Formed by Vin Rock and DJ KayGee, the Grammy-winning group “Naughty by Nature”, present their newest hit “Fiesta”, which is the joining of Illtown Sluggaz with singer Ryan Lane.
With thousands of hits on YouTube, the official music video for the song features the Sluggaz bear mascot and explores contagious beats that travel between different rhythms of music that go through hip-hop, pop and R&B, which made the result of this partnership something unique .
Success in the United States, Sluggaz is looking to expand its name more and more in the music world, and beyond the projects it has closed in the NFT world, and has the long-term goal of becoming a true music platform using as its main investment the metaverse and cryptocurrencies to benefit music festivals. The project is bringing the ideal combination of technology and the music industry, becoming a great incentive for independent projects. Check out the interview!
Recently, one of his great works has been partnerships with Vin Rock, DJ KayGee and the Grammy-winning group “Naughty by Nature”. How were those experiences and what do you consider your greatest moments?
[Ryan Lane]: It’s been an amazing experience. I’m really having the time of my life. I would say this is one of my best moments. I feel this opportunity has come at a perfect time for me. I was getting ready not knowing that I was getting ready to go up on stage with these two legends who have been doing this for more than half of their lives, and just to see the passion they still have for what they do and see the smiles on their faces and how the crowd reacts to them, I’m really having the time of my life. This experience is amazing, and I’m learning a lot. I’m literally living one of my best moments right now. Absolutely.
Currently, her music has been heavily focused on hip-hop, pop, and R&B genres. What attracted you most about these styles?
[Ryan Lane]: What attracted me most about these styles? I am a child of music. I grew up with all kinds of music, so I’m influenced by everything from hip hop, pop, R amp, entry, rock and roll. I just feel like with music, there shouldn’t be any limits. Just create. Of course, many people are put into a box or genre by themselves, but with me, I like to create an experiment. So all the things I love to hear are what I like to include in my music. It could be the narrative of country music. It could be the harmonies of R&B songs. It could be the hip hop influence and the cadence or how you say things or express things. All those things are different influences that I draw from everywhere. So I’m influenced by everything I hear and love to be honest.
About your trajectory in the music scene, would we like to know a little about your first contacts with music?
[Ryan Lane]: I remember when I was younger, my uncle was a big head of music, right? He loved R&B music. He really loved all kinds of music because those are the different artists that influenced me from a very young age. Reeba McIntyre, Gladys Knight, Yolanda Adams, Meatloaf. You name it, he had it. And I just remember always being in his basement listening to music and playing with his CDs, reading the little books back there, I read everything in the little books, you know what I mean? And I always carry it with me. I remember using countless batteries in my Walkman. That’s all I wanted. When all the kids were outside having fun playing, I was in the basement listening to music, studying, if you will.
In recent times, his name has grown more and more, mainly due to his live performances in several shows where he plays for millions of people. How does your preparation process work and what are your expectations before the presentations?
[Ryan Lane]: I don’t have a lot of rituals or things I do to prepare. One thing I do, make sure that at all times I take a minute and go to a corner and pray. And I thank God for the gifts he has given me. I pray for my energy while I’m on stage, my vocals, my lyrics, the audience’s energy, to make sure everything works out. Sure I drink my tea, my throat coat and such, but very simple when it comes to prep. I know as far as being on tour, we’ve been going straight to the stage where we only have a 20 minute break to freshen up, change clothes and be back on stage. I just make sure I have those special private moments, I make sure I’m protected and I make sure I get on stage. But of course the tea, and take it easy and relax before you kill him.
As a DJ and musician, what do you think moves and inspires you the most as an artist?
[Ryan Lane]: I would say that must have changed recently since I was on tour. I would say before this experience, inspired by everything. Inspired by writing songs, music, how music makes you feel. But I really feel that now, being on tour and performing in front of thousands of people every night, I’m really inspired by them and how they feel. Many times, even on this tour, I have people in the audience crying when I sing. And that is very inspiring. It makes me want to stay up there longer and keep singing. Not for the person to remain wide-eyed, but we are having a connection. As if I was touching this person’s emotions and feelings.
And as artists, that’s exactly what you want to do. I thought before that, it was all about the feeling and the music and how you hear it, but being in front of them and witnessing that raw emotion is so inspiring to me. Just creating in general, I love it, and it’s inspiring, but recently on this tour, it’s the people.
It’s just ordinary people all over the United States, all over the world, and they really like what I have and what I have to offer. So that’s been one of the most inspiring things. And I’m also touring with Legends. That’s inspiring overall. If they’re not complaining, I’m not saying a word. Do you know what I’m saying? I know this is what it takes. I’m inspired by it. I’m inspired by them and how they carry themselves and how they treat their fans. So you might have to come back with that question because it’s been evolving lately for sure.
One of the great trends that has been marking the artistic universe are the NFT projects, in which you have already closed several partnerships. How have you observed the growth of this movement?
[Vin Rock]: I think there are many forms of NFT. Most people are strictly monetizing NFTs in the art form, but for me, it’s all about utility and access. Because the way we’ve built our NFT offering, when you own An Illtown Sluggaz NFT, you’ll eventually have access to…
[KayGee]: Access to a vault, where you have exclusive access to certain events, access to discount codes for our merchandise, access to secret concerts and shows, etc.
[Vin Rock]: I think there are many forms of NFT. Most people are strictly monetizing NFTs in the art form, but for me, it’s about utility and access. Because the way we’ve built our NFT offering, when you own An Illtown Sluggaz NFT, you’ll eventually have access…
[KayGee]: Access to a vault, where you have exclusive access to certain events, access to discount codes for our merchandise, access to secret concerts and shows, etc.
Finally, what have been your short, medium and long term career plans? What can we expect from Illtown Sluggaz in the future?
[Vin Rock]: The long-term plan for Slugga Music is to become a cryptocurrency digital and metaverse multimedia platform for music festivals and concert series, both in the physical world and in the web 3/metaverse extension.
[KayGee]: As well as artist management, artist and label development, television and film. Just a well-rounded multimedia company and multimedia platform for forward-thinking independent and emerging artists.
[Vin Rock]: The long-term plan for Slugga Music is to become a digital cryptocurrency and metaverse multimedia platform for music festivals and concert series, both in the physical world and in the web 3/metaverse extension.
[KayGee]: As well as artist management, artist and label development, television and film. Just a well-rounded multimedia company and multimedia platform for forward-thinking independent and emerging artists.