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We first introduced you to Dustin Cavazos about a year ago and since then, it’s been more of the same for the Dallas emcee. In Dustin’s case, this is a good thing. The man hustles harder than Ricky Rozay himself. In a perpetual state of grind, Dustin stays playing shows, releasing EP’s, full length albums, compilations, and produces for other artists. We were fortunate to get some time with Dustin to enjoy some barbecue, drink some lemonade, film some in-apartment performances, and ask some questions.
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JEROME/PANDA, WWM: Last time we spoke you had just released your first full length album. You’ve now released a follow up album, and a new ep. How does it feel when you look back at the past year?

Dustin Cavazos: My goodness, the past year has not only been a huge transition, but it’s been a huge progression (at least from my perspective). I mean, HOPEFULLY to you guys the music is a progression, but for me…just life in general. It’s gone by fast. When I look at old blogs or old pictures from 6 months ago, I’m like, “WOW time has creeped by slowly”. It’s a weird feeling.

WWM: Your recent full length was recorded with live instruments and now the new ep goes back to sample-based beats. Why the changes? Do you feel like this is something that will continue moving forward in your career?

DC: Well with this new ep, The Stay Gold EP, I just kinda wanted to go back to what brought me into hip hop and that was sampling. Almost like a first love you know? But i’m not gonna lie, it felt weird not rapping over songs I wrote myself. I definitely feel more comfortable on “I Think in the shower tracks” or “Be.Leave.Me.” tracks if you know what I mean. But I still had fun. Sampling will always have a place in my heart, but I get a huge kick out of stumbling onto my own melodies and chord progressions.

WWM: Talk a little about the album’s concept and title “Be.Leave.Me.”.

DC: Ok, so I took the phrase Believe Me and broke it up into the sounds. Be. Leave. and Me. and pretty much all the songs have to do with whatever combination you can make out of the phrase. Leave me, be leave (believe), leave me be, I got to BE ME., or just the power that comes from the word Be itself. I also was inspired by leaves (leave) and I don’t care how cheesy that is. They’ve been speaking to me the past couple of cold seasons.

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“leaves in the wind” from be.leave.me.

WWM: Musically, the album seems to have a sense of aggression and grandeur to it. What was the songwriting process like?

DC: Man, like I said from your first question, I was just going through another transitional period you know. And like i always do, I just wrote what i felt at the time. Music and lyrics were all coming to me at the same time. It was a real blessing. But to touch more on the process, I would write write write write lyrics, then I would write write write music. Stuff just fit here and lyrics just fit there. Then i would show the band and they would layer it with guitar, bass, and drums. My drummer/engineer/manager/co-producer, Jose Olide, just really took all my ideas and ran with them full speed with the band. All of our energy and all of my angst just collided together.

WWM: Was there a clear musical direction during the process or was it organic in nature?

DC: I knew that LYRICALLY there was a set direction. I’d find lyrics I wrote and be like, “YES…this fits where i’m going. I’m using this”. But with the music it was very, very, very accidental. I’ve told you about my musical background. If I haven’t, well here it is: there is none. When I get in front of a piano it’s always a crash course. People probably always say this, but I really feel as if God himself just gives me music. But yeah.

WWM: The album’s tone also carries in the lyrical content. Do you agree with that presence, and if so, was it deliberate or a reaction to the music?

DC: The lyrics were deliberate, but the delivery was definitely a reaction to the music and being in the studio with all the guys.

WWM: Who and what were some of your biggest influences during the recording process for be.leave.me.? What about for the new ep?

DC: Well whenever I’m working on any project I listen to zero music. I really try to stay away from all of it. I listen to a lot of sports talk radio (laughs). So I’d have to really say just living in between albums and old journal entries were a big part of this album. Now with the Stay Gold EP, I kinda just made beats and rapped over them. I didn’t really do too much living between Be.Leave.Me. and Stay Gold, so my inspiration was very brief, if that makes sense. Living is one of my biggest inspirations.

WWM: Your “proper” (or planned, if you will) recordings have been pressed on cd and you’ve charged for them. But on the other side of the coin, you’ve given away a good amount of free music, including the new ep. What have you learned as a young artist when it comes to making money off your music, and how do you think it will affect future releases?

DC: Well as a young artist, I’ve learned that most of the money I make off of music is at live shows with merch and things like that. Even in my case, I can make some beats and sell those as well. I just LOVE giving away free music. I mean, why not? That’s really the only answer I have. When it comes to albums, I just feel like I have to charge. If it were up to me it’d be free too. I think I will always put out free eps and charge very minimal for albums. Live shows is where its at. But maybe that’s the young artist coming out in me.

Vodpod videos no longer available.
“i’ve been” from the stay gold ep.

WWM: What goals do you have for the next year of your musical life? anything specific on the horizon?

DC: Well, I’m working on the Handgun Chronicles 2 and I’ve already started writing some music for my new album. Yes, I have a concept, yes I have a title. But I’m gonna wait before I say it (laughs). I’m actually smiling just thinking about it cause I know that it hit me the way “I Think in the shower, I dream on my bike” and “Be.Leave.Me.” did. It wasn’t forced or anything, so I’m stoked. Also, my drummer/engineer/co-producer already misses being in the studio and he’s like WRITE!!!! But beyond just making new music, I really, really, really wanna hit the road. Somehow someway. But maybe it’s not time yet. I’m really liking how things are going locally. We’ll progress from here.

WWM: How soon can we go get some barbecue again? I need a variety of lemonades of my life.

DC: Lets go anytime. I like sundays. And yeah man, those lemonades are the best. For real though, let’s go anytime.
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download the be.leave.me. 3-track album sampler:

download the stay gold EP:

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Dustin’s links:

Official Website.
Tumblr.
Twitter.
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– panda