Posted by Emerging from Dutchess County, Declan the Celebrity is carving out his own lane with a style that refuses to be boxed in. With a growing catalog that showcases both versatility and intent, the rising hip-hop artist continues to build momentum through a series of compelling releases and visuals. In this interview, we chop it up with Declan the Celebrity to break down his latest singles, the creative direction behind his music videos, and what’s on the horizon as he gears up for his next project.
Let’s talk about your last two singles. They feel like they exist on completely different wavelengths. Can you walk us through your creative approach for each track and what sets them apart?
I try to keep my music fresh; one release won’t sound like the next, and that’s credited to inspiration. I always listen to a wide range of music, so no single sound is “the best” to me. I also consider myself lucky to have a versatile voice. I love it when I can utilize different tones in the same song. Fuck it, even the same verse. That’s when I make my best shit. For “The Bear,” I kinda tapped back into my first “album,” and that’s in quotes ’cause I jack “Decsville” as my debut. It was called “Is the Bear Catholic,” and it’s on the melancholy side. Life was lifing so I hit the studio cuz I was bagged up that day. It just all came together beautifully. When I made “In God We Trust,” I was just looking to rip straight bars. It had been a minute since I just let the pen run wild, and it was definitely time to empty the chamber rhyme-wise.
Who handled production on each track, and is this your first time collaborating with them?
So I produced “The Bear.” I found the sample and barely had to do anything. It was one of those ones where the loop evokes just about all I need. As I previously mentioned, I was bagged up so that shit was striking chords left and right. The verse is deep, except I don’t know why I said that about Mark Cuban. I’m sure he’s an okay guy. “In God We Trust” spawned from my love of this underground subculture of lost tapes on YouTube. It’s like a bunch of channels with old 90s cuts from NY, Miami, L.A, pretty much everywhere. The beat was made by Dope Gonzalez for a Roughneck Soldiers song called “Kill or Be Killed.” Never met bro, it’d be dope tho. It’s some of the best rap songs I’ve ever heard on those channels. Go look up Paralaxx, and there’s this joint called “Touchin” by Low Life, this old Miami group that’s really ill. Maybe I’ll take another one of those beats. Mad fun doing that song.
We see that both tracks received visual treatments. Who directed the videos, and were you involved in shaping the creative direction?
Yessir! Myself and my team of film makers go by Bad Acid Cinemas. We have bare-bones experience when it comes to cameras and shit, but the lack of knowledge is lowkey a good thing. Learning on the fly, I sometimes try random shit on Premiere and for whatever reason it keeps coming out how I want it to. I definitely wanna get something going with someone who can really finesse a video tho. That’d be sick. Shoutout The Bad Acid Crew, Sqwiddy, Gussington, and Cedric Green Nasty.
What can you share about your upcoming project, and what can listeners expect?
So Gus and I linked up yesterday and started really breaking down a plan for “Cartoons for Criminals and Scum 2.” Gus is one of my favorite dudes to create music with. We always seem to have a common vision, and that makes shit so easy. It’s truly effortless. We got a little done so far, but the majority of the beats are all selected. Personally, I think Part 2 might punch harder than Part 1. Similar vibe tho, snarky bars with that classic Dec production. It sounds like it was made in the Batcave. If the Batcave were my mom’s basement and the Batsuit were a polo fleece, I’m pretty much Bruce Wayne.
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