describe your music in three words

Forward-thinking, cocky, emotional.

HOW DID YOU MOVE FROM ART AND GRAPHIC DESIGN TO MUSIC?                                                                                                 

I didn’t really move into it, the two were sort of intertwined, I’m just an artistic person so I just wanted to get it out through any number of ways. I just wanted to be a graffiti artist but that didn't really work out because I just wasn't into going out and spraying on walls, but I definitely think that my love for typography and art definitely inspired my work. With the music it’s the hip-hop culture. Everything is interlinked, nothing is there without reason, everything is spawned from my love of hip-hop.

with an interest in graphic design do you have a lot of input in how your promotional images look? Do you have a strong vision for your single and album covers?

Nowadays, “image is everything”. People make an assumption of who you are in the first 5 minutes of meeting you, so the way you look and the way you present yourself is everything. It makes sense that the digital world is the same, that's why I apply the same process to my music.

do you see yourself as a brand then?

Yeah! It's hard NOT to see yourself as a brand. But at the end of the day I am a person, I am constantly changing and I don’t think as a brand you are meant to be changing all the time. I would probably say the name is a brand, the person is not.

as an artist do you find the rhythm and the beat is more important or the lyrics?

For me both have the same importance. You can have lyrics that are really deep with a very strong message but that are not heavily wordy and the other way around. So, beats or lyrics or both are just about the message you want to come across.

how did you develop your sound and style as an artist?

In my music I just want people to relate to my day-to-day, my relationships … Whatever I have in my chest and that’s what I use music for.

what's the best advice you've ever been given?

Just do your own thing.

what advice would you give people starting out in the music industry?

Don’t take no for an answer. Nobody can tell you if you good or not, people will speak for themselves supporting you music, buying your CDs, etc… And that’s when you will know if you are good or not.

Many big people like Kanye West or Jay-Z  were told no when they first started by recod labels, so don’t listen to that and just keep trying.

are there any artists you feel have influenced your music?

Some of the obvious ones hip hop and rap but I love the whole rock&roll generation, the “I don’t give a shit attitude”.

would you like to collaborate with a design house in the future, like previous artists such as kanye west and kaws have?

Definitely, we are doing it right now! We have a lot of collaborations coming out, obviously music, canvases, a clothing label – everything is a collaboration. As an artists, I use all of them to make my message come across.

so what's the message you want to come across with all these projects?

“Life live to the fullest and enjoy what you do” I think people spend way to much time living to the expectation of others. For me you just have to do what is right for you at the end of the day.

You have your hand in the music industry, art and fashion- what's next for you?

What I would like to do next is to open a gallery for street art

how has the response been to your recent single release of Goin' Down?

Yeah, wicked response. Very, very happy.

who is your idol?
Marvin Gaye, I just love the things he stood for, for him everything was about love. His music and his message was so strong.

Thai's new project Apollo is out tomorrow

Available for free download at http://thaimatic.bandcamp.com from Midnight tonight

Interview by Bianca Spada