Jango Wants to Make Music With You

“We’re friends, right?” Jango asks the audience before pulling a black ski mask over his face. As the stage darkens and white lights begin to strobe over the crowd, the rapper climbs a large box at the side of the stage. He looms over the audience, almost forcing his lyrics into their ears. The rapper started his show at The Neurolux in downtown Boise, Idaho, by boasting about his air guitar skills. The sudden shift in the atmosphere might feel like a violation from any other artist, but from Jango, it is a confession. The promise of friendship from the small crowd permits him to expose the shadowy corners of his mind and music. Yes, we are here for a good time, but as Kendrick Lamar said, this is also “that TED talk.” 

Proudly based in Spokane, Washington, Jango embodies the distinct qualities of the Pacific Northwest independent music scene. Pulling as much inspiration from punk and alternative rock as he does from other hip-hop artists, Jango’s sound is rooted in a time when genre lines were more of a blurry suggestion. With a catalog that ranges from raw and ragged with songs like “Lyfestyle” to intellectual and offbeat with the undeniable single “Merchandise,” Jango might appear indecisive in his execution, but everything the rapper turns out is distinctly and undeniably his.

Jango recently returned to the Treasure Valley for the first time since performing at the Treefort Music Festival in March of 2022. We caught up with him via phone to discuss the origins of his sound, his future in the Spokane music scene, and plans for his first full-length album. 

Photo by April Massey

AM: Your music and stage show is a throwback to artists like DMX with an energy that is a lot rawer. What was the process for developing your sound? Who are some of the other artists you draw inspiration from?

Jango: You definitely hit it on the nose. DMX, Denzel Curry, and JID, lyrasists like Kenrick Lamar. Pacific Northwest artists like Nirvana also inspire me. That is why, especially this year, I have connected with a lot of rock bands, like MONSTERWATCH and Elvis Batchild. The way these bands perform is mad inspiring and extremely intriguing to me. 

AM: Hip-Hop and music, in general, are moving towards older influences; artists like Drake and Beyonce are incorporating elements of early ‘90s club music into their songs. Also, Emo is having a big resurgence. What do you think is causing this shift?

Jango: The availability of music. There is so much crossing of genres and influence between different kinds of music. I see myself as a cross-genre artist. My next project has heavy punk and rock influences and some EDM. I am blending those with my hip-hop influences to create something familiar to the Pacific Northwest reign but also different in that it is hardly being done. 

AM:  Who are some of the punk and rock influences you draw inspiration from?

Jango: Being from the Northwest, it is hard not to be inspired by the Nirvanas, but I am also gravitating towards a lot of black punk bands like Korg and Fever 333. 

AM: You have said you consider yourself the lead instrument in your music. Can you elaborate on that and your process for making music as a whole?

Photo by April Massey

Jango: My process probably is not what you think. Before we even started making music, my producer and I built a relationship. I like for us to speak the same language, to have the same vision. When I am talking about a TV show, I want them to be able to understand it in the sense of what would this TV show sound like. We will make a beat that would fit on that soundtrack. We spent more time watching TV shows, listening to other kinds of music, and speaking in that language. Then we started to make beats. We are very macro. We are very open with our flow. We spend more time creating a vibe than micro-focused on a specific sound. It is feelings first before messages and meanings. 

AM: How do you think that approach separates you from your peers?

Jango: It allows me to be versatile. Artists will become so micro-focused that they end up with a whole album of songs that all sound the same. That is great if that is what you are going for, but we are making music that is entertaining for everyone. When you have a macro lens, you are open to many different things, and that allows us to be very versatile with the sounds and vibes that we have created.

AM: The last time we spoke, you talked about how important it was for you to stay in Spokane and help build that scene. Since then, some key players have left Spokane for bigger cities. As your success grows, are you considering a similar move?

Jango: I have entertained the thought of moving to a larger market. Right now, while I am still working on my next project, and until that is released and we tour it, I will be staying in Spokane.

AM: Do you have a market in mind that you want to move into?

Jango: Many artists will go from Spokane to Seattle, that move does make sense in some ways, but with Seattle being Spokane’s cousin, you should be the visitor, not the competitor. I have been looking at Arizona. It is a good hub to be able to move around to California. It is central to everything fast-paced. 

AM: In the past year, you have released several new singles, done some collaborations, made music videos, and toured. Do you have plans to release a full-length album in the near future? 

Jango: I am looking at dropping a project early to mid-year. I am working on solidifying some features and dialing in the tone. We have been working on this record for the past two and a half years. We have defined the sound and created cross-genre songs that can be appreciated by many different demographics. We are putting on the finishing touches.

AM: Are there other areas of the country besides the Pacific Northwest that you would like to tour in the future? 

Photo by April Massey

Jango: Once the project drops, our next step will be touring. I would like to get to the west and eastern regions. Looking at my Apple and Spotify analytics, I have a decent amount of listeners on the east coast. I do want to start to engage with my listeners that are in these different markets. 

AM: Are there any artists from those regions you would like to tour or collaborate with?

Jango: Kenny Mason. We played the Capital Hill Block Party. We met and had a  strong conversation. He is a hip-hop and alternative rock artist. He is cross-genre like me—Grip, from Atlanta. A dream collaboration would be Fever333. 

AM: Are you interested in making any other genre of music besides hip-hop?

Jango: I have been working with a group of musicians in Seattle on some punk music. We already have plans for six or seven records. I want to pursue that more. I want to do more rock music and some rock collaborations. Anyone I have done shows with I am inspired by and would like to work with in the future. 

AM: What about rock and punk draws you towards those genres?

Jango: It matches my performance energy. It inspires me. When I perform, I feel like I am a black rockstar. That is how I label myself. A black rockstar that performs hip-hop.  

This article has been edited and condensed.