We had the good fortune of connecting with Pick Patek and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Pick, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
In developing your own sound and image, you have to take risks. You’re literally trying to do something nobody else has done before. I used to ask my popular friends for advice on socials, and my friends that were into music I treated like A&Rs. I realized though that the thing that makes me me is my taste. That’s the one thing that I have that nobody else has. The way I would put an album together, the type of visuals that would accompany it, the style of the artwork, the style of production. I like experimenting and trying things I’ve never tried before. It’s all risky in the sense that people might not vibe with it, but by playing it safe all you do is end up riding somebody else’s wave.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I started rapping I was in 5th grade. I would pass out CDs and my friends and I would freestyle over lunch table beats in the cafeteria. I loved everything about it, and I honestly believed I could make great music one day. I started taking music seriously after I released my first album at college. People I didn’t know were coming up and telling me they loved my songs. That was all new to me at the time, and I was really inspired to keep going.
Since I started making music, I would always handle my own production and engineer for myself as well. Not only did I experiment with my voice, I could experiment with production and vocal processing, and make the aesthetic of each component of the song match the others. This has always allowed me to shine in an industry with so many talented up and coming artists.
I’ve never followed trends for as long as I could remember. When I was a kid, if my parents wanted me to dress or look a certain way I’d do the opposite. I was a Giants fan growing up in Philadelphia. I was late to all the social media platforms. I still don’t watch Tik Tok. I keep that same energy with my music. This isn’t to say I’m not inspired by other artists, but I’m not beholden to what the industry is currently doing sonically or visually. I trust my creative gut, and for the times that it has worked out, it’s worked out great.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Long Beach, so I’d definitely take them down to the beach. I’d show them the best spots to hike and be outside. Thrifting in LA might be one of my favorite things to do, so we’d definitely hit up a couple shops. There’s always some underground shows happening on the weekends too.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my producer prodOMG, who I’ve been working with heavily over the last year to develop a new sound. Usually I like to do things alone, but prodOMG was around enough that eventually, we just started doing everything together. My last semester at college we were in the studio every single night whether or not we had other stuff to do, and we’ve just kept that energy up ever since.
Website: pickpatek.com
Instagram: @pickpatek
Twitter: @pickpatek
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD5rEdwZobhrzPN2ryT6uoA
Other: https://pickpatek.com/music (links to Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud, etc up here)
Image Credits
@melancholy.pimp @heyzian