bullhead city then moved to flagstaff Arizona at the age of 4 with my dad. I grew up in nature, my dad was always working so I would roam the city by myself, getting into pretty much whatever I wanted to, developing my persona early on as a creative, I’ve always drawn, wrote stories painted, made art in general. I use to make YouTube videos as well. My mom wasn’t really in the picture so overall I felt pretty alone and had to be okay with that. Me and my listened to a lot of punk rock in the car growing up when we were able to kick it and I found out about rap more when I heard Kendrick I then ventured into that whole world and decided to start writing lyrics and making verses myself at the age of 13 finding that to be the best way to express myself. I’m 100% artist

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started writing at the age of 13 and it wasn’t until 4 years later when I was 17 and the name “BOY KATANA” randomly popped into my head that I decided to actually record a song and after that song I just really couldn’t stop. I was hooked. I joined the navy right after high school and met my first music manager jones and his other artists such as DORKTHEGHOST they really put me into the scene. Started getting me shows. Had me out in LA taking in the culture fr, things kinda took a turn and I was taken away from all that when I got kicked out of the navy for smoking weed so I lost my main studio/engineer NICKY DON DADA (formerly known as NICKY GLASSES) because I had to move up north (cali) from there I just started recording on my laptop with a blue snowball and that was how I was able to release songs and build my catalog for a good few years. Things took a turn when I started getting complacent, I let my mental health get so bad I had a few mental snaps and even ended up in and out of jail and was diagnosed with bipolar and possible skitzo having manic episodes and was even recording within those states. I bounced around a lot and at one point was even homeless in LOS ANGELES that was wild. After I got done being locked up for what I did in LA I got out moved back up north and started recording some of the most craziest and unique songs which the majority of are still unreleased I’m talking a good hundred songs but that came to a hault when I was picked up for some warrants in AZ and had to do 14 months in prison. But I’m out now and ready to got again. That whole arch was the craziest impact on how I make my music if I had to explain how I make my music honestly I just let the bars pop in my head and record em, hits being the result and I have many influences I can’t even name em all. Art

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Honestly I’d just take em to downtown Gilbert they have some fye food, hit whiskey row the food there is gas. I don’t really party but if we had to go a club or something I heard milk ave was poppin so we would go there and if I had a show or a show to go to we pulling up. Also I go thrift shopping more than average person should so we definitely doing that. Oh and most definitely we recording more hits lol

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give the trophy to my pops, my dad showed me how to be a man. Taught me my morals and raised me to be tough in this sick world

Also ima shoutout the homies, jas, drip and dan yall got me thru some crazy ass emotions fr and never switched up

I owe a lot of my own personal idea of success to the culture, yall go crazy.

Website: https://on.soundcloud.com/k5Hxc46kqtTFfUEU9

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamboykatana?igsh=OW16czlsa251Nmtx&utm_source=qr

Twitter: @iamboykatana

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Katanaaustininnasky?si=Vom1uDAnBJ2yCIuD

Image Credits
Xzarkhan Jace davey