Exposed Vocals sits down to an interview with Wisco Sin!
Wisco Sin spent over a decade making music for free underground. He spent that time experiencing a normal, tough trade job life, honing his skills and freestyle abilities during 4 hours of commuting a day. He spent 2012-15 building an in home studio and saving for a DIY album release. Finally in the summer of 2016 he is releasing his Freshman Studio Debut Album FTW, placing all bets on himself.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Wisco Sin: I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a toddler my parents split and my mom had moved us to Concord, WI. I went to middle and high school in Watertown, WI living with my mom and step dad. I would visit my dads trailer in milwaukee when he could afford to pick me up. I fell in love with writing songs that rhymed, using clever wordplay to get people to relate to my songs. I started writing “songs” at 9 and switched to hip hop at age 12, I always felt music was going to be my calling, I didn’t chose to do it, I feel like I have to do it, it’s my therapy to keep me sane for sure!
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Wisco Sin: I always have had a lot of pride being from Wisconsin, I have traveled and worked in every city and town in our state. I love our sports teams, I think our state has some of the toughest hard working blue collar workers in the entire nation. I feel like we are always the underdog and I felt with 14 years of making music every single day, freestyling during 4 hours of commuting traffic, I have earned my stripes as an emcee, so the name Wisco Sin fits me perfectly. I think Wisco is myself and our entire state and the Sin last name really portrays the ugly truth that technically I’m a sinner to a lot of close minded individuals, the name is a symbol of a clash within our state between the youth and their parents generations. I play on “Sins” I personally believe if we’re honest about temptation and lust it makes us stronger as we grow up. People in Wisconsin are very divided with philosphy on how to live our lifes, but at the end of the day I think our state pulls for one another very well, we know we have all the odds against us, we thrive in those situations.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Wisco Sin: I love online music sharing, I believe if someone can’t afford an album but they find a means to fall in love with a band or an artist online, odds are they will buy the next album and buy concert tickets if they can afford them eventually. I gave 118 songs away for free over 14 years as an underground rapper. I had over 32,000 mp3 downloads that I gave away for free. I was so happy just to get feedback and love, a lot of honesty helped hone my skillset in. I told myself I wouldn’t sell a single album until I could compete with everybodies sound qaulity and would I buy my own music and bump it. Since 2012 I have been working on my in home studio, also the finacial means for my first official “studio” album with promotion and booking power. I finally now after approx. 50,000 hours of practice and dedication, feel I’m the man that can offer his own brand to the world and it can resonate with the young fans and the experienced music fan.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Wisco Sin: My first airplay was in 2005 Madison’s Hot 105.9 hip hop idol, as a Junior in high schooI I was selected to perform and compete with experienced and grown up local talent. Always respect the artists that came before you, they have a ton of wisdom they will share if you show love and dedication to your craft. Tell everyone you can about the music you’re working on, perform for free at house parties, listen to your honest friends and fans opinions, we are never as good as we can be unless we can look in the mirror and be honest with ourselves.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Wisco Sin: Yes, my senior year in high school I signed up for the talent show 8 days before it was set. I realized I had not one explicit free song, so I wrote two songs for it, I nailed the first one perfect, word for word and our auditorium had a full 500 or so packed in, a lot hands started to raise and vibe with me. Then on my second song I lost my lines 4 bars in and I immediately went freestyle and without missing a beat started rhyming classmates names in the front row into my song, I finished the choruses out and nobody had known I fucked up.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Wisco Sin: I am going on my first tour to make a living off of my music this up and coming summer. I have a minor surgery on May 23rd, 2016. After my four week recover period, my album will be shipped and my merchandise line will be ready for business. My body will be 100% and I’m going to put on for my state, this show has so much energy, I’m Jones’in to be able to entertain people and inspire younger and older artists to keep doing what they love to do.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Wisco Sin: It depends, sometimes I will be up for a couple days finishing one song, and another song will come to me and I’ll write it out in it’s entirety. Other times I have a concept and write it in stages and work my concept to how a certain sound makes me feel. I write or record my thoughts on voice recorder as much as possible, Eminem called it stacking ammo.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Wisco Sin: Yes I do, www.RealWiscoSin.com is where you can go to get links to my youtube, twitter, instagram, reverbnation. You can listen to my music on my main site, my reverbnation, and youtube. I just landed a digital distrabution deal and my singles are being processed as we speak to be available on itunes, amazon, cd baby ect…
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Wisco Sin: Taylor Swift 1989 album, Icona pop “I Love It” (said with a shit faced grin)
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Wisco Sin: I would start my sophmore album, get a full nationwide tour planned and get my dream list of features on the album. I would also engage my girlfriend and take her somewhere special for having my back through and through with pursuing my dreams.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Wisco Sin: I just finished my in home studio, I have a sound proof vocal booth, 24 bit digital conversion audio, and some very nice Yamaha HS8’s to pound a mini concert in the studio. My studio is fully equipped for everything I need to produce, record and practice live sound and shows.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Wisco Sin: Fans experiencing myself live is by far the most impactful, word of mouth. We do online marketing as well, my goal is to target my state first and foremost, then as our budget grows our reach will as well.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Wisco Sin: Eminem, he would make me elevate my level tremendously. Also Atmosphere, Ant beats with Slug is a deadly combination.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Wisco Sin: My first official studio album “FTW” will be released in the summer of 2016, 2 music videos are being shot for the release, I plan on having 6 to 7 total.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Wisco Sin: Giving my girlfriend orgasms and hope she pays me for them.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Wisco Sin: I was 8 years old and walked into a local K mart and bought the explicit cassette of Coolio “Gangsta’s Paradise” all on my own. America used to be great.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Wisco Sin: That’s the toughest question to answer, being a Dad to a 3 year old is tough however I’ve gained another fan and he loves to sing with his Daddy so that helps a lot. It’s very stressful on serious relationships, if my girlfriend wasn’t also my best friend it would be impossible. I use stress and pain as fuel in my music, I think truly just being myself keeps me out working my competition.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Wisco Sin: My first major released album, my first official music videos, my first tour to bring my energy to a city near them!
